2012 National Elementary Championship - Day 3 - By Chloe Wong

Today is our last day. I woke up early again to eat breakfast and found my dad had already gotten breakfast. Of course he made me take a shower before I ate, even though my mouth was watering with the smell of it. Thanks dad! I quickly wolfed down breakfast and headed to the 6th round. After I finished, I finished packing my stuff. Then we checked out and put our stuff away in the car so we could leave right after the last round. Unfortunately, it was raining and we had to hurry to the car out of fear of being soaked. Did you know that it can be raining, but still be sunny outside? We ate lunch and then went for a walk around the Garden Conservatory to see the wonderful greenery and small waterfalls. The waterfalls were rushing out water and some even had fish in them! As I went into the 7th round, I felt nervous because I didn’t want to lose my last round because I set a goal to win 3 out of 7 rounds. I also felt happy because I was wearing my new, awesome cowboy hat! When my partner arrived she was wearing a hat too! It was kind of funny! After I finished my round, we were on the road again! We came to a dead stop in highway congestion because of a multi-vehicle accident for TWO HOURS!!! Conveniently for some people, there was a Porte-Potty that was for the construction workers! We finally reached good ole Wisconsin at 3:00 am! I had to go to school 3 hours later so I got 3 hours of sleep plus about 4 hours in the car. Well that’s it! The competition was a bit tough, but if you know what you’re doing and you’re 100% sure, you’ll be okay. It was fun because I got to see downtown Nashville and experience country music and its artists. It was a great experience because you got to get a feeling of what the Nationals were like. I think that going to Nashville was a great experience AND a lot of fun!

At the Garden Conservatory

Last round.  Waiting for my opponent...

Stuck in traffic on the way back

2012 National Elementary Championship - Day 2 - By Chloe Wong

Today, we woke up at 8:00 to get breakfast. Then, I went to my 3rd round and played chess. Next, we went to the Grand Ole Opry and went on a backstage tour to see where all the stars enter and get ready to sing and play at the Grand Ole Opry. Then we went back to the hotel to play the 4th round. Afterwards, I took a nap and went to have dinner and we got stuck in a highway congestion on the way back. I went to play the 5th round and afterwards, I got a BIG surprise! My dad took me to the Grand Ole Opry to watch one of the shows with, Brad Paisley, Jimmy Dickens, Bobby Osborne, and Carrie Underwood!  It was fun and exciting because you got to see some of the biggest country stars preform live!

Dad and I at the Grand Ole Opry Backstage Tour after Round 3

Ready for Round 4

Watching Carrie Underwood performing live at the Grand Ole Opry!

Overall Day 2 Wisconsin Results

Round 3: Won 19, Tie 3, Lost 20
Round 3: Won 17, Tie 3, Lost 22
Round 3: Won 20, Tie 3, Lost 19

Images from Day 2

Alex Klahorst - currently 10 in K6 unrated.

Aaron Williams - now with 4pts in K3U800

.... and the impressive trophy display.

The Werth boys (Nat and Joshua) from Sheboygan Christian at nationals.

Goodrich News

From Debra Zender:

Day 2: Overall, a better day for Goodrich than yesterday. We had two players win all of their games. A few of us are still getting lost in the massive hotel. The boys discovered the arcade.

From the kids:
We love the arcade but our coach got mad that we were in there instead of practicing chess. Tomorrow we will win all of our games. (we hope).

2012 National Elementary Championship - Day 1 - By Chloe Wong

Before the 1st match started, my dad and I went to have breakfast inside the hotel. The Gaylord Opryland hotel has many places to eat inside the hotel. After that, we walked around the humongous hotel and admired the waterfalls, green plants, and the plain vastness of everything! There are many shops to browse in and buy things to remember your visit to Tennessee. Finally, 1:00 rolled around and when I stepped inside the tournament room I was blown away. The board numbers went well into the thousands! After I finished my 1st round, my dad and I drove into downtown Nashville to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum. It was so much fun! You got to learn about a lot of the famous country singers (especially taylor swift), see the Golden Records, and see which singers have made it into the country music hall of fame. We went back to the hotel and had dinner. Then we skedaddled back to the tournament room so I could beat the pants off my next opponent!

In the Garden Conservatory - this place is so huge!

First round

Visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame - Posing in front of my favorite artist!

In front of the Country Music Hall of Fame