[Ansteorra-rapier] Pros and Cons of change

James Crouchet james at crouchet.com
Tue Oct 16 00:07:41 PDT 2012


First, I agree with what Puck has had to say.  He has said it in a far more
precise way than I could.

I will add that, unlike classes where someone has signed up and paid, we
have no guarantee that a newcomer will return.  My goal is to get them onto
the field and give them a taste of the combat as quickly as safety allows.
After they have experienced the fun they are much more willing to do some
work to improve.  The second worst way I can think of to try to recruit new
fighters is to start them with exercises and drills, and send them home
with conditioning exercises before they have had any chance to experience
combat. (The worst way would be a long, boring lecture with no hands on at
all -- but that is a different issue.)

For a significant number of the newcomers I have worked with, the epee
provided a much easier gateway to a combat experience than would a rapier.
The goal is to quickly transition them over, but it is an reasonable
starting point for those who initially lack the strength to handle a rapier
for more than a minute or two.  I do not need to see them allowed in
tournament, but I do not want to lose this training tool.

I have tried all three approaches over the years: The long boring lecture,
The drills and conditioning, and The combat experience. The combat
experience has been the more effective recruiting scenario by far.

Don Christian Doré

On Mon, Oct 15, 2012 at 7:34 AM, Pug Bainter <pug at pug.net> wrote:

> Good Morning,****
>
> ** **
>
>   We’ve given the discussion about five days now including a weekend and
> there appear to be no knew arguments for or against. Based off of that, I’m
> going to try to succinctly articulate the Pros and Cons of this change. To
> revisit, the proposed change was:****
>
> ** **
>
> *Ansteorra convention:** Except under the Youth Rapier Program, Light
> Rapier is to be eliminated within the borders of Ansteorra effective March
> 17th, 2013. After that date, Light Rapier blades can only be used with
> variances obtained in writing from the Kingdom Rapier Marshal at least 30
> days in advance such as for historical SCA theme events. Ansteorra’s Rapier
> authorizations permit use of Light Rapier blades at out of Kingdom events
> where allowed.*
>
> ** **
>
> Some individuals have suggested it be reworded as such:****
>
> ** **
>
> *Ansteorra convention:** Except under the Youth Rapier Program, Light
> Rapier is to be eliminated outside of training within the borders of
> Ansteorra effective March 17th, 2013. After that date, Light Rapier
> blades can only be used with variances obtained in writing from the Kingdom
> Rapier Marshal at least 30 days in advance such as for historical SCA theme
> events. Ansteorra’s Rapier authorizations permit use of Light Rapier blades
> at out of Kingdom events where allowed.*
>
> ** **
>
> ** **
>
> **·         **Cons:****
>
> **o   **The blades are allowed by Society and have not been proven to be
> unsafe so we need to allow them.****
>
> **o   **It eliminates part of our origins within SCA Fencing.****
>
> **o   **It is exclusionary of those who prefer lighter weight blades.****
>
> **o   **It eliminates an option for those who are physically unable to
> use heavier blades.****
>
> **·         **Pros:****
>
> **o   **The blades are statistically non-existent comparing the possibly
> 10s of bouts to the 1000s of bouts per year.****
>
> **o   **Heavy blades are more historically accurate than light blades.****
>
> **o   **A significant majority of the SCA kingdoms as well as most
> inter-kingdom wars have gone to heavy blades only.****
>
> **o   **The enforcement of the regulations around the lighter blades is
> lax at best creating a risk point.****
>
> **§  **Combatants being authorized without having shown to be safe.****
>
> **§  **Marshals being authorized without knowing how to inspect the
> equipment.****
>
> **o   **Light blades break more frequently than heavy blades elevating
> the risk due to lax enforcement.****
>
> ****
>
>   Please let me know right away if I misrepresented any of the above or
> missed a significant Pro or Con.****
>
> ** **
>
>   There were several side discussions, but I think these were the ones
> that spoke directly to the proposal.****
>
> ** **
>
> In Service,****
>
> Pug****
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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