ANST -Long Courts

[JulieAnna D. Rohde]

OK.  Since this topic is still going I can't resist throwing in my
opinions, which, in spite of popular belief, are not necessarily a carbon
copy of Talen's.

As an armigerous Lady of this realm, it is my responsibility to wait upon
the pleasure of the Crown at any place that they choose to hold court that
I am able to attend.  It is not just a duty, but also a privilege.  In
Treschen's home country of Bavaria, access to the Crown (or in her case,
her Duke) is not so easy.  She could wait for days, weeks, months, or even
years after petitioning for an audience to be granted entry into the Duke's
court.  She would also probably have to pull a few favors from someone
within the Duke's circle of advisors if she knew anyone.  Then she better
have really important business or risk highly offending her Duke by wasting
his time with petty matters below his concern.  Here in Ansteorra we have a
very personable and open Crown who invites all who can physically do so to
attend their courts.  We are not required to have important business in
order to justify our attendance but are allowed to just watch the important
events of the Kingdom.  In Bavaria, these things happened among a group of
elite nobles where nobody except them really knew what occurred.  It took
months for the news of the business conducted to reach other people that it
might have affected.

Court is CNN for the Kingdom.  Note: its not CNN Headline.  You have to sit
through a lot of stories you are not interested in to hear the ones that
impact you.  But just like in the example above, if you don't attend court,
you miss announcements that can affect you.  Granted the news may
eventually come to you in other ways, but I prefer to be an eyewitness and
to form my own opinions of things.  I just don't like to get new second
hand.

In regard to entertainment value and the silent movies Karl von Augsburg
mentioned, I have the following.  An article that I read several years back
was explaining why the average American movie lasted between 1 1/2 hours to
2 hours.  It said that the American audience's attention span couldn't be
held for more than 1 1/2 hours without intense action and then 2 hours was
still the average limit.  European audiences on the other hand were stated
as being able to enjoy movies in the 3 to 4 hour range without complaint
about length or requiring intense action.  

I have also noticed that there are people who can *find* entertainment
wherever they are and then there are those who must *be* entertained.  I
seem to be one who can find things to enjoy wherever I'm at.  Maybe that's
why long courts don't bother me so much.  I enjoy watching people have
their special moments in Court.  I like being able to say, "Yes, I remember
when you received the (award), the look on your face..."  Those are special
memories for everyone.  Sometimes I don't know the people being called up,
but the longer I play and the more I travel the more I have found myself
meeting people that I saw in court years before.  It is neat to share a
memory with someone you've just met.

I think that Talen just wanted to get people to be more thoughtful about
others while attending court.  There are probably things that could be done
to make it easier on the audience by shortening court or providing more
entertainment (which would probably actually lengthen it), but I don't
think I want court changed much.  Actually a little more fanfare and a
little more ceremony would suit me just fine and as said, that would
probably lengthen everything.

Another point of Talen's that I would like to clarify is that of making
sure people you have recommended for awards attend court.  This is a
difficult endeavor and may truly prove impossible on occasion, but Talen
and I have on several occasions kept some rather intoxicated people in
court (and kept them relatively quiet!) until they were called.  Yes it
takes some work and creativity to not "clue them in", but we have always
felt that this was again part of our responsibilities and duties and quite
well worth it in the end.

As I began, I view court as one of the "responsibilities and privileges"
pertaining to the AoA I was given by Patrick and Julia.  Later honours have
only made stronger my feelings on this.  I don't mind if others don't take
this game as literally or seriously.  I think they might take a moment to
seriously consider why they don't feel this strongly, but I also realize
that everyone has their own level of play.  But as with any SCA activity,
if it doesn't interest you, you don't have to participate.

Treschen
---------------
Centurion Treschen von Asselen
treschen at microtutors.com


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