Boy's Life blurb

[Matthew R. Popalisky]

On Wed, 5 Feb 1997, Scott White wrote:

> >>	"Sword Fighting and Jousting:
> >>	The oddest sportsmen of all may be the members of the
> >>_Society for Creative Anachronism_.  They dress up like kings 
> >>and knights from the 12th or 13th centuries.
> >>	They fight with broadswords and joust with lances from
> >>horseback. No one is hurt, of course, because they use wooden
> >>weapons and clash in make-believe combat."
> >>	The drawing shows a knight on horseback, in late-era
> >>jousting armor, chasing a team of men pulling and pushing a 
> >>wheeled outhouse...
> >>	The closing sentence reads "For these whacky atheletes,
> >>the odder the sport, the better."
> >>	Anyone know which senior officer is responsible for 
> >>dealing with this sort of thing?

Eeek.
> 
> >Someone should find the highest ranking Peer who was also a Boy Scout
> >(Eagle, preferably), and have HIM contact the BSA. Negotiate for an
> >ARTICLE on the SCA (which we naturally provide, along with color
> >photographs) which shows the athletic/educational/service aspects of our
> >international organization in a positive light.

I rather like this one.

>         There were also a number of folks who tried to put things in a more
> reasonable perspective:
> 
> >Boy's Life is a magazine for kids.  Trying to explain chivalry,
> >men-at-arms v. armigerous-levels of fighters, arts and sciences,
> >Period and non-period, etc is a little beyond the Pale of the mag.
> >(Heck, half the time, we can't agree on distinctions within our org,
> >let alone outside of it.)

No, but they can certainly do better than that.  Besides, kids understand
more than we give them credit for, and I'm sure it's possible to explain
the basics we all agree on without going inot esoterics.
> 
> >Face it, SCA sword and board is a strange sport when viewed from the
> >outside.  Accurate representations of SCA life is rare, why get stoked
> >over this minor offense?

I hope that after 30 years we can come up with a decent blurb for a
magazine.  I also could hope that Boy's Life shows more effeort into doing
their research.  Fortunately, any misconceptions will be cleared up at any
demo they might attend. 
> 
> >Back off, look back at us, and we're a bit strange and funny.  I like
> >it that way.  Let's not get too riled about a common misrepresentation
> >that does no harm.  Heck, If I saw that story as a kid, I'd probably
> >want to learn more.  That's the kind of kid I was at times.

Yes, we are a strange crew, and then you get to know us :)!

Seriously, though.  This article could have been more accurate and still
be in the correct vein.  Is that really too much to ask?
> 
>    So what do YOU think about this?

I think that if this had been a Girl Scout publication, I would be
volunteering to do the article myself
> 
 Catherine Dunlap-Popalisky, Gold Award, Life Member of the Girl Scouts of
the Untied States of America.

ska

Lady Kateryn Heathrydge
Grimfells, Calontir