Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva

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Perspectives on the Barony

What do you feel the Barony does well? (other candidates' reponses)
What do you feel the Barony needs to improve upon, and, as Baron, what steps would you take toward that improvement? (other candidates' reponses)
From time to time, people have felt that Carolingia had an image problem outside our borders. Do you think Carolingia currently has an image problem outside the barony? If so, do you have any particular ideas how you might remedy that? If not, what do you think is the Baron/ess' most important role, if any, in inter-baronial relations? (other candidates' reponses)
If you could change three things about Carolingia (or Carolingians as a whole) what would they be? (other candidates' reponses)
For a long time in Carolingia, there was a very strong ethic of "everybody works, everybody pays". In the last 5 or so years, that has shifted, and it has become more socially acceptable for autocrats and head-cooks to decide to "comp" volunteers (e.g. feed the kitchen staff without requiring them to pay on-board). Do you have an opinion about this practice? Do you think it good, bad, in between, neither, both? (other candidates' reponses)

Opinions on the SCA

As Baron/ess, you would become a bestower of awards. What do you feel about the SCA Award System, especially as it exists here in the East and in Carolingia? Do you have any criticisms of it, and if so how will that be reflected in how you deal with giving awards? Do you prefer to "err early" or "err late" in giving awards? (other candidates' reponses)
In AS28, the Board of Directors passed a rule requiring membership for attending all SCA events. It was later repealled. How do you feel about this kind of "pay to play" rule? What do you feel membership in the SCA, Inc should be required for, if anything? (other candidates' reponses)
In your opinion, what is best thing about the Society? (other candidates' reponses)
What do you personally think constitutes "politics"? Are all "politics" evil? (other candidates' reponses)

Society Reminiscences

Favorite "Magic Moment"? (More than one if you can't choose. :) (other candidates' reponses)
What is the kindest thing you have ever seen in the Society? (other candidates' reponses)

The Candidates' Agendas

What will you keep the same? (other candidates' reponses)
What will you do differently? (other candidates' reponses)
How much do you think the baron/ess should be involved in the running of the barony? just the "medieval bits" or other stuff as well? (other candidates' reponses)
What type of structure do you envision to support our general marshal activities? Seeing as I personally am involved in Archery, Throw Weapons, Heavy List and Fencing, I would appreciate if you could give all of us a view of the "big picture". As Baron/Baroness, what would you try to put in place to encourage the growth of each of these activities? Or do you envision a single structure that could support all of them at the same time? (other candidates' reponses)
Aquel and Johanna have started getting into having an entourage (for court, processionals) which is quite different from how Patri and Barbara did things. Do you think you would want to "do entourage" in some fashion? (other candidates' reponses)

On Being Baron/ess

What part of being Baron/ess do you expect to be, for you, the most distasteful part(s) of the job? What tactics have you thought of to deal with them? (other candidates' reponses)
What do you expect to have to give up to accept this position? How will your participation in other Baronial activities change? (other candidates' reponses)
Do you see anything preventing you from holding the post at least 4 years? (other candidates' reponses)
What responsibilities do you feel the Baron/ess has to whom? (other candidates' reponses)

The Candidates Themselves

Why do you think you'll be good? (other candidates' reponses)
Do you think you will be able to be in tune with all the different aspects of the barony? (other candidates' reponses)
Do you belong to a household, formal or informal? Are you in fealty, or have fiefs of your own? Do you anticipate your household or feudal relationships changing if you become Baron/ess, and if so how? (other candidates' reponses)
What part(s) of history interests you most (right now)? (other candidates' reponses)

The Boroughs and Newcomers

What do you think your duties of a Baron/Baroness are to the boroughs and how would you fulfill them? (other candidates' reponses)
Do you feel the Baron/Baroness has any particular duties to newcomers? If so, what? (other candidates' reponses)
How have you interacted with the boroughs in the past year? (other candidates' reponses)
If you saw a someone you took to be new at their third event wearing t-shirt & jeans (for the third time), what would you do if anything? Would what you do change if you were Baron/ess? (other candidates' reponses)

Thrown Weapons Specific

Do you feel the Barony is ready for a Baronial TW Champion now? If not, how would you judge when we have reached that point? (other candidates' reponses)

Fencing Specific

What can you provide to the Baronial Fencing community? (other candidates' reponses)
What can the Baronial Fencing community provide for you? (other candidates' reponses)
As the fencing community grows and matures in the Barony, what role to you see it playing? (other candidates' reponses)

Return to the main election page.

