[Ansteorra-announce] [Announcements] more information regarding waivers

[Baron, Meg]

Greetings unto the esteemed members of the Society:

Questions continue to come in regarding waivers. Since some of these
questions are of interest and importance to everyone, I thought it best to
put forth yet another note to all of you regarding waivers.


1. Waivers for Various Types of Activities

Questions have been raised regarding whether the waiver policy applies to
such activities as target archery practice. A Board ruling of several years
ago established that waivers need not be signed for such practices. 

The key point distinguishing which "martial" activities require waivers at
practices is the nature of the target. If blows/shots are typically aimed at
a person, as is the case in armored combat, rapier combat, siege engines,
and combat archery, then waivers are required at practices. If the target is
inanimate, as in target archery and thrown weapons, then waivers are not
required at practices.

The exception to the above rule of thumb is equestrian activities. Waivers
are always required for equestrian activities, including practices.

Please note that this clarification applies to practices only! At events,
every person walking in the gate must show a proof-of-waiver membership card
or sign a waiver regardless of what they intend to do at the event.

Also, please bear in mind that, as always, Kingdoms are free to set more
stringent requirements than those imposed by Corporate policies. Therefore
Kingdoms may choose to require waivers at archery or thrown weapons
practices at their discretion. This may be required by local law or site
owner requirements...and more caution is never a bad idea. 

2. Individual Waivers vs. Roster Waivers

It is acceptable to use a roster-style waiver for adults at events and
fighter/equestrian practices. A roster waiver allows several individuals to
sign a single waiver, thus saving a lot of paper. 

A separate sheet (or sheets, if the number of attendees makes multiple pages
necessary) must be used for each event or practice. They may not be carried
over from one week's practice to the next. Both members without a blue card
and non-members may sign on the same page - differentiation between the two
is not necessary.

A roster waiver must include the full text of the approved SCA waiver, with
no changes, additions, or omissions. Of course, this text must be printed in
a reduced size in order to accommodate multiple signers.  A .pdf version of
a roster waiver is available on the SCA's website here:
http://www.sca.org/docs/rosterwaiver.pdf. 

Use of this form is highly encouraged. Note that there is a place at the top
for the name and date of the event for which the roster is to be used. This
should be filled in by event staff, or by the person in charge of collecting
waivers at fighter practices. Please remember to fill in this information on
every page if multiple pages of roster waivers are necessary for an event.

Please note that rosters may NOT be used for minors. Each minor who does not
have his or her own blue card must have an individual waiver completed for
him or her at each and every event or practice.

Please also note that it is NOT permissible for a person to sign a single
waiver that will be good at fighter practices for a period of time, such as
a semester. Per legal advice, a separate waiver must be completed for each
practice or event unless the individual is a member of the SCA who can
present valid proof that a waiver is on file in the Corporate office (a
"blue card"). 

3. Waivers for Minors

This has been stated before, but it bears repeating, just so everyone is
quite clear. A minor who is a member of the SCA Inc. in their own right (of
any type - sustaining, associate, or family) and can present their
(unexpired) blue card at the gate NEED NOT have an additional waiver signed
for them to attend the event. The blue card is proof that their parent has
signed a waiver for them, and it is on file in the SCA's corporate office.
Kingdoms or individual events may impose more stringent requirements, as
these may sometimes be required by site owners or local law, but a second
waiver is not required by SCA corporate policies. 

The same is true for minors participating in combat-related activities at
fighter practices. The minor should be treated just as anyone else would be
treated in terms of waivers. If they have a blue card, that is acceptable
proof of waiver. If not, their parent or Court-appointed legal guardian must
complete a waiver for them at each and every practice in which the minor
participates in combat-related activities. 

Note, however, that parents must be aware of the activities in which their
children are participating. Please see SCA Corporate Policies, Section V.,
for rules regarding the authorization of minors for combat-related
activities.

Note also that, regardless of whether a waiver is needed, medical
authorization is a completely separate issue. Minors who are attending an
event without their parent(s) must have a medical authorization form
designating a responsible adult who can authorize medical treatment for that
child in an emergency. In many jurisdictions these must be notarized.
Consult local law or the policies of local hospitals for more information.

4. Waivers in the International Arena

The Corporate Policies of the SCA Inc., section VI.A.2., specifies that
members in countries other than the United States must comply with the
Corporation's waiver policy unless the Board of Directors has either (1)
approved an alternate waiver text specific to the country in question, or
(2) accepted a letter of legal opinion stating that the waivers are not
needed under the laws of the country in question.

This policy applies to all countries that are part of the SCA Inc. As of
this writing only two countries are not part of the SCA Inc. because they
have their own national corporations that have a formal affiliation with the
SCA Inc. and are recognized by the SCA Inc. Board of Directors. Those
countries are Australia (incorporated as SCAA) and Finland (incorporated as
SKA Finland). They set their own waiver policy internally as is appropriate
under the laws of their country. 

No country has submitted an alternate waiver text. To date only one country
- New Zealand - has submitted a legal opinion stating that the SCA Inc.
waivers are inapplicable in that country. Therefore, the SCA Inc. waiver
policy is at present in full force everywhere in the world with the
exception of Australia, New Zealand, and Finland.

It is important to note that residents of those countries should expect to
comply with SCA Inc. waiver policy when they attend an event in countries
which are part of the SCA Inc. Similarly, SCA Inc. members should expect to
comply with whatever waiver policy is in effect in countries with a separate
corporation when they attend an event in any of those countries.


Keep those questions coming in!

In service,

Meg Baron
President, SCA Inc.
Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to: 
SCA Inc.
Box 360789
Milpitas,  CA 95036

You may also email comments at sca.org or reply to this message.
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