Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

Where are all the warriors of ABQ..???

So I have been in the burque for close to 4 years now. I belong to this little group called the Society for Creative Anachronism. Which is a non profit group who's educational focus is on European history pre-17th century. It is a global organization and a true society. The world is divided into Kingdoms with its rulers decided by skill at arms. Albuquerque is part of a region know as the Barony of Al-barran within the Kingdom of the Outlands. It has close to 500 paid members and several hundred non member participants. As a Knight within the society I was ready to pitch my pavillion and start recruiting new squires to train. I hit all the local events to find that all the currently active fighters were already squired to a Knight. So we started hitting the parks, skate parks, demo's, the colleges, all the usual things one does to recruit new members into the society. However to my surprise, no one over the age of 12 is interested..! People seem interested in watching, but not participating. My brain is not sure what to think of this. It has been my experience for close to 15 years now that when you tell someone "hey, you will get to put on this cool armor and fight people all day. Then we'll clean up, put on our fancy clothes, grab a drink and go running from camp to camp to watch the belly dancers" they knock you down trying to get to the gear and give it a try. Then after a few months they learn that there is more to the society then just fighting. You learn about history, scribal arts, fiber arts, blacksmithing, medieval cooking, homebrewing - if there is something about the ancient or mediaval world you're interested in, its here! But no one here is interesed in fighting. At first I thought it was a fluke. But now that I have been looking for the warriors of the Burque for going on two years now and discussing the opportunites with people from all social and economical backgrounds I am convinced that there is something in the water here that is taking the fight out of their warriors at a young age. As I stated earlier, I can round up as many 12 year olds as I want and they will fight their little asses off all day long. But by the time they hit the magical age of 14 the warrior spirit has left them.

I must find this evil that is stealing the souls of our local warriors and destroty it..!!
Now if I could only find a few more warriors to help me with this quest and bring back the warriors of the Burque..!!

YIS,

Sir Seth Williamson of Exeter
"who doesn't want to beleive that there are no more warriors in the ABQ"

Tags: al-barran, camping, costuming, drumming, fencing, fighting, garb, outlands, sca, singing

13 Comments

Comment by Rudolfo Carrillo on April 4, 2008 at 11:47am: When I was in my mid-twenties, a woman I was dating dragged me to several SCA events. She was named after one of the signs of the zodiac, but spelled backwards. One of the events she took me to was called the "Grand Outlandish". We visited with her friends, the "Pirates" and the "Gypsies". The "Gypsies" had a lot of drums, which they played at night, but during the day, they listened to recordings of the Grateful dead. The Pirates had a propane heated hot-tub made from a cattle trough. Someone mentioned that they were cooking bear meat on the primitive grill at the next encampment. It was very hot and dry in the Manzano mountains, where the event took place, over the memorial day weekend. The next day, I saw Richard Berthold wandering around, dressed as if he had just returned from feudal Japan.

Comment by Dianne P. on April 4, 2008 at 12:31pm: when i was a kid, we used to watch the SCA guys beating the crap out of each other in hyder park on saturdays. good times.

Comment by usemoreglue on April 4, 2008 at 12:55pm: That's because our docile, laid-back, nature only allows us to perk up our ears at the sound of belly dancing, homebrewing, medieval cooking, blacksmithing, and fiber arts. Why put on sweaty armor when you can just sit in the shade and sip a home brew?

Maybe you need to start insulting their moms. Or trucks. Or perhaps you should just head over to the Silver Fox,* and hit someone over the head with a Carta Blanca bottle.

*If I were saavy to linking madness, that would so be clickable, here you go anyway:

http://archives.dukecityfix.com/index.php?itemid=2787

Comment by Yikes! on April 4, 2008 at 1:13pm: KING ARTHUR: Whoa there!
[clop clop clop]
SOLDIER #1: Halt! Who goes there?
ARTHUR: It is I, Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon, from the castle of Camelot.
King of the Britons, defeator of the Saxons, sovereign of all England!
SOLDIER #1: Pull the other one!
ARTHUR: I am,... and this is my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the
length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my
court at Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master.
SOLDIER #1: What? Ridden on a horse?
ARTHUR: Yes!
SOLDIER #1: You're using coconuts!

Comment by Don Pizzolato on April 4, 2008 at 1:42pm: Reno 911 has a running SCA storyline. Hilarious.

Comment by Kitson Harvey on April 4, 2008 at 1:43pm: Don't you mean banish-ed, Masshole? Or was the Shakespearean accent implied?

Thinking about the issue of getting laid: I dated a guy after college who staged sword fights for theme parks for a living, and I'm maybe kinda into it. Sometimes I sort of drive slowly past that park on Lomas & Carlisle, checking out the guys in their tabords (I think that's what they're called?) Not that I've ever, you know, gotten out of my car or anything. That seems a little too alarmingly Arrested Development (wacky deluded cougar shows up at SCA sword fight, tries and fails to pick up guy - Season 2, Episode 3).

Okay, that was too much information.

But wait! Maybe what I mean is this: It's nice to find a guy with a hobby other than talking about his job.

Comment by Celine on April 4, 2008 at 2:05pm: Sir Mass is doubly right, no pretty girls, why no pretty girls? Cause the not-pretty old females chase them away. Seen it with my own eyes. And who wants to be someone else's squire? Fetch, carry sweat all for the honor of being a servant . . . why not expend that energy on your own life?
Want more people in the SCA, make it MORE fun than other games and they will come . . .

Comment by Freekbuoy on April 4, 2008 at 2:11pm: Where does the 20-sided die fit into all of this?

Comment by Masshole in Fringecrest on April 4, 2008 at 2:27pm: How come I can't see my awesomely written snarktome?

Comment by Adelita on April 4, 2008 at 2:40pm: Hmmm. I just met a young woman who is involved in SCA and she is drop dead gorgeous, sharp as a tack and extremely witty. If she is representative of the folks involved, I think they are a fine bunch!

Where are all the warriors of ABQ..???

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