THE SABER LEGION
CHARTER REPRESENTATIVES RESOURCES
MODULE 2
FORMATTING FOR ALL MODULES:
Do’s (in green) are rules / responsibilities that are required of Reps.
Don’ts (in red) are actions that are restricted or prohibited for Reps.
Best Practices (in blue) are recommendations, effective techniques,
or lessons learned that have been successful for other Reps.
Links (in gold and underlined) will open in a new window.
Do’s (in green) are rules / responsibilities that are required of Reps.
Don’ts (in red) are actions that are restricted or prohibited for Reps.
Best Practices (in blue) are recommendations, effective techniques,
or lessons learned that have been successful for other Reps.
Links (in gold and underlined) will open in a new window.
New Charters
When establishing a Charter where one did not exist before, a minimum of three people are required.
One must meet (or demonstrate progress toward meeting) the requirements of a new Charter Rep outlined in Module 1.
Each of the other two must own (at least) a mask, gloves, and one saber that meets our documented standards.
When all these requirements are met, TSL Leadership will create the Facebook Group with all the correct settings, and promote the new Rep to admin of that group.
TSL Leadership will also add and introduce the new Rep to the TSL Charter Reps group and chats.
Then the new Charter may begin to advertise and hold official meets.
One must meet (or demonstrate progress toward meeting) the requirements of a new Charter Rep outlined in Module 1.
Each of the other two must own (at least) a mask, gloves, and one saber that meets our documented standards.
When all these requirements are met, TSL Leadership will create the Facebook Group with all the correct settings, and promote the new Rep to admin of that group.
TSL Leadership will also add and introduce the new Rep to the TSL Charter Reps group and chats.
Then the new Charter may begin to advertise and hold official meets.
New Charters have the most difficulty in beginning stages, and therefore will receive the most attention and assistance from the TSL leadership and support structure. New Charter Reps should rely heavily upon the Charter & Member Support Team, the Reps group and chat, and the Recruitment section of this module.
reviving inactive charters
When re-invigorating a Charter which DID exist before, but has been inactive, much of the same as above applies, but there are additional considerations.
One person must meet (or demonstrate progress toward meeting) the requirements of a new Charter Rep outlined in Module 1.
One person must meet (or demonstrate progress toward meeting) the requirements of a new Charter Rep outlined in Module 1.
charter media
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A Charter's MASCOT (seen here in red) is what the Charter privately calls themselves and identifies as. The best of these are alliterative (eg. "Indiana Inquisitors") or referential to some commonly known identifying aspect of the Charter itself (eg. "New York Empire"). As these are often owned or copyrighted terms, they may never be published in text or print anywhere in public, nor used in any way for earning money or profit. This is why the mascot text is not used in the logo. This is also why Charter chats and social media groups are Private. Using these terms verbally at TSL meets or events is permitted and encouraged.
- Changing a Charter's Mascot (if one exists) must be approved by a 2/3 majority poll of all members, posted in the Charter group, visible to members of the TSL Leadership Council.
- If the change passes, it's highly recommended to adopt one of another Charter's no-longer-used mascots and logos, as they have already been approved and can be immediately implemented.
- The Media Team and Charter & Member Support Team keep lists of unused mascots and logos upon request by Reps seeking to change.
- If a Charter prefers an all-new mascot and logo, the creation of the mascot art is:
- Subject to the availability of graphic artists on the Media team or commission to external graphic artists at potential cost to the charter
- Must be styled cohesively with other Charters' mascot art
- Both mascot and mascot art are subject to approval by the Media team of the Leadership Council.
Some, but not all, of the past and present Charter Logos from around TSL.
scheduling Meets
Scheduling meets is a constant experimental and evolutionary process. Only through testing can you determine the timing and frequency to which your Charter responds best and attends most, and this may change over time.
Some Charters meet best on weekday evenings, some on weekends. Some prefer Sundays, and some Saturdays. Some Charters meet weekly, some monthly or semimonthly, and some quarterly. Some Charters set date-recurrent meets (such as the second Saturday of every month) and some change the date each time. Find the sweet spot; under-meeting your Charter causes attrition, and over-meeting causes burnout. Once you’ve found a successful schedule, work it but do not get stuck in it - be open to adjustments in the future.
Some Charters meet best on weekday evenings, some on weekends. Some prefer Sundays, and some Saturdays. Some Charters meet weekly, some monthly or semimonthly, and some quarterly. Some Charters set date-recurrent meets (such as the second Saturday of every month) and some change the date each time. Find the sweet spot; under-meeting your Charter causes attrition, and over-meeting causes burnout. Once you’ve found a successful schedule, work it but do not get stuck in it - be open to adjustments in the future.
