Baronial Champs...what is it all about?

Baronial Champs & the Seven Pearls!

Baronial Champs is quickly approaching but what does all this champion business really mean? I wrote this article for the Ice Dragon last year and thought it would be good to give it some new life for this year. 

The Seven Pearls.

At the heart of Baronial champs is a Kingdom-wide 

competition known as the Seven Pearls. The Seven Pearls takes its name from the seven Baronies in the Kingdom (and the pearls that decorate a Baronial coronet).  There is a Seven Pearls competition for each of the following activities: Arts and science, heavy fighting, thrown weapons, fencing, bardic, and archery. Each year every Barony in the Kingdom selects a champion for each category. This is typically done by holding a local Baronial champions tournament. Once selected the new champions travel to the seven pearls tournament to complete for the glory of their Barony and bragging rights for the year. The format of these contests can change from year to year, but for the most part the basic set up remains the same.

When and where are the Seven Pearls tournaments held?

The location of the Seven Pearl tournaments changes from year to year so please stay tuned for updates on times and locations. Before competing locally it is a good idea for people to check if they can travel to the Seven Pearls portion of the contest. This will not exclude them from the competitions but knowing ahead of time will help the Barony plan for a backup. If for some reason the current champion cannot attend the Seven Pearls event the Barony will most likely select a proxy to compete. The current champion does not lose their title if they cannot compete. Members of the Barony not competing are encouraged to show up to the Seven Pearls tournaments and cheer on the competitors.

Can new people compete in Baronial champs and the Seven Pearls?

Absolutely! The only real requirement is that you are a member of the Barony and be authorized (or otherwise cleared) to participate in the tournament of choice. Not only is competing on a local level a great way to get more involved with the Barony it is also a great way to experience the different activities the SCA has to offer. There is nothing wrong with trying your hand at something new. Don’t let being new or inexperienced in an activity dissuade you from entering. Win or lose the Seven Pearls is a wonderful experience. People are also encouraged to complete in multiple local contests but typically a person will only be asked to serve in one capacity as a champion (but one person competing in multiple Seven Pearls tournament has happened!).

Other than the Seven Pearls what are the responsibilities of a champion?

In addition to competing in the Seven Pears tournaments the champions continue to represent the Barony during the year. The champions are often invited to process into court with the Baron and Baroness and stand behind them in court. At the baronial champs the following year the outgoing champion is responsible for running (or helping to run) the tournament that helps determine the next champion. If the current champion is not a qualified Marshal (in the activities that require this) they can work with other local Marshal to run the tournament.  Don’t worry there is plenty of help and guidance available.

So what are these other awards that are handed out at Champs?

In addition to the activities mentioned above the Barony also hands out several other awards at champs. These awards are local to the Barony and not part of the Seven Pearls competition (but certainly no less of an honor). 

These include:

Iron Man: Awarded to the person who competes in the most tournaments at Baronial champs.

Baronial Key Stone: A Key Stone is a Kingdom level award for service. The Barony of the Rhydderich Hael was awarded its own Key Stone and each year a new person is selected to be the bearer of the Baronial Key Stone. The bearer of the Baronial Keys stone is given a Key Stone to wear for the year and is welcome to come forward when other members of the Order of the Keystone are called up in Kingdom court.

Queen Anne memorial trophy: This is awarded to people who have overcome great adversity during the year but still embody the spirit of the SCA and the Barony.

Most improved fencer: Awarded to the fencer that the other fencers have deemed most improved over the year. It is not required this go to a new person.

Most improved fighter: Awarded to the heavy fighter that the other fighters have deemed most improved over the year. It is not required this go to a new person.

Chivalry: Awarded to the person who the Barony considers a fine example of honor and Chivalry.

I hope this shed at least a little light on what it means to be a Baronial champion and encourages more people to step up and compete this year. If people have questions or just want to talk about the subject please free to contact us. Shortly we will post information on how we plan to pick our champions for the coming year. It will be a bit different than the past few years and we hope people enjoy it.