[MR] A fine set of definitions

[Rowanwald Central]

The following is a quote that I had been asked to forward on - but now I
can't remember who asked for it! So in the hopes that my ack-ack-gun form of
mailing reaches whoever it is:


"It seems to me there are ( and have been as long as I can recall) three
levels of participation in the SCA.
1) The Occasional Participate: This gentle shows up, as the title suggests,
occasionally.  A regular at local events, s/he is rarely seen anywhere else.
A reasonable effort is made by the OP to blend in, and s/he owns enough garb
to make it through a weekend event (maybe).  S/he attends events to get
away, meet with friends, and have a good time.  SCA politics, organisation,
etc.  do not interest her/him.  Many OP's stay at this stage, never getting
more involved than the occasional event or fighter practice.  This
classification also holds the Newbies, people for whom the SCA is a new and
different thing, to be tested and tried before deciding whether to mature
into the next classification...
2) The Regular Participate: This gentle is a more active participant.  S/he
is known to own many sets of garb, has active interests in period
activities, may hold a local office, and is generally up on the current
socio-political situation in her/his area.  The workings of the SCA matter
to her, and the SCA has taken a place of much greater prominence in her/his
life than the life of the OP.  Some/Most of these gentles hold memberships,
and a small percentage mature into...
3) The Dedicated Participant: We all know (and in many cases owe a great
debt to) people in this class.  Here are the Crowns, Chivalry and Peerage.
Here also are those who have yet to reach such lofty positions, but who toil
tirelessly at making the local/regional/kingdom level group function.  These
are the gentles who have held office for so many years we've lost count...
because SOMEONE has to do it.
Now the point is, none of these classifications can exist independently.
Each is maintained over time through the 'advancement' of those in lower
classifications.  OP's become RP's and RP's become DP's.  Without Occasional
Participants, there can be no growth, and the organization would stagnate
and die..."
Edward R. Ewen, Jr


Rosine
Nobility depends not on parentage or place of birth,
but on breadth of compassion and depth of loving-kindness.
If we would be noble, let us be great-hearted.
rowanwald at sybercom.net