equ-grnd-crew-msg - 1/8/17 SCA equestrian ground crews. NOTE: See also the files: Equ-Grnd-Crew-art, Equest-4-New-art, Horse-Events-art, Horse-Sense-art, p-horses-bib, Side-Saddle-art, Hors-Training-art. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ From the fb "SCA Equestrian" group: Marleen de Kramer 10/7/15 So, ground crew. Where do you recruit them, how do you bribe them to stay? Ariel Tuley Recruit locally to the event, bribe them with treats, prizes, gratitude, pony rides. Phoebe Sharp Make it clear that they are as valued a member of the team as the riders (if not more so!). Our Kingdom has given martial and service awards to grounds crew because they recognize that. Troy Griffith First I look for them among those who most like to watch the equestrian activities and I remind them that the best place to observe the rides is from right in the midst of the action. Second I look to the friends of family of riders who do not ride themselves and suggest they get authorized as ground crew as a way of supporting their family riders. The other alternative to we often use is to divide up our riders at a given event into two groups and then have each group ride separately. This way Group A rides while Group B serves as ground crew, then we take a short break and switch. Troy Griffith The best bribe you can give them is your gratitude and the best payment is not to let them work for long periods of time, even if they volunteer to. Keep their time working short, with frequent breaks. Kate Rider Make sure they have water and shade. Have a designated runner or radio to report scores. Cindy 'Zuriel' Bank The majority of the ground crew we get at events are also riders. We all take turns helping out. Sometimes we'll get very lucky and have some folks come offer to help that want to learn more about the horses and just be around them, or we'll have a rider that doesn't have a horse for the day come help because they know what it's like to be a rider with not enough crew. Everyone always bring more then enough food and drink to share with everyone and some riders are more then happy to share their horses with those that don't have one. Ariel Tuley Oh, also, my best recruiting tool has been to make announcements on email lists or local meetings. A lot of folks want to help but they don't know how. Make yourself available before the event to answer questions and make a list of volunteers. It's incredible the response you can get if you just ask. Sharon Robb-Chism I start requesting at the shire meetings several months before the event. One thing I do tell them, is that they don't have to be out there all day, and therefore miss other activities. A few hours morning or afternoon is always appreciated. Cindy Morley I'm fairly new to the equestrian scene (but long-time SCA) and I would say the single best way to get ground crew to stay is to include them in everything. Don't just thank them at the end of the competition and send them on their merry way. Include them in the fun afterwards... invite them for a tasty beverage or to hang out with the equestrians in their camp area (which is usually separated from the rest of the event). If you and your horse are good with it, ask if they might want to come back and help groom the horses or whatever... I guarantee that most people who ground crew secretly want to be around the horses more than just helping with the competition!! Just my .02 worth as a rider without my own horse :-) Colin MacNachtan I started doing ground crew several years ago. I did it because I enjoy being around horses, but am at best a mediocre rider, and I'm unlikely to own a horse for the foreseeable future. I continued to do ground crew because I was welcomed into the equestrian community, and given the same treatment as any rider. I think I'm far from alone in liking horses but unable or unwilling to invest in becoming an SCA equestrian rider. I believe to recruit and keep those people it's critical to welcome them fully into the equestrian community as equals. Steve Hemphill ^^...and Colin is the leader of the "A" ground crew team here in Ansteorra...*and* all my a'Plaisance events outside the SCA. I can't imagine doing a show without him! ...he even hauls trailers for us. Jason Brown I'm a rider. I own no horses. I ground crew when not riding. Works out for everyone. Else Hunrvogt 8:00am Oct 8 Go help out with Arts/Heavy/Rapier/Archery/etc activities at other events in your area. Afterwards, ask the participants to help ground crew for the equestrians. Then ditto all the advice above about treating them well. Edited by Mark S. Harris equ-grnd-crew-msg 3 of 3