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GeoffreytheSinged
Novice
Posts:7
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| 08/02/2006 5:57 AM |
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Just thought I'd post a little something about my first tourney and maybe slide in a little personal perspective on things mentioned elsewhere while I was at it. Feel free to skip this.
I started with the SCA only about 2 1/2 years ago after attending a local demo. The same week I hit their business meeting and then the regular practice/A&S night. I knew right away that I wanted to play with the rapiers as I had done some olympic fencing in college.
Like many out there, my first practices were done with fiberglass swords, learning basic drills with a bit of sparring at the end of each practice. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a steel blade from one of the fencers and soon swore off the fiberglass. Not only did I find it way too whippy, it just looked bad compared to the gleaming steel in the moonlight.
Skip ahead a few months and there I was, getting authorized. After fighting, and more fighting, and more fighting, and even more fighting, and then a written test, I was authorized and ready to head to my first tourney,... or so I thought.
By this point, I had acquired basic rapier gear,... a TCA Schlager for a sword and a flexidagger given to me by a fellow enthusiast. My doublet from gypsypeddler had been modified so it would fit my "bigger" form, and I'd constructed a simple hood from trigger. My good friend and society brother dragged me over the mountains (yeah, I'm from the inlands) to a small tourney where I had my first encounter with a White Scarf.
It was a small tournament, only about six fighters I believe, I found myself facing a lean, fancily dressed man with a scarf of white on his arm. His movements were fluid and I soon found myself impaled from all the way across the room. It was somewhere after this point that I decided that I wanted to be able to do what this person could,... or at least look a little less clumsy with my blade. Somehow I ended up winning the chiv. prize in the tourney and Don Gregorio invited me to sit at his table.
It's taken me 2 1/2 years, many fights, a couple wars and ithras to come to the realization that I really do enjoy what we do. I love the courtesy displayed, the comradary that exists in our community and the willingness of most everyone I've met to give tips and hints on how I can improve. I only wish I could afford to make it over the mountains a bit more and hit more events.
Geoffrey the Singed
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juan_guthrie
Provost
Posts:102
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| 10/16/2006 6:53 PM |
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Thanks Geoffrey. This made me want to cast my mind back and remember my first tourney too.
I joined up in the early 90's when I was at UVic, so my group of choise
was Seagirt (then a shire). As now their big event is
Daffodil. I had been roped into the local fencing community by
Mathieu and his then lady Aurora. There were no Sr. Marshals on
the island so there was no chance to get authorised before. So it
was a good thing that we did day authorizations back then.
The highlights were that Artemis and his lady Sally just Sally came
over for the tourney and showed off the mark 1 "An Tir" rapier.
The first of its kind three rod fiberglass sword to make it to the
island. Prior to that we were either using electric fence posts
or those with $$ has epees or foils.
I don't recall much about the actual tourney, all I know is that I
didn't win. Though Matheu and I did get photographed and
interviewed for the Times Colonist. My quote, "Cavalier isn't so
much a time period as an attitude", was one of the few things the
reporter wrote down correctly.
15 years later and still having fun,
Don Iain.
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godvonrav
Provost
Posts:88
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| 11/25/2006 10:50 PM |
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I only remember small portions of my first tourney (Simon probably remembers more of it....as it was his first as well). The bits I remember was that it was an Ironman Round Robin (you get to fight everybody once....one right after another!) The only fight I do remember from that day...I was standing there...looking at my opponent...and I noticed..."man...he's WAY to close" (of course that didn't translate in my brain that so was I) and I actually had the time to think...."quick...do a fast straight lunge to the chest...he won't have time to react" and I did....and he didn't have the time to react!!! I'm pretty sure that was my only kill that day....but it was sweet. Especially afterwards talking to him and finding out he had 5 years of olympic VS. my 2 months (if that) of fighting.
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Don Godfrey von Ravensburg
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SimonFencer
Provost
Posts:132
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| 11/27/2006 3:45 PM |
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Was it the tournament out at the crown in Yakima? I don't think we had more than a few weeks of practice in at that point. I remember it being the first time I met Artemis or Albert. And even managing to kill Artemis.
Long time ago now.
Paul |
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Paul Franklin
in the SCA: Simon Valdez, AoA, cadet to Mouse
Around the triple W: Simonfencer |
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godvonrav
Provost
Posts:88
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| 12/02/2006 9:18 PM |
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Yakima? Yes...pretty sure. Don't thing Albert was in An Tir yet.
Ah...yes...the great Artemis kill...thank God for his poor traction shoes!  |
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Don Godfrey von Ravensburg
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SimonFencer
Provost
Posts:132
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| 12/03/2006 8:41 AM |
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poor traction and he looked at his feet...
You might be right about Albert, but I could swear that I remember he and Iain sparring. |
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Paul Franklin
in the SCA: Simon Valdez, AoA, cadet to Mouse
Around the triple W: Simonfencer |
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