Those efficiencies are probably specific to Eugene. I actually find that online lessons can be more efficient than face to face because you don't have to reset the pieces and it is easier to backtrack to an earlier position without the inaccuracies of face to face where you usually use a chessboard. Also the elimination of travel time is a plus.
I agree. We went a little overboard with the Hungary U16 Olympiad but the results were satisfying from the point of view of team experience and participation. The only downside is that it created some expectations in certain individuals that we cannot repeat year after year.2. U-16 Olympiad is a very interesting and usually well-organized event, so CFC should make some effort to send and support the strongest possible team. Unfortunately, in Canada juniors don't have enough experience it team tournaments. I remember, in USSR most of junior tournaments were team events.
According to the rules you must send a girl and she must play. In the instance where we did not send an onsite coach we had some issues with parents pushing the HOD not to play the girl even when the team they were facing was very bad. It would be better if they went to a national team and a girls team for this event instead of the current situation where we send a girl who plays less than her counterparts.
3. Sometimes team of 4 is better than team of 5. According to regulations, one player must be a girl, but team of 4 boys-only is possible. In Canada we don't have too many competitive girls and sometimes the gap between board 4 and 5 is very significant (more than 300 rating points). In this case, a girl is less involved and feels not comfortable. My opinion - if the gap is too big - send team of 4. What is too big? Something like 150 points. In 2014, even Q.Zhou played just 6 out of 10 games and wasn't too happy.