[Elfsea] Fighter Practices

[Glen Wilkerson]

I have noticed a trend lately, when marshals are travelling to out of town events, of cancelling official regularly scheduled Sunday fighter practices.  It has never been standard practice in my 25 years in the SCA, and until only recently was just never done.  Where did this idea suddenly come from that if the marshal couldn't attend practice, practice couldn't happen?

Practice is going to happen, fighting is going to occur, the recent e-mail traffic is proof of that.  Marshals, if you are going out of town - even if the majority of local fighters are going out of town - you don't cancel practice.  That's what deputy marshals are for, and unofficial deputys of deputys.

When you return from your event you find out who went to practice, you interview them to find out what happened, and that's what goes in your report - not "practice was cancelled."  Fighters, keep an eye on what goes on at practice as a courtesy to your marshal when he is absent, and report to him afterwards.  And if the marshal receives several such reports, all the better.  The more information he receives, the better he can make an informed montly report.

At least that's what worked for me during the five years I was Rapier Marshal of the Steppes, and while I haven't been to any practices for way longer than I like, when I do finally come back I want them to still be there.  There has only ever been one reason to cancel a regular fighter practice aside from weather, and that's when a close neighboring group had a major event.  You cancelled your practice as a courtesy, and an occasion to go visit your neighbors.

Don Alaric Greythorne

PS - And of course, those wonderful combined practices we used to have...
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