RE: Bowling Ball Calibration

["Jeffrey C. Sussman" <JSussman@erols.com>]

Greetings from Richard!

Recently there was considerable discussion about the bowling ball tests done
by Sir Pieter on the SCA marshals e-mail list.

Even Sir Pieter admits that the results were extremely variable.
This is no surprise.  "Normal" acknowledgement is, at best, a wide range of
real force levels.
How would we test this?  Everyone figures out how hard they have to swing a
blow to drive a bowling ball 12" off a tee?  And then what?  You still have
to relate that to combat somehow.

We have to admit that acknowledgement is an entirely subjective process.
We use experience and consensus to try to maintain a broad consistency
across Atlantia and the SCA.
Deviations from this consistency are our greatest problem.
We really don't have the tools necessary to correct our outliers.

The only way to institute some kind of objective system would be to use
accelerometers and electronic blow calibration.  We could hire engineers and
judges.  And I'll be the first to start a new SCA.

My two farthings worth...



Yours in Service to Atlantia,
Duke Richard Fitzgilbert
(Jeffrey Sussman)


"A Blow Calibration Exercise
"
"average."  If it
"lands between the middle circle and the outer circle it would
"be considered
""high average."  Any landing outside the outer circle is
"considered "heavy."
"......

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