[Bordermarch] Questions posted July 18 by Mistress Lorainne DeerSlayer for demographics

Thu Jul 29 21:03:33 PDT 2004

Q)1. What attracted you to the SCA?
(A)actually it was Dolfin that got me interested by showing me kids could
work and have fun at the same time
(Q)2. What is your perspective of what the SCA is to you?
(A) Family... It has given me a larger family

(Q)3. Where do you invest the most time and energy in the SCA (household,
local group, kingdom, specific activity)?
(A) Household and local

(Q)4. How long before you started to take initiative in the SCA (applying
for an office, organizing an activity, etc.?)
(A)  20 years after I started

(Q)5. Were there instances that could have "run you out of the SCA"..why did
they not...or why did you come back?
(A) Yes there were but I chose to leave for a time period and it would be
answered more privately..
(Q)6. How long before you burned out? Why did you burn out? Is there
anything
anyone could have done to help keep you from "burning out"?
(A)  Time and money... not really normal life grabs a hold from time to time

(Q)7. What do you get out of the SCA?
(A)  enjoyment and the fact that my daughter is learning about what life
would have been like

(Q)8. If you have your AoA...how long did you get it after starting to
participate in the SCA?
(A)  almost 20 years to the date I started

(Q) and last but not least...why do you think that people should join the
SCA
and stay in it?
(A)  Because it is a way for a family to do something together and learn
about it at the same time. Not only do the children learn something new so
do the adults

-----Original Message-----
From: bordermarch-bounces+kladd=houston.rr.com at ansteorra.org
[mailto:bordermarch-bounces+kladd=houston.rr.com at ansteorra.org]On Behalf Of
benliz
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 3:13 PM
To: BB on-line Barony Bordermarch
Cc: ldeerslayer at yahoo.com
Subject: [Bordermarch] Questions posted July 18 by Mistress Lorainne
DeerSlayer for demographics

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 07:18:05 -0700
From: Ben & Liz <benliz at ev1.net>
Subject: [Ansteorra] Re: Questions 7/18

Dear Bordermarch on-line,
Mistress Lorainne Deerslayer poses these questions.
We encourage members of the barony to take a few minutes to respond to her
email addy if you are not on ansteorra @ ansteorra dot org
Use <ldeerslayer at yahoo.com>.  Herewith:

............................
In an effort to try to figure out how to attract new people and keep
them in, here are a series of questions that I'd like as many of you as
possible to answer...so that I can get a good "demographic"... keep
answers brief...please...

...For brevity, we two shall answer in one response. Simonn & Tessa

(Q)1. What attracted you to the SCA?
(A)  Lifelong interests in research and in writing historical-fiction
and medieval fantasy.
In July 1976, being unaware yet of The Stargate 1 hour to our west,
we caught a local newspaper item about the SCA chapter in Draconia,
Baton Rouge, 3 hours east of us, with a contact name and address.

(Q)2. What is your perspective of what the SCA is to you?
(A)  SCA is a pleasurable investment of time, energies, resources, etc.
for the enjoyment of a hobby.
It was a path to help train our young sons in responsibilities,
courtesies, culture studies, to travel and camp together as a family,
and to form some endearing friendships.  Although we do take part in
reunions/conventions/programs of religious, civic, fraternal, and
professional natures, SCA experiences involve an entire other wardrobe
and gear which we enjoy planning and making.
Our health in general is strengthened by physical labor given to prepare
site/s for events, by physical training for combat, and by eating those
good fresh herbs we grow.

(Q)3. Where do you invest the most time and energy in the SCA (household,
local group, kingdom, specific activity)?
(A)  All levels.  Immediate House Mountain-Gate pila and friends
frequently travel together around the length and breadth of Ansteorra or
beyond.
Locally, we host Armory and Cooking guilds at our home on Mondays.  We
are local KM and Hist.  For region or Kingdom, we help spearhead the
existence of the BorderKeep "castle" that is available for any SCA group
to use.  We are each a deputy officer at Region or Kingdom.  Between us,
we have served in every shire or baronial office locally, in positions
that did not use to "be" offices but are now; as regional deputies; in
principality offices at length, also as P & P; and as K & Q.  We have
autocratted (and do steward) events for shire, barony, region,
principality, and kingdom (in Atenveldt and Ansteorra).

