[Bryn-gwlad] Combat Archery Authorization for Baronial

[Ld. Alfred]

Well said, Master Pug!  And a Huzzah! on being inducted into the Arc d'Or - an honor you richly deserve.
Now, on to the issue of Combat Authorizations.
1. Having been a past BG Archery Marshal and a formerly authorized CA - I know it takes time to get the proper training to be *safe* as a combat archer on the field(s) of battle.
2. While many of the BG archers are just now looking to the Tourney aspect for the Fall Event, unless one has experience in CA - you can easily hurt someone or yourself.
3. Like Master Pug, Ld. Charles, Ld. Jehan, Ld. Jason, HL Duncan and many others, I, too, have taken archery to the fields of battle.  It is a far cry from shooting at static targets.  You have to keep "situational awareness" at all times.  Is that figthter too close?  Can I get a clean shot?  Am I about to be overrun? Are there non-combatants in my line of fire (a very, very important thing you have to keep aware of in CA), etc.
4. Let us all be calm and reasonable while the Event Steward takes careful consideration of the concerns expressed on and off this list.  Don Avery is a highly motivated, thoughtful and considerate individual who, in the end, wants us all to "have fun" at the event.

In Service there is Honor!

Ld. Alfred


----- Original Message ----
From: Pug Bainter <pug at pug.net>
To: Barony of Bryn Gwlad <bryn-gwlad at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 9:05:03 AM
Subject: Re: [Bryn-gwlad] Combat Archery Authorization for Baronial

> Are you referring perhaps to the Academy of the Bow? If so, that event
> wasn't even held in this state this year, but rather was in Oklahoma. I
> am aware of nothing in-region.

I am referring to that. This was your chance to go to a 'class' and possibly
get authorized just like you did in Antir. Events like this and Gulf War have
a much higher signal quality than most other weekends of the year. As for the
location, it was selected from the *single* bid that was received. If the
southern region or barony needed an event of this type, they should have
thought about putting in a bid and could still put in for a regional/baronial
level symposium if people get their ducks in a row. People from every region
of the Kingdom went to AoB to learn and teach. I know people even further
south of Bryn Gwlad took the time to make the event because it was important
to them. Those interested in doing combat archery or siege go to where the
action is instead of waiting for the action to come to them. I admit that this
is different than many other marshal activities, but the circumstances to do
them with any effectiveness are pretty limited.

While I live in the Barony of Bryn Gwlad, I am a Double Peer of the Society, a
member of the Order of the Arc d'Or (as of Queen's Champion), the Kingdom
Missile Marshal and very recently became the ER Deputy Kingdom Seneschal. I
work and play at a level that looks beyond the bounds of Travis and Williamson
Counties. This year alone I have done a fair amount. I have been to two
Interkingdom Wars (deputy CA MiC at one) where I have worked with people from
Ansteorra in this process, not to mention other Kingdoms. I participate every
week in discussions about armored combat, with an eye towards siege and combat
archery, across multiple Kingdoms across the different parts of the world. I
reorganized 3 Kingdom DEM offices into a single office, as well as the
respective regional levels, including two areas that I previously had limited
exposure to because of lack of time. After this weekend I will have been to
archery events (combat, target and 2 Royal Huntsman tournaments) in every
region this year.

The above doesn't even go into being the cook for 2 feasts in the Barony,
brewing for different SCA gatherings, moving to a new house, spending a month
in California and dealing with many personal health issues. Unfortunately
since I am human this gives me very little time to cheerlead the target
archers in the barony to take on an entire new form that many of them have no
interest in doing beyond the fall tournament. People who actually want to take
up an activity will take the steps to start working towards it on their own
instead of expecting people to come to them unasked.

Not to mention that I've been working for about two years on issues in the
Western region much worse than anyone in this barony can claim. This group has
*no* combat archery community to work with and at Gothic War last year none of
the Authorizing Marshals were able to attend due to personal emergencies. I've
been in discussions with multiple Crowns on this including having to sit down
with HRM Aaron, who lives in the west, at Pennsic to discuss it.

Unfortunately I only have so much time and energy I can put into each of the 5
regions and 50+ groups of the Kingdom, even if I do happen to live in one. If
people have the energy to arrange for this and dates can be selected that work
for those involved, great. I will even print out copies of the more current
handbook rewrite if the Earl Marshal will allow me to distribute them beyond
the authorizing marshals. (It is hoped that we will have an even newer version
of this handbook coming out "real soon now" that will only state how we differ
from Society.) If a date can't be selected that I can attend, I again remind
you that there will be melees on Sunday of Drachenstich and there should be
Authorizing Marshals present - please contact the autocrat to confirm. While
not in the region, it is but a short drive down 290. It is also 2 weeks before
the fall event.

I have to be honest. The format of the tournament has been known for many
months. Since the archers of the Barony were quiet until very recently, I
assumed they were either taking appropriate actions to get qualified or
allowing another group within the archery community a chance to shine just as
they have been allowed in the past while the combat archers were excluded.

Btw, the Society Earl and Combat Archery Marshals have been quite clear on
combat archery 'tournaments'. All entrants must be fully armed and armored.
Those who wish to shoot IKCAC to become familiar with the bow/ammo are more
than welcome to practice that form of target archery.

I hope that the above gives people an idea of why I'm not jumping at the bit
to be out every Sunday to help with this especially since many of the messages
I see appear more whining than inviting. The things I'm already doing, let
alone the things you are asking, are not something a single person can do. I
am glad to see people like Uther and Charles step up.

Ciao,
Pug
The person to single-handedly kill archery in Ansteorra because he enforces
the rules and changes he's been told to by those on high
[ Also called many other things that shouldn't be said in polite company ]

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