Eclectic Amateur

Just to prove I’m only “mostly dead”, I finally made it out to the Ann Arbor Sword Club tonight.

Wow. What great, good fun!

I tried out English Sword (1575 Rapier). Those things are heavier than I expected — I’m not sure I’m any quicker with this allegedly small sword than with a longsword. I think the weights are almost equal.

Then, on to the Poll Axe!

The poll axe may now be my favorite toy.

Thanks to David Hoonstra for letting me drop in, and to Matt and Joe for a great time of swordplay.

“Dear friends, let us learn from the Lord Jesus not to judge and not to condemn our neighbor. Let us learn to be intransigent with sin — beginning with our own! — and indulgent with people.”
— Pope Benedict XVI

I learned today that, in the unlikely event of the nock failing just right at the point of release, it’s possible for an arrow to travel sideways, bash you in the nose, and then fly off backwards behind you.

Ow.

Fortunately, no real damage done. But it was exciting, and something you don’t see every day.