| Vitus von Atzinger wrote: |
Let’s be honest here- alot of these guys who have been in the SCA forever, and are interested in doing things the way Rhys and I (and a lot of other guys who don’t post here) do them…they only have so much time, money and effort.
To get their spurs, they have to devote time, effort, sweat and everything else they can to doing things the old SCA way.
It was goddamn hard for me to be able to train both ways. It was hard to stay good at knee fighting and the other crap while learning to fight with a close-faced helmet and with crossguard swords. Miss the big squire’s tourney or miss the Pas? Get in trouble for spending too much energy on barrier fighting? Gotta be competitive with the naked dudes or I’ll never get knighted, but I want to wear the best and most accurate gear possible. Poleaxe -vs- whippy unpadded glaive? Good luck! Closed face with gauntlet and full steel legs -vs- naked guy who blocks with his two-sword baskets? Good luck!
These guys are forced to play a game that they are not as interested in or they will never get knighted.
That is a big problem…training for two games, devoting time and effort to two games. I pulled it off and it was damn hard.Look at the first time I ever fought Darius in pickups. I was trying to get used to my Pas gear for the St. Mikes Pas the next day. I had a tiny shield, a brand new STIFF finger gauntlet, a light crossguard sword and a closed face helmet and new sabatons. Think I did well? Think it helped my situation as I was being watched by foreign knights? I hit the guy hard enough once. I couldn’t see. I barely survived by using the Force. Did they take into account the situation of my gear? Nope.
“If he wants to win he will use the proper stuff.”
I would have to go back the next day (exhausted) with a hidden plastic breastplate, teardrop shield, my open-faced helmet, my basket-hilted sword and TEAR PEOPLE UP. I was in a constant state of being pulled this way and that way. Luckily I was able to smack down enough knights doing it the old way to build a reputation among the wider SCA movers and shakers.
It was amazingly difficult, but it can be done. Sir Axel Fairhair (recently knighted) is an example of a guy who pulled it off. He can do both types of fighting. He is prepared for both. He could play both games and now he is a KSCA and a 14th Century Mob member who fights at Combat of Thirty with distinction.
It’s difficult. Fight in your regular SCA stuff and then you have to run in a 40 pound mail shirt for two weeks before the Pas. Gotta fight in your closed face helmet one hour at every practice. Need to learn to use both types of swords. Gotta remember how to knee-fight.
Of course, now Rhys and I don’t do anything we don’t wanna do. People think Rhys was born wearing Macphearson gauntlets and gold-plated buttons on his Jupon. Nope- he did all the old SCA malarky too. He won Crown doing it the old way. Think Ronald let him slack?
We did it, and so can you. I only have my wife to thank for allowing me to spend all that money traveling.
But let’s be honest- it’s the nature of regular SCA combat, and it’s relationship to the process of being knighted that causes all these desires to start another group. You guys who want your spurs, you are just going to have to learn to do it both ways, until you have the option of saying no to that which you find distasteful. |
Sorry Vitus, but Brother I have to call bull shit on this.
To tell aspirants that they have to play two games is crap. It may be how you did it. But they don’t have to do it that way. You can fight in a full rig with gauntlets and cross guard and closed helm and make it. Will it be a little harder? Yes, but it can be done. You may have to work harder but it can be done. It just takes dedication and perseverance, and (this is important) a positive attitude (never be a whiner about things) with the ability to ignore those sport fighters that say you have to change what you do to get knighted. As far as a candidates fighting goes you do not have to do that which you find distasteful you simply have to be true to yourself, show dedication, fight at a knightly level (and you CAN do that in an authentic rig) and and we will notice.
You point out Sir Axel, I’ve crossed swords with him and found him with very much a knightly prowess, and in his authentic rig at that. He should be an example of what you hold up as someone who can fight in an authentic “later period” rig and make it, same as we in Meridies do with Sir Alexander (Lex). The path is not an easy one, but it can be done, and when it’s traveled though it is steeper and more difficult the rewards and the respect can be greater.
I’m willing to bet your fights with Darius did reflect poorly on you, and it may well have been because of your equipment because I know you to be a fighter of knightly prowess, but what is knightly about blaming your equipment for a poor performance by you (whether or not that was the cause is irrelevant. Would you agree that you should have practiced in the new equipment and broken it in before you fought any fights in it that matter)? Why is it the job of those who observe to take into consideration what equipment you wear? Did anyone force you to go out with ill fitting equipment? Or a pas shield? I’m willing to bet it was your choice. How were those foreign knights who observed to know you were wearing new equipment that wasn’t fitting correctly? I’m willing to bet they saw your fight and viewed it for what they saw.
Honestly I’ll think much less of someone who “plays the game” or “games the system” (and I know I was accused of it) long enough to get knighted then switches over throws up the finger at “the system”. To me it smells of deceit, and if he switches between a “sport” and “authentic” rig it will show and it will show quickly. There are plenty of knights that wear authentic rigs, many of them who came to it before getting knighted and many who came to it after.
Yes it can happen you can learn to ‘play the game’ and make it, but sooner or later it shows through.
The true way to earn points for your cause is to garner attention rising up through the ranks standing in it. Not complaining to the world that your doing it a better way, that everyone should agree with you and do it your way, And you’d already be there if it weren’t for the fact that your trying to do it right and the rest of you are all taking the easy way.
-Don’t tell us about it, show it to us.
Regards
Ulrich
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“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”
-Terry Pratchett |
“From time to time Evil Dies, But in the Light of Good Evil can and will be Shadowed by the Dawn.” Ashante Proverb from Anasee. Spider goddess.
I believe that if you make the kit the kit doesn’t make you.
If your trying to say, make a kit that fits you and works for you and it won’t hinder you in your walk along the path – then I agree with you, if thats not what your saying then…
Yes My friend that is exactly what im saying…….
I’ve been fighting in a fairly authentic kit for almost as long as I have been fighting – and though I don’t presume to be of knightly level yet, I don’t think I’m too bad! I just work harder!
+++ That My good Bastiano is because you “get it” +++