Swinging swords, firing arrows and wielding shields on a battlefield may seem like activities only seen in movies, but University of Oregon’s Belegarth club has been practicing medieval combat for nearly a decade.
Belegarth Medieval Combat Society is a worldwide organization. There are different smaller regional clubs, called realms, all over the world. Tir na nOg is the name of the UO’s realm, founded in 2008. ASUO recognizes and supports Belegarth as a member of club sports. The club meets every Sunday at 2 p.m. and often participates in events locally and around the country.
“Belegarth takes a lot from fencing and LARP culture,” said Evan Schlesinger, president and director of the UO club.
During meetings, people dress in historically accurate costume or get inspiration from fantasy stories like “Lord of the Rings” or “Game of Thrones.” The difference between LARP (Live Action Role Play) and Belegarth is that Belegarth is much closer to a sport, with organized rules and strategies.
“Tank” and “Voss” fight in an activity as part of the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society on the University of Oregon Campus on Fri. May 18, 2017. (Samuel Marshall/Emerald)
Nationally held events usually consist of thousands of fighters participating in different game modes. A popular game mode is called “One for All,” in which fighters form a circle and fight until a single person is left “alive.” Other game modes use teams.
“It’s a sea of people and there’s spears flying and people shouting. Sometimes it’s really sweaty and crazy, and you have to rely on your training.” Schlesinger said.
People often camp and meet new people from other realms during events.
BMCS is a boffer sport, which means members use padded weapons in combat. Players abide by the rules and if they are “killed” they must lie on the ground.
There are four categories of weapons, and each deals a different amount of damage depending on where on the body the person is struck. Damage is based on a point system. Blue weapons are used for swinging — like swords and axes. Green weapons are for stabbing. Red is for a heavy weapon like a big axe, and these can be used to “break” shields. Yellow means throwing; rocks, arrows and spears are all yellow. Weapons can be more than one color, for example, a sword could be blue and green.
Any student can join the group at no cost. UO’s BMCS club has a cache of boffer weapons and can always fashion more if a student desires a different kind. Every weapon must pass inspection to make sure it is safe to use, and members must follow safety rules, like no hitting anyone in the head, unless it’s a projectile, in which case the head and face are fair game.
“The only time we tell someone something negative is when they are doing something dangerous,” said Schlesinger.
Schlesinger said he wants to make new members feel welcome.
He said they find ways to include everybody because of all of the different ways to participate. People of all abilities can join. “It’s very much whatever you feel comfortable with,” he said.
Schlesinger also said that people often assume that only men participate; however, UO’s BMCS club was founded by two women. Now, the club has an exclusively female unit called the Valkyries.
“Their whole thing is ‘we’re not as good as the boys, we’re better than the boys’ — and I can attest to that,” Schlesinger said.
For anyone who is interested in the sport and the culture but not interested in participating in actual combat, there are also members who are non-combat, or non-com, and Schlesinger explained that those members are just as important as any. “Some of the most amazing non-coms have great skills like sewing.”
