[Ansteorra] Royal Huntsman Duties

[Doug Copley]

It all depends on the definition, and I can live with either system or 
definition.

If the Royal Huntsman is a target archery only and when the Crown goes 
to the field the RH stays in camp picks their teeth and says "Yo, have a 
good day, hope you live, see you later!" or when the Crown goes to War 
do they go with them and stay by their side and shoot anyone that might 
come close and shoot any opposing archery that looks like they might be 
trying to shoot at them?

Either way can work. If there are 2 of them and / or if Combat Archery 
is not part of it then there can be NO Combat Archery at all in the RH 
tourney. This means not even a target variety, it would have no place, 
no purpose and only serves to confuse and blur lines.

I think it would be difficult to have 2 champions how would it be done 
and who would stand behind them, there is not really room for both. the 
Chivalric Champion has been standing behind the King, the Rapier 
Champion behind the Queen, and I have been standing between the other 2 
Champions (gives me a great view to shoot any who look menacing!).

Now, while we are discussing this what about the Chivalric Champion and 
the Rapier Champion? Should those be broken out? How about a Spear 
Champion, a sword and board Champion, and Rapier Champion with buckler, 
one with dagger, one with cloak, and one for two rapier blades?

For the reign of TRHs, the Royal Huntsman Tourney has been decided on, 
there are no plans to change it. It is not a requirement for the RH to 
take the field in melee battle but it is a requirement for them to be 
versatile and to learn the skill and rules of Combat Archery and to be 
at least somewhat proficient at it and to demonstrate that proficiency 
in a duel. There will not be any physical contact between the 
participants, aside from shooting at each other. They do not need to be 
authorized fighters. This can be done with study, loaner gear, and 
spending a little bit of time shooting with it.

I would suggest that the Archery community start a new thread on the 
Archery list to discuss the pros and cons of each plan and come up with 
a viable alternative and then submit that to the Crown for review. 
Perhaps there is a way to do it that will satisfy everyone and tourneys 
in the future could be defined and set that way.

Vincenti

On 2/14/2012 9:15 AM, jim hodek wrote:
> I have been reading the posts and see many good pros and cons on both sides of the discussion. Perhaps it is time for we archers to petition our Crowns to establish a new champion category. As many have said, a royal huntsman in period was tasked with providing game for the crown and armies.
> I have talked to several of our Royal Huntsmen at Gulf War and they have a hard time meeting the obligations of competing in the target archery tournaments and being able to support our Crowns on the field of battle as many activities are happening at the same time.
> We currently have the award of the Kings Archer for those who show their prowess in target archery. Perhaps a new championship could be established for those archers who are strictly combat archers or do both but would rather support the Crown on the battlefield than at the target competitions. Possibly call the champion the ROYAL ARCHER.
>
> Just my thoughts on it.
>
> HL Gunnarr haukr
> NR Missile Marshal
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Doug Copley<doug.copley at gmail.com>
> To: Archery within the Kingdom of Ansteorra<ansteorra-archery at lists.ansteorra.org>; "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc."<ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Sent: Monday, February 13, 2012 2:53 PM
> Subject: [Ansteorra] Royal Huntsman Duties
>
> What does a Royal Huntsman do? What are their duties?
>
> IMO, the Royal Huntsman has a variety of duties.
>
> 1.  The Royal Huntsman is a representative to the Crown and to the populace for the entire archery community, both target and combat.
>
> 2.  Help work as part of their entourage to make the events go smoother and the courts be easier for everyone involved.
>
> 3.  Stand in every court that they can attend.
>
> 4.  Protect the Crown both on and off the field. Our wonderful Queen is a fighter and does not back down from a challenge or a fight. As such she armored up and took the field in both Rapier and Chivalric, even though she had never fought Chivalric previously. She got her first kills on the Chivalric field at BAM. She said that was not enough so she was going to also do Combat Archery, so one of my duties was to get here ready, authorized, and take the field with her. Unfortunately, due to an injury and surgery we have not been able to complete this task, yet. Our young Princess also plans to take the field and do Combat Archery, so taking the field with her and being there to help and protect the Crown is important.
>
> 5.  Make plans for possible shoots and tourney formats for the next Royal Huntsman. Introduce yourself and meet with the Prince and Princess as soon after Crown Tourney as possible. Find out what they want, have a proposal for them, and be prepared to run it in whatever format and at whatever location and time they choose.
>
> 6.  Always remember that although it is an honor and title you have won, it is also a set of duties and expectations that you have accepted. Just as the Rapier and Chivalric Champions are called forward before the finals to make sure that they are willing and able to accept those duties so shall it be with the Royal Huntsman tourney.
>
> 7.  No matter what you hear, no matter what you do, when you are with the Crown you are there for them and for the populace and to perpetuate the Dream.
>
> 8.  Anything else that the Crown may ask:-)
>
> Are you good enough to win, are you prepared to make the commitment, and are you willing to sacrifice some of your time and energy to help the dream?
>
> All archers are invited and I know of some archers that do not plan to win or are not prepared to make the commitment, but they still want the opportunity to see if they can even make it to the finals. Come join the fun, see what happens, see who can win the day!
>
> YIS,
>
> Vincenti da Murano
> Royal Huntsman, Kingdom of Ansteorra
>