Hello from Washington State!

[goTony]

Greetings and Salutations to all! (Especially all the other recent new members)

I am a GO player in Washington state, no I do not live in Seattle. I am about 5 hours away. We have a small club in town of which I am one of the founders and funders.

I am interested in many aspects of GO history, culture, relationship to life,growing a club and spreading GO and maybe even getting better.

I look forward to meeting you here and over the Goban.

お願いします!

Anthony

[EdLee]

Welcome! Are you near Portland, too ?

[goTony]

Welcome! Are you near Portland, too ?

Yes I am only 4 hours from Portland! (Only in the NW is 4 hours close). I do not make it to Portland very often. But they have a GO Club there and it is larger and stronger than ours. I believe they do a demo occasionally at the Chinese Cultural Center.

Incidentally I first learned to play GO when I lived in Ventura County at the Simi valley club.

Santa Barbara is a beautiful city hope your enjoying it.

And thank you for the welcome!

[EdLee]

Incidentally I first learned to play GO when I lived in Ventura County at the Simi valley club.

Oh! When were you at the Simi valley club, and who else was there?

[goTony]

Oh it has been a while... We were living in Ventura county and I went 2-3 times to the club that met at Borders. I learned the rules there then moved.... So it must have been about 2007. I do not remember the names. But I appreciate the fact I learned there even if I did not play for some time after. Now I am introducing people to GO.

I miss CA.........

How is the SB doing? I know you had some strong players there.

[EdLee]

Yes, I also visited the Ventura Go club at Borders a few times over the years. Possibly in 2007, too.
Maybe you met David Whiteside and Ted Drange.
That Borders is still there, but both Borders in SB folded, ~2011. SB is raining tonight.
Unfortunately, the really good players are probably all hiding, and too busy, in grad school at UCSB.

[Rowen]

Welcome!

[goTony]

Yes, I also visited the Ventura Go club at Borders a few times over the years. Possibly in 2007, too.
Maybe you met David Whiteside and Ted Drange.
That Borders is still there, but both Borders in SB folded, ~2011. SB is raining tonight.
Unfortunately, the really good players are probably all hiding, and too busy, in grad school at UCSB.

I think it may have been David. One of the old computers with all that contact info died and could not be resurrected.

But I hope I have repaid my dues and my borrowed and not returned GO CD.... Since I have taught about 20 people and introduced the game to at least 30 or so...

I miss the beach at SB, though one of my favorites is El Capitan a little north. If your ever up in WA give me a holler.

[goTony]

Yes, I also visited the Ventura Go club at Borders a few times over the years. Possibly in 2007, too.
Maybe you met David Whiteside and Ted Drange.
That Borders is still there, but both Borders in SB folded, ~2011. SB is raining tonight.
Unfortunately, the really good players are probably all hiding, and too busy, in grad school at UCSB.

I forgot to ask what do you do are you a student?

[EdLee]

I miss the beach at SB, though one of my favorites is El Capitan a little north. If your ever up in WA give me a holler.

Yes, El Capitan is a bit up north. I was in fact in Tacoma, WA in August
for US Go Congress; were you there, too? My background is software engineering.

[goTony]

I made it to the first two days of the congress only. It was quite a treat, to meet so many strong players. I had an untarnished record there, truly amazing. Not one victory to mar my string of defeats.

I was playing very poorly. I had learned just enough to know about concepts- thickness, tenuki etc... but not enough to apply it. So I played confused and hesitantly. I lost my initial daring innocence. Plus the stronger players know proper Joseki.....

But hey I got a mug and a tee shirt what more could I want?

( I too miss some of those bookstores. They have closed down all over)

Anthony

[EdLee]

I made it to the first two days of the congress only.

Oh, so for Sunday and Monday mornings, we were both in the same hall.

[goTony]

Yes but most definitely not at the same board! I was near the end of the line.....

If I was half as good at playing as getting the word out I would be at least 5kyu....

You need to come visit the Seattle GO center and then come over to Wine country and play with our club!

[EdLee]

Tony, my friend and I dropped by the SGC on new year's day 2003.
It was raining. Jon Boley was playing simuls for fund-raising.