[Ansteorra] Participation vs. Recruitment (long)

[barrett1 at cox.net]

Cionaodh O'Hosey <CionaodhOHosey at verizon.net> wrote: 

"I have never said that local growth does not manufacture Kingdom  
 level growth and event participation, what i have said is resources  
 dedicated to people who want two attend one or more events a month is  
 more productive than time and resources dedicated to people who want  
 to attend one or more events a year."

This is false. The resources dedicated to those who attend 1 or more events a year are just as valuable because those players may, in time, become more active and established. Sowing seed is required for a full harvest later in the season. Picking low-hanging fruit without regard for the orchard leads to famine.
And what are the resources? Time? Encouragement? Assistance with garb and gear? These are positive at all levels of play. Local people become Kingdom people, not the other way around.


 "It is a very weak position to say it is a better allocation of time  
 and resources to develop players that will go to one or two calendar  
 events a month than it is to dedicate time and resources to  
 developing players who will attend one or two events a year? lol,  
 ok......"

Yes, it is. 

 The membership dues are important but the infrastructure they support  
 only makes possible to run calendar events as SCA events. Your dues  
 only cover the insurance portion of the event. Imagine if the support  
 you gave to the MET only paid for the insurance, how would the MET  
 pay for it's space, it's utilities, it's employees,  and all of the  
 other things necessary to actually open it's doors? It could only  
 stay open if people went to the MET. Lets say the average calendar  
 event takes $2000.00 to put on, none of that cost is paid for by your  
 membership, but with 200 people that support calendar events by  
 showing up, that is $10 a person. Now 48 events a year times $2,000  
 dollars an event is $96,000 dollars a year, not trying to open a can  
 of worms but can you imagine us trying to raise that $96,000 a year  
 by adding that costs to the membership dues? But understand that with  
 out that money the calendar events end. Also understand that the  
 calendar events run on volunteer labor, with out that labor the  
 events end unless we hire people to put on the event. My point is  
 that none of your $45 dollars a year pays for any of that. So while  
 dues are important because they cover our insurance they in no way  
 cover any of the costs incurred by your local group when your local  
 group puts on a calendar event.

This issue will be helped by nurturing local players, who become invested in the game and eventually look beyond their own backyard for more of what they love to do.

 
 "You confuse what is popular, your side, with what leaders do, my  
 side." 

First, I would encourage you to consider more grace and humility in your statements. This came across as deeply arrogant and would put anyone off, new or established, local or kingdom.

Local leaders invested their time and attention on me for a year, which led to me becoming a more active player when I had the resources and the finances to do so. They attended perhaps two calendar events a year. I have since met many leaders in this game who are at best regional in their travels, but have a huge impact on the game simply by being locally active.


"The 9600 who go to events once a year will always have the  
 "popular vote" because they out number the 400 who go twice a month,  
 but as has been stated as a fact on this discussion, who are those  
 200, the ones who lead the most and the ones who do the most that  
 counts the most. 

Our Kings and Queens do the most that counts the  
 most for us all and they all most always do two or more events a  
 month, and when they are not at a calendar event they are getting  
 prepared for the next calendar event. I believe I should try to live  
 up to the example set by my King and Queen, I am sorry you chose to  
 disagree or have to be convinced to agree.
 
Cionaodh O'Hosey"
> 

Our Kings and Queens travel for over 9 months, as Heirs and the Crown, and they burn bright during that time. Afterwards, the vast majority take a breather and give their bank accounts and their gas tanks some time to recover. They play locally, regionally when they can. If you were to constantly follow the example set by the King and the Queen, you would need to have at least a 6 digit income and a new vehicle every 3 years.

Oh, and just some personal experience for you. Being a constant Kingdom player does not mean you do the most, much less count the most. It isn't where you go, it isn't how much you play, it is what you do when you play that matters most.
I feel you had an interesting and worthwhile angle on this discussion, the concept of more travel in a challenged economy.
Unfortunately, it wasn't presented as an element of conversation, but as a rigid personal philosophy that risks alienating too many valuable people from the game.

~Finnacan


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