Tournements
David J. Corliss
what I feel to be the most important objection to them:
> The possibility exists, however unlikely it may be, for the judges to pick
> a 'favorite', and predetermine the outcome of the tournement. I am not
> suggesting that the judges would huddle together and say, lets choose Sir
> Shining Armor prior to the tournement starting, but that they might
> individually say to themselves, Sir Shining Armor is the best, or course
> he will win, and possibly ignore another persons valor in the tournement.
I must admit that what Lord Cairbre raises is a very serious concern. The
answer, I feel, lies in the choice of judges.
It becomes essential to choose as judges gentles with a variety of backgrounds
and aquaintances. Thus, while subtle individual biases may well be unavoidable,
they can be cancelled by a diverse selection of judges.
Further, it must be understood that judging a tournement is not just an honor
to be coveted but a sacred trust to be faithfully executed. Thus, far from
ignoring the valor of little known fighters, the judges will be especially
sensitive to it. In a King Rene style tournement, the judges must actively
check their natural biases and seek to uphold a standard that demands
recognition of the highest chivalry, courtesy, and prowess *as shown on the
field on that given day*.
King John of France was captured by the English during the Hundred Years War
and held for ransom. When his friends and relatives had a hard time raising the
money, he told his captors: Send me. I will get this ransom. If I fail, I will
return to your custody. This was in a time when a gentleman's word meant
something, and King John was released. When he found that not even his presence
could raise the ransom, he returned to England and remained in captivity for
the rest of his life. While the trust and honor given to judges in a King Rene
style tournement can not be conferred upon anyone, there remain in our Society
an ample number in whom the spirit of King John of France lives today. The
quality of the judges is not a weakness of the King Rene system: it is its
greatest strength.
It is with respect for these considerations that the Order of the Rose is seen
to be the ideal body to judge these tournements, even Crown Tournements. While
each will have their own preferences, they tend to be so diverse in background,
geography, age, and area of prefered service; and most unlikely to be easily
swayed by the mere words of another of the Order, that it is unlikely one
should find uniform agreement among them on the question of the day of the
week [ :-) ]. Further, as ones who have already recieved and faithfully
discharged a sacred trust, they have shown themselves worthy of burdensome
task of serving as a judge. Far from bringing a questionable light to the
outcome of a tournement, such judges as we may find in our Society will give
greater confirmation of the fairness of the outcome than the present system of
eliminations or any other that might be devised.
Beorthwine of Grafham Wood