The thing you have to factor into this "skill decline" is the modern world.

Work schedules, "mundane" responsibilities and available time.

This is a very good conversation.  Let me start by saying that I agree with Tora's belief that attaining the WS is a goal for many and once it is attained, they are content to sit on the sidelines.  Even at Estrellla where the best of the Western U.S., and many of the best East Coast WS's fly in for the event, you see WS's on the melee field, but when it comes to measuring their skill in tournament play, they are no where to be found.  The WS's that keep their game up are on the tourney field.  But, as Tora has stated, and I believe as well, those guys are the exceptions, not the rule.

This conversation should serve as a wake-up call to the myriad WS's out there who haven't stepped into the eric and competed lately to start training and join the fun instead of kicking back like they are above tournament play.  If you're not participating because you don't want to be measured and found wanting, then sit back.  If you're retired, hey fine...we all get old...I'm way on my way to that end.  But, if you're capable like Don Colyn from Caid who has to be around 50 years old and holding the number one spot on the "Top 50 Rapier fighters list,"  then you should step up and participate.

What we are really talking about here is a lack of participation.  I sit out the occasional tournament so my students can compete without me in it, but as often, they have to face me and each other.  It's just the way it is and should be.  At some point, many of my students will be defeating me in tournament on a regular basis.  Even now, I have to bring my A game at 100% to beat those guys, but if I gave them any less, it would dishonor them.

All I'd ask from any White Scarf member is to bring your A game, don't sit on the porch with the poodles, and train enough so you don't bring dishonor to your order.  When you get dressed and grab your rapier armor or when you're just prancing around in your finest garb, make sure your scarf means something.  Where it, but train enough, continue to learn and be someone who is raising the bar not lowering it.

[The top 50 Rapier Fighters List can be found at Blacktigers.us Forums - Sign-up and make it to Estrella for the Challenge countdown each year in February, or challenge members on the list throughout the year.]

I think it's also important to recognize that most people are not lifetime SCA members; they have a finite tenure of participation.  They join, find an aspect of the society they like, stick with it for a while, move on to another aspect or fade out of the organization.  Can we reasonably expect people to stay motivated and involved in fencing forever?  If the average tenure in the SCA is about 5 years, and it takes 6 to get a White Scarf, is it suprising that a lot of people get their scarf near the end of their natural tenure?

The White Scarf is different things to different people.  To Thore, it was a minor feature along the way on his personal path of self improvement.  To someone else, it might be the incentive they need to really push themselves to go to that one extra tournament.  This isn't a bad thing.  If it's irrelevant to some of us, fine.  If it's the last little incentive that gets someone to take their game to the next level, great.  It doesn't have to mean the same thing to everyone in order to be valuable to the rapier community.

The SCA has peerages for combat, service, and A&S.  I tend to think of the OWS as encompassing all three of those aspects within one order.  There are WSs that I'm fairly confident of beating in a tournament, but who run tournaments and practices, organize Ithras, etc.  There are others who kick butt in tournaments but who can't teach or lead worth a damn.  Just because a "service white scarf" isn't fighting at the same level he/she used to doesn't mean they're not contributing to the rapier community.

Hob