NR - On Northkeep and Toy Tourney
Lori Campbell
LCAMPBEL at OSSM.EDU
Tue Jul 6 15:38:44 PDT 1999
It is with no small measure of disappointment that we have read Their
Excellencies' words.
It is clear to us that Northkeep wins Toy Tourney because they
put forth the most effort to do so. We all set our own priorities
and Northkeep has placed Toy Tourney at the top of their list. They
focus all year long on this effort and the result is that they win.
Until other groups put forth the same effort, this trend will - and
should - continue.
Toy Tourney is a positive effort, yielding only positive results
(one of the few we've seen our organization support). In addition to
the children who benefit, the SCA benefits, too. We receive good
press for being involved in a collective effort to ease suffering and
improve our communities.
Northkeep has every right to feel proud of their efforts on behalf of
their community. Other groups who participate should also feel
proud. The bottom line is that being resentful or angry serves
absolutely no constructive purpose. Neither would having Northkeep
withdraw from the competition - and we would hate to see that happen.
Surely we are all mature enough to celebrate whoever wins this
contest (even if it is the same year after year). The only
alternative (short of just not doing the tourney) is going to a
policy of "every year is a tie" regardless of who has the most toys.
This solution has worked for Gulf Wars, but surely we can all get
along without such extreme measures.
The discontent voiced over Toy Tourney mirrors the bitterness heard
from fighters who don't win tournaments. The bottom line is that
winning should never be our first priority. Sure, winning beats
losing - but when it becomes the most important part of our game
everyone loses.
A tournament fought with honor has no losers regardless of who takes
the prize. An A&S competition full of entries (whether first-time or
expert) is another situation where everyone wins. When we all get
together and do something selfless to help people - whether it is
collecting toys, helping to rebuild after devastating tornadoes,
doing a demo for our local schools, or any number of other projects
involving community service - how can we lose?
While we're on this subject, we've heard another complaint regarding
Toy Tourney. In the past there have been some who felt the need to
reprimand groups or individuals for *not* participating. This
attitude is as much a problem as the one we've been discussing.
The decision to participate in a charity event (or any other SCA
activity, for that matter) is a personal choice and surely nothing
to chastise or criticize others over. We're all here to have fun,
right?
Well, that's our quarter's worth on the subject. Sorry to take up so
much time, but we hope to see Toy Tourney continue - with everyone
happy to be a part of it.
In Service,
Barn & Kat
Baron and Baroness of Wiesenfeuer
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