Montgomery Bell State Park (Burns, TN)
Shire of Glaedenfeld
April 17-19, 2015
The second stop in the Hadi Banner Tour, Iris Faire.
Funny thing about tournaments, at least for me, is that I have always had a small, nagging bit of apprehension whenever I've committed to fighting in them. Its a mental thing that I've never really gotten over. I think it's the fun versus competitiveness idea coming to a head. Those ideas are contrary to each other in my mind. I was reminded of this concept at Iris Faire as you will soon read (if you read past this part anyway...).
I went to site on Friday solo, acting as advanced party for 5 additional shirefolk, to ensure that feast space was secured. I arrived shortly before 9pm, and to our joy, I was successful. Feast space secured, I got 'climatized to the atmospherics (garbed)' and settled in to some kitchen servitude by manning a cutting board and chopper knife with several others from the hosting group, Shire of Glaedenfeld, and area groups. I had a lot of fun. I mostly just sat listening to the banter while we chopped up several metric tons of root vegetables of many origins.
While we were doing kitchen prep, several other persons were in the hall playing games and socializing. It was very relaxing and very much what I consider 'good event' criteria for a Friday night. I retired and was in the rack by 1 am.
The next morning I awoke at 6, completed my morning ritual in the serene environment that the camp provided (Montgomery Bell is one of the better current venues in Northern Meridies) and proceeded to the hall for some break fast and determining what the local 'SCA TIME' adjustment was going to be.
Break Fast involved some very good quiche with BACON! and cheese. That had me humming 'Everything is Awesome!' to myself as I sipped on java and wrote in my journal. Local SCA time was in effect, so I was able to enjoy a casual ramp up to the day with no pressure to rush anything. It made for a very relaxing start as I dove into my second cup of joe and shared some idle chat with some of the populace of the hall.
My friend and mentor, forever part of my SCA life, came to my forethought again as I was pulled into a discussion of SCA belts and meanings for a newcomer. I had a moment. The dialogue concerned the symbol on the tongue of the belt and how that represents the peer who issued the belt. And how, the deeds of the wearer of the belt are being watched by the peer and that a individual witnessing the deeds of the wearer can report those deeds (good or bad) to the peer. Simple truth. I was totally unprepared for the reminder and thankful that the discussion stopped there. My response would have made for an awkward moment for a newcomer discussion. (Back story on the 'why' can be found here)
Eventually, field preparations started up and I found guidance for setting up a sunshade so set to the task. The day was partly cloudy and fairly pleasant early on, though there were some moments later in the afternoon leaning toward hot and humid that were luckily few and far between.
The party for Easaraigh showed up before the tourney started. My wife Ellen, our herald, Asa, and 3 newcomers daytripped to the event. We had a good representation for our group and demonstrated support for our neighbor. Its a good feeling when your home group travels en masse. As they settled in, the heavy tournament got going.
I participated in a basic double elimination tournament with 11 or so other heavy combatants. The fighting was great and everyone was excellent. I went 2 and 2 myself. My fun versus competitiveness demon came to bear causing my biggest issue. This particular demon comes to bear through the concept of 'Act of Chivalry' or AOC. For those of you not in the know, an 'Act of Chivalry' in SCA fighting involves a sacrifice on the part of a fighter in the face of a 'wounded' opponent. For example, I take my opponents legs. As an 'Act of Chivalry' I give up the use of my legs to keep the fight evenly matched.
An 'Act of Chivalry' in SCA fighting can be seen as a very honorable or chivalric thing. And, it can also be seen as a very ignorant thing. There are many arguments for and against. My personal point of view is that it lends itself more to the fun side of fighting and makes it more enjoyable for the spectators. It adds showmanship. Hadi told me that it is an admirable thing to do but don't be stupid with it. If a fighter is better than you and you get an advantage, keep it if you can. Don't surrender it. I *TRY* to stick to this mantra. Anyway, being rusty in my fighting and having an instinctual (if not habitual) need to liberally apply 'Act of Chivalry' through all my fights in the list when the opportunity for AOC presented, I relented to my demon without hesitation. I enjoy the challenge and it is more fun (or punishing now that I think of it) for me at some level when I keep the field level in my mind anyway.
Having only been in armor this year 1 time before the tournament and neglecting to spend any time practicing on my knees, I probably leaned toward the stupid side of the AOC concept. Both fights I lost, I lost after giving an AOC. There are no guarantees that I would have won those rounds, but I did not help my cause any.
Personal philosophy moment: Id rather have fun in my SCA fighting. If victory every becomes more important that fun, Ill walk away.
So, I had fun. I don't think I missed any calls. I enjoyed my opponents and hope that they enjoyed combat with me. That is what it is about. I think you can be successful and have fun. Does it require work? Yes. Does it require sacrifice? Yes. Does it require you to sacrifice your fun. NO!
Anyway, back to the event. Gunnar from Caid won the heavy tourney. Good fighter and a fun opponent (put me in the losers bracket :( ). I had two good deaths (something that has gone out of style it seems) but good fun throughout the tourney. After a short break, pickups started for the heavies and we got into some bear pit rotations. Good fights. Laughter. Camaraderie. Everything you can ask for.
I started to run out of gas later in the afternoon. I managed to stay in armor for 5 hours or so without any major issues. I did get a little dehydrated, but not too bad. DRINK WATER! It was an excellent day for me on the heavy field.
Late in the afternoon, I noticed Sir Valdryk providing some fighter instruction on the field and I wrangled our Easaraigh fighter prospects to go observe. It was an excellent period of instruction for our new guys and some great insight for me as well. Awesome stuff.
There were many other activities at the event that I missed out on but heard good things about during the day. Live weapons and Archery occurred. There was a strong A&S competition and many, many classes. The Rapier fighters had 2 or 3 tournaments. There was an awesome lunch that I missed out on. It was a full day of activities for anyone and everyone. A well rounded, full featured event.
Newcomer support. I can't say enough about how well the locals at the event worked with our newcomers. Glaedenfeld and everyone in attendance set a high bar for the SCA newcomer experience. Iris Faire should be a premier destination for first time event goers.
Early in the evening we sat down for an excellent feast. Everything was top notch. The Kitcheners at Iris Faire outdid themselves. Toasts and at-a-boys all around. Everyone left full and sated with a smile on their face. I don't remember everything I ate, but I remember liking it.
Overall, I can't say enough for how good of an event that Iris Faire was. It was outstanding. The Glaedenfeld team overcame the loss of a stolen trailer of Shire property and pulled off an event that was an excellent example of an event done right. It had the Meridian 'small-town charm' that many of us older SCAdians reminisce about. It served activities to pretty much any and all interests. It was one heck of an event and Glaedenfeld should be very proud of it. Thanks to the Shire of Gaedenfeld. You guys kicked butt.
Well met, friends. Safe journey to thee.