What do you feel the Barony does well? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We think Aquel and Johanna have done an excellent job, so there isn't much that needs fixing or changing. They did a terrific job on reaching out to the newer members of the group, and it shows in the Barony's vitality - we'd continue to do that.

In general, we'd like to continue the same confident pace of the group while continuing to encourage new activities and diverse events. Yeliz is keen on making sure we keep the various Baronial champions up to date, and perhaps sponsoring some new ideas to involve other non-martial groups more - maybe more A&S opportunities. Marian brought up the period Olympics in Council, which sounds wonderful. We had already been discussing a sort of decathalon idea, and finding a period reference is great.

We love the variety of Carolingian pursuits; to us, the diversity of activities is what brings so many people together. We'd try not to change anything that people think is going well, but we'd like even more people to have even more fun! The Baron and Baroness can act as the focal point to get communication flowing between the barony's groups, and that could bring interesting new things.

Back to the top.

What do you feel the Barony needs to improve upon, and, as Baron, what steps would you take toward that improvement? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We would probably have more pagentry than Aquel and Johanna have had, since we think it really adds to the atmosphere. Fu is interested in running court in a variety of styles -- adapting the style to the period of the event, in many cases, or holding a Chinese Baronial Court because of his persona. Viking, Roman and French courts appeal as well. There is a Carolingian processional march that Tibicen wrote that should get more attention, too.

We also think that even though the Barony is large, people can lessen the relative size. It would be very welcoming for people to get to know a bit more about each other, so we would encourage people to introduce themselves to people they don't know, or to introduce people who haven't met yet. Everyone has a bit of shyness, but it can sometimes keep people who have much in common from starting to share information.

It's true that the Baronial positions are largely ceremonial; the seneschal actually does the administrative work. Still, we see the role of the Baron and Baroness as examples and positive role models. The Baron and Baroness should set the pace in terms of encouraging and assisting people, either actively or passively according to their desire, in order to help them have the best experience possible in Carolingia and the Society.

Back to the top.

From time to time, people have felt that Carolingia had an image problem outside our borders. Do you think Carolingia currently has an image problem outside the barony? If so, do you have any particular ideas how you might remedy that? If not, what do you think is the Baron/ess' most important role, if any, in inter-baronial relations? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

When Yelizaveta was a merchant 8-10 years ago and traveled all over the East, people were surprised to see a Carolingian so far from home. That's not so uncommon right now, but it does change. The desire to travel hours and hours to distant events seems to ebb and flow depending on whether or not it's a highly desirable event to attend and whether or not there are a few people here encouraging and facilitating people going. Water always flows to the easiest path - there needs to be an effort made to keep out-barony travel happening, whether through carpooling or promoting the event.

In general, Carolingia needs to be seen as non-insular. Having a populace who make visitors feel welcome can achieve that, and the Baron and Baroness should lead the way and set an example. When outside of Carolingia, the Baron and Baroness are the ambassadors for the group, and need to act in that role accordingly.

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If you could change three things about Carolingia (or Carolingians as a whole) what would they be? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

It would probably be beneficial to slide the empathy knob a little higher, and have more people imagine themselves in someone else's place. We would increase the time-for-thinking-before- opening-one's-mouth delay by a full second or even two. We would ask everyone to consider their own motives as honestly as they assess others'.

Back to the top.

