Lookout Mountain Camp for Boys (Mentone, AL)
Barony of Iron Mountain
September 11-13, 2015
The Hadi Banner Tour made its 6th stop at Kingdom Fighter's Collegium.
I set my tent up near others in grass covered rocky area set aside for that purpose. Sir Madach, Sir Cona and Sven were already there and we made fast and pleasant company as we setup our temporary dwellings. Rain soon set in. I found some hard shelter on a cabin porch and watched the rain for a bit. As the rain died down, I finished 'gearing up' and wandered around a bit. It is really a lovely site, even in the rain. I discovered a sandwich waiting for me in Duchess Katrinas Wolf and Unicorn tavern which I found tasty. I enjoyed some conversation with Sir Mandin while I ate.
Later in the evening, I went back to my tent and found Sir Hrothgar had arrived. The 'tenting' crew decided to return to the 'Mead Hall' (for lack of a better term, it is actually an old barn converted into a activity building for the camp) to see who else had arrived and do some socializing. I tagged along and we ran into some more familiar faces (for me anyway). The conversation was pleasant and enjoyable. It was good catching up with Sir Griff and Sir Valdryk. THere was some concern that there wouldn't be enough squires for the next days activities, but that proved to be a non-issue.
Saturday was the best day I have seen this year. The sun was bright. The temperature was mild. There was a cool breeze all day long. It was made to order for an SCA event.
I started my day with some java and an interesting breakfast. The Iron Mountain folk had skewered a sausage ball, biscuit dough and an egg (boiled) on a stick and baked. Unusual and good. It went well with the mornings conversation in the feast hall. I don't remember everyone's name at the table (I come by the failing naturally, I do remember Eldric and Sir Geoffrey), but the company was top notch and I was appreciative.
My mood was full of anticipation as I strolled back to my tent on a wooded trail. I gathered my kit and went to the field.
The field was quickly filling with players in the fun that would follow. I was able to setup my shade between the fine folks from Glaedenfeld and Brealthen. The whole affair was very casual and ran on a traditional SCAdian schedule. I was very happy for this after having suffered weeks of mundane timelines, milestones and playbooks at work.
As we eased into the day, I found my first class was with HRH Wulfstan on Heater Shield technique. It was a great class. Part of it was refresher for me, as I recently returned to my heater. But a large part of it was new and informative. HRH is a good teacher and knows his business. His observations on footwork and training methods were great takeaways. I also found some of his 'fun stuff' to be interesting (the passive shield hook for instance) and might be seen by some of you that cross sticks with me in the future. The class was a good mix of instruction, demonstration and practical. I found the peer discussions in the breakout to be a lot of fun.
The second class I took was from Sir Erick Griffin and Sir Hrothgar on Predictable Fighting. The class focused on how to watch fighting to identify bad habits, tells and tags in both yourself and your opponent. We discussed methods for breaking routines and ways to help peer fighters improve. Communication is important. There was some conceptual talk of 'greater good', though not directly. The idea that if I help my opponent be better, I will benefit. We also did some pickups and reviewed what we saw. To end the class we talked about training methods. Lots of knowledge was shared in a very 'water cooler' type of atmosphere.
My last class of the day was the only one that gave me any apprehension. The class was on
Sir Baras is passionate in regards to the style and an obvious supporter of it. Micheal, who I met for the first time, was also a long time two-stick player. That left me and Angus, who was a new entrant in the two-stick game.
After some theory discussion and chat, the class turned into a workshow for Angus and I. Baras asked me what my concerns were and what my skill level was. I explained that I thought I would be rusty and that my left would be weak. We paired off and sparred some. I found that the rust, was not much of an issue. I also found that both hands were working fairly well. My timing and footwork turned out to be the main issues I had. Michael and Sir Baras were able to identify some things and I could feel immediate impact in my game from their suggestions. I sparred some more with Michael and could feel my game get stronger as I went.
The Two-stick class was the most fun I had all day. I felt inspired afterward to return to it. I have doubts about being that oddball fighter doing something different, but it isn't always about going along, sometimes its about doing what you are good at. Eric pointed out that 'Two-stick will make baby Jesus cry'. Lol. We'll see. But, I did find some enjoyment there that I was missing I think and maybe found that one thing in my fighting that brings me the closest to my fallen mentor in my game. There is some peace of mind in that.
Sir Baras and Michael capped off a truly awesome day on the field for me. Sharing part of my day with them made it better. That is a win.
The afternoon fell into some loose conversations and pickups. My day had ran its course, so I sat in the shade as my armor aired out and watched reflecting on the day and reviewing what I had learned.
After tearing down my shade and stowing my gear, I prepared for court. Court was a bardic affair that was only interrupted by Their Majesties and Their Highness's arrival and departure (almost quite literally).
Court ended and I made my way to the feast hall where I ran into Sir Valdryk and company outside the building. I ended up sharing my feast with the Glaedenfelders and it made for a good time. Feast was a simple and mundane affair as KFC has become over the recent years. The food was good and their was plenty of it.
Additional bardic was held during feast and as a squire, I found myself pulled into squire Rockette line (some tradition that I managed to miss out on for 25 years) for one tune that my grumpy muse refuses to remember the name of. Graf Ulrich has since informed me that 'Knights Boy Knights' is the tune in question.
After feast, I was very pleased to find myself helping kick the feastcrat and crew out of the kitchen and cleaning up the hall. Sir Griffin and I had talked about it earlier (during a 'good ole days' conversation) and noted how much we missed that activity. Several knights and squires made short work of the kitchen and feast hall prep. Satisfaction achievement earned.
Its odd how a small bit of service like that gave me a warm feeling the rest of the evening. The SCA is built on service. Its is so awesome when service is rendered freely and earnestly. I think its even better when you know that it had an impact on someones day. I don't know how much time the Iron Mountain feast crew was in the kitchen that day. But, I know when they left. And that is cool. At-a-boys all around to the crew that pitched in and made someones day a little bit easier and shorter.
I hung out with Griff and Valdryk for a bit after feast. We reviewed the day and some of the cool things we learned and saw. We eventually found our way to the bardic circle that surrounded Sir Madach's brazer. Traditional SCAdian songs were sung late into the night.
Tired, content and happy with the day I was able to share in with fellow Meridians, I found my way to my cot. As the bardic continued, I was sung to sleep by brothers and sisters of Meridies. This was a good day.
The morning arrived early on the mountain. I broke camp and made farewells to those I could find that early in the day.
Iron Mountain did a great job with the event and I humbly thank them for their efforts. Nature granted us a blessed weather day. Everyone in attendance that I met was gracious and in good spirits. The chivalry was top notch all day long teaching and mentoring. I hadn't been to a KFC in a long time and my return to the event could not have been any better. Thank you all!
Well met, friends. Safe journey to thee.
Squire of House Aspiring
Seneschal, Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies
