If a senior martial deems a fighter safe, regardless of where the martial and the potential fighters are from, I don't think it's really worth stressing over.  It's at the senior martial's descression as to whether or not they'll authorize somebody from a different area or not.

(not a martial, just my thoughts)

Mat is correct in that a senior marshal can authorize anyone they like.  HE Gemma is correct in that senior marshals have a responsibility to make sure the fighters are safe and actually know the rules and it is difficult to do that with someone you just met.

How we look at authorizations depends on how we look at it.  I know that back when my part of the world was part of the Middle Kingdom authorizations required two senior marshals and at least one of those had to be from outside the branch where the fighter came from.  Authorizations pretty much had to happen at events.  The biggest concern for them was to remove the temptation to authorize someone prematurely because you know them.  An Tir has always trusted that the senior marshals will be responsible enough to not sign off on someone who's not ready just because they come from the same branch.  The biggest concern for us seems to be that people who generally don't play safe can behave for the duration of an authorization, but then return to unsafe behavour when they return home.

So what's your biggest concern?

Raoul
SRM, OWS

Sorry Hakim, my question, "What's your biggest concern?" was not meant to be directed at you.  My intent was to get everyone to think about the answer to that one.  I think that people's opinion on this question will be influenced by what concerns them most; that someone will be authorized by someone that doesn't know them when they shouldn't be or that someone will be authorized by someone who does know them when they shouldn't be.

In this kingdom, the general assumption seems to be that authorizing at your home group practice is better because the local marshal will know the fighters and therefore there is less risk of someone being authorized just to get them on the field.  In some other places, the general assumption is that authorizations should be done by an outside marshal because they are more likely to say 'no' to a fighter they don't know than is the local marshal who has to live and play in the same branch with those rejected fighters.  There is potential for abuse both ways so I think either point of view is as valid as the other.

Personally, I am not against bringing in a marshal, especially to areas that don't have one or don't have regular enough access to one.  I agree that authorizing at events is a bad idea; there just isn't enough time to do it.

Warwick, I think that your concern about reputation and status as a senior is somewhat exagerrated.  No one's reputation will suffer or their status be challenged because one of the people they authorized turns out to be a butt-head.  If a consistent pattern would develop then there may be a different story.

Raoul

Only authorizing people you train doesn't work out here anyway.  For years I was the only senior marshal in the province.  There's no way I could train everyone out here.

I actually don't agree with that philosophy anywhere.  Personality conflict is a fact of life so there will be cases where a senior marshal in a branch doesn't get along with a particular fighter.  If that senior is the only one in the area it can be hard for the fighter to get training, let alone an authorization.  There has to be a way to work around situations like this.

Raoul

I have no problem authorizing fighters that are not from my area.  I ask as to why their Sr. isn't doing their authorizations and what kind've circumstances are present.  I know where most Sr's are in this Principality of Tir Righ and have assisted in creating two Sr's so far. 

I offer a fair testing procedure that follows the rules in ensuring that the fighters are up to the bar set by the ABC's & RABC's.  I would expect that if the fighter is truly ready then they should be ready to be tested by any Sr. Marshal whether its the Principality Marshal - Don Guidobaldo or me.

There are times that I have been requested to do marshalate business such as authorizations in areas other than my own.  That is my right, and I take pleasure in advancing rapier in what way I can.