The arrival of cold weather has brought the fighting season to a close for youth combat here in the East, with just one event expected over the winter.
Four events were held this quarter, with fields ranging from three to ten kids participating. Although our youth turnout is still significantly below the pre-pandemic numbers, we are starting to see a recovery in the count of younger Div 1 and 2 fighters, which hopefully foreshadows a recovery among teens as this generation of combatants ages up within the program.
Two local groups are continuing well-attended regular practices, while two others are working to start up new practices of their own.
Although we have two dozen marshals enrolled, the brunt of the work this quarter — as in the year as a whole — has been borne by a small cadre of dedicated volunteers, some of whom have been doing this work for more than a decade and need a chance to take a break. I hope that in the coming year we are able to broaden participation to include a larger number of marshals and trainees.
During the winter months we will work to finish the updates to our kingdom rulebook and authorization policies. And after four years in office, I anticipate stepping down before the spring, and look forward to supporting my successor as they work on strengthening our program.
As always, I am especially appreciative of Karrah the Mischievous, who has been our most-active marshal for as long as I can remember — the kingdom is in her debt. My thanks and appreciation also to my deputies, whom I trust to keep the program running after my term comes to an end.
