Re: Why few fight for crown

[tawnyk@juno.com (SHANA M HARVEY)]

Poster: tawnyk@juno.com (SHANA M HARVEY)

On Fri, 11 Apr 1997 12:05 -0400 (EDT) "Ed Hopkins" <Ed.Hopkins@MCI.Com>
writes:
>Poster: "Ed Hopkins" <Ed.Hopkins@MCI.Com>
>one solution to the problem of small Crown Tourneys is this
> Let people enter the lists without any intention of ruling. ....
>That is the important thing, isn't it?


My Lord, 
First, let me state that I am not a fighter, but I am lady to one who has
considered crown some day.  We have discussed the idea ot "fighting in
crown for the experience" and also deeply consider the concept of
"everyone has good and bad days."
While I think your intentions are the best.  I really think this idea has
many inherent problems.  First, I have watched people prepare for Crown
Tourney, and it requires mental preparation as well. To prepare to fight
against people who are just "filler" (which is how I see it) or to fight
crown with the attitude of "I can fight, but it doesn't mean I have to
take it."  demeans the occasion in some way by making it less than it
should be.  To me, part of fighting in crown is the commitment to serve
and the desire to fight for the goal.
Second, you assume that more fighters means a more interesting list, and
this is simply not a given.  More fighters means the tourney will run
longer.  Also more fighters, often (but not always) means that the
quality of fighters will be lower.
Finally, I find the concept of someone winning and then passing the
cornets "down the line, until it rests in the hands of one of the forty
or so who currently enter" to be a bad idea.  This image leads more to
farce than regality and again take some of the glimmer off the coronets.

Again, my lord, your heart may be in the right place by wanting to make
crown exciting and interesting; however, I'm not sure that more fighters
is the answer.  I think more new and motivated fighters may be the
direction to search.  I'm sure this sounds stuffy to a point, but one of
the things I love about the SCA is the courtesy, honour, and dedication of the people I meet (that and the fun!).  Still, THE DREAM is an ideal,
and I think your suggestion would not bring us any closer to that.
Going back to my quiet corner and some fine ale, 
Tawny
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