Authorization renewals during COVID & long-term changes to the authorization process

Greetings all Fighters & Marshals! 

Unfortunately, since COVID required we suspend all of our activities from March 10, 2020 until at least January 31, 2021, we have not been able to sign any authorization cards.

This means a number of martial officers are not in compliance with the requirements of their position, and we have a growing list of participants who need their credentials updated while there’s a shrinking number of senior marshals able to do so. 

After consulting with a number of individuals, I explained the situation to Their Majesties and our Kingdom Seneschal, including the applicable passages from Society and An Tir documents and how other Kingdoms address this topic, and Their Majesties agreed to one of the action plans I proposed.   

Effective immediately, authorization renewals can resume, but we are going to start verifying the waiver requirement directly with each form:  If you have a current SCA membership, then write that number and the expiration date in the existing blanks on the forms.  If you do not, then adults need to print out the “Adult Participant Consent Form” (An Tir #7) and submit that with their authorization form. 

This rule will continue even after official activities resume, and our manuals will be updated accordingly.  The individual signing the authorization form must be a current senior marshal in that discipline per our current rules.  Participants can email forms back and forth to print, sign, and re-scan; or use the electronic signature functions in PDF, Docusign, or similar programs.    

Minors can also submit renewals for their authorizations.  Their parent or legal guardian was already required to sign form #53 “Minor Combat Waiver (Authorizations)” and that hasn’t changed now.  Marshals for youth armored and youth rapier combat still need to update their background clearances & the Society is processing those.   

The Society’s equestrian rules have a separate requirement for authorizations to occur at events or official practices, but the Society Equestrian Officer is waiving that for the duration of the pandemic closures.  Waivers are still required using An Tir forms #31-34 depending on where you are the time of signature.   

Unfortunately, new authorizations whether for a new fighter, a new weapon form, or for a junior or senior marshal, will remain on hold until SCA events or official practices can resume, because the applicant must be able to demonstrate they have the relevant physical skills, and that requires the presence of other people.  When these authorizations are done in the future, the individual will either need to document their membership information on the authorization form or sign the relevant waiver and submit both.   

If you have any questions about this decision, please contact me at earlmarshal@antir.org.   Martial Authorization Officer Kara Reginasdottir and Equestrian Authorizations Deputy Tove aet Horselei can help with technical questions and accept your forms marshal.authorizations@antir.org and Equestrian.Marshal.Authorizations@antir.org. You can check your status at any time in the database at  https://antirlists.org/auth. 

Thank you for your cooperation.  Please keep taking care of yourselves and each other.  

Maestra Althaia filia Lazari,  Earl Marshal of the Kingdom of An Tir.