Pennsic!!!

So I had a great Pennsic. I was there for two weeks. There is a lot to talk about, so the format for this post will be a bit different. So much happened that I don't know where to start or what order to put things on, so I guess it will be stream of consciousness.

AJAX'S KNIGHTING

Ajax's knighting was the highlight of the event for a lot of people. He is one of the most popular of the regular cast of SCA characters. His story, of how he was offered the belt, did something stupid, had the offer rescinded, and then hd to wait 19 years and live in three other kingdoms before the offer was made again, is well known. It was a magnificent ceremony, with a neat Greek oath and lots of emotion. He had several spokespeople. It was the first polyamorous knighting ceremony I can recall, as both his wife and his girlfriend escorted him in and put his belt on him. I loved It because I have been advocating for him since he started
doing well in the West. But it meant something more to me: it was the first time that all of my peeps, my Western peers and my Eastern peers, got together for something like a knighting. I love both my kingdoms, my old home and my new one. Thanks to Ajax, Sig, Gui, myself, Andre, Titus, Lucan, Jade, Uther, Roger, and Omega, there is a very strong friendship right now between the Western and Eastern knights. I like that.

THE NEW WORLD ORDER
I don't know that mixing the sides up did anything, really. I found that we and the Midrealm would shake hands and line up next to each other, but we didn't really bond the way we always seem to with the Atlantians or the Aethelmarcans. That intense rivalry leads to intense fighting, and I missed that. I heard people complaining after the belted and unbelted champions battles that it just wasn't as much fun or nearly so intense. That was my impression as well. The Midrealm and East live and breath for Pennsic. I always find the comradery before the champions battles to be one of he most fulfilling feelings of the war. The mid feels the same. But for the rest, it is just a vacation. It is not the same. Rivalries are a good thing. I miss it.

FIGHTING IN GENERAL
Was kind of nasty. I heard complaints on our side about the Tuchux and from the other side about VDK. I am not sure it was tougher than in previous years, in fact I think it was less so. But I did get wrapped from behind in one battle and I did get blindsided and cross-checked over the hay bales once. It was shield on body but it didn't occur to me that it was illegal till about a day later. I didn't really care. My experience was unique because...

MARSHALING
The marshals were being weenies. Not all of them, but a lot. They were extremely zealous. I know somebody who was dragged to marshals court for pushing a Tuchuk off the bridge in a completely legal move. It took about 15 seconds to clear him. The marshal who dragged him in was not even a heavy marshal. It was crazy.

OPENING CEREMONIES
I got to present a banner to Duke Finnvar to commemorate his retirement from fighting. He is the only person to have been king of both the Midrealm and the East at Pennsic (he was king of the East at Pennsic 2 and of the mid at Pennsic 6). More impressively, until Monday, he had fought in every battle at every Pennsic. He received a huge ovation, and the kings cried.

TOWN BATTLE
Was so long ago I barely remember it. I hear we won. I thought it was a silly scenario. The few Ostgardr fighters teamed up with Silverlance, which got us a lot of action. I fought it with sword a shield and had a blast. It was awesome. I was slaying mightily.

BRIDGE BATTLE
I fought with spear for all but one of the five. I liked the way we did it, with five battles with 15 minute time limits. We switched bridges every fight and so we got to fight different units each time. At first my spear work sucked but it picked up by the end. One fight I took out Richard Blackmore's 5 foot pole arm thinking to direct traffic, but I did get a kill with it.

CHAMPIONS BATTLES
I got picked for the combined champions battle, the scenario they usually use for the allied battle, a one hour game of capture the flag with resurrections every three minutes. I used sword and shield. This was the battle I got blindsided in. I fought the whole battle and didn't sub out once. We lost, but I killed a bunch.

WOODS BATTLE
I skipped it. Injury control was my main goal this Pennsic, and I didn't want to stress my Archie's that much.

FIELD BATTLE
I live for the Pennsic field battle. It is my favorite SCA war activity. I took my poleax out. It was awesome. I did have some trouble getting people to take shots from the rubber ax head.

TECHNIQUE
I assisted Paul in his basics class and learned a lot of stuff I was doing wrong. I don't really use his single hip technique, but I learned more about it and have been playing with it. It also sets up Paul's version of the off side body. Check it out at www.bellatrix.org.

MOOSELODGE TOURNEY
The Mooselodge allowed their tourney to be used as a fund raiser for Wanda and Ashley. We raised $396. I was a wreck for the rest of the war.

NOCTURNAL ACTIVITIES
Are you kidding me? What happens at Pennsic stays at Pennsic.:)

It was the best Pennsic ever!