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<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Greetings!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Well, it seems rather obvious that whatever form of
combat we decide will make a monarch, THAT will be the most-watched
combat. Schlager fighting is, indeed, exciting to watch. It is
extremely fast-paced and tends to be more dramatic than heavy combat. (The
latter attribute may be due to the fact that there is no crown on the
line. The rapier fighters add their own drama when circumstances do
not.) The level of athleticism required for each form of combat is
remarkable. My own experiences with them (blessedly brief but epic in the
telling) have taught me great respect for the combatants' strength, endurance,
and agility. To say that rapier combat is to heavy as tofu is to steak
does a great disservice to the rapier community. Are rapier fighters soft
and bland while heavy fighters are robust and full of flavor? The obvious
pejorative connotations aside, it is, at best, a weak analogy created, perhaps,
by ego and familiarity.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Perhaps a closer analogy would be couched in
athletic terms. Say, if you must, that rapier is to heavy as ice hockey is
to football. Then, sir, I will concede the point that these are two
different activities. However, I would ask you to concede the point that
they require many of the same skills. Oh, certainly, I could put on the
heavy armor, heft a shield and sword, and get my helm dented for my
troubles. To be a GOOD heavy fighter I would need far more strength,
stamina, and agility than I currently have and I would have to learn how to
throw shots, block, and maneuver. By the same token, I could don a mask,
brandish a blade, and proceed to be bruised with surgical precision. To be
a GOOD rapier fighter I would need far more .... (see above.) Same skills,
in varying degrees and combinations. Rapier combat IS
fighting.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2>Finally, sir, your response
absolutely reeked of condescension. "Small or otherwise physically
challenged"? First, I wasn't aware that there were size
requirements. ("You must be this tall to wear this
crown.") Second, I didn't realize that rapier was a bone thrown out
to all the little people who just couldn't hack it (no pun intended) with heavy
fighting. Are rapier fighters, therefore, handicapped? In a way,
yes, they are since their form of combat is given such little
consideration. Although they train every bit as hard, sweat as much, and
embrace their sport with all the passion of heavy fighters, they are still
thought of as somehow inferior. (Goodness! I can only imagine with
what disdain we sewing needle-wielders are viewed. :-)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am not advocating a "rapier king"
here. That is a discussion for another time. I simply wish that all
skilled SCAdians be given the proper respect for their crafts. Prowess, in
fighting, sewing, brewing, dancing, etc., should be recognized and
respected.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just my two coppers (and thousand
words)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Cristofana di Lorenzo</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><B>-----Original Message-----</B><BR><B>From:
</B><A href="mailto:Thorgrimm@aol.com">Thorgrimm@aol.com</A> <<A
href="mailto:Thorgrimm@aol.com">Thorgrimm@aol.com</A>><BR><B>To: </B><A
href="mailto:atlantia@atlantia.sca.org">atlantia@atlantia.sca.org</A> <<A
href="mailto:atlantia@atlantia.sca.org">atlantia@atlantia.sca.org</A>><BR><B>Date:
</B>Wednesday, February 06, 2002 9:16 AM<BR><B>Subject: </B>Re: [MR]
Tangent: was: Why should Atlantia care was:
Re:Curiosity<BR><BR></DIV></FONT><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In
a message dated 2/6/02 8:53:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, <A
href="mailto:BWilliamson@extstay.com">BWilliamson@extstay.com</A> writes:
<BR><BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff solid 2px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px"
TYPE = CITE>don't <BR>knock it until you've tried it</FONT><FONT
color=#000000 face=Arial lang=0 size=3 FAMILY =
SANSSERIF></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT color=#000000 face=Arial lang=0
size=2 FAMILY = SANSSERIF><BR> I have tried it. I was one of the many
well meaning folks six or seven years ago who were pushing fencing as a good
alternative for people who couldn't fight. I saw it as a way for small or
otherwise physically challenged people to get a taste of what it's like for
us on the field. But comparing it to fighting is to compare tofu to steak.
<BR> It never occurred to me that people would decide to do it instead
of fighting and then try to convince people it's on the same level. The fact
that so many people think there should be a "rapier king" or that
there should be a special peerage created just proves that the whole thing
has gotten out of hand. <BR> The SCA structure is based on armored
combat. I don't think we can continue to attempt the support of two martial
styles. I believe it is at the root of a lot of our recruitment problems
because it sends out vastly differing images to someone on the outside
looking in. You have on the one hand the chivalry and glory of combat, the
knight in armor that is at the base of everyone's vision of the middle ages,
and on the other a game of tag being played with 19th and 20th Century
accouterments. <BR> The only period duels I have been able to document
were fought in armor with legitimate weapons. The majority of the manuals
which are cited as proving that fencing is period use broadswords, great
swords, and a technique that would require more armor than we use.
<BR> I agree that schlager is a far more reasonable replication
of a period weapon. Unfortunately, you can't use it the way it's meant to be
used with the current fencing armor standards. But I'll argue with you about
the audience. Whenever I've seen fencing and fighting simultaneously
occurring near each other, the vast majority of people in the crowd are
watching the fighting. Regardless of how you try to convince yourself
otherwise, fighting is more exciting to watch. It might please you to think
that folks are watching your exploits with rapt attention, but it usually
isn't the case. <BR><BR>Hrothgar <BR><BR><BR> </FONT>
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