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Talentus
Provost
Posts:123
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| 07/23/2007 9:44 PM |
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Decline in rapier interest
-Possible causes
-Focusing on period style versus just getting out there to have fun
-To much training (drills, lecture, etc…), not enough fighting
-Elitism by those that study period styles versus those that don't
-Not enough exposure
-Erics not being in the center of event
-Not enough demos for the public interest
-Poor MIC execution
-Publicity
-Site handouts not being accurate
-Scenarios not published well ahead of time
-Poor organization (event coordination)
-Seperatism
-No coordination with heavy lists
-Time conflicts for heavy tournaments and vice versa
-Little mutual respect (rapier community not respecting them and the heavy community not respecting us)
Improved MIC processes/procedures
-Have a team of marshals where each marshal is in charge of a different scenario with an overarching marshal in charge of coordination, that way no one person has to miss out on fighting
-Better avenue for scenario feedback so that MICs don't feel attacked all the time if a scenario doesn't go right
-Polls on www.nwrapier.com for people to leave feedback on scenarios
-An online scenario library so that if people need ideas for scenarios
-Perhaps a separate forum/sub-forum to discuss scenarios
-MIC handbook
-MIC event checklist
-Mentoring for both fighting and non-fighting marshals
-How/what to coordinate with event officers (autocrats, waterbearers, main MIC, etc…)
-Perhaps cross pollinating events with other disciplines (heavy, archery, etc…)
-Small teams so that people have more buy-in/personal interest in how the other people are doing
-Fighter expectations
-Not all scenarios can be revolutionary
-Communication
-Get the word out that rapier will be present at events
-Publish scenarios early and often
-Get times out there early and often
-Variety, have many different scenarios per event
-Respect other disciplines and their championships (i.e don't schedule prize tourney's during championships, etc…)
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Talentus "Talon" del Albero |
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Alvarro
Too many posts...
Posts:301
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| 07/23/2007 11:55 PM |
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Regarding attendance:
1. Is it rapier attendance, or SCA attendance in general that is down?
2. Best advice I ever got on promoting growth is that you need to give students something of *real* value that they can apply right away. Something that they can show off with confidence.
3. As was mentioned a few times...we really, really, need to remember we are not a small island in the big ocean of the SCA. We are fish like everyone else. When people make rapier an "Us vs. Them" game, rapier loses. Most people don't want to be part of a conflict, particularily not in a hobby. They just want to have fun. Throw out the dividing lines and see if you can get your own fun back. THAT will attract people!
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Prudence. Temperance. Fortitude. Justice. |
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Guillemin
Provost
Posts:120
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| 07/24/2007 7:07 AM |
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I realize I may be opening up a can of worms with this, but I'd still like to discuss it. Under the heading of reasons for the declining interest in rapier, the lack of people traveling to large scale events and filling the tournament lists must be included.
I am being hypocritical here as I wasn't able to attend myself, but 24 fighters in the Cadet's list at a Crown level event in the middle of summer simply isn't good enough. For comparison's sake, the Avacal Coronet held in Prince George (hundreds of miles from everything except three smallish shires) had nearly as many Cadets in the list as at Coronation, which was basically in the middle of the whole Kingdom. When May Crown was held in (Kamloops?) about three years ago, there were 90 fighters in the list. That's a number that we, as a community, can be proud of. With a number like 24, is it any wonder we get shunted to an eoric a half mile long and 15 feet wide well out of the way of the middle of the ground, as at Crown?
Let me know your thoughts. |
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Guillemin de Rouen
Cadet to Raoul Delaroche
Rapier Champion of Avacal |
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warwick
Provost
Posts:124
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| 07/24/2007 7:18 AM |
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Timing, in Rapier and in life, if so important. I've had 24 fighters show up at our Thursday night Practice Phoenix Tournament one week, and 12 fighters show up to the EVENT that weekend. The next Practice Phoenix may see only 10 fighters.
I think everyone would like to go to more events. Family and work and life are often factors and as the Rapier community is small, when those factors align we feel it more strongly than our martial brothers and sisters in Heavy.
W
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Mughain
The Meepiest!
Provost
Posts:76
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| 07/26/2007 11:54 AM |
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With a hobby, like the SCA, people just have to make choices, hopefully supporting their real life first.
From the folks I fence with weekly, life & financial choices have had more impact on the choices to travel. I think thats a trend that will improve, but I fully expect an ebb & flow of participants.
For me, life & work has been taking precedent in financial choices & vacation.
For about 3 years running, Richard Thomas & I attended well over 30 events in one year alone (sometimes meant daytripping to two different locations in a same weekend), including driving 18 + hours up to Kittmat. A number of those events had less than a dozen participants. From a combination of a little burnout, sports injury, vacation & finances (mostly for me) we had cut that down to about 18-20 a year for a couple of years after that.
In the last year & a half, I've changed jobs (to one much better paying), gotten married to Grant & now have a 6 month old, and have just committed to buying a house in 2 weeks. Oddly (  ) this had an impact on the amount of eventing we could do.
Its not a lack of interest for me, or for my husband. For us, camping with an infant wasn't something we were prepared to do. So, July Coronation & the heat would have meant a hotel stay for 3 days, and that just wasn't in the budget. If July Coronation had been a viable choice, we would have been there.
That said, now that the new tent is nearly finished, the baby's old enough to camp with us, etc., we should be seen at a few more events this year, including Sept Crown & Autumn War. Other events for us tbd.
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HL Mughain inghean Donnghaille
Cheryl Glover
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jgreywolf
Hai Gioco?
Posts:685
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| 07/30/2007 1:01 PM |
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I would like to remind everyone that there is no difference between the SCA and "Real Life".
It is ALL Real Life.  |
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Justin Greywolf (SCA: Ramon Diaz de la Vega)
Director
Old World Martial Arts - Teaching Historical Italian Swordplay in the Pacific Northwest |
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