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Pink Ribbon Tournament |
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Combat
Combat:
Armored Combat, Rapier and Youth Combat (standard age groups) will each be able to fight in 2 Tourneys.
- Defending Their Honor Single Sword double elimination tourney. Each fighter needs $5 donation to enter the tourney and they are to fight for the honor or memory of someone affected by breast cancer. This disease has touched so many of us, finding the name of someone should not be difficult.
- Ransom Tourney fought Bear Pit-style. Each fighter needs $1 donation for each fight. For example if you win 5 fights in a row, and then lose, you will be asked to donate $5 to re-enter the field. So you ultimately pay for all the fights you have won to stay in the tourney. The victor will be determined based on points, 2 for each win, 1 for each loss. It will be a test of how long will your stamina and donations hold out!
Fighters! Think about asking your friends, family, warband and co-workers to sponsor you to enter and buy more lives in the tourneys. Come to the event with a pocketful of THEIR money so you can fight all day. Better yet, invite them to attend and support you, while we all support this worthy cause!
About SCA Combat
Armored combat in the SCA resembles medieval foot tournaments. Combatants can face each other in single combat in tournaments, or can take part in large melee battles that can have dozens or even hundreds of combatants on each side.
Since we prefer that no one gets hurt, SCA combatants wear real armor and use rattan swords. Rattan, which looks like bamboo but has a solid core, is springy enough to absorb some of the force of the blow without snapping, and light enough to approximate the weight of a steel sword. Swords are constructed by wrapping a yard-long piece of rattan in duct tape and attaching a hilt. Building armor is much more complex – a complete suit has many parts, which can be made from hammered steel, rivets, leather, even rigid plastic (if well-disguised). Some pieces of armor can take many, many hours to construct.
Novice fighters are trained by the more experienced fighters. They are taught how to use their weapons, how to defend themselves, and how to judge blows received in combat. Every fighter on the field is on his/her honor to accept a blow sufficient to "wound" or "kill". At the end of training, if the marshals (our safety officers) decide that the fighter is safe – not necessarily good, but unlikely to hurt him or herself or an opponent – then the fighter is considered authorized to fight. The process of becoming authorized can take from a few weeks to several months.
Another type of SCA combat is fencing, also known as rapier combat. Participants use real blades and for protection they wear regulation fencing masks, padded torso protection, and shirts and pants made from heavy fabric to protect their limbs. Unlike modern fencing, SCA fencing is done "in-the-round", and combatants can fight in close with their opponents. Blows are acknowledged by the recipient (as in armored combat), not by a set of judges. Fencers can face each other one-on-one in tournaments, or in large melee battles with dozens or even hundreds on a side.
SCA fencing has its own set of marshals who supervise the authorization process. New fencers must demonstrate their knowledge of the rules and ability to participate safely before they can compete in tournaments.
In all SCA combat, safety is the most important consideration. There are armor requirements and rules which all participants must follow. Before combat begins, the marshals inspect the combatants' equipment to make sure they are safe. During the battles, the marshals watch for unsafe situations and keep spectators safe.