ARCH - New Period Rules

Scott Powers spowers at telepath.com
Sun Jul 16 19:21:07 PDT 2000


I have been working on getting my Period IKAC equipment together for
several months.  First I downloaded the newest rules published on the SCA
IKAC site (updated March 2000) so I could be sure I knew what the equipment
standards were.  Then I worked on aquiring equipment that was period and
fit those standards.  I got the bow done some time ago, but just now got my
first "period" arrows made.  Today, I went to Wiesenfeuer's archery
practice to try out my new period arrows so I could shoot in the IKAC
Period Division and give Ansteorra some more scores.  Help the kingdom,
duty and all that...



Then His Excellency Master Ulf showed up and mentioned that he had been
handed the new Archery Marshal's Handbook yesterday at the Red Tape
Meeting, and offerd to let me look at it.  In it I was surprised to see
that there were some rule changes pertaining to period IKAC equipment,
specifically:

1) Minimum bow weight of 45 lbs.  This differs from the SCA wide rules in
that there is no minimum anywhere else.

2) No shelves allowed.  This differs from the SCA wide rules in that those
rules allow no cut out.  I went to a lot of trouble to add strips of
leather around by period bow specifically to stay within the standards.

3) Period bowstrings only.  Again, this differs from SCA wide rules that
allows modern strings.

There were others too, but these were the ones that affect me the most.



It occured to me that perhaps the SCA Keeper of the IKAC made this new rule
and it applies to all kingdoms.  But I remember in the last letter that he
sent out that he was still considering whether to disallow fiberglass bows
for the period division.  At last consideration, he was not planning to
make that change for at least a year.  There was no mention of any other
rule changes.  So that could not be it.  Therefore, the appearance is that
the stricter rules applies only to Ansteorra.

I understand the desire to foster more period archery.  My handmade self
bow longbow certainly looks period, acts period, and in fact, is period.
But it is not legal for period archery because of these new rules.



In addition, I have some real concerns about this.

1)  The IKAC is an Interkingdom competition in which kingdoms are ranked
against each other.  Why on Earth would you want to put Ansteorra at a
disadvantage to all the other kingdoms?

2)  With the Crown pushing for more participation in archery, particularly
IKACs, why do we have new rules that discourage people from participating?
Rules that, apparently, no other kingdom has?

3)  The 45 pound minimum will eliminate a great many archers from
competition because they simply can't pull a 45 lb bow.  Aside from that,
many people have already spent money on a bow they like and can't justify
spending more on another bow.  Moreover, I have seen many period
illustrations which showed women hunting with very light, flimsy bows.  How
can anyone argue that lighter weight bows are not period?


So what's the story?  Did I completely misread the rule book?  Are these
proposed rules only?  What's the deal?  I would hate to have to walk away
from Period IKACs because of this.  Let's get it straightened out.



Baron Rumil Fletcher
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