MR: Disc: Pay-to-Fight

[Lance Harrop <lharrop@mrj.com>]

Poster: Lance Harrop <lharrop@mrj.com>


Lord Konrad writes, and we discussed this Saturday at War Practice
 (why weren't YOU there?)

> Please note that (officering) is voluntary including authorizing 
> as a fighter.  One makes a conscious choice to take on one of the offices or 
> fight in Crown or be a fighter.  You can still attend events in Atlantia 
> without being a member.  You can practice to be a fighter without being a 
> member.  You can get Kingdom level awards without being a member (unlike 
> some of our neighboring Kingdoms).
> 
> Just some food for thought.

Munch, Munch.  Nope, I don't agree that being a fighter and officering 
(or being Crown, for that matter) are equivelent.  Authorizing as a 
fighter allows you to engage in one of the important ACTIVITIES we 
recreate from the Middle Ages, the practice CHIVALRIC marshal arts.  We 
encourage anyone who physically can (including 54 year old grandmothers, 
I'm not kinding) to take up rattan fighting and learn not only how to hit 
other people, but how to fight with honour and chivalry.

At least, that is what MY knight teaches me...

We teach dancing, and allow people to dance, without being members 
because dancing is such a wonderful thing, in period, with grace and 
opportunity to flirt just so.

We teach music, and allow people to play, without being members.

I think our marshal arts are different from so many others because they 
do rely on honourable conduct to be both fair, and enjoyable.  These are 
virtues we should be happy to teach to all, without regards to their 
sending money to Milpitas.  As I have said in Courtesy Roundtables, I 
learn rattan fighting to have the opportunity to meet and fight 
honourable fighters.  Please don't try to restrict that field.

Officering is not an activity.  It is a service.  It is kind of perverse 
that we insist you be a member to perform that service, but that's 
another kettle of fish.

In Service
Leifr Johansson
=======================================================================
List Archives, FAQ, FTP:  http://sca.wayfarer.org/merryrose/
            Submissions:  atlantia@atlantia.sca.org
        Admin. requests:  majordomo@atlantia.sca.org