[MR] Curiosity, Crowns, etc.

[Malone, Nicholas S.]

Greetings and Good day;
	First let me say I enjoy the way crowns are fought and think the BOD
should have formalized it, within a set range of choices, long ago. They
actually resisted doing that to allow more freedom and individuality. If you
would be crown, you should have the will and fortitude to do it on your own.
If an army situation or popularity situation or a cumulative points system
were in place it could be easily manipulated. There are more than a few
people I could get here on a long weekend to win a battle for crown.
Eligibility is only a matter of addresses in a database. I think I can say
with some certainty that none of those people would have anything to do with
winning me a crown if they actually had to play in the kingdom under my
reign. It seems I make an unconscious habit of pushing peoples buttons or
seeing how far they can be pushed. Changing the format or form of crown
would dilute some of the culture that has become endearing to me. If the
crown weren't a "stick-jock" there are many things that we would no longer
be able to joke or complain about. Right now you have only to wait 6 months
for things to change somewhat, but a committee of serious fighters could
hold the crown for years if they wanted to. Seems that way now in some
places but you always have the odd person breaking through occasionally. If
the winner at crown wasn't someone with the dedication and discipline that
it takes to win a crown then how many more banishments and petty edicts
would be forthcoming. Or if the crown didn't plan on living or fighting here
after his reign, how tempting would it be to leave a stamp on the land to
make the Society more into HIS version of what the SCA should be. I am a
royalist through and through. I believe that if you can win crown and want
to dictate that all attending court should wear purple and stand on their
heads then your choice is to get the garb and a pillow or not go to court.
That said, Do NOT doubt the single combat/ double elim tourneys can not be
manipulated. I know of several instances when as many as 12 of 50 fighters
entered the list in order to make sure certain targeted competitors were
taken out of the running. None had the time, desire or inclination to sit
the thrown but they had definite opinions on who should. It is not uncommon
to here fighters say something like "well if I aint gettin it I hope so and
so does". This doesn't always indicate any overt actions but simple human
nature may take its course. I know of 2 fighters in a coronet tourney that
advanced to the semi-finals (round of 4) of a bet about the most effective
crown fighting style. One believed that if he didn't take any shot that
didn't actually hurt it was more true to his armor, actual combat etc. The
other felt that fear and intimidation, lots of body charges, arm and knee
shots, face and head thrusts (not legal at the time there, but very
daunting) it would be more representative of actual combat for a great
prize. Both views have more than a little history and teaching to back them
up. Fortunately both rethought their little test when it became apparent
that they might make the final fighting like that and that was not the way
they wanted the Society to be. Its more fun, interesting and colorful since
it is not actually that medieval or war-like.
	As to the R&D issues, damn that's a big step. But for someone to
have a series of complaints compiled for years against them, It seems a
final straw/ camel's back sort of thing. And for that sort of person to be a
repeating crown means that the situation is not likely to go away soon or
ever. We have also been discussing flat membership growth rates. Well
AnTir's is not flat it has been dipping. Might just be a coincidence but
then the alternative medieval groups there have been growing, hmmm. There
have also been several allegations about personal behavior that were not
posted since some are currently being handled outside the SCA by civil and
criminal authorities. and are not the jurisdiction of the SCA. While if any
of the allegations are true, I would find them personally repugnant. My
personal opinion of morality is not a reason for banishment. There are also
some technical detail allegations about spending funds and cost overruns
that would not normally be a big deal, the first time. The fact that they
reoccur with each reign seems a tad negligent.  All of these things together
would make me very leery of continuing to allow such a person to be a
member, let alone one who has power and influence.
	As to membership and revenues. The best plan I have heard so far is
a temporary tax/surcharge on events to support the business side of things.
Say $1 for members per event and $3 for non members. To be enforce until we
can 1. make membership more worthwhile, 2. increase membership, 3. decrease
costs, or the economy changes enough to accommodate several of these items.
Of course, temporary revenue measures have a way of persisting ( fed. income
tax et al). This would seem to be the best way of moving financial support
to those that use the services most often.

Nicholas S. Malone
Information Systems Supervisor
Virginia Department of Transportation
Transportation Planning Division
1401 East Broad Street, Room 113
Richmond, VA 23219
P: 804.786.1124
F: 804.225.4785
Nicholas.Malone at VirginiaDOT.org


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