For a long time in Carolingia, there was a very strong ethic of "everybody works, everybody pays". In the last 5 or so years, that has shifted, and it has become more socially acceptable for autocrats and head-cooks to decide to "comp" volunteers (e.g. feed the kitchen staff without requiring them to pay on-board). Do you have an opinion about this practice? Do you think it good, bad, in between, neither, both? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

While setting policy on this falls to the seneschal, our advice would be to let each autocrat discuss the rationale and make an informed decision. We don't think it's unreasonable to provide some compensation for those who give up their event to make it more enjoyable for others. We would object to an autocrat raising prices in order to subsidize more volunteers; beyond that, no problems with either approach.

Back to the top.

As Baron/ess, you would become a bestower of awards. What do you feel about the SCA Award System, especially as it exists here in the East and in Carolingia? Do you have any criticisms of it, and if so how will that be reflected in how you deal with giving awards? Do you prefer to "err early" or "err late" in giving awards? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

In general, the SCA award system is flawed, but months and years of debate haven't solved the problem yet. Indeed, it may never change substantially. In the meantime, the system needs to be worked with. There are some awards given after one simply writes a letter to the royalty to ask it be done, yet people grumble that someone they know isn't receiving the recognition they deserve. The question then is what has been done to try to direct the attention of Their Majesties to the person? We're afraid we have little patience to those who have such a simple solution presented to them as writing a letter or sending and email and yet refuse to make the effort. Odds are good then that they will never be satisfied, no matter the result.

Aquel and Johanna have made positive changes in the way baronial awards are given, and they should be continued. As Principal of the Perseus, Yelizaveta has personal experience with their award philosophies, and admires them.

In general, we would prefer to "err early", provided there is enough support from the order. We have seen how receiving an unexpected award often makes people shine all the more from their desire to "live up to it". They become more determined to be deserving, and become excellent representatives of the group. In contrast, people who receive the award "late" (in their own estimation/opinion) might not be as encouraged to continue to grow. Some even develop a small sense of resentment or resignation that can taint their enjoyment of the recognition. Perfect award timing would be ideal, but in reality that's very hard, so giving people a positive boost and a good feeling would be preferable.

Back to the top.

In AS28, the Board of Directors passed a rule requiring membership for attending all SCA events. It was later repealled. How do you feel about this kind of "pay to play" rule? What do you feel membership in the SCA, Inc should be required for, if anything? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Membership is a function of what you do and how you act; it has nothing to do with paying money. (Hua Fu belongs to several professional and industry organizations that learned this lesson.) Such a fundamental change was counter to the SCA's atmosphere of inclusiveness, and would have cut us off from many people who have value to contribute to the group either because they were not able to or were not willing to pay for the privilege.

Still there needs to be some membership base in order to support the corporate structure (and we believe there is a need for the corporate structure). Insurance is a good thing; effective insurance that makes sure that our officers and society as a whole are not held financially responsible for the idiocies of others is good. The issue of current membership requirements for certain activities came up recently on the sca-east mailing list, so we know there's disagreement about where the line should be drawn. In general, we think the current location of the line is reasonable.

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In your opinion, what is best thing about the Society? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We'd have to pick two best things: diversity and tolerance. Without the first, we lose much of what we are. Without the second, the first cannot thrive.

Back to the top.

What do you personally think constitutes "politics"? Are all "politics" evil? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Some politics are necessary in order to perform checks and balances and make sure we're all still doing the right things. However, there are some people who pursue politics simply for the sake of argument or to see what can be stirred up. Those are aspects that we don't enjoy.

Back to the top.

Favorite "Magic Moment"? (More than one if you can't choose. :) :

The best times are when I get to spend the whole day moving from group to group, talking with friends and seeing what new old things they've discovered how to do. I found Legends of Chivalry to be a particularly good event for that -- we'll need something good to replace it with!

Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

This happened at my first Pennsic. There was an army marching to the battlefield, singing together as they went. Merchants were calling out to passers-by about their wares. People in all manner of clothing met and talked and laughed and went on thir ways. It all combined to help slip the bonds of modern times and make me feel that I "had always lived this way". We've seen it happen to others in different places and under various conditions, and it's always a good feeling. Back to the top.

What is the kindest thing you have ever seen in the Society? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We love the way SCAdians open their doors to one another. Even if you've never met the person before, the shared activity of the SCA is enough to bring them into your home and make them welcome. We've been both the recipient and the giver of this, and we hope it never changes. We've made some wonderful friends this way! It would actually be nice if we could make this easier using current technologies, like the servant matching board offered at Jehan's site, but for people open to and looking for overnight hosting.

Back to the top.

What will you keep the same? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We think Aquel and Johanna have done an excellent job, so there isn't much that needs fixing or changing. They did a terrific job on reaching out to the newer members of the group, and it shows in the Barony's vitality - we'd continue to do that.

In general, we'd like to continue the same confident pace of the group while continuing to encourage new activities and diverse events. Yeliz is keen on making sure we keep the various Baronial champions up to date, and perhaps sponsoring some new ideas to involve other non-martial groups more - maybe more A&S opportunities. Marian brought up the period Olympics in Coucil, which sounds wonderful. We had already been discussing a sort of decathalon idea, and finding a period reference is great.

We would probably have more pagentry than Aquel and Johanna have had, since we think it really adds to the atmosphere. Fu is interested in running court in a variety of styles -- adapting the style to the period of the event, in many cases, or holding a Chinese Baronial Court because of his persona. Viking, Roman and French courts appeal as well. There is a Carolingian processional march that Tibicen wrote that should get more attention, too.

We love the variety of Carolingian pursuits; to us, the diversity of activities is what brings so many people together. We'd try not to change anything that people think is going well, but we'd like even more people to have even more fun! The Baron and Baroness can act as the focal point to get communication flowing between the barony's groups, and that could bring interesting new things.

Back to the top.

What will you do differently? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

[See the response to "

What will you keep the same?

Back to the top.

How much do you think the baron/ess should be involved in the running of the barony? just the "medieval bits" or other stuff as well? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

It's true that the Baronial positions are ceremonial; the seneschal actually does the work. Still, we see the role of the Baron and Baroness as examples and positive role models; not explicitly leaders as such. But the Baron and Baroness should set the pace in terms of encouraging and assisting people, either actively or passively according to their desire, in order to help them have the best experience possible in Carolingia and the Society. That will largely be seen on the medieval side of what we do, but could also show up on the business side of the barony if it's appropriate.

Back to the top.

What type of structure do you envision to support our general marshal activities? Seeing as I personally am involved in Archery, Throw Weapons, Heavy List and Fencing, I would appreciate if you could give all of us a view of the "big picture". As Baron/Baroness, what would you try to put in place to encourage the growth of each of these activities? Or do you envision a single structure that could support all of them at the same time? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

There isn't any reason all of these arts can't exist and flourish at the same time. Carolingia is a large and very diverse group. But you do have to define your own success - what's an acceptable level of activity? It means different things to different groups. The fine arts go through this as well, and we've seen guilds go inactive for a time until someone who has the drive comes in and decides more can be done. These kinds of people will always be needed to ensure the group's continuation, and thankfully, so far Carolingia has managed to turn them up. But that requires support, too.

While we have personally focused on archery, we support events without it. Specialty events themed around a martial art are great, and we agree that the Champions tourneys should be focused if at all possible. But events where most or all of the martial arts are offered are also a lot of fun: Yeliz has been to several events where there were only a few people doing each art, but inexperienced people rotated through and had a chance to try them out. This sort of activity could even be a stand-alone thing or held as part of a single "guild fair" to attract new participants. Imagine a demo evening or afternoon where people could come and try a martial art without obligation, just to see what it's like. They could be held all at once, or on subsequent weekends. In fact, this would be possible at our home, which actually could accomodate very small (2-3 ppl at a time) simultaneous bouts of archery, TW, fencing and fighting in safety, or larger groups on separate days. Unfortunately, equestrian really requires accomodations we can't provide, but it shouldn't be forgotten.

