[Ansteorra-rapier] Cadets Corner

[Chris Zakes]

At 12:59 AM 1/29/02 -0600, you wrote:
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "RJ Allen" <chrystalamacruari at yahoo.com>
>To: <ansteorra-rapier at ansteorra.org>
>Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 11:19 PM
>Subject: Re: [Ansteorra-rapier] Cadets Corner
>
>
>With regards to the rapier community, a thought occurred to me earlier this
>evening which may merit some consideration,.
>
>Perhaps one of the biggest problems we are facing as a group is that our
>role has changed.  Where once we were working to find a place in the SCA and
>establih it's validity, I think we now find ourselves on new ground.  Rapier
>now has it's place in the SCA and now has to come to terms with who the
>rapier community is and where that place fits among the others.
>
>In the past, we got to take the role of the outsider trying to butt in where
>he did not belong.  The rebel with or without a cause has always had a
>certain attraction to people.
>
>Next, we were the underdog fighting to fighting to find our place among the
>Knights and Laurels and Pelicans, the Kings and queens and Dukes of our
>game.  The underdog has also been a rallying point for many and a source of
>inspiration, to whos banner many would flock.
>
>Now it seems we have reached our goal.  What we do from here is up to us to
>decide.


I'm not sure that's an accurate perception. (At least for Ansteorra; the
mileage in other kingdoms *definitely* varies.) I would say that it's been
at least ten years since we've really been in the "outsider/underdog" role.

Don't forget that in this part of the world, rapier fighting has been
around longer than Ansteorra has, and the White Scarf has been around for
longer than Ansteorra has been a kingdom. For 99% of the kingdom, rapier is
simply "part of the landscape".

	-Tivar Moondragon