ANST - To tie, or not to tie - that is the question

[Michael Tucker]

Greetings, all, from Michael Silverhands:

Much has been said here about the pros and cons of declaring a tie at Gulf Wars.
I personally feel that, for all the historical reasons cited, it is a wise and
honorable thing we do each year when we tally the score and declare a tie. At
the end of the event, the Crowns would wring their hands, sigh, claim to have
lost count of the score, and declare the War a tie.

What I do *not* agree with is the manner in which this has come to be done. In
the early years of Gulf Wars, the individuals who earned the victories among
service, the arts, or upon the field of battle, were called into Grand Court and
recognized for their achievements. In the most recent years, with this year
being the worst, there has been *no* recognition of the individual victors.
Simply a bland statement, delivered flatly, that the War was a tie.

None of us are surprised to hear that the War was a tie; after all, that is our
tradition (and a wise and good tradition I believe it to be). But I think that
many, if not all, of us are disappointed not to hear wordfame for those who
earned it. I heard that Ansteorran artisans displayed *3* Master Works in the
static arts competition. A rider scored a perfect score in the Emprise, catching
all 6 rings with his lance at a full gallop, 3 times in a row. Can you name
these Ansteorrans in whom we should all be proud? Most of us cannot, because
they received no due in court.

This is an enormous disservice to those who work so hard to bring victory to our
Kingdom. After all, as one person put it to me: "What's the point in working so
hard, doing your best, when you know that nobody will receive credit for their work?"

I personally will campaign next year for the victors to be brought into the
Grand Court, as we did in years past, and recognized for their achievements.
Let's still call the War a tie. It's a great joke, which our hosts in Meridies
seem to have forgotten. But let's not overlook the achievements of those who
worked hard all year to get us there.

Yours,
Michael
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