ANST - Competing...

[Pug Bainter]

Bowen (wweir at postoffice.swbell.net) said something that sounded like:
> Ah, yes, but a new fighter doesn't hit the tourney field until he or she has
> attended quite a few fighter practices, and had plenty of critique from
> experienced fighters already. An artisan doesn't get that chance.

But an artisan *can* get that chance. One can display their work before
competing. One can talk to the "local" experts. Etc.

> The only way
> to get experience and critique is to enter a competition. 

I have never entered a competition and have had the chance to get lots
of experience and critique. The only thing closely resembling a
competition I've entered was LPT, where I entered brand spanking new
attempts for me. It was a very good learning experience as an artist,
and hopefully I will enter it again when it comes around.

As well, from my observations of most A&S competitions, you get very
little feedback. You have multiple problems to over come. This includes
lack of judges, lack of time, and lack of expertise. While things are
getting better, they are still lacking for truly useful critique.

> Also, many fighters don't choose to enter crown tourney as their first
> tournament event. They choose a smaller tourney where they might hope to get
> past the first round.

This is true of many artisans as well. Many people enter at Shire A&S
competitions, Baronial A&S competitions, then regional, then Kingdom.

> Of course, an artisan will want to compete with people who are better than
> they are. We all know that that is how we grow and develop.

Actually not all artisans want to.

I do not want to compete because of my own personality quirk having to
be the best I can. In order to do that, I have to beat everyone else.
Thus I don't compete.

Other artisans put too much of their personal self into their work and
are devastated when they get critique on it, even if it is constructive.

Etc.

Fighting and Arts are treated differently by many people. This causes
some of the differences in how they are perceived. For some generalities:

Fighting is a group effort. You truly can't better yourself without
having another person there to train with. As well, most groups have a
weekly, if not more often, practice where "large" numbers of these people
get together to BS and practice. Fighting involves the machismo of
someone. They must go out there and beat so and so next time.

Arts are individual efforts. In general one researches, practices and
learns on their own. Those groups that have guild meetings, may do
things as a guild, but the individual still has to do it on their own
for their skill to improve. Arts involve the ego because of how much of
an individual goes into a piece. This means that they feel like less of
a person when they get negative feedback.

> This seems to me to be a better solution than expecting Laurels to not enter
> most competitions to keep from intimidating people.

I for one do not expect Laurels to not enter, and would love to see a
couple in particular compete.

Btw, I've seen many events where they are newcomer friendly, either for
the A&S competition as a whole or in part. If I remember right, even
Steppes Warlord has a newcomers/first-time category. These are not that
far out of the ordinary, they just may not be advertised as such
beforehand.

Ciao,

-- 
Phelim "Pug" Gervase  | "I want to be called. COTTONTIPS. There is something 
Barony of Bryn Gwlad  |  graceful about that lady. A young woman bursting with 
House Flaming Dog     |  vigor. She blinked at the sudden light. She writes
pug at pug.net           |  beautiful poems. When ever shall we meet again?"
  Note: The views do not reflect the SCA nor the Kingdom of Ansteorra.
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