CR - Schedule Conficts, Variety, & Concerns

[Mike C. Baker]

---Rita Menzie <rita at slideguy.com> wrote:
> Michael F. Gunter wrote:
> > > > Just in case you hadn't heard, House Norwald is sponsoring
> > > > The Red and White Tourney Tourney at Flagpole Hill on 
> > > > Sunday, Feb 15, 2:30 pm.   
<SNIP>
> > > Here's another good argument for the regional calendar idea.  
> > > At noon, the same day as the above-mentioned tourney, which 
> > > I would attend if not for this conflict, the Regional Warlord  
> > > is hosting a war practice at Elfsea's fighter practice site.
> > > - Galen of Bristol
> > Would it be possible for House Norwald to host the tourney at the 
> > War Practice?
> > <snip>
> > Yers,
> > Gunthar
> > =======
> Hmmm...This was written up in the Steppesletter before anyone
> here knew about the War Practice, and since it has been sent
> out to the Barony, it would be difficult to change. Perhaps
> you could take the issue up with the head of the household
> tonight at business meeting or beforehand so we could let as
> many people as possible know if it gets changed. Personally,
> I think Mahdi could have asked the senechales of the groups
> in the central region if anything was going on *before* he
> scheduled a practice of this importance at such short notice.

Observation / comment: even if a regional planning calendar were
already in place before this particular scheduling conflict, the two
occasions are not *truly* in total conflict. Not all fighters are
preparing for war OR enjoy melee styles. Some fighters loathe and
detest SCA tournament-format fighting and seem to live primarily for
"war". And a goodly portion of the populace does not fight, and a
significant portion have no connection to active combatants,
attending fighting events purely because it is where they can meet
with those who do -- and these perhaps less-enthusiastic observers
share their non-combat skills with each other, and the fighter's
consorts. Or even just sit and watch politely, gossiping and
fomenting who-knows-what else in the odd moments...

The introduction of a regional planning calendar will hopefully not
stifle variety in "competing" local meetings and offerings. Variety
is a *good* thing. Not everyone is interested in heraldry or in
rapier combat, and so HE Edwin (and others) have taken to offering
an alternative SCA venue for Wednesday nights in the Steppes. In the
past, in smaller groups, I have seen joint meetings of dissimilar
guilds / interest groups share both a time and location. Where we
are potentially speaking of groups scattered across 300 miles, and
with long-standing meeting times and locations in some instances,
we'll just have to be patient with and caring for each other.

Further, I would hope that special occurences, such as the Bop and
Red&White and War Practice, would receive wider publicity. 
(And, incidentally, be planned further in advance, with the
knowledge that people will be using the regional calendar to help
schedule their participation in neighboring areas...)

The various print newsletters I presume should be publishing a
schedule of local meetings and such already. To remain responsive to
concerns about contact information being placed on the Web or in
Internet messages (mail list, newsgroup, chat room, or whatever),
one thing that will need to be dealt with sensitively is just how
phone numbers, names, or directions are included. Re-direction to
senschals, hospitallers, marshals may be the obvious choice, but I
would ask that even these be approached for permission.

For courtesy's sake, and also for safety's.  (No, I ain't paranoid
-- but I'm still alive and reasonably in one assemblage of
mostly-functional parts.) 

===
Adieu -- Amra / Pax ... Kihe / TTFN -- Mike
(al-Sayyid) Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra  /
Kihe Blackeagle (the Dreamsinger Bard) / 
Mike C. Baker: My opinions are my own -- no one else would want them!
Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8661
Alt. e-mail: KiheBard at aol.com, MikeCBaker at aol.com

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

============================================================================
Go to http://www.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.