[Ansteorra] Armour Standards

[klfrench1023 at aol.com]

Nice footnotes!
 
Caterina 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: silverhands at sbcglobal.net
To: ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org
Sent: Sun, 5 Nov 2006 10:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Armour Standards



On Nov 5, 2006, at 9:39 PM, Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace wrote:
> I have not found a single report of a throat or neck injury in the  
> history
> of the SCA. The Atlantian knights I've discussed this with lately  
> claim that
> their interpretation of the old SCA neck protection rules was that no
> padding was required under a camail. According to the queries I've  
> been
> lobbing around the SCA, every kingdom has had broken forearms--with  
> and
> without vambraces. Forearms are easy to break. I've broken my left  
> three
> times (never in SCA combat) including once in a kenjutsu match (a  
> large,
> graceless opponent fell on me).
>

Over the course of the many Gulf Wars I have attended, I came away  
with 2 scary injuries (on separate occasions).

One, a cracked sternum and broken xiphoid process from a 12'  
fiberglass spear. The spearman was running with the spear couched and  
in a firm two-handed grip, trying to get to a break in the line  
before it went away. I was running from the other side of the break  
(bearing sword and shield), trying to reach the break and close it  
before someone could take advantage of it. We met.[1]

Two, a close call, almost a crushed larynx[2] -- again, from a 12'  
fiberglass spear. I was in the 3rd row back of the "crush" trying to  
take the castle gates, and one of the defenders did a one-handed full- 
body "Hail Mary" shot over the crowd. His spear tip found my steel  
breastplate, rode up under my chain camail, found my cuirboulli  
gorget, and continued its remaining 3' of travel. I was literally  
lifted into the air off my feet, like one of those cartoons. I went  
fully horizontal, then found the ground. I was very well armored, and  
it probably saved my life, or at least my larynx. As it was, I  
couldn't speak a word for about 2 weeks. (Quiet, Alexis! It was tragic!)

In both cases, the padding on the spear heads was found to be  
borderline, with very little compression remaining.

Do I think that everyone should wear a breastplate, or a chain camail  
plus hardened gorget? No. But you won't find me on the list field  
without them or something equivalent. Do I think that 12' spears are  
a Bad Thing(tm)? No, but they can be dangerous in the hands of  
someone who is unclear how to use them, or who has become overly  
excited in the heat of the moment, or who is just out to hurt someone.

Michael

[1]  We were approaching the break perpendicular to each other, and  
didn't actually see each other until we met. At the time, I was not  
armored over my sternum, and I had allowed my shield to swing wide as  
I ran, so there was nothing between his spear any my sternum but my  
war tabard. I no longer fight without a breastplate or other hard  
protection over that area. I'm also more careful to keep my "D" tight  
(keep my shield couched) when running, *especially* in a melee. Talk  
about a hard lesson! ;-)

[2] By the way, the second incident involved being carried off the  
field to chirurgeon's point and being monitored for a while, until it  
was determined that I was going to be able to breathe on my own.  
There was probably paperwork and a report, if you want to go  
searching for them. It was the year of Alaric Drake's first reign  
(2000), if that's any help. He was actually standing just to my left,  
and the king of the West was just to my right. I heard later that  
they "ate" the fighter who threw the shot. ;-)

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