(Q)4. How long before you started to take initiative in the SCA (applying
for an office, organizing an activity, etc.?)
(A)  Immediately. In summer 1976 we established the local incipient
Bordermarch, being its Sen/Chron and KMarsh and began meetings in our
home.  With planning and persons with like ideas, we have organized the
making of a physical castle for fighting purposes, for the knowne worlde
to play on.  In the 1980's we, the local group, initiated the BorderKeep
as two different wooden versions at Claibourne West - Vidor; then in the
1990's, one wooden structure was upkept, renovated, and painted like
stones at Jones Campground - Colmesneil; and now, behold, the mortared
block version of BorderKeep at Jones Campground.  Y'all come play on it.

(Q)5. Were there instances that could have "run you out of the SCA"..why did
they not...or why did you come back?
(A)  Negative.  We are both still here after 28 years.

(Q)6. How long before you burned out? Why did you burn out? Is there
anything
anyone could have done to help keep you from "burning out"?
(A)  Priorities, pacing, and budgeting help a person avoid burnout in
anything.
Not as a result of "burnout" but of life's choices, after serving as
founding baron+baroness for 12 years, we retired from that post in 1989;
although, not completely from SCA.  Tessa directed more time and
energies to the growing sons at home and their other activities;
therefore, we traveled less as a family to SCA.  Simonn practiced sword
skills and attended some meetings; we attended events sparsely and held
no offices.
In 1991, we entered in the deep valley of the shadow of death, bereft of
our older son Aarion Kyrkwood Mountain-Gate.  Without him here, we
sought "a new normal" in life.  Until 1994 we did not do SCA enough to
mention.  However, some SCA family and friends were of immense comfort.

(Q)7. What do you get out of the SCA?
(A)  One gets from something in direct proportion to what one puts into
it.  We get the pride of having watched our younger son Zayin ap Simonn
(born in 1978 into the principality business calendar) grow to full
manhood as a man of conviction, courtesy and service, engaging in both
rapier and chivalric training.  We get fun.  Also endearing friendships;
"You Were There" experiences for our sons when young (and their
extremely high history grades); travel throughout Oklahoma and Texas, to
Tennessee, Arizona, Kansas... and many points in between;  world-wide
pen pals;  cultural awareness, camping, learning in varied topics;
arenas for service, creativity or teaching; cooking for large or small
crowds; gardening and beautifying sites; the pleasure of research and
enactments; background material for writing projects; the availability
of lots and lots of image albums and relics; the community connection at
demos; and bringing methods of chivalry and grace into the mundane
community on a day-to-day basis.  In the later instance, when we can
improve the real world around us in the 21st century, then The Dream
really lives.

(Q)8. If you have your AoA...how long did you get it after starting to
participate in the SCA?
(A)  Get out the wayback-time machine.
1976 until 2000, Tessa, AoA.
1976 until 2004, Simonn, AoA.
However, our initial awards were a kingdom grant and a peerage, summer
1977, within 11 months of participation, before being named founding
baron+baroness 14 months after we started.

(Q) and last but not least...why do you think that people should join the
SCA
and stay in it?
(A)  The SCA might not be for all people.  We recommend it to those who
enjoy pacing themselves in sociological exchanges combined with the
ideas of history, garb, court, feasting, battlefields, challenges,
communications, or opportunities to polish some service-leadership
skills.  "Staying" is not necessarily always in positive connotation.
Some people go into and through the SCA.  By comparrison, the two of us
did not "stay in" the valley of the shadow of death- -   we were able to
move "through it" and come out on the other side, if forever changed.
We've known several who did quit SCA due to preference or life-altering
situations and later become active again; known others who left due to
personal preference, bereavement, or health causes, and did not return.
 Perhaps it could be said that we are "committed" to the Dream.  As long
as one keeps his/her eyes on the Dream and what it can become, one
doesn't lose heart but forges ahead regardless of obstacles, hindrances,
or disappointments.  The Dream lives!

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Original post was on ansteorra @ ansteorra dot org.
From: L T <ldeerslayer at yahoo.com>
Subject: [Ansteorra] Questions 7/18 thanks...etc.

Thanks to everyone who has already answered! Amazing stuff!!!! Seems like
the people here have a lot in common...

If you don't want to post your answers to the list...for whatever
reason...send them to me personally...right now the responses are weighted
toward "long-time players" and I need some more "short-time" and "mid-range"
answers...though anything any one wishes to send will be happily
compiled...for all answers/perspectives are valid and may lead to a
different way to approach things....

If you chose to post the questions to another list...please, either send me
the answers or if a public list...tell  me where so that I can gleen the
info...

Thanks again!

Lorraine DeerSlayer

P.S. All info extracted from private e-mails will be done in such a way to
ensure the privacy of the sender. There are already a great number of
quotable phrases...I will only share them if I get explicit permission from
the writer.

------------------------------

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