The grass glistens with the glow of a recent autumn rain. Giant foam swords and protective shields lay scattered under the trees as the group runs freely through the muddy lawn. A passerby stares from a distance, intrigued by the graphic battles unfolding in broad daylight. Members of the unique University student group dress in “period garb” to match their foam-padded fighting equipment, modeled after medieval weaponry.
The group belongs to the national Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. The organization is dedicated to a sport in which members use any legal foam-padded weapon to fight each other in aggressive, high-intensity duels. In Belegarth, each local chapter has its own realm name and most realms practice fighting techniques on a weekly basis. The University’s realm adopted the name Tir na nOg, which means Land of the Eternal Youth, according to the group’s Web site.
“We’re constantly dueling and improving,” Tir na nOg group leader Tim Neumannsaid. “We also have group battles called ‘meat grinders,’ where it’s everyone against everyone.”
Similar to Live Action Role Playing, Belegarth uses medieval practices and techniques in its battles. However, Belegarth does not call for its members to fight in character, nor does it associate itself with magic, Neumann said.
“It’s more of a sport than a recreation,” Neumann said. He added that if members do not own medieval attire, they can fight in whatever they are wearing. For more official battles, members must refrain from wearing jeans and clothes with logos.
The group boasts about 25 people, with 10 to 18 members practicing on any given Sunday.
Neumann first joined the Belegarth phenomenon when he was in high school back in Bend, Ore. When a number of his friends expressed an interest in continuing their creative hobby, Neumann and five others took the initiative to start Tir na nOg at the University at the beginning of the summer.
“I like being able to come out here and feel the sense of camaraderie,” Neumann said. “These are all open minded people. I mean, you have to be open minded to be doing this. It’s great exercise, and it’s a fun way to meet new people.”
In the eight weeks the group has been practicing, the injury count remains low. Neumann said he is the only person in Tir na nOg who has been injured.
“I’m the only one, and I walked away with a cracked rib,” Neumann said. “It wasn’t because of a sword, though. It was because the other guy flew at me and cracked my rib.”
Because of the foam padding inside each weapon, injuries generally don’t occur.
Neumann said he made most of the weapons using rope, fiber glass and fence posts.
“As long as they’re designed safely, we can use anything from bows and arrows, javelins, spears and flails,” Neumann said. He reviews each weapon before approval and requires each participant to sign the nationwide Belegarth liability waiver. Neumann warns members they are not allowed to take any head shots. After that, the group is free to practice techniques.
Each battle abides by a two-point system in which hitting an opponent counts for two points and each limb is one point.
Although the majority of the group’s members are men, Neumann said the group has about five women who go out to practice every Sunday.
University sophomore Shannon Sullivan joined Tir na nOg because many of her roommates lured her into the world of Belegarth.
“I just like getting outside and doing something physically hard,” Sullivan said in between duels. “It’s not like a direct sport with tryouts or sign-ups. We just get to roll around and get muddy.”
Even in the rain, the group treks through the mud and embraces the weather to make the most of the battles.
“The laundry bill at our house is pretty bad,” University student and Tir na nOg member Eric Zaneveld said.
Sullivan often notices students filing past the EMU lawn, watching the fights awkwardly. Zaneveld and Sullivan agreed that sword fighting before a rough week of classes serves as a great stress reliever.
“People see it and think, ‘Those weird role-playing people again,’” Sullivan said. “But really, it’s just something you did as a kid.”
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