WMAW was almost beyond words - truly mind-blowing. If you are at all serious about your WMA scholarship and can manage to make it, you are doing yourself a disservice by not attending. According to Greg and Nicole, the
probable plans are to hold the event biannually in Racine. Starting a piggy bank now will make it easier to afford. We have one going already.
I am having a very hard time composing this post, because I want to say so many good things all at once, and don't know where to begin. Therefore, they will come as they do...
As has been mentioned, the event was set in the amazing Dekoven Center. Beautiful architecture... fine, fine grounds... very suitable "classroom" spaces... the Dekoven staff was top-notch and on the ball... meals were plentiful, nutritious, and way better than expected, especially for catered feed-the-masses food. The setting really led to a feeling of being a 15th Century Courtier in serious training at a Noble's court, university or seminary.
The event was masterfully planned and executed. I don't know what kind of behind-the-scenes hell they had to deal with, but from the front end as a participant, registering and attending was smooth as silk. The WMAW staff all were always on their game and ready to help.
Without exception, the instructors, instruction, and course material were grade-A. Shan-Aan and I talked every evening and a good part of the way home about each of these three topics. Generally, it is easy to pick a favorite in each category. In this case, neither of us could, because everything was just that good. From my point of view, and in the order I took them so I don't miss anything, here are some of my favorite highlights:
On the first day, we had Bill Grandy and Pamela Muir - Intro to
German Longsword. A full class of people with different levels of experience and backgrounds. Bill's structure to the course, obvious fluency in the techniques and theory of the art, and the great assistance from Pamela made for a very, very good and personally beneficial course. Thanks a million to both of you. Bill has this calm, confident demeanor that is really a pleasure to watch, less fun to be on the receiving end of - he's politely and seemingly effortlessly lethal. Hopefully I will be able to develop that smoothness in my own expression of the art. That the class was taught by two folks I'm proud to call "friend" was a nice bonus, as was the fact that there were some old friends in the class with us - the Bristol crew is always fun to hang out with. We also took advantage of some coached free-play in the evening, where Bill was able to really hone in on some of our deficiencies. Had this been all I did that weekend, it would have been worth it.
The second day was filled with getting back up off of the ground.
We started off with Roger Siggs - Marozzo's Dagger and Fist. Roger, Thayne, and Joshua were all friggin' cool. I'd love to spend a month working with these guys every day. Working from some of Fiore's and Marozzo's dagger plays, we learned all kinds of easy but nasty ways to defend against the knife/dagger-wielding thug, generally ending with them in a lot of pain on the ground, bar floor, alley trash heap... I think for me, the class was as much fun because of these guys personalities as for the subject matter. In another post, Bill Grandy said to be prepared to make some new life friends. Hopefully that happened here.
Next was Doctor Bill's Wrestling at the Hilts class. Bill is nuts in such a good way. Very serious in his studies, but he just enjoys this stuff so much he almost gets giddy. All kinds of nasty ways to defeat your opponent once things get closer than close. Yeah, fun to just snag someone's sword and toss 'em on their head. One thing that impressed me about the participants, instructors, and staff in general, and especially Bill was the constant eye on safety. As Bill stated in this class (paraphrased): This stuff is so sexy... It's just too damned easy to get it right. Please be mindful, keep it sane.
Later in the day, we caught locks and binds by Rob and Mark from The Exiles. Dagger, no dagger, sword, whatever... just take what is presented, bind them up, toss them, disarm them, break them... all from a couple of blokes from across the pond who were something of a cross between skinheads and Monty Python. Solid practitioners, excellent people, great instructors.
I vaguely remember crawling into bed that night... doubt I moved much. My aches had pains. What an awesome day!
Day three continued the string of cool stuff.
We started off with Rob and Mark again for "Using dei Liberi's System Beyond the First Blow". Right back into the fun with these guys. I absolutely love 'em. Tactics, tactics. Rob and Mark had a very clean, clear decision tree, presenting a very concise, very effective method of applying the art. Though using specific plays from Fiore's system, the thought process can easily be transferred to any martial art. Well organized, well thought out, and well instructed.
Later that afternoon, we had Colin Hatcher's Applying Fiore's Grappling to Groundfighting. Admittedly, there are two lines that I will likely draw in my training. First, I doubt I'll ever engage in Knightly equestrian activities. Second, I doubt I'll focus hardcore on the groundfight. That said, Colin was able to demonstrate and teach some good fundamentals should I ever find myself in a real-life situation. This stuff is downright scary, and you have to have good communication and trust with your training partner. Fortunately, I was able to work with Dan from CSG. Way-cool guy, good martial artist.
