[MR] census conclusions

[Logan]

im confused.  if this person has been in the sca longer than me and is well
aware of sca customs why did they refuse to show the respect which is
expected in the society they choose to engage in?  perhaps, since you say it
was me, they felt i had done them some injustice.  if so then i can
understand them refusing to bow and, to be honest, thats not really that big
of a deal (the bowing part).  and sure, the knight that "laid hands" on your
man may indeed have gone too far.  i dont know.

im not sure what me not wearing some tabard has to do with the overall
picture of the world but that was 20 years ago.  im sorry it bothers you to
this day.  also the idea that a helm costs $500 or more is inaccurate.
armour today is much easier to come by than it was 10 years ago.  when i
started i had to make my first suit of armour and it was terrible.  today
there are dozens of armourers that offer acceptable helms for under $200 and
i have personally armoured folks up with complete kits for under $300.  its
important to find these resources if new folks shy away from fighting
because they are told the costs are so high.  if you need help getting new
folks armoured for that amount please let me know.

events do cost way too much on average.  some of this is due to site fees
but those sites arent the only option.  day trip events in a field can be
just as much fun as weekend long events at a campsite.  the economy is in
the dumps so we do need to look at finding some ways to cut back.  

i really think we are not seeing growth from the younger crowd because there
are simply too many easy distractions out there.  kids today are raised a
bit differently than when i was a kid.  they rarely play outside.  they
rarely are pushed into competition (heck there is even this false
competition called "upwards" sports).  most kids i see are walking with
their heads down and glued to a 4" screen of some handheld video game, the
older ones replace that with a phone they are texting on.  i dont think we
will ever be able to compete with this.  a big part, like you said, is cost.
a working parent can give their kid a $30 video game and let them entertain
themself for hours.  thats a lot cheaper, and easier, than getting garb
together along with accoutrements and drive out to an event.

your question is spot on.  are we being good ambassadors to the sca.  i know
that i havent done a good job in seeking out new faces at events over the
years.  i felt what being on the other end of that is like at my first few
events in trimaris when the only folks that came to talk with me were folks
ive known for years and other peers who knew me or knew of me.  most folks
just walked by with a little wave or a smile.  friendly enough but looking
at it as a newcomer (to the kingdom) i would not have been drawn in.  i
think if we are to be good ambassadors we should all consider those new
faces as our guests and make sure they are without need.  if just two people
stopped by and asked a new face how they were doing and introduced
themselves i think the overall society would feel much more welcoming to new
people.

regards
logan

"I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was
hell." 
Harry S Truman 
"If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his
vengeance need not be feared"
Niccolo Machiavelli
For your SCA combat needs please visit:
www.ebonwoulfe.com/armory.htm

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-----Original Message-----
From: atlantia-bounces at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
[mailto:atlantia-bounces at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org] On Behalf Of Beau
Meredith
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5:10 AM
To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org
Subject: Re: [MR] census conclusions

Your grace,

    You were in fact the king I mentioned. I never said anyone was thrown to
the ground. However one of your knights laid hands apon my man and attempted
to bend him over to bow to you.This person has been in longer than you and
is well aware of SCA custom. I remember when you would not even where the
colors of the barony of which you were the champion of. So it did in fact
happen and I have no reason to lie or exaggerate, therefore I do not
appreciate the inference that this is a made up claim. The incident is long
past and was only used to illustrate a point. The point being that the
attitude of the leadership has deteriorated over the years, this is one of
the main problems with retention of new members. A gain of 7000 members does
in no way mean growth when we lose 24,000 out the back door during the same
period. The survey is not a complete picture as it only measures those that
responded. The paid membership numbers have hovered around 30,000 for  over
20 years. Look at the graph showing time in the SCA the largest percentage
19% have been in for 20-29 years. If we were growing this would not be the
largest category, it would be the smallest percentage. There are many
reasons for slow or declining numbers. At the present the lack of a healthy
economy is our biggest problem. The younger generation is gravitating to
larp and other such groups I believe it is largely due to the high cost of
SCA participation. In the early days armour standards were lower and one
could effectively build out a suit in ones garage with a little guidance.
With Helms running 500-900 and up most younger people have a hard time
coming up with that kind of cash. However as I said we can do little about
the economy and nothing about people choosing between school, work and the
SCA. What we can do is look at the reasons cited by those who have left and
see where we can improve apon the product delivered in the case the SCA.
There are currently around 3-400 people in the charlotte area alone
participating in SCA like activities including a spin off group. there are
currently around 4 heavy fighters in the SCA that do any regular fighting.
These numbers tell me that we are missing our opportunity to recruit these
people into the SCA and that there is a fundamental flaw in our approach to
recruitment. Also the numbers of disaffected members regardless of the
reasons cited is another core issue with the society as a whole and is not
limited to Atlantia alone. The fact remains that the culture of the society
needs to change or it will slowly die without new blood. So I will repeat my
closing statement for you to consider,at your nexy eent ask yourself "Am I
being a good Ambassador for the SCA?".
Beau
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