The Weekly Warfare   Musings martial from across the SCA

I was envious of her. She was another female fighter, also 40ish, and she had started rapier a couple of months after I did. But she progressed much faster. Less than two years after authorizing, she received a Sea Dragon at a field court as I watched, feeling happy for her and sorry for myself. For whatever reason, her award did not get recorded in the Order of Precedence. I don’t know whether she noticed. Here was an opportunity for me to combat my jealousy with a good deed. I privately contacted the Clerk of Precedence and corrected the omission. I felt much better. I might have no success on the field, but I could make sure that my fellow rapier fighters were recognized properly.

My efforts spread beyond correcting the Order of Precedence. When I had joined the SCA, Atlantian RapierNet would generally announce awards and accomplishments of fighters from throughout the kingdom, even things such as earning a marshal’s warrant or a baronial award. I happily posted congratulations to people I knew. Later those announcements dwindled. Even Free Scholar prizes were not always publicized well. Since I like having my accomplishments recognized in public, I supposed that other people did, too. So I have taken up the task of announcing other Atlantians’ awards on RapierNet and Facebook groups, if they haven’t already been posted. I try to highlight fighters for winning awards for service or arts and sciences as well as combat. One of my inspirations to publicize awards came from my former Baroness, Mistress Sorcha Crowe. As Baroness of Storvik, she took care to praise any Storvik member who did something worthy at any level.

I also found that another way in which I could enjoy other fighters’ recognition was to instigate it. I started to write people in for awards and to pester the White Scarves to sponsor them for Gold Scarves. For example, I admired Gilig von Baden from the Shire of Roxbury Mill. He established the rapier practice there and trained numerous fighters who became successful. He himself also demonstrated prowess, honor, courtesy, and considerable service. I was personally grateful for his teaching me at events and his encouragement. However, being in a Shire rather than a Barony, he tended to be overlooked. I thought he had the qualities that I admired in a Free Scholar (and that I thought some other Free Scholars and Provosts lacked). So, I started urging Celric and other White Scarves to promote him, and eventually he did play his Free Scholar’s Prize, shortly before new fatherhood took him away from the SCA.

I haven’t stopped being inwardly envious of other fighters’ success, but I’ve channeled envy into writing my own role as a promoter of rapier and rapier fighters.