ANST -Ladies Chest Protection

Wed Oct 29 17:34:21 PST 1997

You are also forgetting -- if you fight sword-and-board, you just do not 
get hit in the chest that often.  I was hit in the chest, including spear 
thrusts in wars, a grand total of three times in the seven years I fought 
between 1980 and 1987.  In general, if I have gotten hit in the chest it is 
because I was doing something incredibly stupid at the time.

Breast tissue is not nearly as tender as testicles must be, to guage by the 
sight of men curled up moaning around their family jewels when hit there, 
while when I've gotten a shot to the breast the cursing is loud and 
prolonged, but I keep right on going.  And I state with authority that they 
are not desensitized, either.  (Nor, for that matter, are my thighs, and I 
fought roundshield forever -- how *DO* you get your thights to stop 
noticing big mucking bruises??

If the SCA's requirement for breast protection is because they are worried 
about women not being able to properly lactate/breastfeed, then I want to 
be exempted from wearing chest armor based on the fact that I am in 
menopause and will not ever be able to have children to breastfeed!!

::GUNNORA::

(writing from work -- this address goes away on 11/10 -- write me at home 
at gunnora at bga.com)
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Original Text
From: "-Jax-" <jackson2 at apple.com>, on 10/29/97 10:39 AM:
Tuh Tahl said:
> Although the thought of hitting tender flesh makes ME twitchy, that's MY 
>problem, not the ladies.

Amen, brother! This whole subject is making me cringe like an inbred cocker 
spaniel. To the lady fighters of Ansteorra I have to ask: Are you nuts?!?! 
Why are you even talking about this? Why would you even consider going out 
on the field with such a tender part of your anatomy unprotected? Screw a 
bunch of îhot and uncomfortable¹, how about îavoiding severe pain¹?

I have to admit to being a little defensive on this subject; I am a fairly 
new fighter, and have yet to face a lady on the field, but I once turned a 
little too quickly, and caught
an old girlfriend right in the subject area with my elbow. The moaning, 
writhing and carrying on was truly upsetting. The thought that crossed my 
mind at the time was ³gee, maybe women DO know what it¹s like to get hit in 
the family jewels.²

I can¹t imagine that any male fighter would be able to take the field 
against a female opponent with an unprotected chest, and not have similar 
reservations. Maybe that is a strategic consideration =8-]. But the first 
time I ever fought, I was told ³feel free to fight hard; your opponent is 
well armored and shouldn¹t get hurt.² A situation such as the above would 
sorta mess up this implied agreement, that we all come out on the field in 
good armor, so we can all focus on fighting well and having fun, without 
worrying too much about hurting someone.  So, in answer to the Tall One¹s 
assessment above, it both is and is not my problem.....  Any thoughts on 
this?

Regards,

-Erik Wulfriksson-
  House of Brick

"Free your mind and your ass will follow."
                         -George Clinton-

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