[MR] On KASF and War Practices

[MaddNancy at aol.com]

>From Barun Geoffrey and Baronessa Maddalena,
 
As a household with both a serious fighter and a serious artisan, we have  
been discussing this issue over the past few days and have discussed it over the 
 years in various permutations as the subjects of having fighting at an Arts  
event and that of scheduling somewhat impromptu fighter practices seem to  
resurface fairly regularly.  
 
 
 
>From Maddalena:
 

In a message dated 2/28/2007 Jonathan Blackbow writes:

And they  proceed to schedule that war practice for the weekend of KASF at an 
alternate  site, because it's the only available weekend that doesn't already 
have a  fighting event scheduled.  And if you think that's farfetched, that's 
 exactly what I had thought of doing in Elkin until I heard there was a war  
practice scheduled for KASF.  I also had a war practice scheduled the  weekend 
of Black Prince until I heard that there was a Central Region practice  
scheduled for the day after.



Although there may be A&S displays at various events, KASF is the event  that 
our kingdom's artisans work for all year round.  To a certain extent,  it is 
our Pas - our chance to challenge ourselves and to show our best  efforts.  
Unfortunately, my first response to this post is that the  thought that someone 
would schedule a fighter practice on the protected date of  KASF shows a lack 
of respect for the efforts of the artisans of the  kingdom.   I know that we 
are all anxious to see our army valiant  on the field of battle, but I am 
dismayed to see fighting at the premier Arts  and Sciences event of the kingdom.  
Many of you have commented that you do  not see how scheduling fighting at A&S 
changes the event.   Logistically, scheduling fighting on the same day creates 
difficulties for many,  from time conflicts (the fighter/artisan cannot 
discuss his/her art with  the judges or other participants or perform the art if 
he/she is  at the practice) to childcare.   Intrinsically, there is a  
difference, and I wish I were more gifted with words to be able to convey to you  what 
that is.  
 
I appreciate His Majesty's need to train his troops, but I wish people  would 
think about the impact of rather impromptu practices on dates  when there are 
previously scheduled activities (not just speaking  of KASF).  As long time 
SCA members one of the things that my  husband Geoffrey and I have noticed is 
that events rarely take advantage of the  time on Friday or Sunday, which was 
done much more in the past when there  weren't events to go to every weekend.  
Some of this is dictated by site  availability and/or cost, some of it by how 
much more demanding our  mundane lives are.  To me, if you want to get more 
war practices in, then  we should be taking better advantage of the time at 
fighting events.  For  example, as fighters are eliminated from a tourney they 
could move to another  field where small unit tactics are being taught/practiced. 
 As the  tournament progresses, you could create larger units to practice 
against, and  finish off with a grand melee.  I know that not all sites would 
lend  themselves to this, but for those that do, it would give the fighters more  
opportunities for unit practice.  I recall melees being fought after a  crown 
tourney a few years ago, which added to the day.
 
Baronessa Maddalena
 
 
>From Geoffrey:
 
When planning "regional" war practices, the person  planning really should 
coordinate with the appropriate people before  posting the practice.  While I 
fully support practices designed to get the  whole kingdom working from the same 
page, it often seems that practices are  spontaneously announced with no 
regard to what is going on elsewhere.  For  the last two years a "regional" 
practice has been called in February  in North Carolina without consulting with the 
local Baronage, Seneschals,  Group Marshals and Group Warlords.  Both times 
these practices were called  on the date of Windmasters' scheduled monthly 
meeting and practice.  With  prior coordination we could have moved the meeting to 
another date  (with enough advance notice to ensure that it is a legal 
meeting) and  moved the baronial practice to the regional practice.  Not coordinating 
is  both bad planning and just plain rude.   
 
Every event does not have to have fighting (gasp, did I actually say  that?). 
 Every event does not have to be all things to all people.   Honest, I can 
survive a 12th Night, A&S or even a University without hitting  someone.  Heck, 
with A&S and Universities usually being day trip  events, I can do a Sunday 
practice if I feel the need to put on armor that  weekend.  While I know we have 
done it in the past, I believe it is wrong  to horn in on an A&S weekend. 
 
Regional practices are a good thing.  Plan them in advance.   Coordinate them 
with the leadership of the groups you want to attend the  practice.  Prior 
Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.  The recent  "regional" practice 
confused our folks so badly that three went to Elkin, three  went to the local 
practice and the rest stayed home.  Windmasters' has only  one Baronial practice a 
month.  That is our only chance to work together as  a unit.  Please, 
coordinate with all parties prior to announcing a  practice.  
 
As Baron, I felt that if my Barony or a canton had something already  
scheduled, then even if the King moved King's Assessment on top of it, I  supported 
the local group's already scheduled activity.  Even though I am  now landless, 
odds are high that I will still support a scheduled local  
event/meeting/practice over a regional or kingdom happening that was moved or  announced at the 
last minute.  Plan and schedule well in advance  and coordinate with the 
responsible leadership.  That way we work  together and succeed rather than divide 
our efforts and fail. 
 
Baron Geoffrey (the Landless)
 
 
 
 
 
 
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