[Artemisia] Question for Kurtis/William (was Yay for Good TV! :D)

[Sean Oppenheimer]

In case you missed it, here is a bit of a start for Tamar and others
 
http://history.westkingdom.org/Year13/Video/JuneCrown.htm
 
It is fascinating to me to consider that this video was filmed a mere 4 years before my love affair with the current middle ages began.  I remember the carpet armor, the freon can and army pot helmets.   
 
I started fighting a bit less than eight years after this video was taken.  For some reason, the fighting that was happening when I got started seems to have been VASTLY improved in that time.  I am constantly preaching about the evolution of our sport.  Our fighting really needs to be better than it was 47 years ago.  Likewise, our sport should be more refined now that it was 20 years, 10 years, even 5 years ago.  And I believe it is.  The sport, as a martial art is much more refined.  The armor continues to improve.  The overall look and feel of our fighters is much more medeival now than it was when we became a Kingdom.  I was recently tagged in a photo from an Uprising in 1996 or 1997.  I was amazed at how much better my look is now.  
 
But, that's kind of the point isn't it?
 
Sean
 
> 
> In a similar light, the way the SCA learned....pretty much 
> everything.....about armored combat was to get in there and do it. I 
> don't know if anyone has written a history about the development of this 
> fighting form; but I think it would be an AWESOME read if they did. I 
> can imagine that every step of the way, issues like switching from hard 
> wood sticks to rattan, the development of helms as we use them today, 
> shield construction, and dozens of other implementation details had 
> their roots in the school of hard knocks. There are probably even a 
> bunch of fighters here in this kingdom who were part of that evolution. 
> This is our history, and I'll bet you money that there's a great story 
> in there.
> 
> Anyway, best of luck to you and happy trails :-)
> -tamar
>