[Ansteorra-archery] What is this all about . . .

[Dewart, Charles R. --G3 Contractor (Anteon Corp)]

I believe that some are in the pursuit of "excellence".  I also believe some
are just puttering around with it for a good time and amusement.

OK to each their own.

But let me point out something that, I guess, has gone unnoticed.

HL Fearghus--does IKAC and IKCAC and is good at them.
HL Gilli--does IKAC and IKCAC and is good at them.
Don Sebastian--does IKAC and IKCAC and is good at them.
HL Plachoya--does IKAC and IKCAC and is good at them.
HE Octavia--doesn't do IKAC or IKCAC; however is one of the top rated combat
archers in the Known World.
HL William--does IKAC and is good at it.

Not giving away any secret hand shakes or any thing here, but, can we see a
pattern starting to happen here?  Could just be coincidence, I guess.

Gilli

-----Original Message-----
From: Timothy Rayburn [mailto:timothy at elfsea.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 11:03 AM
To: ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Ansteorra-archery] What is this all about . . .


>So what's the point of this message?  To remind each of us that we are a
>community.

<snip>

>We're good.  We're seriously good.  That doesn't mean we're perfect, and
>it's certainly a good thing to strategize together to improve us as
>individuals and as a community.

My good friend Lady Gerita,

I believe that what is being discussed here is very essential to the life of
this Archery community.  It has to do with focus, and leadership.

HL Gilli has expressed an opinion that if you do not shoot IKAC, IKCAC or
Winter Shoot then you are not an Archer.

What I, and Wilim, and Pug, and others are trying to point out is that
Archery should be pursued because you love it.  Pug has chosen not to shoot
IKAC because he does not enjoy it, and that is fine.  It does not make him
less an Archer than anyone else, in my opinion.

A community must grow to survive, and acceptance is the way to grow.  I no
more look down on Gilli for, personally, loving IKAC than I look down on
Fearghus for loving more varied shoots, or Octavia for loving combat
archery.  All are Archers ... ALL of them.  And, incidentally, all of those
are members of the Arcus Majoris.

If such a powerful voice of leadership as HL Gilli intends to speak up and
say something as insane as what he has proposed, then someone must speak up
for the rest.  If HL Gilli's statement had been left unresponded to, then a
new Archer who joined this list might believe that his opinion was the
widely held position.  I believe in fact that you can see, from this thread,
that his opinion is that of a rather obscure minority.

Many people have asked for a more civil tone, and I appreciate where they
are coming from.  But in the words of President Regan, there is a time at
which you must "Speak Truth To Evil".  Truth is that archers throughout this
Kingdom welcome anyone to draw to the line, to fire 2 arrows or 200.  I
believe this community wants to forward their ART, not forward any given
competition.  I may be wrong, but given the recent thread I highly doubt it.

Every archer reading this thread should ask themselves : Do I believe that
IKAC, IKCAC and Winter Shoot are the end-all and be-all of being an Archer?

Whatever your answer, you should voice it, for this question could very well
be at the heart of where this community evolves, and it is better to lead
the way now, than fight for change later.

Timothy of Glastinbury