The Sixth Banner
The Sixth Banner
Purpose and Goals
The Sixth Banner is an Amtgard youth organization affiliated with the Freehold of Five Banners in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was established as a local guild by that Freehold's corpora, with the intent of promoting Amtgard and creating a structured role for minors under the age of 14 wanting to take part in the sport. Members participate in youth battlegames under the direct supervision of their parents-- who must not only sign the standard waiver form, but also agree in writing to attend, monitor, and be responsible for their kids' activities on the battlefield. Members must also demonstrate satisfactory academic progress by bringing copies of their report cards at the end of each school semester in order to take part in Sixth Banner activites.
Minor members of the Sixth Banner elect their own officers and run their own battlegames. The organization has its own awards and favors which its officers may present to members. Since parents are responsible for supervising these activities, the Freehold's direct involvement in Sixth Banner activities is limited to collecting waiver forms and helping parents ensure that all weapons and armor are checked for safety. The Freehold will also provide Reeves to the Sixth Banner upon request. Once per weekend, the Freehold usually designates one of its own battlegames as a "Sixth Banner game," in which members of the Sixth Banner may fight alongside adults as long as their parents or guardians are also taking part (either as combatants or non-combatants on the field). Often seperate battlegames are organized for other adults who are opposed to, or uncomfortable with, the idea of fighting against younger kids.
There are two officers of the Sixth Banner organization, the Brave and the Pathfinder. The Brave is somewhat analogous to a guildmaster, while the Pathfinder serves more or less as the guild's own champion and fills in whenever the Brave is absent from events.
Thus far, the existence of this guild has filled a void left by the current trend of excluding minors below the age of fourteen from Amtgard events. Requiring parents to be directly responsible for supervising their kids' activities in the Sixth Banner has resolved most of the liability issues regarding adolescents and pre-teens in Amtgard, and keeping youth battlegames seperate from regular Amtgard events has been a satisfactory compromise between those adults who would understandably prefer not to fight against kids, and those parents and kids who want to share the Amtgard experience together.
History
Founded in May 2007 by unanimous ratification of Five Banners' first corpora.
Heraldry
A forest green pennant.
Leadership
- Brave: the leader of The Sixth Banner
- Pathfinder: an officer