We have also been thinking of an event with both A&S and martial arts in a decathalon-type format. Then, Marian mentioned finding a period reference to an Olympics-type event, which was exciting. Imagine having a person emerge from this competition as someone who has excelled at numerous types of martial and creative competition - that's a Carolingian!

Back to the top.

Aquel and Johanna have started getting into having an entourage (for court, processionals) which is quite different from how Patri and Barbara did things. Do you think you would want to "do entourage" in some fashion? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Yes, but not a big one. There's no point to having more people behind the thrones than in front of it! It's appropriate to have some few retainers and protectors, and we certainly wouldn't want to do without our herald. The idea of a small baronial guard is a good one, with perhaps one representative of each martial art asked to participate and accompany the champions, and the whole group could rotate so no one was obliged to spend every event in court. We would also strive for more pageantry, since it serves to enhance the moment. But we want courts to remain inclusive and welcoming, and we would avoid doing or presenting anything anything that would be forbidding or off-putting or cause people to not feel comfortable. Outside of court, having a few retainers will help us stay sane. We like to do things ourselves, but one needs to be able to delegate in a reasonable fashion - we can't do it without help, but we're not the types to want to feel catered to or pampered. At Pennsic, things would need to be scaled up as appropriate for the situation(s).

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What part of being Baron/ess do you expect to be, for you, the most distasteful part(s) of the job? What tactics have you thought of to deal with them? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Any situation can be handled gracefully. The challenge will be to come up with an appropriately graceful response in realtime. Luckily, we are both quick on our feet and have experience with having unexpected situations dropped in our laps, but there are also many polite ways of postponing giving input or a decision until we're sure it's the right thing to do. There may be times when people try to involve us in personal disputes or political disagreements, and that's when it's all the more important to keep our personal opinions at home and either try to help work something out (Yeliz is known at work for creating win/win results) or politely refuse to be engaged, as is appropriate.

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What do you expect to have to give up to accept this position? How will your participation in other Baronial activities change? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We expect mostly to reduce our commitments to non-SCA activities, though we also expect to have less opportunity to work on SCA research and other solitary personal pursuits. We would attempt to attend every local event, which would require even more time-management for handling personal affairs and errands. From her mundane business experience, Yeliz actually works better under pressure and enjoys multi-tasking. We would try to continue our current SCA activities, but because other groups will also need our attention, as long as we hold the position we expect to have to spread ourselves thinner in areas where we've been devoting a lot of time now.

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Do you see anything preventing you from holding the post at least 4 years? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

If chosen, we intend to serve approximately 5 years. Change can be good, but there's a need for continuity that a lesser term wouldn't fill. We also wouldn't want to put the barony through this process more often than that.

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What responsibilities do you feel the Baron/ess has to whom? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

The Coronets have responsibilities upwards (to the Crown), downwards (to the Barony) and sideways (to the rest of the SCA). As individuals, they need to be calm and rational people who uphold the ideals of the barony and the society as much as possible in words and deeds. As the ceremonial heads of the group, they need to be a Baron/ess that the citizens can point to with pride, and not bring shame or embarrassment to them by word or deed.

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Why do you think you'll be good? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We care a lot about the Barony and the people in it. We would be immensely proud to represent the Barony to the Kingdom and to the Society because of the amazing people who live here. That caring also translates to wanting to be a Baron and Baroness that the Barony can be proud to call their own, and we would do our utmost to uphold that honor.

And frankly, we think we'd have fun doing it, and hope others would have fun as well. We have a lot of experience in theater which will come in handy (including the ability to project to the back of the hall), and a general sense of style. No one should take it all too seriously, but neither should the position be taken too lightly. Enjoy the day, enjoy the court, enjoy the people, and don't get in the way of people having fun - add to it!

