SLTA starts 7th year with its 6th Anniversary

The SL TOURNAMENT ASSOCIATION (SLTA) in association with the JOUSTING LEAGUE held its 6th annual awards celebrations June 10, at 5pm to honor those receiving the most points in the Season's competitive sports. DDA Headmaster Forester Lowenhart welcomed all attendees and presented the awards. Here are some excerpts from his presentation:

"Tonight we gather, as we have for the past 6 years, to celebrate, honor and support those who have risen to the top of their ‘game.’

All of you spend considerable time, and expense in SL, and so it is all together fitting we take a moment each year to honor those efforts with tangible rewards and recognition.

When institutions such as the SLTA or DDA were first established, they were in service to marking your passage to announce that "once you were here, and your efforts mattered". They were the first to do so on a grid wide scale, and have inspired others to do the same.

I found my inspiration in Shakespeare’s St. Crispin Day speech in ‘King Henry V’…

“He that shall live this day, and see old age, Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours, And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.' Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars, And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.' Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, But he'll remember, with advantages, What feats he did that day.”

SL can produce such fickle fraternities, where people come can go, are here today and gone tomorrow. For the SLTA to still be standing after these many years, is a testament to the simplicity of its organization, and openness to all, regardless of affiliation.

Where many groups are not much more than a message board, the SLTA continues to offer signature events which support the community such as this ceremony and the Friday Intersim as a unique distinction which deserves our applause.

But it also deserves your continued support, or like any service, it will fade from the lack of it. Had it never existed, this audience, or future ones, might have remained so much pixel dust, scattered in the digital winds, never to have enjoyed the kind of recognition you do today.

So we owe it to those who come after us, to leave them with the same advantages we have enjoyed, so they too can roll up their sleeves and say:

“What feats they did that day.”

Although the names we hear tonight, may be familiar on our ears because of their outstanding exploints on the field of battle, every avie who has participated should take pride their efforts have been equally preserved and recorded, from 1 point to a 1000."

Charts from the last three years of League standings were used to illustrate current trends

"The top three pie charts (or donuts) show the distributions of event from various realms in the last three SLTA seasons. The largest block, or about 30%, represents events sponsored by the Double Dragon Academy, which has remained consistent over time.

The remaining 70% of the charts shows the SEASON VI AWARDS

distribution of events by other Realms providing a picture of the changing landscape over time.

In the first chart, many realms share a similar slice of the pie. In the second chart, the percentages are increasing in some realms, while shrinking in others, pointing to increased Realm closures or lack of participation. In the third chart, a fewer number of Realms are emerging as the largest providers of events, while others continue to shrink.

I wanted to give all a closer look at the trend in the number of participants, events and attendance.

What pops out are the middle values from year June 2015 – 2016. By comparison they are the highest overall in number of participants, events and attendance.

The reasons may be fairly clear when reviewing reports in the “Medieval Herald” on the Jousting League website. Those of you who have been involved with SL medieval games since 2014 may recall that 2014-2015 was a time of turbulence and vitriol between various groups. In 2015-2016 this had begun to die away after various group and realm closures, which lead to a time when the community began to stabilize and come together again. Nothing ever seems to remain stable for long in SL and this year shows a decline overall.

The first chart, shows the number of jousters actually jousting. It’s a small core of about 60 to 80 people, and has remained fairly consistent. Granted this is a small amount of people in comparison to all who are in SL, which itself is a very small subset of people from those in RL, but it is a passionate group, replenishing itself as they come and go.

The second chart shows a decline in the number of jousting events available in the community. It underscores the pie chart above it, illustrating a continuing shakeout as realms close or no longer participate.

The third chart shows a decline in attendance at events and is the most telling.

One would think if the number of jousters has remained roughly the same, and the number of events diminish, attendance would be redistributed among the remaining event providers.

Instead, attendance at all events has shrunk, indicating that Realm and group closures alone are not the only contributing factors. Something else has changed and it is up to us to address it, or witness a continued decline." Jousting League Leaders Top 10

SEASON VI INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINDERS

From left to right, Alexarya, Nephilim Ventris, LittleBigTrouble, Stormy Summerwinds

SL TOURNAMENT ASSOCIATION INTERSIM CHAMPION: Little Big Trouble

"Good evening my friends :)

An entire year has passed since the last time we were all here to honor the victors of this sport of Kings. In this time we have witnessed many changes. I have changed. Many of you have changed as well. Some of our old friends have left us, and new companions have joined us.

New techniques have been developed and old ones have been improved. A complete new system has been introduced to the jousting community, bringing some fresh air to the lance splitting experience and pushing us veterans back to practice!

But some things haven't changed at all! The love for the sport, the spirit of fair play and the brotherhood that have bonded these Knights together year after year remain the same! And so they shall for the seasons to come!

Once again I stand here to express my deepest gratitude to all of my friends, jousters, hosts, officials, supporters, creators, event organizers, and every other person who has, directly or indirectly, dedicated their time and effort to keep this jousting community alive. I dedicate this Championship to all of them!

Thank you for sharing this special moment with us and I hope to see you all again next year!"

JOUSTING LEAGUE LEADER FIRST PLACE: Nephilim Ventris

"I'd like to thank everyone for participating in the events we each put effort into. Without your support, none of this would be possible.

It has been a privledge to be able to compete with some of the best jousters SL has to offer over the past 4 years.

Each season , the competition grows harder and harder as we learn from each other and develop new ways and strategies that help advance all of our experience."

Ending with a bang! Till Next year, keep jousting!

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