[Steppes] Southern Steppes Night

[DonnelShaw at aol.com]

In a message dated 8/12/2003 10:37:27 AM Central Standard Time, 
richila at swbell.net writes:

> Okay, what does Xander need to fight?
> Valerie
> 

I hope this helps. There are two age groups below. 
Donnel

III.    Divisional Standards 

A.  Children's Boffer Division: Age 6-9 years 

1. Minimum Required Armor 

a. Head - Marshalate-approved helm with face protection. Helmets with wire 
facemasks from sports such as hockey and lacrosse are acceptable. Chinstrap is 
required. Spacing on helm bars should be adequate to prevent boffer from 
hitting face. 

b. Neck - Lightweight gorget is required. Minimum of light leather. 

c. Torso - Must be covered by shirt, tunic, bodice, etc. Kidney protection is 
not required. Sternum and xiphoid protection is not required. 

d. Arms - Long sleeves are required. Minimum of lightweight cloth. Light 
gloves are required for hands. Elbow joint protection is not required. 

e. Legs - Long pants, or sweats required. Minimum of lightweight cloth. 
Sturdy shoes are required. No open-toed shoes or sandals. Knee joint protection is 
not required. 

f. Groin - Minimum protection is sports cup, padded skirt or equivalent. 

2. Recommended Armor 

a. A full coif (padded) and mouthpiece are recommended. 

3. Weapon Standards 

a. All weapons will be made of non-reinforced foam rubber, or a single golf 
tube covered with 1/2 in. of closed cell foam extending 1 1/2 in. past the end 
of the tube. The ends of the golf tube must be fiber tape closed. 

b. No thrusting weapons will be allowed. 

c. Weapons may be covered with single layer, loosely wrapped duct tape for 
support. 

d. Single-handed weapons (swords, maces, axes, etc.) and Great or two-handed 
weapons of an appropriate length will be allowed. Mass weapons should have no 
"mass" to them. 

e. Basket hilts are not required. 

4. Shield Standards 

a. Shields may not be used as offensive weapons. 

b. Materials allowed are wood, plastic, or aluminum or equivalent. 

c. All edges must be covered by tubing, leather, or foam. Pipe foam padding 
is highly recommended. 

d. Shield shape should be recognizable as an SCA shield. 

e. Shields shall be reasonable in size proportional to combatant. 

f. There shall be no projecting points, bolts, etc. Any such must be covered 
by a layer of leather, close-cell foam, or several layers of duct or 
fiber-reinforced strapping tape. 

5. Blow Calibration 

a. Touch only. Any blows that touch the opponent's body area will be 
accepted. Groin shots, while legal, are to be discouraged. 

b. All combatants are presumed to be wearing only a loincloth 

c. Any combatant using force sufficient to bruise or injure an opponent will, 
after one warning, be removed from the field. 

6. Educational Goals 

a. Explanation and practice in use, function, and techniques of Youth Boffer 
Weapons 

B.  Youth Boffer Division: Age 10-12 years 

1. Minimum Required Armor 

a. Head - Marshalate-approved helm with face protection. Helmets with wire 
facemasks from sports such as hockey and lacrosse are acceptable. Chinstrap is 
required. Spacing on helm bars should be adequate to prevent boffer from 
hitting face. A camail, coif, or equivalent is required to prevent access to neck or 
throat. 

b. Neck - Lightweight gorget covering the larynx and cervical spine is 
required. Minimum of light leather. 

c. Torso - Must be covered by shirt, tunic, bodice, etc. Kidney protection is 
not required. Sternum and xiphoid protection is not required. For females: As 
a girl matures, she must also have adequate breast protection, e.g. quilted 
material tunic, light leather or equivalent. 

d. Arms - Long sleeves are required. Minimum of lightweight cloth. Light 
gloves are required for hands. Elbow joint protection is required. Minimum of soft 
elbow pads. 

e. Legs - Long pants, or sweats required. Minimum of lightweight cloth. 
Sturdy shoes are required. No open-toed shoes or sandals. Knee joint protection is 
required. Minimum of soft knee pads. 

f. Groin - Minimum protection is sports cup, padded skirt, or equivalent. 

2. Recommended Armor 

a. Mouthpiece is recommended. Leather or plastic half-gauntlets and leather 
or plastic covered elbow and knee pads are recommended. 

3. Weapon Standards 

a. Schedule 40 PVC is considered the standard base material for boffer 
construction. The marshalate will consider other equivalent materials for 
construction (such as CPVC, Schedule 80 PVC, or Siloflex) on a case by case basis. The 
standard non-thrusting type weapon must consist of: 

i. 1/2 inch I.D. PVC (schedule 40) minimum or two golf tubes one inside the 
other. 

ii. Both ends of PVC must be capped; ends of the golf tubes must be 
fiber-taped closed. 

iii. Two layers of fiber-reinforced strapping tape. 

iv. 1/2 inch closed cell foam, minimum, extending the striking length of the 
boffer to 1 1/2 inches past tip of PVC or golf tubes 

v. Minimum one layer duct tape wrapped loosely. 

b. All thrusting weapons must consist of the above listed construction plus: 

i. Thrusting tip - Consisting of closed cell foam and tape, loosely wrapped, 
a minimum 2 1/2 inches in diameter and extending 4 inches past PVC or golf 
tubes. Tip should be sturdy enough to not completely fold over upon impact. 

c. All thrusting weapons must be disassembled and inspected for structural 
damage once a year. 

d. Single-handed weapons (swords, maces, axes, etc.) and Great or two-handed 
weapons of an appropriate length will be allowed. Mass weapons should have no 
"mass" to them. 

e. Basket hilts are not required. 

4. Shield Standards 

a. Shields may not be used as offensive weapons. 

b. Materials allowed are wood, plastic, or aluminum or equivalent. 

c. All edges must be covered by tubing, leather, or foam. Pipe foam padding 
is highly recommended. 

d. Shield shape should be recognizable as SCA shield. 

e. Shields shall be reasonable in size proportional to combatant. 

f. There shall be no projecting points, bolts, etc. Any such must be covered 
by a layer of leather, close-cell foam, or several layers of duct or 
fiber-reinforced strapping tape. 

5. Blow Calibration 

a. Solid contact, no force required. Any blow that firmly connects will be 
accepted. Use of force is to be discouraged. Groin shots, while legal, are to be 
discouraged. 

b. All combatants are presumed to be wearing a quilted coif and tunic only. 

c. Any combatant using force sufficient to bruise or injure an opponent will, 
after one warning, be removed from the field. 

6. Educational Goals 

a. Refinement of techniques in defense, accuracy, and speed. 

b. Continued development in the graces of chivalric combat, honorable 
conduct, and etiquette both on the field and off.