[MR] census conclusions

[Maire O'Halowrane]

I believe he meant the KNIGHT who was trying to force a NEWCOMER to bow to 
you has been in longer than you.

Maire


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Logan" <Logan at ebonwoulfe.com>
To: <atlantia at atlantia.sca.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 9:08 AM
Subject: Re: [MR] census conclusions


> 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
>
> www.ebonwoulfe.com
>
> For worldwide listings of fighter practices please visit:
> www.fighterpractice.com
>
> -----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
> ========================================================================
>                   The Merry Rose Tavern at Cheapside
>    List Info: http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
>  Submissions: Atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
> Subscriptions:
> http://seahorse.atlantia.sca.org/listinfo.cgi/atlantia-atlantia.sca.org
>
> ========================================================================
>                   The Merry Rose Tavern at Cheapside
>    List Info: http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/
>  Submissions: Atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
> Subscriptions: 
> http://seahorse.atlantia.sca.org/listinfo.cgi/atlantia-atlantia.sca.org