This weekend was full of fun SCA activities. On Saturday Ben and I went to Journey to the Crusades hosted by Caer Gelynniog. It was a very enjoyable event and also a busy one for me. I authorized in both heavy rapier and epee. Now I can do rapier activities at events. Now to just get a fencing tunic done so I can look more period stylish too. ;)

Also at JTTC I tried my hand at thrown weapons (spears, axes, knives). Turns out that I either have some skill or good beginner's luck because I placed second in the thrown weapons competition. Really, I was just happy to have anything stick in the target.

Some of the UVA students did quite well too. Dan & Karen authorized in rapier, Charles authorized in heavy and he took first in the thrown weapons. Congrats to them and go Isenfir!

Beyond the things we did at JTTC, there was just the enjoyable atmosphere of the place. It was a beautiful site, lots of room, and plenty of shade (though perhaps not enough for some). There was no indoor space but there was electricity so we enjoyed a great feast that evening. No matter how many delicious feasts I go to, I always end up eating too much in the early courses and never having quite enough room by the end. Luckily it was a nice long feast so it mostly had time to settle before dancing. That being said, we started with all the slow dances first.

If you are interested in meeting us or getting involved there are many on grounds opportunities for you to do so. You can join us at any point during a semester or summer and all local activities are free unless otherwise stated. The calendar and email lists have the final information for scheduling. Use the contact form to reach us.

The two most regular on grounds activities are dance and fight practice. See below for details on these and the rest of our activities.

Dance

1st & 3rd Wednesdays at 7pm in New Cabell room 123. We learn and practice European Renaissance dances. Come learn and enjoy the social and courtly dances of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. No partner or experience is needed. In addition, no special clothes or shoes are required.

Fight Practice

Regular Thursday night fight practice takes place on grounds. Come out to see the physical side of history! Anyone interested in matters medieval is welcome, with an emphasis on the martial side of things. If you want to give heavy weapons combat or rapier a try, wear comfortable clothes and athletic shoes or boots. There's no fee for instruction!

We practice on Grounds from 5:30 until dark (or later) at the Dells behind Ruffner Hall every Thursday during Daylight Savings Time, weather permitting. (This is between Bonnycastle Rd. and Ruffner Hall, adjacent to parking lot R-1.)

Practices are outside, so during the winter and in case of rain we practice on the lower level of the Scott Stadium Parking Garage. For last minute updates, call Corby at 434-207-8437 Thursday during the day.

Hand Crafters

2nd & 4th Wednesdays at 7:30 off campus. Contact Kendra if you need a ride or directions. At handcrafters we do a variety of things including sewing, playing period card games, and occassionally a movie. You don't need to bring a project, you are more than welcome to just socialize or learn something new.

Thrown Weapons & Archery

4th Sundays at 1pm off campus. Contact Kendra if you need a ride. Loaner equipment is available if you are interested in giving it a try.

Workshops

In addition, we occassionally hold workshops on various subjects. In the past we have done ones on creating garb (design and sewing help was readily available), creating personas, cooking, mask making, and many others. Consult the calendar for exact times & dates of upcoming ones. These can be held on or off campus.