[Ansteorra] RE: Local Awards and Non Calendar Events

[Morgan Cain (Ansteorra)]

Gunnora said:

> But, honest-to-goshen, "having an event so we can give out awards"
> has gotta be the worst reason for holding an event I have ever heard
> in my life.  The awards can't be all we're here for... surely some folks
> have got to be doing cool stuff in the SCA because they think it's neat,
> or fun, etc.  Awards are the cherry set atop the ice cream and hot
> fudge on the sundae... nice, but not, after all, what you paid $3 for
> at the Dairy Queen.

I have to agree (especially as I prefer the cherry-dip myself <g>).  I got my first award in A.S. XXII or something like that (it was a long time ago, and I've slept since then), and if I wore all the medallions I've received since then I'd just clank.  They'd get in the way when I try to do things, so most reside in a pretty little box at home that if I am thinking about it, perhaps once in every couple years or so I actually remember to take to an event so I might wear them for sitting around in court if I think about it.  In my case, the awards *do* get in the way of fun, at least in a fairly literal physical sense.

I think it may depend upon when you started, and where, and who was around you at the time.  If they make a big hairy deal about awards, then it's all you can think about.  If they focus on Having Fun And Doing Shtuff, then you focus on that too.  I ended up in a group that had the latter attitude, and I guess it has affected my outlook.  I remember the group to the north of us (it was in a different kingdom far away from here) was very award-hungry and sometimes they would look down on us for not having slews of awards and big courts at our events.  We thought their focus was wrong, because they always thought about activities and events only in terms of what they could do towards getting awards, not in terms of how they could have fun and make fun for other people.

It did make our events easier, because we had an unwritten agreement that they got all the Royalty and courts, with a few minor exceptions every once in a couple years or so.  We cheerfully dragged people to their events to get awards if needed.  That way, our events could have a lot more fighting and dancing and entertainment, which we enjoyed more.  They got all the pomp and royal sucking-up they enjoyed.  Think of that as an alternative to having on-calendar, award-giving events - what fits your group's personality?  Can you work out something with a nearby group that likes having court?

> Over last weekend, I heard the opinion voiced that compared
> to some other kingdoms, Ansteorra gives out "too many" awards
> and that consequently they're not as highly valued here as they
> might be elsewhere.

It was interesting to see the comment.  Did they mean that Ansteorra has more awards than other Kingdoms, or that they are given out with less provocation?  There's a big difference.  I've seen awards created to recognize things that don't fit into any other category, which can then give encouragement to the persons doing that art/skill, as well as those who might come into it later.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially as the Society grows and we add activities that twenty or thirty years ago were not done.

I have to admit, one of the hardest awards I've gotten was given for an art I wasn't practicing.  As a result, I've felt forced to do the art, and teach other people to do it, when I'm not really interested in that.  It's been a learning experience, but it's also an unpleasant weight.  This made me feel the other way, that awards are given with too little justification.  It's uncomfortable to have to earn an award after it is given.

My tuppence,

                                        ---= Morgan Cain  *

* the little one from Steppes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. "  (Unknown)
"....look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else."
        ---= Tom Stoppard, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" (1967)