Change of venue for SLTA XIII Awards
- medievalherald
- Jun 12, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 8
From Forester Lowenhart, Headmaster DDA:
I had received a note from our key in-world coordinator for the SLTA ANNUAL AWARDS CELEBRATION, General Skysong of Dragon’s Lair, recommending a change in venue this year to on-line due to scheduling conflicts from RL commitments, time zones and illness that would make it difficult for many to attend this year’s event in-world.
The SLTA Annual Awards Celebration strives to be inclusive and accessible to all in the tournament community, so shall honor this recommendation and post the final season results online in the HERALD June 22, 2024 as originally scheduled, along with plans for getting the awards to the winners.
As its Master of Ceremonies for the annual event, I want to offer my congratulations to this year’s winners and hosts and applaud their participation and achievements this past tournament season, as well as share Commander Bella's and my regrets we won’t be celebrating your achievements in JOUST, MELEE and ARCHERY tournaments in our traditional venue of slideshows, speeches, applause, fireworks and Dragon Pit dance at the DDA.
I know all may miss my annual keynote address, but before you breathe a sigh of relief, I will share the remarks I had prepared below, so you can send your boos or applause by email to me @ flowenhart@gmail.com
WELCOME ALL TO THE SLTA’S 13TH ANNUAL AWARDS CELEBRATION!
One often hears 13 is an unlucky number.
Although I’m not a superstitious person, it was the year the SLTA & DDA lost its home of 12 years when the Kismet sims closed. But such is the temporal nature of the pixel universe we find ourselves in.
In truth, we have been incredibly lucky to be around as long as we have. The SLTA has withstood the trials and tests of time with over 100 Realms sharing in its fellowship and tournaments since 2011. That’s not due to luck as much as the good people the SLTA has attracted with its fair policies.
So first and foremost, I would like to thank two of those, King Lonestar and Queen Rose ShingingStar for their generous patronage in providing a new headquarters for the DDA/SLTA in Dragons Landing. And second, I would like to thank all those in the SLTA and MGA who sacrificed their time and energies this past season to provide their services to the community, foremost among them being DragonsLair.
It took a great deal of work to organize a calendar of over 400 tournaments this season and provide support for best practices, officials and the tracking of their points online for the awards presented. And the tournament community owes a huge thank you to the officials and Realms who gave their time in service to the tournament community. Doing so is one of the reasons the SLTA has remained the longest reigning Tournament support group in Second Life.
But any organization is only as good as its people and policies, so before we celebrate the Realms and winners of this season, I want to talk about the policies that guide us.
THE POLICIES THAT GUIDE US
A good policy does not mean things always run smoothly.
Contention, protests and second-guessing are to be expected in any large organization serving a diverse set of groups and individuals. But some of this can be attributed to policy misinterpretation, so it seems prudent to review the two that guide us.
One is the SLTA policy, which guides the hosting of tournaments. The other is the Jousting League policy, which guides the posting of points. Some may not be aware of the differences, so as the author of both, I can speak to their intent.
THE SLTA
Not all join the SLTA to be a Tournament Host, nor is it incumbent upon them to do so if they simply wish to send notices for their tournaments. But those who do join the SLTA as a Tournament Host enjoy many benefits to assist their hosting of a professional tournament and having an active seat at the round table. A review of the SLTA policy online is the best way to understand that mission.
“To aid and assist tournament hosts, the group offers this website for tracking the results of participants. Hosting kits, regular meetings and information for building cooperation and best practices between Realms is offered freely as a community service…
The purpose of an SLTA meeting is to gather and share plans, ideas or agendas of interest to all hosts and leave personal issues between individuals at the front door.”
Establishing tournament best practices is what the SLTA, along with the MGA does best.
It works much like a sports franchise in RL; with a group of dedicated SLTA Tournament Hosts sharing their expertise and experience in discussion with other Hosts, to create the ‘Best Practices’ for hosting a professional tournament, with seasoned officials, that apply consistent guidelines, tournament to tournament.
The professional officials that have emerged are highly accomplished tournament leaders in their own right, and help each Realm take the guesswork out of running a successful tournament by relying on their expertise and impartiality. And those who report the results do so thoroughly and accurately, so you don't have to. Both are a gift to the community, not an obligation, so let us value their service.
These ‘Best Practices’ do not remain static but are constantly under review, evolving with the introduction of new equipment and practices. And any Realm wishing to have a voice in those decisions can do so by serving as an SLTA Hosting Realm.
It takes a majority of current SLTA Hosting Realms to decide the Best Practice guidelines in any given season, or adjust as needed. Changes to SLTA policies, whose excerpts are highlighted here, are different and require unanimous approval by all current member Hosts to change.
The benefit of being an ‘SLTA sanctioned’ tournament simply means participants are guaranteed well-trained officials and tournaments of the highest professional standard consistent from event to event, with access to qualified reporters to post their events accurately and fairly.
The DDA for example relies on SLTA sanctioned officials for hosting the DDA Final Four Tournaments, and their rotation of the SLTA legacy Intersim Joust, so it’s expected SLTA Best Practice guidelines will apply.
