[MR] That was then, this is now

[Chris and Sue]

Having fought on and off for the last 17 years, with the last 2 actually
being dedicated to fighting, I never had a problem with the *Thawk* *Thud*
"Next!"  I've seen over a dozen NEW fighters, in their first kit get the
*Thawk* *Thud* "Next!" and then come back for more.  Being beaten on the
field isn't discouraging.  With a few exceptions (and not in this Kingdom)
I've seen every fighter attempt to help and train every new fighter
everywhere I've been.  It's a brotherhood of sorts, not a fraternity.  We
want these people to keep fighting, and just because we can whip them (or in
my case, get whipped) doesn't mean we want it to keep happening that way.
If someone has that attitude, it's likely their own self-esteem or mental
outlook that keeps them from having fun fighting.  How long does it take to
be able to ride a bike?  To play an instrument?  To crawl and walk!?!  I'm
not saying that easing someone into fighting is not appropriate, I just feel
that it cheats them out of the reality of the field.

Dagobert

On 9/30/09, Terri Morgan <online2much at cox.net> wrote:
> It seems to me that the recent debate reflects the shift in outlook 
> that the Society has undergone. It used to be, "We're all here to have 
> fun" with an emphasis on the old-timers helping the newcomers to do 
> that, to learn to love and enjoy what we do. So a hoary ole scary-good 
> fighter would create a handicap for himself when the newbie 
> fighter/less gifted fighter had taken a crippling blow - because that 
> kept the fight going for a little longer and increased the newbie 
> fighter's chances of winning that bout... "I won against Duke 
> Almighty! Wow! Okay, well, he fought with one arm behind his back 
> after he legged me but still... I am SO gonna be practising some more! 
> Next time he won't need to give me an arm..." and the fighter walks 
> away stoked. Even if he lost (which is more likely), he was out there 
> swinging away for more than the three seconds it takes for the Super 
> Fighter to kill him.
>
> Nowadays, it seems the emphasis is on winning. *Thawk* *Thud* "Next!"
>
> Great for the really good fighters, slightly boring for the medium 
> ones, and
> - - have you noticed that we're getting fewer and fewer new ones?
>
>
> It's not my area of interest so I don't really have an oar in this 
> water. But I can say it *used* to be my area of interest (to watch) 
> back when the idea was to go out and make it so *everybody* has fun 
> rather than to reduce it to a sporting contest.
>
> All things change.
>
>
> Hrothny
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