Summits Spring Coronet Tournament XXXVII/2003

Date

21-23 March XXXVII/2003

Branch

Briaroak (City of Roseburg & Douglas County, Oregon)

Autocrat

Skaarl Odinstain

Site

Private, 740 Hidden Springs Ln., Drain, Oregon

Weather

Heavy rain (as it had been for days)

Event Highlights

Officially cancelled by the Crown of An Tir - King Davin IV and Queen Groa III.

The event was unofficially known as "CoroNOT" because it never happened. The actual coronet tournament ended up being held at Summits Summer Investiture XXXVIII/2003 after the event was cancelled Friday, March 21st when the site located on a steep hillside was literally being washed away.

Personal Memories

This is my personal memory of “CoroNOT!” I recall arriving at site around 4 p.m. Rafe Neuton and Yosef von Ruhne rode down with me. The weather was rainy all the way there and we were especially concerned as we came up Sandy Creek Road that lead to the site – it was gravel, steep and flowing with water. When we got to the actual site we were directed to turn down a gravel road where the intersection embankment was steep. Site-helpers were literally trying to fill it with gravel for a more passable grade as we arrived! To add to the foul conditions, the days of rain had made it even worse. As I turned my truck, a Ford Ranger, to no surprise it became stuck on the bank’s edge. William Geoffrey the Rogue and then-Prince of the Summits Durin Oldenmoor Tjorkilskin were visiting nearby and quickly rushed over, pushing on the front of the truck until it came free from from its teetering position and I was able to drive down the road. The parking lot was rugged and recently cleared of vegetation and had stumps and brush piles here and there. There were a few other early-arrivers but already the sparsely graveled way in and out of the parking area was getting real muddy. We got out of the vehicle and met Lynnarra Correll and Shealin, who were operating The Witches Brew food merchant’s booth in those days, in the parking lot and had set up some around their parked van.

From there we began to walk down the steep canyon’s only newly graveled road to a small valley where a creek cut across the closest 1/3rd of the area and must be passed over on a small wooden bridge to get to the main part of site. Ragnar Thorbjornson was there finishing set-up of his Norse Star Armory merchant tent with the assistance of Arnulfr Óláfsson who was then jokingly calling himself Ragnar’s “thrall.”

My passengers and I briefly and unenthusiastically crossed the mud and muck to greet some of those present we knew, namely the above and Maeve an Sionnach donn who was also present. In the meantime a discussion developed as to whether or not we should stay and stick it out or get out of there, picturing site as it was and imaging the horrors of what it would become when 100-200 + more people began arriving. All the while it kept raining. The guys and I then began climbing back up the steep hill toward parking lot when we met Adele Neuton and Juliana van Aardenburg, who had just arrived. We showed them the site area and I recall Adele being enthusiastic despite the poor conditions as they had traveled as far as us from Terra Pomaria. No doubt we all had spring fever and wanted to make this our first outdoor camping event of the new year. Still it continued to rain.

From there we all ascended back up the road to where the autocrat and other persons with authority were initially gathered to see how things would be handled. By this time Elspeth of Wyre Forest and William Percival, then Baron and Baroness of Terra Pomaria, had arrived in a caravan of two vehicles along with their friends and fellow Terra Pomarians Roland le Brun and Emma La Blanche, who had brought their two young children. We again discussed the site conditions with them and others as a few more Summits populace began trickling in. I remember watching in horror with Baroness Elspeth as Master Finngall McKetterick arrived in his Volvo and began heading toward the steep intersection where my truck got stuck teetering. We waved frantically, yelling at him to stop, but we were too far away and he happily waved back thinking we were just bidding him greetings when he turned and his car got stuck – teetering. All the while, it continued to pour rain as people helped Finngall get un-stuck.

A large amount of those who had arrived, the majority made-up of fellow Terra Pomarians including myself, anxiously waited outside the site owner’s home as the autocrat and Prince Durin had decided to cancel the event. However, to do so they had to get official decree from the king, so as we waited they made a phone call reaching King Davin regarding the grave conditions. It wasn’t long before we were given word the event was officially cancelled. I returned to the truck and loaded in my passengers, however, leaving the last part of the parking area my truck got thoroughly stuck in the mud before I could make the steep gravel road. The guys got out and pushed and soon many others came to the rescue as even two men could not unlodge the overly-loaded vehicle in true SCA fashion. Ragnar Thorbjornson and Arnulfr Óláfsson valiantly got covered head-to-toe in mud helping me and others and Arnulfr soon earned a new nickname “mudpuppy.” Both men’s efforts were rewarded less than a month later in Terra Pomaria at Bar Gemels when each were given the first two Hearthstone Awards that would start the stone’s legacies.

Amidst all the efforts of the great populace of the Summits I eventually got un-stuck and floored it up the hill, nearly jumping the top intersection to get back onto the main gravel road, due to the acceleration. I waved for the guys to rejoin me and were swiftly out of there getting home to Terra Pomaria by around 7 p.m. This event being the only one thus far where not having four-wheel drive ended up being terribly detriment but memorable non-the-less for an event that truly never happened. --Jeanjacqueslavigne 00:46, 10 Jul 2006 (EDT)