As WMA/HEMA ‘scholars’, a lot of us study texts from the medieval or renaissance past, and then try to recreate the art using modern sword technology and protective equipment. The third part of this time-based triad is of course ‘the future’. And our efforts to engage young people in our interest and passion can only bode well for the future of our art as a younger generation comes forward to take the torch from our hands … with a well-executed ‘Schwertnemen’!
WMA:TNG?
YOUR NEWS NOW (Austin, Texas) 05 September 12 Program takes students back to Medieval times (Chie Saito)
INDEPENDENT MAIL (Anderson, S Carolina) 19 September 12 Livestock arena turns medieval for middle schoolers (Jennifer Crossley Howard)
‘EarlyAct FirstKnight’ is an elementary and intermediate school education program used by 60 schools across the southeastern USA to teach ‘chivalric character values’ of honesty, bravery and work ethics. The program teaches children that becoming a knight means playing fair and honouring the rules of the game to its completion.
Though not containing WMA/HEMA fighting instruction in its content, the ‘FirstKnight’ program is well supported by ‘chivalric’ activities such as jousting, in an effort to capture the interest of, and subsequently motivate the young to adopt the best parts of being a knight and apply them to their own life in the classroom.
This is a mirror to some of our activities as WMA/HEMA scholars and how we conduct ourselves in melee: be it in the salle; or when debating the more complex ideas of what the Walpurgis Fechtbuch meant by the concept of halpschilt! Chivalry in thought and deed is not and more importantly should not be restricted to those who study swordplay.
And We imagine that a number of these young men and women will be enamoured of and motivated by their experience in this or similar programs – and will want to undertake more serious study of the combats arts as practiced in chivalric times!
Program founder Randall Parr states:"We teach the kids that the symbols of chivalry may change, but the values they stand for do not."
Kin to Kenessary Kasymov
ЛОЦМАН (Almaty, Kazakhstan) 23 August 12 В Казахстане предлагают создать
In Kazakhstan, there are sword-play competitions underway as local enthusiasts such as Vladimir Altukhov try to navigate between the local, restrictive sword-ownership laws; a lack of equipment suppliers; and finding a champion to form a national-level historical-fencing federation. And all this with an eye to fielding a ‘national’ Kazakh team to participate in European WMA/HEMA events.
Lost and Found x2.
UNION LEADER (New Hampshire) 30 September 12 Missing sword returns to NH Marine after 43 years (Paul Feely)
Two ex-Marines find each other as one tracked down the other as original owner of a sword lost 43 years ago.
“It’s so amazing to us,” said original owner James Cowan. “There are still good people out there.”
CITY TV (Toronto, Ontario) 27 September 12 War of 1812 uniform returned to Canada (Erin Criger)
The uniform and sword worn by Sir Roger Hale Shaeffe, second-in-command to Sir Isaac Brock during the War of 1812s Battle of Queenston Heights, was returned from Australia to Canada.
Snippet:
HINDUSTAN TIMES (India) 27 September 12 Found: Medieval training site for Ahom warriors
Two things: Notwithstanding culture, nationality of fighting format; all martial arts have to be taught at a site that supports professional instruction if they’re going to be effective; and, use it or lose it. It appears that the martial art of 'Lai Lung Tham' has been lost to history (or at least to Google searches) due to a lack of current practitioners, no surviving documentation and no cadre of interested youth to carry on the tradition.