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Do you think you will be able to be in tune with all the different aspects of the barony? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Oh yes. All the fun is in the variety.

We have lots of experience in the Barony (and Fu has experience in Aethelmarc as well). Between us, we've participated in almost every activity that the SCA has to offer. We think we can well represent the diversity of Carolingia both to outlanders and to our own people.

We have ties to all of the martial arts. Besides both being archers, Fu used to be a fighter. Yeliz used to make garb for the fencers. We've practiced thrown weapons. We very much enjoyed the recent Equestrian event -- we're sure there will be more soon.

Yeliz started Middle Eastern dance in the Barony, and has held the positions of Historian and Quire Guildmistress before taking on Principal of the Perseus and co-editing the Liber with Fu.

We have ties to most of the guilds in one way or another (generally having participated in the activites or attended meetings at some point). We also have strong ties to the Cantons, especially Aschehyrst. Yeliz was even a merchant for a couple of years, and traveled a lot around the East.

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Do you belong to a household, formal or informal? Are you in fealty, or have fiefs of your own? Do you anticipate your household or feudal relationships changing if you become Baron/ess, and if so how? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Hua Fu is not the member of a household and is not in fealty, nor does he have fiefs. Yelizaveta is a member of House Windsmeet, which should not present any impediment to the position of Baroness. She is the apprentice of Mistress Gwendolyn of Middlemarch, and any changes to that would be discussed between them. On the whole, no real changes would be anticipated except to keep the ties as part of our personal lives and not incorporate them into the public lives. Yeliz long ago learned to lean on the household when needed, and takes a share of the burden when someone else needs to do it. Everyone needs a support system to get them through the hard parts, and trying to be Baron/ess without them could be a mistake.

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What part(s) of history interests you most (right now)? :

"Currently stuck in the Ming Dynasty of China. Help! Let me out!" More specifically, he's been studying the food, clothing, calligraphy and society of period China, especially focusing on Keifeng and the Jewish population there.

Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

I'm currently reading two fascinating books. One is Lloyd Berry and Robert Crummey's book "Rude and Barbarous Kingdom: Russia in Accounts of Sixteenth-Century English Voyagers", which is about the Muscovy Company founded in London in 1554, and contains first-hand accounts of the extensive trade and travel with Russia between 1553 and 1604 (including all of the townspeople on the docks watching the arrival of Russian ambassadors in London). The second is "Life along the Silk Road" by Susan Whitfield, an account of individuals who traveled the Silk Road between 750-1000 AD, based on documents in the British Library. I'm also working on Chinese costume history in order to make new garb for Hua Fu, and reorganizing and expanding my Russian costuming information for an upcoming garb workshop in Carolingia. Back to the top.

What do you think your duties of a Baron/Baroness are to the boroughs and how would you fulfill them? :

Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

The boroughs are the lifesblood of the Society: most of our new members see us first in their local borough, and they need to be supported and encouraged. The boroughs hold many of our traditional events, even when they are sometimes a burden to execute. We appreciate the work and dedication involved. Borough members are frequently the people who grow to be ardent supporters of the barony and the work needed to sustain and grow the larger group. They deserve attention! We think the Baron and Baroness need to be available to come to occasional meetings, and should lend an ear to make sure any concerns are heard. Boroughs need to be remembered and accounted for in decision-making for the barony.

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Do you feel the Baron/Baroness has any particular duties to newcomers? If so, what? :

Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Absolutely - the Baron and Baroness are ambassadors. It's rather like good managment, where you have to work both up (to your boss, aka the royalty) and down (to the group you represent). Feeling connected to the Baron/ess can help people feel connected to the barony. It's awful being a new person and wandering around without anyone to talk to, perhaps not fully understanding everything you're seeing. Some people join in a borough, which helps a lot with providing a support system and information, but even that can't cover everything. Many other people don't become active through the boroughs and therefore lack even that support at the beginning. Unless there's a welcoming atmosphere, interested people may not come back. Having "important" people like the Baron/ess personally greeting them can make newcomers understand they're important too.

