Reasons

Recently I got the chance to ask a really good fighter about why he won Crown.  His answer was that he wanted to make his lady a Duchess.

This I can understand.

But at the same time I have to call bullshit - he wins them because they are there.  If he could he would win 20 more.

He wins them because he can.

Squires

In the SCA squires are sworn to the Crown through their Knight.

A Knight/Squire relationship also in my mind subjects the Knight to teach and the Squire to learn – eventually leading to the betterment of both.  In my mind the Squire should want to become, and actively be engaged in trying to become, a Knight of the society.

Notice I said relationship because that is what it is.  And as in all relationships you need to evaluate and choose wisely.  Because it is very likely that once you are squired you will be painted with the same colour brush as your Knight. 

You need to figure out what you want to work on and see if there is a Knight who can help.  Need to fight better?  Get a Knight who is skilled at arms and is a good teacher.  Need to work on your courtly ways?  Look for a Knight who possesses those skills.  Or get someone who you feel is skilled in all areas and will help you all the time.

A simple rule I adopted was to look for a Knight who never did anything on the Eric that made me wince; or want to crawl away under a rock - sometimes harder to find than you would think.

I got lucky and squired to a Knight who to this day is my best friend.  We still use each other to analyze and correct our fighting technique.  We still help each other to get better. And not just on the tourney field but in all aspects of the SCA.

If you have to choose – take the time to make sure it is what you want.