Event Ideals (fighting)

[Keith Ewing]

You wrote: 
>This usually makes it hard or impossible to display my art, sometimes 
>>silly and demeaning.
>
>Could you (or any other fighter reading this list) give more concrete 
>examples of both of these statements? As a non-fighter, I don't know 
>exactly what a fighter might deem as silly or demeaning, which I might 

>think sounded fun.

The most blatant example I can think of follows ( No names or dates) 
Several fighters were invited during the coarse of a championship 
tournament to participate in a "challenge tournament" by a local noble.
The fighters assembled and were told that the most important aspect of 
the tournament was to entertain the noble. It started fairly well, but 
the "finalists" of this tournament were fighting with the weapons of 
choice of the noble. An empty 3 liter bottle and a disposable diaper.   
Yes. This happened in Ansteorra.

>Personally I would like to see more ransom tourneys or passage at arms 

>(I've only read about this one).

Mistress Mara is right. Go to Lyonesse.
Ransom tourneys and passages at arms are cool. Ransom tourneys can be 
judged or decided by the fighter with the most loot and are a 
legitamate test of skill. Passages at arms can be a true test of skill, 
but please don't create a tourney in which a fighter is limited to a 
certain number of blows in EVERY segment of the tourney. Judged 
tournaments should always be judged CAREFULLY.

Quick Tourney story: Last Lyonesse, Sir Daffydd was fighting another 
fighter (Don't remeber who). It was during the "3 blow, passage at 
arms" segment of the tourney. The lady of our field had told us that 
she would be most impressed by Boasts of a grand nature that were then 
backed up with prowess. Sir Daffydd gifted his opponent with two of his 
blows, giving his opponent a total of five and Sir Daffydd only one. 
Sir Daffydd then announced to the populace that he had done this 
because he was the best polearm fighter in the Kingdom ( Did I mention 
this was a glaive fight?) He then proceeded to dispatch his opponent 
with a single, lightning fast, thrust. It was glorious.
   
 I find double- & single-elimination and 
>swiss-type tourneys *really* boring to watch. These types of tourneys 
>make an emphasis on a "winner", when in my opinion, there should not 
>necessarily be "a winner".

Winning is the only true way that we have to see if we are practicing 
our art well. In period, you knew if you were a good warrior, because 
you were alive, and your opponents were not. We can't do that because 
we'd run out of newcomers too quickly. :)

>
>
>Estrill Swet
>Dancemonger
>Mooneschadoweshire
>dssweet at okway.okstate.edu
>
>
Kein MacEwan

mka Keith Ewing

P.S. Is everybody on this list from Austin or Stillwater or Tulsa?