[Stargate] Knight Marshall's officer report

[Brandon Garner]

I will not be able to make the meeting tonight - my niece is graduating and I need to be there; however, here is my officer's report:

fighter practice is very active! In fact, it's so active, and there's so much interest, that we are going to have 6 a month! We are now, at least for the summer, going to have practice on the 2nd & 4th Sunday of the month, in Memorial Park (same shaded area as before), at 1:00 'til we drop. *

Thursday night practices have had a lot of visitors over the last few months - some who are going to be back regularly and some who are come when they are able; most are squires, and some are Centurions, and I'm going to talk to a few knights and see if I can convince them to come out. 

Commander's Crucible is coming up the 14th - 16th; this is a smallish event and will be a good place for up & coming fighters to showcase their talents, or for newer fighters to be able to see what a tournament is like. 

*A word (several words, really) about fighting & conditioning in summer heat:
Drink lots of water! not only the day of, but everyday, however, if you're not much of a water drinker, really push the fluids the day before, day of, and day after. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. Gatorade is great, but you should never get to the point where it tastes good - if Gatorade tastes good, then you're already dehydrated! Avoid caffeine and alcohol day of as much as possible, as these are diuretics and prevent your body from absorbing water as much as it could.

I strongly encourage fighters to bring clothes to change into/out of; many people, myself included, are big believers in wearing to practice what you would wear to fight in at a tourney - this prepares you for the kind of movement to expect out of your kit. Having said that, there's nothing wrong with a base-layer of Under Armour or some other wicking layer. When it gets hot & humid your body doesn't quite work the way it's supposed to when your sweat can't dry, so it's crucial to get the sweat off your skin as much as possible. Even a linen layer is better than a layer of cotton. 

Reminder, per new rules, all sports logos and obvious sporting goods equipment needs to be covered or hidden: this includes logos on gloves, Velcro straps on pads, and any other obvious sporting goods equipment (remember, we're a historical recreation group, not a sports club).

And finally, in case you haven't heard, for those interested, it looks like there is going to be a Viking deed of arms at BAM this year. If you're interested in this, ask me, and I'll let you know what you need to do to look the part. This is a pas d'armes style tournament - you must look the part to participate!

That is all. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me here, or by phone at 979.820.1586.

- Oringr Ketilsson, KM of Stargate