[Ansteorra] Question 11/18

[Biles, Christina]

Lorraine asked:
   How would you  propose to bridge this gap between the 2 visions?

The way I see it, there are several reasons why people don't travel, and
there is a different answer for each reason.

1. Money - Gas is expensive, events cost money to attend, and a
significant part of our population is: a college student, supporting a
family, out of work, retired, on disability, or just plain not making
enough money.

Solutions:  This is a tough one.  The best answer I can give is to
encourage ride sharing.  I have a Vibe that gets good gas mileage, so I
pile in as many people and as much stuff as I can into the car, and off
we go.  It reminds me of overstuffing the car in my college days.  ;>
If the kingdom players in the group are willing to take riders, it makes
the event more affordable, and the ride can be much more fun.  

More contact with the kingdom as a whole, even if it is only one or two
non-local events a year, will trickle back to the local view of the SCA.

2. Fear - Meeting new people is scary and difficult.  I love traveling
around the kingdom, but I have friends all over the kingdom.  Going to
an event far away from your support group can be very lonely.

Solutions: The same solution that works at home works on a kingdom
level.  Shepherding.  Take a friend from your local group to outside
events.  Be prepared for them to cling to you, and introduce them to
your friends.  Pretty soon, they'll have friends that they want to
travel to see.   Service is another avenue.  I meet the coolest people
in the kitchen.  Mispronouncing names while heralding the list is a
great way to meet new people as they try to explain how their name is
really pronounced. 

3. Inertia - Staying home is easy.  Going to an event requires a reason,
even if the reason is anticipation of lots o' fun.  

Solutions: Talk up events.  Mooneschadowe has what we call the puppy
pile effect.  The more of us that are going, the more the rest of us
want to go.  I keep considering Winter War Maneuvers in Calontir, which
is a bitterly cold fighting event, not because it sounds interesting to
me personally, but because half the shire will go and have a blast and
bring back stories.  If you said to me - Magdalena, would you like to
ride in an old converted school bus that doesn't top 55 mph to an event?
I'd laugh at you and get in my nice comfy car.  But riding in the
Mog'nVagon with half the shire sounds like a total blast, and I just may
do it next time.  Even getting lost and going to Missouri instead of
Oklahoma sounds like fun in the company of 15 close friends.  Talk up
kingdom events.


Most of the people in our local groups won't be kingdom players.  At
best, they'll play regionally.  And that is ok.  The SCA has room for
everybody's vision. To keep the kingdom connected, we need to encourage
our local players to venture away from home from time to time for
exposure, and to invite the kingdom home from time to time with kingdom
level events.   

YIS
-Magdalena da Cadamosto