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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>Greetings,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>First, thank you Wissa, for asking for opinions.
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>Second, here's some background on why there is a combined Loch /
Stargate practice:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>Several years ago, the Stargate Sunday in Memorial park (near the
tennis courts) practice had effectively been cancelled due to a lack of a Knight
Marshal and regular attendance. The Loch Sunday practice was sparsely
attended at best (the Loch Marshal mostly planned on sitting on a park bench at
Frankie Carter Randolph park). So, in order to have *any* practice, Baron
Godwin and Baron Ulsted suggested a combined practice. We then polled the
fighters, and Tuesday night was selected as the night that the majority could
make. A site was selected that was 'central' to Loch and Stargate - the UH
campus. It was hoped that fighting on a university campus would draw from
a traditional recruiting source for the SCA - college age students.
Unfortunately, UH is very much a commuter school, and we haven't really seen any
recruiting from this practice.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>My opinion
based on years of trying to keep practices going: there is a minimum fighter
population required to maintain a 'regular' practice. That number varies
according to the motivation of the 'regular' fighters. There is a stark
reality in Houston: it's mucking hot in the summer, and so either a larger
minimum number, or increased motivation is required to maintain a
practice. A combined practice still seems to me to be more likely to
maintain a viable practice, but if the majority doesn't think so, it
won't. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>So - the
*best* answer is to recruit more fighters, and practice will handle itself (in
fact, with enough fighters, there could be several practices each week -
solving the "what day" question, as well). And it's true that nothing
recruits fighters like fighting... </FONT></SPAN><SPAN
class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff>However, we've tried
moving around various parks in the Clear Lake area, and none really seem to
attract recruits, but this could be a measure of a lack of 'active'
recruiting rather than just fighting. And I would expect any night
practice to draw even less attention.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff>M<SPAN
class=359565520-22072008>y answers to your questions:</SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>1) I, too, would like a close practice, but I'd prefer a larger
attendance and a 'healthy' practice, which requires that 'minimum number'.
So - if the Tuesday practice at UH is really done, then, yes, I'll go to a Loch
practice. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff>2) I prefer the Tuesday night schedule.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=359565520-22072008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT></SPAN></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=359565520-22072008></SPAN><FONT face=Arial><FONT
color=#0000ff>Ulste<SPAN class=359565520-22072008>d</SPAN><SPAN
class=359565520-22072008> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#0000ff><SPAN
class=359565520-22072008></SPAN><SPAN
class=359565520-22072008></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff></FONT><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff></FONT><BR> </DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> Wissa Bear [mailto:wissabear@hotmail.com]
<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, July 22, 2008 2:43 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
coastal@lists.ansteorra.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Coastal] Loch Sollier Chivalric
Fighter Practice<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Greeting to the Populace, <BR>For a few months we have been talking
about changing the Loch Chivalric Fighter Practice. We currently hold our
fighter practice on Stargate Lands on Tuesday nights. The practice is
often not well atteneded, and when it is, there are mostly fighters from the
loch. There has been talk of moving the practice closer to where
more of the loch populace lives. There are two main reasons for this that
I see. One is that with practice closer to home, it will make attending
practice easiler and less expensive for our members. The second reason is
recruitment. We are not going to add any members to our populace if our
only public event is a fighter practice held in stargate. Even stargate
does not get recruitment from this practice, and has started a Sunday practice
at Memorial Park. Also when we do get new memebers to our populace
meetings, we then tell them to get to fighter practice, its 30 miles
away.<BR>Next, the day of the week. People's lives are busier than ever.
If we move the practice to a local park, most likley we will be kicked out by
10pm. That would get us all home at a decent hour (which would be a nice
change). Our other choice, would be to start a practice on Sunday like
stargate has done. For recuirtment we would have more face time with the
public, since more people use the parks on weekends than weekdays. Also we
wouldn't have as many people running home from work, then having to rush out
again that evening for practice. The down side to moving the day its held
if that most of the current fighters have Tuesday night carved out of their
schedule for fighting. Also the other day I've mostly heard suggested is
Sunday, so getting home from events in a hurry would be a new concern.<BR>There
are two questions to be answered: <BR>1. Do we want to move practice down to the
Loch <BR>2. Do we want to keep it at the same time? <BR>I'm currently activly
seeking opinions on this issue. I know there are opnions out there, I've
heard some. <BR> <BR>Wissa <BR>Loch Sollier Knight Marshall <BR><BR>
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