Through some channels I have through my participation in the SCA I heard about an incident in which a man who owns a tattoo shop named James 'Ogre' Tate put himself in a situation to protect a pregnant woman recently. In the process he received multiple injuries from a knife attack. Now, I don't know Mr. Ogre from anyone, but I happen to have learned that he also participates in the SCA. This combined with his heroic act motivated me to send a few bucks to the charity page he has up for medical bills. That's the way to put yourself out there man and do the right thing and I'm happy to see little acts of heroism like this alive in the world. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Now reading about this, combined with some other personal life events (I'm turning 40) has me turning a bit introspective about my participation in the SCA and one of the primary things I do within it; heavy armored stick fighting. Now, keep in mind I wrote 'musings' at the top, so there really is no telling where this is going.
Within the SCA I have been fortunate to attain the status of knight. This is not an easy thing to do and so there is some real feeling of merit and accomplishment in reaching it. We often keep it simple in our group (I did mention we hit each other in the head with sticks) when describing what it means so it runs along the lines of saying someone 'got pretty good at hitting people with sticks and wasn't too much of a d*ck!'. That is a tremendous condensation of it, but also very true.
The Not Being a D*ck
Crude? Absolutely. I am a military brat after all and spent 5 years in the service myself, 4 active duty Navy. There's all kinds of crude up in here! Nonetheless, the statement illustrates the initial point. On and off the field we are an organization heavily intertwined with idealized and romanticized versions of chivalry. Fundamentally, we are an organization about historical education but also about honor and integrity. The unique thing about this ideal is that it creates a community of people that are often not only trying to be good people, but actively trying to be better people. Now when you end up surrounded by folks like that, you almost can't help but eventually learn to pull up your boot straps and put your big boy pants on. I can say without any degree of hesitation that I have met some of the very best people I have ever known within the SCA; people that have motivated me to not only want to be a better fighter in the lists, but to be a better man. It isn't about a hobby at that point and it bleeds over in to how you live your life. So, I feel a bit of pride in who we are as a group when I hear about Mr. Tate and his actions. He may or may not be a knight, but he did something knightly.
The Getting Pretty Good
Did I mention I've been doing this 14 years? If you want to get good at something like this sport, plain and simple, you are probably going to have to put some blood and sweat on it. Not only that, but you'll probably have to do it for a long time too. Patience, perseverance and a type A personality go a long way. :) I recently whipped my fat ass into shape physically after years of being medically obese. If you put your mind to a task, you'll often surprise yourself with what you can get done. You can fail, you just can't quit.
For me though, probably just as important as having the driving factor of determination is possessing a 'Love of the Game'. I have to admit, when motivated, the fighting part has never been especially hard for me. Even when I totally sucked and was getting regularly crushed. Why? I just freakin' love it! During a campfire chat I had a friend tell me over the weekend that I exhibited more joy in the fight than any 5 other fighters he knew. That makes me both happy and sad. I want everyone to have that feeling. It is my secret to success so far I guess. Love it. If you love it, working to get better isn't really work at all. For me, it is a great way to just feel alive. The primal physical challenge of it carries over into confidence. That confidence helps define who you are and what your actions in life will be. It helps make regular people feel like they can do uncommon things at the right moments.
Like Mr. James 'Ogre' Tate.
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