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How have you interacted with the boroughs in the past year? :

Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

To our shame, we have gained more from the boroughs than we have repaid them -- many of our favorite events and activities are supported by our boroughs. Yeliz was more active with the Carolingian boroughs in the early-to-mid 1990s, teaching at meetings and doing demos. Hua Fu was very active in his borough in Sterlynge Vale back before moving to Carolingia -- the sort of pattern that we hope reoccurs with your alumni when they must move away. Most recently, Yeliz led sing-alongs at Falling Leaves, IKU and May Day prior to stepping down as Quire Mistress.

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If you saw a someone you took to be new at their third event wearing t-shirt & jeans (for the third time), what would you do if anything? Would what you do change if you were Baron/ess? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

Hua Fu would do what he does now -- walk up, introduce himself, make them feel comfortable, and try to get more information about why they aren't in garb. Presently, Yeliz assumes people not in garb are passers-by, and goes and talks to them about the group and what we're doing. If they've attended before and aren't in garb now, perhaps it's a misunderstanding about the garb requirement for attendance. We would explain the concept of atmosphere and how people in modern dress are seen as outside of our game. We would introduce them to Gold Key and to others who can set them up with the aid necessary to create a few basic wardrobe pieces. We would chat about personas and garb, and how the one is not necessary to the other -- I bet you'd look good in 14thC English, it's attractive and easy to make -- that sort of thing, and about the wisdom of doing something easy and basic until they decide on a time and place that best suits them. After all, Hua Fu was a Viking when he started, and Yeliz's first garb was all early English. We don't think being Baron and Baroness would change what we have been doing, except to perhaps provide a better opportunity for follow-up on the discussion.

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Do you feel the Barony is ready for a Baronial TW Champion now? If not, how would you judge when we have reached that point? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

The purpose of a Baronial Champion is to represent and encourage the practice of a competitive activity. Insofar as TW needs encouragement, there is certainly a need: even though that need is being largely filled by the current enthusiastic practitioners, we believe they could use more publicity and support. TW has come a long way in the Barony, but it hasn't yet reached the position it deserves to have as a strongly supported and commonly seen aspect of the Barony.

Insofar as TW needs representation, we personally do not know whether there is a sufficiently large base of practitioners to justify a Champion yet - you need to have sufficient competitors to keep from rotating through the same few people each time.

We support having Baronial Champions because we believe that a large and thriving barony like ours deserves to have this source of pride. We think that a Baronial Thrown Weapons Championship Tourney would, overall, be a good thing. Judging *when* is harder. However, when the time comes, we suggest it should be scheduled about a year in advance, so that there is ample time for new people to become interested and skilled in the art with that goal in mind. Then the Champion, with the Baron/ess, would need to maintain and even expand the level of interest to ensure an interesting tourney the next year.

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What can you provide to the Baronial Fencing community? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

We have a great appreciation for the art and its history (the exhibit at the Met a while back was very educational in that regard), and a fine appreciation of the difference between point and edge. While we haven't been active fencers, we do enjoy watching the bouts. We're not completely ignorant, thankfully, as we've made an effort to understand what we're seeing. Yeliz has also spent many hours making fencing garb (custom and off the rack). That required knowledge of the clothing requirements and how the garments would be worn and used. As a general plan, we would expand our experience with the art and our interactions with the community, and we would offer our official, ceremonial and whole-hearted personal support for the goals of the community.

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What can the Baronial Fencing community provide for you? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

A Champion of good character and martial spirit; the entertainment of fierce and honorable competition; and perhaps a tutorial session or two. From time to time we may ask you (one or all) to fight on our behalf.

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As the fencing community grows and matures in the Barony, what role to you see it playing? :

Shi Hua Fu and Lady Yelizaveta Medvedeva :

The community should set its own goals; we are there to support you and ensure healthy growth and a healthy existence.

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