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While Facebook remains our primary social media, all official Charter meets must be scheduled as Facebook Events in your Charter group, at minimum. Reps may choose to employ additional resources like Facebook messenger event chats, or other sites like Google Calendar or Reminders, Eventbrite, or Meetup, but the Events tab in your Charter Facebook Group must be your primary and authoritative schedule.
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Every Charter goes through ups and downs, good times and bad times. Keep your head high and do not be discouraged! Even if only two people show up to duel, that is a successful TSL meet. |
member documentation
EVERY PERSON WHO SWINGS A SABER at any official TSL meet or event MUST HAVE FIRST SIGNED our Membership and Hold Harmless Agreement document. "Swings a saber" here includes anything from solo drills to partner drills to partially-armored or fully-armored dueling. This does not include boffers.
That means Reps must always have unsigned copies of these documents available to be signed by any new participants at every official TSL meet or event you host, and train any Satellite Facilitators to do the same.
All Reps must maintain an updated, accurate accounting of their membership documentation, specifically the signed waiver pages of the MHHA. Reps can keep these documents stored either hardcopy or digitally, and be able to produce them when asked. This includes collecting all of them from your Satellite Facilitators, if applicable. It can be helpful to document and keep additional information about each member as well, like Location, Meet Attendance, whether the member is a Minor, and other information as you see fit, for your own use - but safeguard this information so that it cannot be accessed except by Co-Reps and the TSL Leadership Council upon request.
That means Reps must always have unsigned copies of these documents available to be signed by any new participants at every official TSL meet or event you host, and train any Satellite Facilitators to do the same.
All Reps must maintain an updated, accurate accounting of their membership documentation, specifically the signed waiver pages of the MHHA. Reps can keep these documents stored either hardcopy or digitally, and be able to produce them when asked. This includes collecting all of them from your Satellite Facilitators, if applicable. It can be helpful to document and keep additional information about each member as well, like Location, Meet Attendance, whether the member is a Minor, and other information as you see fit, for your own use - but safeguard this information so that it cannot be accessed except by Co-Reps and the TSL Leadership Council upon request.
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As The Saber Legion has grown internationally in membership and financial resources, we have begun looking at digital signatures for the MHHA and building a membership documentation database, sectioned by Charter and Date Signed. Watch this space in 2024 for a potential shift to online documentation.
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meet planning
There is no prescribed itinerary or task list for Charter meets, and that is intentional; in the same way that Reps must test and experiment to reach the most effective meet scheduling and frequency for their members, so must you vary the content and style of your meets and gauge interest and response, tailoring your activities to the culture of your Charter (or developing it according to its needs). It helps to “read the room” and make changes or improvisations in the moment, when necessary. Try out formal and informal style meets, and/or design your own hybrid with aspects of both, and see what your members respond to best.
A more formal style of meet begins on time and is led through a scheduled agenda with group participation, and is beneficial for less experienced or less disciplined Charters. For example: |
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Whereas, an informal style of meet is more of an arrive-when-you-can, come-and-go type affair, where dueling or games occur by agreement of whoever happens to be available at any given time. ("Hey, you wanna spar?" "Sure, how about exotics?") This style is beneficial for older, more experienced Charters, but can be more social and less productive (in terms of amount and duration of actual dueling) than the formal style.
Some ideas for activities to use at meets:
Be creative, and ask for ideas from other Charter Reps. Never settle for “the usual” for more than two or three meets in a row - change things up and see what happens.
Some ideas for activities to use at meets:
- Invite a local martial arts, yoga, or dance instructor to give a class.
- Bring in accessories like a thrusting tree or a heavy bag.
- Have all four exotics available, and rotate your members through duels trying out the one(s) they’ve used least.
- Have your one-handers spar two-handed, your two-handers spar one-handed, your right-handers spar left-handed, et cetera.
- Search for “game” in the Charter Reps Facebook Group and try out all the dueling games detailed in the thread.
Be creative, and ask for ideas from other Charter Reps. Never settle for “the usual” for more than two or three meets in a row - change things up and see what happens.
At Charter Meets, you only need these basics:Remember that one of TSL's core Visions is Accessibility - the principle that anyone with minimum training gear can join a meet. Fighters can practice movement without hitting anyone until they are able to own approved medium-intensity gear. TSL is accessible to everyone, so you can allow anyone to start solo or low-impact partner drills with these minimum safety requirements.
