[Ansteorra] Participation vs. Recruitment

[Jeffrey Clark]

But the SCA is not a sports team, it is an educational organization (or so
the NPO filing allegedly states). This means that a local player who
researches period blacksmithing and never makes it to an event is
technically fulfilling the "mission" of the SCA than a fighter who goes to
every event and wins every tournament but can't tell you the first thing
about Talhoffer or Fiore.

Then again, those of us who have a niche skill but don't make events are
not as useless as some might say. Sure, I teach classes about period music
infrequently and next to never make events, but how many historical
musicologists are in the SCA? How many artisans in the SCA have formal,
conservatory training on period instruments? How many people in the SCA can
claim any real expertise in period *instrumental* music? Hell, how many
people in the SCA can play a viola da gamba? In Ansteorra, your options for
serious/obscure music questions pretty much are Master Avatar and myself.
So, while I'm not that active of a participant in the SCA, the work and
research I've done in my little niche field is still here and available;
and I'm sure that there are many others out there who are/were like that.

Just because someone only plays at a local level does not mean that they do
not have something to offer at the kingdom level. Some I teach to someone
about music at one of the few events I go to may eventually find its way
into the hands of a kingdom player and make waves through the entire
kingdom. Actually I heard a story a few years back (in Midrealm I think)
about someone who was made a laurel even though she barely ever went to
events (health issues, I think); she was a professional librarian who did a
good deal of research and publication using the resources that she had
access to due to her professional ties.

Honestly, if I'm going to teach something, then I am going to teach it to
anyone who is interested -- regardless of whether or not they are going to
meet some, arbitrary benchmark of worthiness. The point of groups like the
SCA is to education *everyone* about our area(s) of interest. I don't care
if you are a veteran player asking for help with your A&S entry for Gulf,
or a 6-year-old with a plastic recorder -- both are equally worthy of the
time and effort.

--AS Zorzi

On Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 5:47 PM, Cionaodh O'Hosey <
CionaodhOHosey at verizon.net> wrote:

>
> I am not suggesting we should jettison any one for any reason, what i am
> saying is "if greater attendance at calendar events is our goal" for the
> best return on our investment of time and effort we should concentrate our
> time and efforts on helping any and all players that we can to participate
> in calendar events.
>
> And it is not about meeting a minimum requirement, it is about showing a
> minimum desire and commitment "So what kingdom event are you preparing for
> now? None? So sorry to hear that, excuse me now while I go help that newbie
> get ready for what will be his first event. We only have three months to
> get him all ready. Would you like to help? He still needs ......"
>
> Once again successful sports teams don't train every one who shows up,
> they work with and train those that will be there on game day (in this case
> a calendar event), those that will not be there on game day (players who do
> not go to calendar events) can be used to scrimmage against but the coaches
> do not put in the time or effort to really "train" them, but rather use
> them at what ever level they are already at, concentrating their training
> instead on those that will be there on game day (a calendar event) to play
> (at the calendar event). If it is cool with you that our training will be
> focused on players expressing a desire to be there on game day (a calendar
> event) come on out we would love to train against you, plus in that regard
> you are helping to prepare some one else get ready to go to an event which
> is all I am saying we all need to be doing in the first place! (In fighting
> the main complaint from those people who are used to train against but not
> actually trained themselves quickly becomes "They never teach me any thing,
> they just use me as a walking pale" which IS true, but now you can
> understand why, it is because the "teachers" are involved in training the
> players who will be "at the game" it is not that they don't like you but
> rather that their time is limited. If the reason you are not a "Kingdom
> Player" is because you don't have time to be one and you want us to
> understand that, then i would ask you to understand I don't have time to
> help the whole world, I only have time to help those that are going to go
> to calendar events)  If what ever local activity you are involved in is not
> either preparing some one to go to a calendar event, or helping to prepare
> for your groups calendar event, or introducing a new person to one of those
> activities, then it is not furthering the goal of improving attendance at
> calendar events. That is not to say it is not fun or rewarding, but it is
> not furthering the goal of improving attendance at calendar events.
>
> I also agree that we need to treat everyone the same, we need to "recycle"
> our now less active players, that is a great point, we do put too much
> emphasis on finding "new" players and not enough emphasis on motivating our
> older players, especially those with rank. Our greatest players are not the
> ones who have risen to the top, but rather those who after they are no
> longer on the top still continue to make calendar events and help others to
> do the same, thank them when you see them because they are few and far
> between, and if it had not been for them we would not be where we are today!
>
> Cionaodh O'Hosey
>
>
>
>
>
>>
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