[Ansteorra-archery] Royal Huntsman

Donnchadh Beag mac Griogair donnchadh at cornelius.norman.ok.us
Wed Nov 18 09:40:33 PST 2009


Here are my thoughts on Royal Huntsman.  They are not absolute truths, 
nor official policy, just my own personal thoughts on the matter.

First and foremost, it is not a tournament to see who is the best 
archer.  It is a tournament to find an outstanding archer to be a 
servant to the Crown.  That person also generally serves as a figurehead 
to the archery community.  If you look at the King's Champion and 
Queen's Champion, they are at almost every event the Crown is at.  And 
they are usually with them all day long, not just at court.  Someone 
mentioned that that would be a lot of travel, and that is absolutely 
correct, yet it is done by the other champions.  As someone else said, 
you are basically becoming a part of the Crown's entourage, and believe 
me, that is a big commitment.  My personal standard, is that if I can't 
make AT LEAST half the events the Crown will be at AND the war, then I 
won't go for it.  I'll still shoot and support the archery community, 
but if I make it to the bow out round, I won't continue.  The Crown 
generally has much more lenient requirements, but I've never been 
concerned with just meeting the minimum required.

The format all depends on what the Crown wants.  I don't know if it has 
ever happened in Royal Huntsman, but I know of several times in King's 
Champion (including this last one) where the tournament narrowed down 
the list to a top few and then the King choose his champion from that 
select group.  The format HRM Owen chose was tailored to favor the skill 
set He was looking for in His Champion.  Proficiency in pole arms since 
He already carries a shield, and good endurance so that His Champion 
could keep up with Him on the battlefield.

As to what equipment to bring, bring it all and be prepared for whatever 
the Crown wants.  There's been several times I brought my CA gear and it 
wasn't needed, but I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and 
not have it.  If for some reason you don't have the room to bring 
everything, or you're still in the process of getting some of your gear, 
then make arrangements ahead of time to borrow from someone.  Just make 
sure that if you win, you have everything you need to fulfill your 
duties.  For this upcoming Huntsman, I will loan my CA equipment to 
anyone who is actively working on getting theirs together, so long as I 
am not using it and you promise me you will have yours ready by Gulf Wars.

After reading this, you may think that I am of the opinion that only a 
select few should compete in Royal Huntsman.  Nothing could be farther 
from the truth.  I think EVERYONE who can, should come out and shoot and 
show our support for our Crown.  I just think that people should think 
very hard on how they want the Crown and the Kingdom to view the Royal 
Huntsman, and then if you make it to the bow out round, ask yourself if 
you can live up to that expectation.  I also want to emphasize that this 
was in no way meant to be a slight or in any way judgmental on any of 
our past Royal Huntsmen.  I have seen some outstanding examples of 
service to the Crown from that august group.

In Service to Crown and Kingdom,
Donnchadh



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