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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robert FitzMorgan
wrote:<BR><BR>> I you've never cracked a book and
can't tell a sonnet from a<BR>> saga, that doesn't mean that you can't or
shouldn't enter <BR>> Eisteddfod. It does mean that you probably won't
win. <BR> <BR>Exactly. The essential thing to
realize is that Eisteddfod is a competition. There are two things being
confused here. Entrance requirements, and what it takes to win. I
hope the standards for being Premier Bard always remain high, but the standards
for being Premier Bard are always exactly this: do better than all the other
entrants. "The standards are high" is semantically equivalent to "Lots of
good bards enter."<BR><BR>To enter Kingdom Eisteddfod this year requires no more
than three pieces and a little heart. To *win* requires being better than
the other entrants.<BR><BR>> The other thing to
remember is that Kingdom Bard is a job. If you win it is</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> your responsibility to represent the
Kingdom as a bard and to promote bard</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> craft throughout the kingdom.
If you can't do that then you probably shouldn't</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> be Kingdom Bard. <BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This is the real requirement. Will you
commit, if you win, to travelling around the kingdom entertaining and
encouraging other bards? Note that I'm not asking if you will be good at
it; that's the judges' decision. If you are prepared to try, and have
three pieces, then you qualify to enter Kingdom Eisteddfod.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But to win? You need to be better than
Darius, Gerald, Kat, Willow, and all the others who enter.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robin of Gilwell / Jay
Rudin</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>