What can you provide to the Baronial Fencing community?

First of all, with your indulgence, I'd like to step aside from the actual questions you asked. As stated, most of them beg Mom-and-Apple-Pie answers ("The Baron and Baroness will provide love and support for the fencers", yadda yadda yadda) when the matter deserves more thought than that. Since the questions are really quite closely related, I think it's easier to look at it by unifying them together.

It looks to me like these questions really boil down to, "What is, and what should be, the relationship between the Baron and Baroness, and the fencing community?" with a soupcon of, "Where should the fencing community be going?". I'll address those; forgive me if this goes on a bit, because it gets into some philosophy that really matters to us.

The former one first, because it really underpins the latter. IMO, it is neither the B/B's right nor responsibility to decide the course of fencing in the Barony. That sounds obvious when stated that way, but it has some unobvious consequences.

Consider the CRC. There's a certain longing for the glory days of the CRC among many of the fencers in the Barony. I share in that: I was a CRC cadet for a couple of years myself. (Joe kept trying to put me in a cloak, but I declined; I was never serious enough about fencing to feel comfortable as a guard.) I've still got some truly lovely CRC medallions that I picked up from a craftsman (down in Texas of all places), sadly shortly before the CRC ceased to be.

But consider this also: it wasn't Patri's idea. Oh, he was heavily involved in it, both in sanctioning the idea and providing some input himself. But the formation of the CRC, as I remember it, was really driven by the founding guards themselves. Patri *supported* the idea wholeheartedly, but he didn't really *drive* it.

IMO, that's more important than it may appear on the surface. Something like the CRC clicks when it's really a grassroots thing, not driven by the Baronial leadership. From the idea up, it's really got to come from the people if it's going to feel that *cool* to everyone. The B/B's job is to support and nurture that, and yes, to provide ideas and critique, but they shouldn't be driving it.

Now, that out of the way, my personal druthers. I adore the CRC conceptually, mainly because it is *different*. It was a way of recognizing the value of both individuals, and of fencing as an activity, without just Another Bloody Championship. (Don't get me wrong: I have the utmost respect for the folks who have been Baronial Fencing Champs. I just don't think the idea of the Champions is anywhere near as interesting as the CRC was.)

This is a point on which I think Caitlin and I feel more strongly than most: we don't like the Society's tendency towards homogenization. Especially when it comes to recognition, the SCA tends to shoehorn all situations into a very few models -- ranks/awards, Champions, and honestly not a heck of a lot more. That's sad, because period furnishes us with so many more models to work from.

What do I want for the structure of fencing? (And the other martial arts?) I'm not going to give a concrete answer, because I don't have one. What I *do* want is brainstorming for ideas that are new and different. What I *don't* want to see is simply more of the same. Because when you get right down to it, more of the same usually just isn't as *cool* as using some imagination. And the surest way to support an activity is to help it be cool...

Neither of us fence, now have we ever. As such, we have no personal connection to the prosperity of fencing in Carolingia.

Do not mistake this for not wanting to see fencing prosper, which we most certainly do. We remember the days of the C.R.C.; that was cool, and we are very much in favor of more coolness.

What form that coolness takes should be up to the fencers. Would we suport something C.R.C.-like? Probably. (One could argue the participation drop indicates there's a flaw somewhere in that model.) Would it be the same, us not being Patri and Barbara? Probably not.

Carolingia, like one's personal combat style, is a work-in-progress. We would like to see all activities vigorous, independant, and yet not isolated.

You ask what the fencing community might do for us.

1) Do well.
2) Do good.
3) Lead by example.

A share of my time, energy, and attention.

I fondly remember the pomp and enthusiasm that the CRC added to Patri's court. I would like to bring back some of both.

While I have not fenced since College, (2.5 years), I have made fencing outfits for a number of people over the years and still intend to make some for myself, it is just that other projects keep having a highter priority.

Who knows this might finally be the impetus I need to finally make the fencing doublet from Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion.

I will at least die, looking the part. :)