[Cynnabar] Proposed Thoughts on Thursday Meetings

[David Hoornstra via Barony]

Kelly/Birke,

I think you have made many of the points I would have. Quite well.

I would add that a tight time-frame can work for ³finished² fighters and
fencers whose gear is complete and works well. Others may need more time to
tweak things between fights or just get get ready and then wrap up
afterwards.

Just as tourney formats often favor the already-champions, a tight practice
schedule helps those who have got it all together mnore than it helps
others.

And the less-perfect shape you¹re in, the heavier the toll it takes on the
next day whether work or school. Now that I have to work again I pay that
price Wednesday and Friday ‹ all day -- for Tuesday and Thursday night¹s
fencing.

In my case and some other candidates for SCA activity, Thursday night is
already double-booked. If I don¹t go fence at the Y (my modern practice time
and some of my students) there is the HEMA club at EMU that needs our help.
So far I haven¹t made it to the latter.

David/Daibhid



From: Kell Carnahan via Barony <barony at cynnabar.org>
Reply-To: Kell Carnahan <wyndsung at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 2019 10:11:48 -0500
To: cynnabar <barony at cynnabar.org>
Subject: [Cynnabar] Proposed Thoughts on Thursday Meetings

Hiya, Cynnabar,

After contemplating thoughts of new practice sites yesterday evening and my
feelings on our local practice lately vs the regional practice in Jackson
last month, I¹ve come to a new conclusion:


I think that business meetings should not happen at Baronial omnibus
gatherings/fighter practice.


What I *thought* having it all in one place would be like:  Oh, great, it¹ll
be like whenever people taught a music/A&S class besides fighter practice,
and the entire Barony is there!  I love those days!


What including the business meeting at practices is actually like:
* Business meetings feel rushed and annoying because they¹re eating into
socializing/fighting time
* 
* Fighter practices get compressed and rushed and almost not worth it, for
those of us who can¹t stay up really late


A general best case scenario, because we¹re a great active Barony that does
a lot, is that a business meeting lasts a half hour.  This is with rushing
through everything and not having fuller discussions of any points.


So, best case scenario, the meeting feels rushed, and ends at 7:30.  By the
time everyone says hi to one another, trickles into fighting area, gets
armored up, and ends vital community bonding time of ³how are you doing?²
updates, it¹s 7:45 - 8 pm.


I¹m not the only one who needs to leave practices by 9 pm to be able to get
sleep themselves, or get their children to sleep.  That means armoring down
by around 8:45 pm, to pack up and say goodbye and leave by 9 pm.


45 minutes - 1 hour of compressed practice time means that:
* Can¹t do drills, sparring, AND melee work ever.  Basically ensures melee
work will never happen at these practices, like they used to at rapier
practices that actually had more time.
* 
* Can¹t do tournaments, because there¹s no time for that and practicing
anything. 
* 
* I can¹t organize to have teachers or outsiders come visit our practices,
because with variable meeting times, practice time doesn¹t start at the same
time AND there¹s little time for a class and any practicing, AND the
compressed time makes traveling further to our practices not worth it.  This
really limits the capability of Cynnabar practices.


I¹d say move practices to Sundays again to free up more time, but once
summer event season starts in May, there¹s still the argument that Sundays
are needed for other life stuff when most Saturdays are taken by events or
other summer happenings.


You can¹t tell me to ³just skip the business meeting² because 1) I like
being aware and giving input to my Barony, and 2) almost everyone else is
still at the meeting, so practice can¹t really start anyway.  What¹s the
best end result to this line of reasoning?  No fighters who need to leave by
9 pm (not an unreasonable time) can be at business meetings if they want to
fight?  That feels exclusionary, even if it¹s not the intent.


Having business meetings at practices means business meetings are rushed and
don¹t happen well, socializing is rushed and doesn¹t happen well, and
fighter practice is compressed to the point of almost not feeling worth it,
and therefore doesn¹t happen well.


The best answer to opening up Thursday evening fighter practice/Baronial
omnibus gathering to actually feel connecting and uplifting and awesome
again: get rid of the business meeting on that evening.  It was a nice
concept, but it¹s not working out well.  Then practices and socializing and
everything can actually start between 6:30-7 pm and have a good long chunk
of evening to do all the things without feeling rushed and cramped.


Thoughts?

~Birke die Jaegerin


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