[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: SCA, painful things

[Iggy McSnurd]

> From: alex fox 
> 
> OHMY! As an ex-member of the SCA I understand completely! I was a
fighter
> with a short sword, and a very light long sword, being a 5 foot 100
pound
> woman. But I had a friend who was 6 foot 8 and about 290 pounds. He
fought
> with two war hammers.He could deliver a killing blow OVER the shield
very
> easily. One day, at a festival, he was hit in the nuts with a
morningstar.
> By a very short Knight. From underneath.  It brought him to his knees,
> even with the manditory codpiece. A lot of ice was applied. Later, at
the
> feast, the Crown Princess gave him a lovely award. A pair of iron
balls.
> Very fitting!

Iggy here:

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and the commemorative ice bag.

I was helping to give a demo of heavy fighting at UCSC, and we were
doing a modified "round robin" style of line-up.  About my 4th fight, I
was fighting Mustafa Khamal of Antioch.  During one strike on his part,
I drew in my shield and reflexively leaned back... but unfortunately
opened my defenses just enough.  The shot he was aiming at the top of my
head was partially dodged, unfortunately the tip of the sword caught me
at full force in the... *ahem*... cup.

I was literally knocked out cold from the shock.  The next thing I know,
I was waking up on the ground with Gunar kneeling next to me shaking me
and yelling at me to breathe.  It turns out that the shock hit me so
bad, that I had also stopped breathing for the minute I was out.  Gunar
told me he was about 5 seconds from starting to smack me on the chest
repeatedly to get me to breathe again.

Thinking back in it, that may have been the turning point for me.  I
kinda lost my drive to get authorized as a fighter...

On the other side of it, I had been a Marshal since my first event and
enjoyed that enough.  (For those of you not in the SCA, the Marshals
oversee safety during combat, making sure fights are stopped if
something goes wrong, and being the main line of protection between the
fighting and the spectators.  It's great.  One yell of "HOLD!" from a
Marshal, and *everything* on the field stops.)

Which actually brings me to an interesting little side story:

I had been a Marshal for about 4 years so far, and had been through a
*lot*.  (This includes being a Marshal at a war and literally having me
being sandwiched between a bush, and active combat at times.)

At one event, some ignorant putz fighter wannabe once stated that I was
a wimp because I was a Marshal, but not a fighter.  (I'm a big guy, so I
naturally looked like I should be a fighter.)  Well, I had been having a
bit of a rough day already, so I ended up launching into a mini-tirade
at him.  I started with the fact that Marshals were in the field, and
sometimes in the middle of the fighting during wars, with no armor on
whatsoever while the fighters were usually encased in steel.  The only
protection the Marshals have are a 6 foot rattan staff and, during wars
that include "light fighting," a fencing mask to protect our faces from
the wide variety of flying missiles.  I pretty much ended with the fact
that it takes a lot of guts and dedication to also be the line between
combat and the spectators.  Especially since you need to me willing, as
a Marshal, to potentially end up in the hospital before any of the
spectators is in danger.

Fortunately, the prince also heard this and backed me up on it.  (As did
a few of the knights, an Earl, and a baron or two.)  I think they let me
go on my tirade since I was the one insulted, and also because I was in
charge of one of the fields earlier that day.


Iggy McSnurd

(Formerly:  Martin of Grantham, Kingdom of the West, Principality of the
Mists, Barony of Darkwood, Marshal of Arms of the College of St. David,
Escort to Baroness Elizabeth of the Blue Rose, and originator of the
Great Darkwood - Tarnmist Sheep War.)