CR - Schedule Conficts, Variety, & Concerns

[Michael F. Gunter]

> 
> 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". 

Excuse me? I am not primarily a war fighter but I do know the importance
of attending war practice. There are a lot more benefits from attending
melee practice than just learning to stand in a shield wall. There's
the opportunity to meet with and train with other fighters from the area
as well as supporting the Kingdom. And just about every fighter I know 
does both tourney and war fighting equally. To say a tourney and a war
practice happening on the same day less than an hour apart is not a
conflict is not knowing fighter mentality.


> 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...

I agree that fighter practice/tournies are enhanced by the non-combattants,
but if the thrust of the occassion is for people to sit around and gossip
then it should jolly well not be called a "tourney"!

> 
> 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.
> 

Okay, first you say that another gathering has been schedueled in another
place for those who do not care for rapier combat or heraldry. Then you
state that it's good for dissimilar groups to be together. Then you say
that it's okay to schedule different meetings at the same time because
those meetings could be 300 miles away. Is there a point to this?

I would love to see the rapier practice, armored practice, heraldic commentary,
and ladies sewing circle (whatever) to be at one place. Space constraints 
do not allow this however, so we have to compromise. C'est la vie.
I don't see what this has to do with the unfortunate occurrance of two tournies
at the same time. 

Yes, i feel a regional newsletter would have helped. I hate to think that both
events will suffer because of lack of notification. I will probably have to 
miss the House Norwald tourney (which I would prefer to attend, being as I am
primarily a tourney fighter) and attend the war practice (to which duty impels
me to attend).

I apologize for the rant and rather sharp tone of this posting, but this struck
a nerve.

> Adieu -- Amra / Pax ... Kihe / TTFN -- Mike
> (al-Sayyid) Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra  /

Yers,

Gunthar
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