A Cadet's Journey

Ld Walter Robin

Steppes Warlord (29 May 00)

One of the bigger tourneys (double elimination) and a prestigious one, I went into this thinking that I needed to win a lot of fights in order to impress somebody. As a result I didn't have much fun; I didn't have very good fights, either.

Now the Play-by-Play:

First fight - Don Duncan Hepburn. I was excited to have Duncan, a newly minted don, as my first match up. I try to experience the "Duel experience" in tourneys. You have one chance, live or die, against someone you've never faced before. We can't simulate the life-threatening aspect, but a tourney match-up has some of the Duel's other aspects. For some reason, I tend to revert and get overly cautious when I face an unfamiliar opponent, so I mess up my range and try sniping. Duncan gave me a glancing blow to the head, and yielded when I sniped both hands. In retrospect, I should have called the head shot as a debilitating wound.

Second fight - Ly Simone. She was fighting me left-handed. I gave her a thrust to the outside over the arm, but she avoided it, falling down while hitting me. The switch to epee was a contributing factor in my demise.

Third fight - David de la Roke. David agreed to take case. Navarre was marshalling our field, so I was determined not to lose. Although he'd been fighting for less than a year, David is a sharp fighter. However, something I've noticed lately, is that my experience is beginning to tell. I can notice moments in the fight where it gives me an advantage. It may be the better range of responses in a hardened fighter's repertoire. David called a relatively light blow, and we had a very clean, enjoyable bout.

Fourth fight - Ly Amerinda di Pragi. Amerinda wished to go rapier and cloak, which was fine with me. We saluted, and I noticed that she looked a little close. My killer instinct was up and I gakked her in the head. Sorry!

Fifth fight - Don Eisen von Kringer. Eisen comes highly recommended as a "fun fight". We took Del Tin and dagger. The fight lasted less than a minute; I threw a shot, he threw a shot, which I parried with the dagger. He hooked around the dagger and hit. It was a bit embarrassing, as that's a technique that I regularly use and teach. Remember: parry the tip with the base of your blade.

Written: 15 Sep 00, Last edit: 15 Nov 00

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