[Ansteorra-rapier] Soap boxes

[Laurie Garnes]

Marquet, I think you know that I agree with you about the travel thing.  We can
beg and plead all we want to get people to come and see us here, but if we're not
willing to see them in their home once in a while, then how often are we to expect
them to come charging at our call?  I give major kudos to Dona Gwynneth and Lord
Avery for coming to Trelac to teach us just for a practice date.  (Guys, I keep
trying to make it to Austin and have put down several dates to do so, but mundane
life has come to squash each one, but I will be at Queen's and am still trying to
set up a day to join you for a practice!)

*pulls Marquet's soap box closer*  Mind if I borrow this now, Marquet?  Thanks!
*struggles to the top*

Now, it's wonderful to travel to events in other areas.  I truly enjoy getting to
see friends that I only get to see on these occassions.  I travel to an out of
region event at least once a month and love the opportunity to see/meet new
people, catch up on the news of those I haven't seen in ages, and just generally
have a great time.  I have to say that it's getting very frustrating, though, to
travel these great distances (up to 1000 miles in one case) and only get to fight
two fights (if the tournament was double elim) or so.  Now, before all you scarves
get up in arms and start screaming about how if we want to fight in pickups, all
we need to do is ask - I do.  What becomes frustrating is when there are scarves
running amuck all over an event and I go around asking both white and red alike to
fight with me and get the same responses over and over.  "Catch me later" (Which
seems to be the same response all day), "I'm not really feeling up to it right
now" (But they feel plenty up to winning tournaments), or something similar.  Of
course, I've never gotten a "No, I just don't want to fight with you", but I might
as well be for all the response I get.  At one event (the afore mentioned 1000
mile trek), there were scads of white and red scarves running around.  I asked no
less than 9 people to fight with me.  Only one did - a cadet.  (Thank you,
Rolanda!)  One Don said yes and was going to get his toys when the WS circle was
called (Thank you for the thought, Dore!).  Some of the events I've been to, no
scarves would fight with me.  Now, I know that you guys get busy.  Fine.  But if
you guys are going to keep saying how all we have to do is ask to get to fight
with you, follow through on that sometimes.  If this had just been a one-time
problem, I would not be upset.  But this has happened at every large event I've
gone to.  (Most of the small ones have either had enough fighting during the
tournament to keep me busy or, more often, no scarves in attendance.)  Last year
at the Rapier Acadamy, this problem of no one to fight with was brought up and
almost unanimously all the WS's and cadets claimed that all we had to do was ASK.
Ok, well I've spent the last year doing just that.  I haven't seen much of a
change in the problem.  Am I just asking the wrong people?  Who do I need to be
talking to now?

Well, thank you for listening.  *steps off of box and hands back to Marquet*
Thanks for the loaner!

In search of the dream,
Muirghein MacKiernan