[Ansteorra] Overdependance (was: Answers to Questions-Waterbearer proposal)

[Chris Zakes]

At 10:54 AM 6/20/2008, you wrote:
>Chris Zakes wrote:
>
>>At 10:14 PM 6/19/2008, you wrote:
>>
>>>It becames a must when fighters don't bring 
>>>water or food to an event and think they will 
>>>still be standing at the end of the day. Â I 
>>>have seen this happen many times. Lady Marlyna Waterbearer for Emerald Keep
>>
>>
>>Y'know, my snap-reaction to someone being that 
>>stupid would be "think of it as evolution in 
>>action" and let them have a bout of heat 
>>prostration so that they'd learn better for 
>>next time. I wouldn't *do* it, but I'd be tempted.
>
>
>Yeah, personal responsibility and all that.  But 
>who among us has never left something behind 
>when heading off to an event?  So you're just 
>about to pull up to gate with just enough time 
>for armor inspection, having driven 5 hours to 
>get to the event site, and realize that your 
>cooler full of water bottles is still sitting in 
>the kitchen. So your choices are to opt out of 
>the tournament after driving 5 hours to 
>participtate in it because you don't have time 
>for the 30-40 minute round trip to and from the 
>nearest location that sells bottled water (which 
>may turn out to be a lot harder to find than the 
>"it's easy, trust me" directions you just got), 
>or you can check in, make it to inspection, and 
>fight in the tournament.  After driving 5 hours, 
>you KNOW which you will choose.  Waterbearers 
>save you from having to spend your time between 
>rounds hitting up all your friends for water.

On the one hand, I can't imagine driving five 
hours to an event without reaching for 
*something* in the ice chest--water, Oreos, Coke, 
etc. Thus I'll realize the problem long before I 
get to the site. On the other hand, if it was me, 
I'd fix the problem as soon as feasible--get 
inspected immediately, then beg the list-mistress 
to set my fight as the last one in the first 
round so I could have time to run off-site to buy 
some supplies (and tell her that if I'm not back 
in time, I'll yeild that fight.)

As Helena said, that kind of situation should be 
the exception, not the rule. There's a difference 
between forgetting a full ice chest at home and 
not even bothering to pack one because you're 
assuming that the waterbearers will be there to take care of you.


>I don't think I've ever attended an event where 
>I didn't leave something at home, including that 
>neat shrink-wrapped case of bottled water 
>sitting on the dryer next to the door into the 
>garage.  I've done that when I had just enough 
>time to make it to site for armor inspection.
>But I'm not a fighter, so I stopped and bought 
>water.  I've also carried my cooler with ice and 
>bottles of water to the list field many times, 
>freely handing out water to anyone who asked and 
>offering it to anyone who looked like they could 
>use it.  But when that cooler is fifty yards 
>away and I'm the list herald on a list field for 
>a round that seems like it's been going on 
>forever, I really appreciate it when a water 
>bearer brings water to me, rather than having to 
>tell the fighters at my field that we'll be 
>taking a little break so I can schlep over and 
>grab yet another bottle of water.
>
>Then again, I guess I could just plop my rather 
>garish cooler down right beside the list 
>field.  Then I'd be able to hand both fighters a 
>bottle of water at the same time I was giving 
>the victor the cards for the list 
>mistress.  Except for some reason it seems their 
>hands are usually full, and it's not always easy 
>to open a bottle while wearing gauntlets, so 
>maybe that's not the best answer.  I know - how 
>about having someone with a squeeze bottle of water . . . oh.  Never mind.
>
>Besides, in our Kingdom our water-bearers are 
>very well organized.  When you *know* something 
>is going to be there, sometimes you'll count on 
>it being there, particularly when you're in a 
>hurry.  Remember, the first word in "SCA" is 
>"Society."  We should help each other out and be 
>able to expect a certain amount of help when we need it.

Of course. But one shouldn't need the *same* help 
at every event one goes to. If I show up by 
myself at an event with a new tent that, it turns 
out, needs six large people and a trained 
chimpanzee to erect, that can be chalked up to 
inexperience. If I keep doing it at every event 
and continue to expect everybody else to 
help--rather than getting an easier tent or 
arranging for my own setup crew--that's tacky.

         -Tivar Moondragon