ANST - On Laurels (Was Rank and Shortcuts)

[Dennis and Dory Grace]

Tuh Tahl writes:
>This brings up a topic I'm curious about-Laurels entering
>A&S competitions.  I've noticed that there seems to be an
>expectation that once Laurels have received their peerage,
>they stop entering competitions (at least in their primary
>art(s), and often at all).  This seems rather silly to me

You and me both. 

>(I'm coming from a fighting background, and no one expects
>Knights to stop entering Tourneys), and as far as I'm
>concerned, it deprives the populace at large of the
>opportunity to SEE the work that made someone a Laurel.

The rest of you Laurel-types out there listening? 

>Obviously, I can see not entering a competition you're
>judging, but that's the only circumstance I can think
>of where there should be a restriction (whether it's one
>of law or one of custom

Actually, there's no reason that a competitor couldn't judge in a
competition, as long as they judged categories they weren't competing in. 

>What are the thoughts of the Laurellate and the rest of the populace on this?

My thoughts are that we need to finish finalizing the details on the
Kingdom A&S Champion thing, and hold one Kingdom A&S Championship each
year, *and* hold one Laurel's Prize Tourney each year. That would give
*both* competitive types and non-competitive types an annual outlet (as it
is now, if you want to compete, you have to wait  2 years between Kingdom
A&S's).  

(Side note--this could also adress the "what now?" issue that Peers are
sometimes confronted with. Like Gunnora wrote earlier,  ""One last point --
once you have become a peer, you pretty much stop getting awards.  You have
maxed out.  As an artist, I can tell you that this is uncomfortable -- most
artists eat praise up with a spoon.  So it gets much harder to get
recognition - people say, "Well, you're a Laurel, you should be producing
masterworks."  Even Laurels who develop new arts skills after their
elevation frequently do not get notice for it.""  If we had an annual LPT
to support non-Laurels in a nonl-competitive venue, then the Laurels might
not feel so inhibited about entering a Kingdom A&S and competing. I think
it would provide a more realistic reflection of what we're all doing
artistically. Besides, wouldn't it be a blast for a non-Laurel to win a
Kingdom A&S Competition where they knew they were up against Laurels? I
know it certainly was for me. ;-> )       

Some Laurels have expressed the opinion that doing both in a year is too
much work, but there are other places with fewer Laurels who hold both a
Kingdom A&S Championship and a LPT each year. Of course, most of the
Laurels I've talked to about this are in favor of it, but sometimes trying
to get stuff done on a kingdom-wide level is like trying to pull teeth long
distance. Maybe if enough of the populace were to speak up and say, "hey,
we'd like more competitive A&S venues *and* we'd like to see more venues
where we can actually see what our Laurels do", maybe it would help get
things moving a bit.

yours,
Aquilanne (what a surprise, she has an opinion) Grace


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