Pilgrim

Medieval Swordsmanship Symposium & Pas d'Armes
Sponsored by the Schola St. George
May 11th - 13th, 2001

Livermore, California (just outside the Bay Area)
Register Now!

"Oyez Oyez!

Be it known that the Schola Saint George, right mindful of the vast prowess and
noble gentility present amongst chivalric combatants throughout the world, do
hereby declare their intention to host a practicum to encourage swordsmanship
and the use of other weapons as was done in the days of our ancestors. Mindful
also that the practice of arms is best enjoyed in the context of a tournament,
we are further minded to host a pas d'armes dedicated to an ancient father of
arms, Fiore de Liberi.

We invite all students of the sword to partake in the words and demonstrations
of notable personages who will travel far to share their knowledge and
experience with us. Our intent is to provide a forum where combatants in our own
region can become acquainted with the new tradition of arms that is burgeoning
in the world, that skills might be increased and joi de combat increased
manyfold. There will be three whole days dedicated to the celebration of arms,
both sword and rapier, and we warmly invite tournament companions, reenactors,
stage combatants, fencers and those who might be curious to attend and to share
their own experiences."

Note that this is not a reenactment event; this symposium is unaffiiated with
any society and the opinions and techniques demonstrated may have limited
application within the context of other forms of combat. During the Pas d'Armes,
Medieval Dinner and Fencing Tournament, appropriate clothing is to be encouraged
but not required. Combat standards for the tournaments will be published
separately.

Here are a highlight of confirmed event highlights (or look at all the events!):

* New! Meistro Andrea Lupo Sinclair will be joining us from Italy to teach
not one but two modules; one on medieval longsword and another on Italian
rapier, including elements from the works of Capoferro, Marceilli, and
Bondi di Mazzo. Meistro Sinclair is a founding member of the Association
for Historical Fencing (AHF) and is founder of the Italian Ancient and
Historical Fencing Federation.
* New! A discussion on stage combat techniques and its relation to other
historical forms presented by Randall Scott of The Duellists.
* New! John Clements of the Historical Armed Combat Association (HACA) and
author of the popular works "Medieval Swordsmanship" and "Renaissance
Swordsmanship" will be present; teaching topics TBD.
* A grand pas d'armes tournament for both rebated and behourd-style weapons.
Come see how other folks play!
* An all-day Sunday seminar on Fiore de Liberi by Bob Charron, Academy of
Saint Martin for novices and experienced combatants alike
* Presentation by Greg Mele of the Swordplay Symposium International and
Chicago Swordplay Guild
* For poleaxe and polearm enthusiasts, a 2-hour special focus on techniques
from Jeu de la Hache by Ian Johnson of the Schola Solis
* Cutting practice--try out those techniques and see what they do!
* New! A course in the rapier instruction by Steaphen Fick Davenriche
Company, Josephe Swetnam's The School of the Noble and Worth Science of
Defence
* Roundtable discussions on tournament armour, chivalry & the medieval
tournament!
* Jousting & Equestrian presentations and panel discussions with a special
video presentation by the Ordre of the Blak Prince and Order of the Boar.
* LOTS of open sparring with instructors and practitioners from all over the
country!
* Renaissance and medieval courses planned--many more are in process--stay
tuned!
* A medieval-style dinner to celebrate the tournament
* A rapier-tournament on Friday night if there is sufficient interest

The Site: Taking place in pictuesque old Livermore, California, just outside of
the San Francisco Bay Area, the venue for this event will be a large building
dressed for the occasion. "The Barn" has sufficient space to handle even a
medium-sized tournament and a large dinner in-doors, so our tournaments are not
at weather-risk. The site carries its own insurence (expensive, but worthwhile).
We will section it into two zones, one for each "track". Weather permitting, we
may also have a third track outdoors.

"The Barn": 3131 Pacific Avenue, Livermore, CA. Click here for the
appropriate Mapquest link.

Registration: Registration begins at 8:15am and will remain open throughout the
day. This event is not intended to turn a profit, but we do hope to help with
travel expenses for the instructors and must cover the site and insurence.
Registration for the whole 3-day package is $80 in advance, $100 at the door.
Registrations admit attendees to attend any paper, practice session or to
participate in either tournament, pending acceptance by the tournament's
marshals. It also includes a copy of the event's proceedings (with notes for all
sections), breakfast on Friday and Saturday, and lunch all three days.
Preregister now and save 20%! (VISA/MC accepted). You can also send a check or
money order to us at the address below. All attendees must sign a waiver and
must thus be 18 years or older or accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Day-pass registrations will be available at the door at a price of $35 per day
or you can preregister now and save 20%.

Preregistration deadline is April 25th

Meals: Although a light breakfast of pastries, juice and coffee will be
available at no charge on Friday and Saturday, and sandwhich lunches available
all three days, there are many interesting restaurants within a short driving
distance of the event. Click here for a listing. Dinner will be the
responsibility of the attendees, although we are contemplating an on-site BBQ on
Friday, if people are interested.

Saturday Night Dinner: We will be serving a medieval-style dinner on Saturday
night, during which we anticipate an open forum discussion on chivalry, the
tournament and the medieval martial arts. Tickets for this dinner are $12.50;
there is a limit of 70 spaces. Remaining tickets the day of the event will be
$15.00. This dinner will also serve as the "close" for the pas d'armes, during
which specific deeds worthy or renown are generally discussed.

Lodging: Several hotels are located close to the site, within reasonable walking
distance. We are looking into a hotel shuttle to make it more convenient,
however. Click here to see a list of local hotels.

Transportation: The closest airport is Oakland International, but inexpensive
flights might also be obtained for San Francisco International (SFO) or San Jose
International (be sure you select the one in California...). Transport to
Livermore is easily handled by shuttle, though we are also trying to arrange for
our own (homegrown) shuttle service to get folks to and from their flights.

Vendors: Space has been allotted to allow vendors to sell products of interest
to Medieval or Renaissance martial artists. Vendors will be provided with a 2' x
8' table; a vendor reservation includes one full-conference entry and 1/4 page
advertisement in the event's Proceedings. Vendors must be registered no later
than April 17th, so sign up now!.

Schola St. George
Brian R. Price
4226 Cambridge Way
Union City, CA 94587
510.471.2944 h