Tuesday, September 8, 2009

I RECEIVED A CALL FROM CANADA TODAY CONCERNING THE NORTH AMERICAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 IN MAZATLAN, MEXICO

Today, I had the pleasure in receiving a phone call from a parent in Ontario, Canada who is interested that his son play in the North American Youth Championship. It always feels good to receive a call or an email from a reader of our blog.

The parent stated that when he called the hotel they quoted him $330 Canadian dollars, which compared with the $200 USD they quoted me yesterday - the U.S. dollar quote sounded more reasonable. Due to the fact that my spanish is perfect, I had to clarify to the hotel clerk that I was not calling as a parent but one whose daughter will be competing for the United States, so she simply gave me a rate of exchange of $200 USD instead of the $2,500 Mexican pesos.

What the clerk did state, which I omitted from yesterday's blog entry was that the price included three meals per day for four days. I questioned the clerk several times and she confirmed this statement, but I omitted it from my report. However, the Canadian parent confirms the same report.

The parent also asked me about the strength of the tournament and I assured him it is competitive. My daughter did win the under 10 in 2007, but it was not a cake walk. If it weren't competitive I would not make the sacrifice to attend.

I was also asked why their was no information about the North American Youth Championship 2008 - it was Canada's turn but it was declined. After this unfortunate situation, the University of Texas Brownsville bid and won the right to host it but due to scheduling problems this summer, Mexico landed the event. Being that sports in Mexico are under the jursidiction of the Mexican government, the national federations are connected to them, it is easier for a country backed by its government to accomplish tournaments such as these on short notice.

I can be reached by phone at 830-734-4956. Needless to say, I am a regular parent who decided to assist parents in attending this tournament, I do not represent a federation or organization but my family.

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