I first wrote:

>  ...                                                         but nothing takes the wind
>  from my sails faster than facing a fighter with jeans under his sagging,
>  leather leg-armor - tennis shoes for sabatons - a harley t-shirt poking out from under
> his dirty tabbard - a weight-lifters belt girding his middle.

j'lynn yeates replied with:

(Synopsis)  Several valid points such as: 

Are we being overly judgemental of others?
Is this is a new fighter who doesn't have resources/experience to do better?
Maybe the climate precludes wearing full armor? 
The Board determined what was minimum so that should be that! 
Why don't we help the person do better rather than look down upon them?

(and then he added consequences of these beliefs and practices)


To this I'd like to say:

I understand these concerns and agree that they are valid points.  But I still firmly feel that more effort could
 go into the appearance of our fighters on the field!  No, I don't expect them to walk out in full stainless plate
 the first time they fight... but isin't it just as easy to wear black sweat pants as jeans?  How about making a
 simple cotton t-tunic to wear under the armor, instead of the ad-laden t-shirt?  Surely, even the most poverty
 stricken fighter can add these small touches to his kit?

My quarrel is with those fighters that don't even make the effort to hide their "mundanes!"  

I agree with the Lady who previously posted that "if we expect more of them, they deliver more!"  We should
 clearly instruct our new fighters AT THE BEGINNING that they should resemble medieval fighters.

Lord Manfred Wolf
Barony of the StarGate, Ansteorra
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
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