January 13, 2024
On a brisk morning on the 13th day of January, Anno Societatis LVIII, my squire brother, Ronan of Axebridge, and I made our way down from the plateau and warm hearths to visit the Southern Reach of the Barony of Glaedenfeld for an event known as Wing Ding.
The event, a small local gathering, was attended by many familiar faces of our area. There were activities of all types, catering to just about any persons interest as well as a sumptuous lunch provided by the hosts, The Canton of South Reach. There were many classes throughout the day. The lunch of poultry, warm from a smoker, with fresh fruits, vegetables and confections was a pleasure. There were armored and rapier martial activities as well.
Ronan and I participated in the armored combat tournament, the Broken Sword Tournament. This was conducted indoors. I think there were 16 or so fighters there. The format was single elimination with each round set as a best two out of three. Additionally, double kills counted against you. There was also a rule established that leg hits would be fatal. This was enacted to prevent damage to the flooring of the facility during the tournament. I made two rounds. First versus Sir Seamus and then a pass with Martin. Count Bart won the tournament. It was fought well. There was good communication and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
After the tournament, we carried the armored activities outdoors. There, Count Bart challenged all in attendance for the right to lead the Northern Warband. Many boasts in challenge and in jest were heard. This was followed by several very challenging contests for His Excellency. His metal put to the fire. It was hammered and tested. After the dust settled, he was found worthy and stood proudly as Jarl and Ring-giver of the Northern Warband.
I had several good discussions throughout the day. Two topics stuck in my head that I think are worth recording in my retelling of the Wing Ding trip.
The first, while not specifically discussed, but definitely acted upon was morale. More specifically, personal morale. As combatants, especially those walking a path to peerage, we often can find ourselves in a down state. Either we feel like we are ‘losing’ too much or seeing some perceived shortcoming in ourselves that we latch onto and allow self pity to overindulge itself with. This is just the worst thing we can torture ourselves with (and this goes for any activity). For myself, the biggest change I have had in my fighting is when I changed my outlook. There is a period most path walkers go through where we are very critical of ourselves. I did it for a long time. My breakthrough was when I started treating each day in kit as a success, a moment of enjoyment. Telling myself, ‘Hey dummy, you get to put on armor and play today.’ was my change. Every day you do the thing you enjoy is a good day. The specifics of wins and loses and other failings tend to fall away once you just embrace enjoying the activity. All the specifics that you picked at previously start to just become experiences that feed your improvement. You cannot win everything. You can lose everything. But, the W’s and L’s should never be the focus to find success, they are just lessons learned on the journey. I am learning that my personal ‘morale’ of enjoying the time in kit also helps to create an atmosphere for others to also find enjoyment. Like with any interaction, bringing a good attitude into it helps make the experience a positive for everyone sharing it. In short, good morale on my part leads to good morale for others. I’ll take it. It makes things better for me and hopefully, those I am around.
The second observation was a discussion I had with a couple
of folks around goal setting. I stink at this. But, what I do know is that a
goal should always be something you can affect the outcome of. For me, one of
my goals is to be a consistent and challenging opponent for everyone I share
the field with. I can control my actions. I can improve my attack and defense.
These things are mine. ‘I want to be a knight’ is a desire, not a goal. While I
would love to achieve the accolade of Chivalry in the SCA, that is not within
my control. That is for fate to decide and should never be a goal. What I can
do is try to act the part, enjoy what I do, and let the cards play out as they
will. Goals need to be about what you can do and not about what you have no control over.
Our day with the Canton was short. There was a closing court
where the good Baronage of Glaedenfeld rewarded several citizens with
recognition. Many new faces in the recipients. It was good to see. The Barony
is strong and will be so for a long time through the vigor of it citizenry.
Ronan and
I departed and made for the Cumbrian lands to the north in the late afternoon hour. Our thoughts turned to home fires
and the warmth and comfort we would find on our arrival.
Shire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies
