A battle cry bellows from the mouth of an armored warrior, his breath wispy in the misty afternoon air. He scans his opponent a few feet away before swinging his broadsword at his foe’s upper body. The move proves disastrous, as his sword meets a readied shield, his opponent matching the blow with a saber into his torso.
Two points — he’s out.
For a brief period each Sunday, the lawn outside the Erb Memorial Union becomes a battlefield of foam weapons and meticulously crafted armor. It’s a stark contrast to the tedium of studying and solitude that Sundays usually bring.
The foam swords and shields are all part of a highly organized sport called “boffing,”@@http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=boffing@@ which unlike live-action role-playing does not require players to fantasize. The Sunday combatants belong to a medieval combat society called Belegarth, which divides players into “realms” that can be pitted against other realms for sport.
“It’s a cathartic release,” University student Curtis Wilson@@call about@@ said. “You get to have fun walloping friends.”
The rules are simple. Players start with two hit-points. A jab to the arm or leg results in one point, and blows to the torso are two points. Armor and special weapons add more complications to the point system.
Battles can range anywhere from one-on-one to full-scale war, with dozens of combatants against each other at a single time.
The realm, which meets outside the Erb Memorial Union every Sunday, is called Tir na Nog, a reference to the Otherworlds of Irish mythology.@@http://www.allaboutcelticsymbols.com/CelticMyth.xhtml@@ It is a University club and is officially recognized @@by whom?@@as a sport.
Mika Life can’t quite evade Curtis Wilson’s foam sword attack as they warmed up before the University group, Tir Na nOg, met on the EMU lawn. Life, Wilson, and the rest of Tir Na nOg participate in Belegarth, a sport replicating medieval combat using foam weapons. (Aaron Marineau/Emerald Archives)
University student and boffing participant Steven Blakely@@call about@@ was able to make up credit from a physical education class by practicing every week with the club.
“There’s a lot more focus on athleticism than make-believing. I look at it more as a sporting event,” Blakely said. “It’s one of those things I have a passion for. It speaks to me.”
For as much skill and practice the sport takes, players also place considerable thought and time into the intricacies of their battle garb and weapons. University senior Sam Redding@@http://uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Sam%2ARedding@@ has logged more than 400 hours making his hand-crafted chainmail armor and highly detailed tabard.
“I started with making armor, then began playing,” Redding said.
Tir na Nog welcomes all prospective or tentative athletes to the battlefield and supplies foam swords to those who want to play.
“We’re just out here having fun,” he said.
