Icebreaker Code of Conduct
Preamble:
The primary mission of Icebreaker is to provide a safe and welcoming event for the shared practice of historical martial arts. As members of the historical martial arts community, we have a responsibility to be accountable to each other. When members of our community are made to feel vulnerable or unwelcome, it is our duty to address the offending behavior. When members of our community feel empowered, it is our responsibility to cultivate that experience for others. A culture of partnership can stand steadfast against bad actors and provide an environment that can withstand the actions of those opposed to the virtues of tolerance, pluralism, and mutual respect. We offer the following code of conduct as our promise to every member of the historical martial arts community.
Icebreaker Statutes:
1. Community members include all participants, vendors, administrators, judges, and observers at our events. All community members are entitled to equitable measures of respect.
2. Community members shall practice compassion, respecting the rights, well-being, and dignity of others.
3. Community members shall promote and maintain a welcoming environment for the safe and enjoyable practice and study of the martial arts.
4. Community members shall promote a healthy and disciplined spirit of competition.
5. Community members shall appropriately represent the values of martial arts study to the wider world and its cultivated virtues of respect, mindfulness, and equality of practice.
Responsibilities of Competitors:
1. Being prepared for full participation in your chosen events, having thoroughly reviewed the Icebreaker Open Code of Conduct and Ruleset.
2. Upholding the values of fair and safe martial arts practice and acting as allies in preserving the dignity and security of all community members.
3. Being welcoming to new community members and not offering unsolicited critique.
4. In competition, we will be polite in victory and gracious in defeat.
Responsibilities of Administrators:
1. Providing a welcoming space for the practice of martial arts in the spirit of equitable competition and a sincere interest in the study of the same.
2. Regulation of the gear, rulesets, and actions allowable for competition and practice to the purpose of maintaining the safety and security of all community members.
3. Providing opportunities for healthy competition to a wide variety of participant skill levels.
4. Providing an opportunity for community members to cultivate their skills in the fair and equitable judging of martial arts competitions.
5. Promoting an atmosphere of polite and respectful engagement between participants, unmarred by offensive language or actions.
6. We will not allow the involvement of any person(s) threatening to the wellbeing of our participants, the mission of the Icebreaker organization, or the values of the HEMA community, as participants in or associates of this event.
Responsibilities of Vendors:
1. They will not discriminate between vendor patrons and will be welcoming community members.
2. They will not misrepresent the quality, form, or function of their product(s); nor will they take advantage of any community member’s fatigue or credulity.
The success of any Icebreaker event is due entirely to the good will and support of all of our community members. We avow that no community can adhere to the values of pluralism, respect, and tolerance without championing the agency of each and every member. We must all be allies to each other. This Code of Conduct is a foundation for growth but relies upon the genuine support and input of all historical martial artists and community members.