[Stargate] The Elephant in the Room

[Crystal Lamb]

*smiles*
   
  I admit that (with what very little scraps of time I have) I've piddled around in Amtgard this past year.  *gasp*  I'll wait for you to collect yourselves.  
   
  Guess what I found when I got there?  Lots of what I call "SCA Refugees".....people who tried SCA, but because of a myriad of reasons, became disillusioned and left.  Well, there is a recurring theme behind the myriad of reasons....but that's for a different discussion perhaps.  The bottom line is "they tried and left."  I can tell you that at least for Amtgard, most SCA Refugees really don't care how these people fight or with what weapons, or how they don't hold A&S competitions to the level we would expect.  In fact, they're kinda freed from ....well, a lot of things.  ;)    They really miss some of the elegance and traditions.  They really, really missed scrolls and formalized courts - now they have those.  I can see them beginning to make Amtgard more like the SCA they wished it could have been.  Therein lies your challenge.  
   
  In my opinion, Civil War and WWII re-enactment groups are just different animals than SCA - apples and oranges.  However, if people do not find an organization that is warm, genuine, and in which the even the newest member honestly feels that he or she can grow and feel a part of an established and entrenched group, then they will create an organization that meets those needs or do without.  
   
  You know....some evenings it's very reminiscent of a long, long time ago when I first joined.....when we visited more; laughed harder; worried less; and made fewer Machiavellian moves.  
   
  I also honestly believe that if any of these similar alternative groups had more maturity and financial backing, we would see a sincere threat in the not so distant future.  The number one barrier to more growth in many of these groups is the SCA's wise investment in insurance agents, sites and ability to pay for site insurance....and their reluctance to pass along the information (for good reason).  
   
  Just my two cents.  Take it as you will.  
   
  ~Aslyn