How to Find Your Local SCA Group

Today's Link:  http://sca.org/geography/

 Your friend has invited you to an SCA event or a fighter practice, and you're really excited, but you've forgotten where it is, or you can't remember the time.  How can you get there?

Or you're an active member of the SCA, and you want to give someone a link to their local group (which may not be your local group).  How can you help them get started?  Use the link above, or follow the directions below:

• Go to the Society's main page:  http://sca.org/
• Near the top is the navigation bar, which reads, "Home Membership Publications" etc.  Click on "Groups."  This will take you to the SCA Geography page, which includes a "Regional listing of Kingdoms, ordered (roughly) from west to east, and north to south."
• If you're in the U.S., use your browser's find command to search for your state.  For instance, if you search for "Arizona," you'll see that Arizona is located in a kingdom (the SCA equivalent of a nation or country) named "Atenveldt."
• If you are outside the U.S., try searching for your country or continent.  For instance, Japan is part of the West Kingdom; Europe is in the Kingdom of Drachenwald; and Northwestern Ontario is part of the Kingdom of Northshield.
• Click on the appropriate kingdom name to go to the kingdom website and then look for your local group.  You might have to do a little exploring to find the right link.  For example, to find a group in Arizona, you would click "Lands" on the nav bar; for the Kingdom of the West, you'd click "Kingdom Information"; and for Drachenwald, you'd click "Find a local group near you" at the very top of the page.
• Once you've found the correct kingdom, you need to find the local group nearest you.  It is probably a barony, but it might be a shire, college or other smaller group.  Explore your kingdom site, explore your local group's site, and find ways to get involved. 

What to expect at fighter practice

Even if you're not interested in fighting, fighter practice is a good way to meet friendly and knowledgeable people.  Bring a chair, appropriate outdoor clothing for the season, and a bottle of water.

When you arrive, you will see men and women fighting in armor and using swords, or wearing protective gear and fencing with rapiers.  Children may also be fighting, if their parents or guardians are present and have given the appropriate permissions.

Expect to sit down, watch the action, and chat.  If you don't know what to do, just walk up to somebody and say, "I'm new.  Can you tell me more about the SCA?"  You'll either be directed to someone who can help you, or you will be inundated with information about your new hobby and your particular areas of interest.

If you're an inviting a friend

Save your friend a lot of time and trouble by handing them the information they need on a business card.  On the front, put:

your local group's name and URL, 

the kingdom name and URL, 

and the sca.org URL.  

On the back, write your SCA name, and explain that this is the name you use in the SCA.  If you're inviting your friend to an event, write down the name of the event, the date and the approximate location.  If you're inviting them to fighter practice, write down the time and location for fighter practice.

(BTW, Margaret Vergh Lewys is not anybody's SCA name - I made it up for illustration purposes only.)