Following this, it was off to a lecture, again by Colin, about his interpretation of the meanings of the animals in Fiore's Segno. Nicely organized, well presented. Cool stuff. One of the points made by (or, rather, extrapolated from) this lecture was just how heavily cultured and educated a lot of these Courtiers and Nobles actually were. Not a lot of new material here, save some additional bestiary references I wasn't aware of prior, but a lot of fun to attend.
We did not attend the feast (regrettably, as it would have been great social time), opting for a quiet evening of relaxing and recuperation.
The fourth day was a bit lower key.
Started off with Guy Windsor's I:33 class. We were mentally wiped, and audited the class. The method of interpreting and testing the interpretation of any treatise (not just I:33, though MS I:33 was used as the example) was interesting. Additionally, this was our first time working with any sword and buckler techniques, so was a help there as well.
After a decent lunch, I went off to Jorg's Armoured Dagger Combat of Gladitoria class. Hmm... Jorg assisted by Christian, in a subject that both are highly effective and passionate about. This couldn't be anything but a great class. Brutal disarms and techniques against an armoured opponent, though by following through a little more they can be quite effective against an unarmoured one as well. Another class with some potential real-world application. Here, I had the fortune of working with my friend Robert Jenks for a training partner. Thank you for not hurting me, Bob!
Wrapping up the fourth day and the weekend, we then were off to Christian's Sword and Buckler of the Liechtenauer Tradition. This weekend presented the first opportunity to meet Christian in person. What a truly fantastic guy. Bill assisted, and the two together made for a very clear, very fun class. Though everyone was thoroughly whipped, both physically and mentally, this was a very upbeat and informative intro into the German side of the sword and buckler, which certainly sparked an interest for S&B work as a secondary focus.
We wrapped up the weekend without more than a couple of minor bruises and some sore muscles, and heads and hearts full of wonderful things.
On the participants: All of the folks who came to participate were just downright cool. I know I met a lot of people I have seen here on these forums, as well as a bunch of others I'd had no prior contact with. That was a load of fun, and I sincerely hope to see you all again in the future.
A couple of personal notes here...
First, to Pamela -
Pamela Muir wrote: |
I finally got to meet my dear friend Aaron Schnatterly and his truly lovely wife Shan-Aan in person. |
Pamela, you're such a sweetheart! Funny how we've been such good friends for a couple of years (or has it been closer to 3?!?) despite never having met in person. We're both so glad to have had the opportunity, and a little sad that we didn't have more time. We'll have to remedy that in the future. You have my contact info - never hesitate.
Christian - I really appreciate our discussions outside of class, as well as your signing our copy of In Service of the Duke. You mentioned wanting to make it out this way sometime. When you manage, we'd love to have you over for dinner. Also, when (not if and hopefully soon) I manage a pair or two of gothic gaunts, I'll be certain to tell Jiri about your glowing review of your pair, as he most assuredly has my business for them. Thank you also for your kind words regarding my scabbard work. That made me feel exceptionally good.
Bill - Great to catch up again, brother! Again, thanks for all your help and support. Some comments on your comments:
Bill Grandy wrote: |
I think Albion made a killing off of those of us from the Virginia Academy of Fencing: Between us, we picked up five Maestro line Meyers, a Soldat, a Gallowglass, and a Landgraf. I guess we felt bad for Harlan, who had to keep cleaning the swords after us putting our grubby fingerprints all over their other incredible swords while trying to decide which ones we liked best. ;) |
Felt bad for Harlan? How many times did one of you folks wander too close to the booth and suddenly find one of those pieces suddenly just appear in your hands, taunting you? Believe me, this just satiates H's latent sadistic tendencies... :p Wiping fingerprints is a small price to pay. Though Shan-Aan and I were there as participants only, trying to separate ourselves from the business, it was great to see how Albion did fare (and, of course, the other vendors present - there's room for us all!).
Craig, Nicole, Scott, Allen - great also to be able to meet and share. Hope to see you folks again soon!
Also, a quick thank you to everyone who expressed interest in (and especially those of you who purchased) our wooden rondels. Shan-Aan (with a bit of help from me) turned some very beautiful pieces out of some exotic woods. We'll be glad to do more of those, should anyone be interested... ;)