But the SLTA policy stops short of making those guidelines mandatory upon a Realm:
“Each Realms tournament rules and format are honored and not subject to alteration by anyone but their host. For the community-wide Intersim events sponsored by many realms, SLTA hosts can make recommendations or guidelines for best practices, but stop short of imposing on a Realm. Officiating, arena settings, special awards or adjustments to Guidelines are always left to the sponsoring Realm.”
HAVE IT YOUR WAY
Nothing in the SLTA policy prevents a Realm Host from sending notices for a tournament and using its own best practices and official, as the DDA did when it originated the MONDAY FUNDAY (Madness) joust which had few rules. Variety is to be embraced, as it has always been my belief one's true mettle is tested best through a variety of challenges and equipment. Variety also brings voice to the community for the tournaments they wish to support.
SLTA officials will work with a Realm to accommodate special considerations (list, awards, etc.), but they too have the freedom of tournament choice, and can recuse themselves over policy or personal conflict (ban lists, cheating, etc). If a Realm wishes their services, any special considerations should be discussed prior to a tournament, to allow sufficient time to come to compromise, reschedule, or discuss options for moving a contested event to a neutral area.
For SLTA sponsored tournaments rotating among many Realms, such as the SLTA Intersim or RFL Charity, conflicts are best addressed this way. But the SLTA policy makes it clear the final decision on best practices and choice of official for a tournament held in a Realm, is the Realm's to make.
Those decisions will not have any impact on points earned by participants for tournament placement, as the SLTA has no policy governing points standings. So let me talk about the second policy that guides us.
THE JOUSTING LEAGUE
It’s a common misunderstanding that the SLTA controls the posting of points because tournaments and standings are hosted on its website. The actual source of these tournaments listings and standings and the policy that guides them originated with the Jousting League, established in 2013. It was the first to tabulate points for all tournaments, posting them online in 2014, and making them available to the SLTA website in 2015. It also originated the League Leader and Top Ten Awards that are given out each year at the SLTA Annual Awards event.
With the rise of melee and archery tournaments, The Jousting League website has taken more of an archival backseat and adapted its reporting forms hosted on the SLTA website; but it's tabulations and policy for posting points remains the same on both websites:
Chief among its policy aims was the right for each individual participant in any tournament to have their results recorded, independent of their realm or group affiliation.
Archduchess Kali, the chief coordinator for reporting points, deserves credit as a champion of those rights. She and other reporters, provide a great community service to SLTA Hosting Realms, posting and monitoring their Melee, Archery and Jousting Tournaments. Like SLTA officiating their services are a gift, not an obligation, and they have the freedom to choose the tournaments they report.
But that does not bar anyone from posting their Realm or individual tournament results themselves, as long as they abide by the original guidelines set for reporting tournament results:
REPORTING GUIDELINES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ours is a service to the community, and any group, event or participant, may have their results reported on the website providing:
1) The event is open to the public.
2) The event is regularly scheduled, week to week or month to month.
3) The event is announced to the general public via groups whose membership is open to the public.
4) The event is officiated.
5) All data fields in the reporting form are filled in.
6) All data fields in the reporting form follow instructions for formatting.
7) Results are from an event hosted, participated in, or witnessed.
8) Results are posted by an authorized event host or reporter.
9) Results are not used without attribution.
10) The information is available and accessible to the public
All that is required to be an authorized reporter of tournament results is a passcode and coordination with it's chief coordinator to ensure accuracy and to avoid duplication. Go to SLTA website listed above to learn more, and note these defining clarifications:
~ The first condition ‘event open to the public’ refers to a Realm’s ban on other groups or Realms that limit public access, not a ban on an individual. The latter is viewed as a Realm right, the former a violation of equal rights.
~ Tournaments open to the public through notification in public groups are deemed part of the public record. Not all who report the results to the SLTA are present at the event, and 'witnessed' (#7 guideline) is defined as including the reporting of results witnessed either in person or via another public record.
~ Points Standings are not incumbent on any participant. Names and events remain part of the public record, but any individual Tournament participant who does not wish their 'points' to accrue in the Standings can request a ‘DNR’ (Do Not Report) by sending an email to: SLTOURNAMENT@gmail.com.
POLICIES OF DIVISION
Many may remember the UNITED JOUSTERS group who used points as a weapon of division and punishment, boycotting other groups such as the SLTA and DDA.
It was a dictatorial and restrictive policy that only hurt the members they had pledged to support, who were members of many groups, but denied full credit for placement points in all the tournament groups of their choice.
The Jousting League policy was the first to support the rights of all individuals, regardless of group affiliating, to be honored rightly guided by it's simple mission statement:
“With malice towards none, with charity for all.”
IN CLOSING
THE POLICIES THAT GUIDE US offer Realms and individuals the greatest freedom of choice, and liberal protection of any tournament group in Second Life.
Together, they act as separate branches of governance, to protect against the policies of division and dictatorial control that other groups have fallen prey to.
So thank you for your kind attention. And thank you for your support of the SLTA. And good luck to all in the coming season of SLTA XIV !
"May the high road be ever afore ye."
Headmaster Forester
Comments