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meet locations
Where you choose to meet is critical to the success of your charter. It can be as simple as "in my backyard" or as complex as "we have built a mutually beneficial relationship with the owner of the local comic book shop and come to an agreement for three hours in their warehouse on the second Sunday of every month" but it takes time and resourcefulness to explore all available options, and there are risks, advantages, and disadvantages to every possibility. Let's start simply by breaking down some Pros and Cons you might not have considered of meeting indoors versus outdoors:
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These are not all the possible advantages and disadvantages of meeting indoors versus outdoors, and not all may be applicable to your prospective venues, but once you start thinking in this direction, you can make a more educated decision what works best for your Charter from your available options.
Now, let's take a look at some possible venue suggestions that may help you when it's time to search your local area for possible meet locations. This is not an exhaustive list - think outside the box and if you find success at a unique location not listed below, share with the Reps Group and Chat! |
Outdoor Uncovered: parks, playgrounds, fountains, town squares, riverwalks, piers, local landmarks, nature preserves, state or national parks, parking lots, art installations, school athletic fields
Outdoor Covered: park gazebos and picnic pavilions, amphitheater stages, unused business parking garages on evenings or weekends, open-air markets
Indoor: comic stores, tabletop gaming stores, martial arts dojos*, fitness centers*, community center gyms or activity rooms (like YMCAs), dance studios, indoor soccer arenas, barns, university athletics facilities**, church gyms**, masonic temples**, warehouses, community theatre stages, wrestling, boxing, or MMA gyms
* Avoid national chains– find locally owned small businesses
** Easiest if one of your Charter is a member/student/employee there
One last important note about locations: If your Charter is meeting in a public space and ANY local official (police, park ranger, security, any uniformed person even down to a municipal waste collector) asks you to explain what you are doing, stop what you are doing, or leave, Charter Reps (or Satellite Facilitators) must 1. identify themselves as the in-charge person and take over conversation from any involved member, 2. remain polite and respectful and 3. immediately comply. You may ask clarifying questions, but no matter what, even if they are in the wrong, even if they are disrespectful, even if you have permission or a permit, it can be sorted out later. On behalf of the TSL organization you represent, avoid making a scene or being officially sanctioned in any way at all costs.
Outdoor Covered: park gazebos and picnic pavilions, amphitheater stages, unused business parking garages on evenings or weekends, open-air markets
Indoor: comic stores, tabletop gaming stores, martial arts dojos*, fitness centers*, community center gyms or activity rooms (like YMCAs), dance studios, indoor soccer arenas, barns, university athletics facilities**, church gyms**, masonic temples**, warehouses, community theatre stages, wrestling, boxing, or MMA gyms
* Avoid national chains– find locally owned small businesses
** Easiest if one of your Charter is a member/student/employee there
One last important note about locations: If your Charter is meeting in a public space and ANY local official (police, park ranger, security, any uniformed person even down to a municipal waste collector) asks you to explain what you are doing, stop what you are doing, or leave, Charter Reps (or Satellite Facilitators) must 1. identify themselves as the in-charge person and take over conversation from any involved member, 2. remain polite and respectful and 3. immediately comply. You may ask clarifying questions, but no matter what, even if they are in the wrong, even if they are disrespectful, even if you have permission or a permit, it can be sorted out later. On behalf of the TSL organization you represent, avoid making a scene or being officially sanctioned in any way at all costs.
charter insurance
An important note about certain meet locations (usually community or fitness centers) is that some may ask for insurance. TSL the International Organization does not carry insurance that covers Charter meets or events. However, some of these locations can be satisfied by showing them the Waiver portion (signature page) of our MHHA, particularly where it mentions “the use of any or all facilities or locations,” and mentioning how you maintain signed copies for every meet attendee. For some facilities, that might be enough to allow you to meet there. However if the facility maintains the need for an insurance policy, you may need to look elsewhere for a TSL Charter Meet location.
Can a Charter source and purchase its own insurance for meets or events? Yes it can, but it requires a mature Charter of a certain size with a good number of fully-armored regular members and an experienced Charter Rep, to work closely with the Charter & Member Support Team and the TSL Leadership Council in order to accomplish correctly. New and Reviving Charters should not attempt.
Can a Charter source and purchase its own insurance for meets or events? Yes it can, but it requires a mature Charter of a certain size with a good number of fully-armored regular members and an experienced Charter Rep, to work closely with the Charter & Member Support Team and the TSL Leadership Council in order to accomplish correctly. New and Reviving Charters should not attempt.
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As The Saber Legion has grown in membership and financial resources, we have begun looking at options for insurance policies that could cover Charter Meets and Events - at least nationwide in the USA to start, and potentially country-by-country policies (where necessary and available) after that. Watch this space in 2024-2025 for potential new organizational insurance possibilities.
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module 2 knowledge check
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