New Guild of Knightly Arts club welcomes members

Dillon Dick, left, and Rick Bates, both Jefferson City residents, practice together at the Memorial Park pavilion during Sunday's meeting of the Guild of Knightly Arts.
Dillon Dick, left, and Rick Bates, both Jefferson City residents, practice together at the Memorial Park pavilion during Sunday's meeting of the Guild of Knightly Arts.

If you're an aficionado of longswords and fencing-like competition, Jefferson City now has a club for you.

Jason Bright and his wife, Amy, enjoy the historical martial art so much, they formed the Guild of Knightly Arts earlier this year.

The group meets 5-7 p.m. Sundays at Memorial Park, and it's welcoming newcomers.

On Sunday evening, Jason, the group's facilitator, gave a briefing to 10 others who showed up at the park, then broke them into pairs to work on their form and moves in longsword fighting.

Some work with synthetic swords made of plastic before graduating to the steel versions. The swords can cost $200-$600, said Jose Ortiz, who drove with one other person to Jefferson City from Springfield for the weekly meeting.

Ortiz started a club in his home country of Puerto Rico before moving here. He said the physicality, history and martial art of the sport is what attracts him.

He described himself as an average competitor, but said: "I'm 45, but I've beaten guys half my age."

Win or lose, he said his opponents remember him.

Some of the club members practice for fun, while others train for competition.

The Brights have been involved in the sport for six to seven years, Amy said.

"It's marriage therapy. You can beat each other up with swords," she joked.

She's preparing for her first competition, scheduled for Sept. 12 in Buffalo.

"I'm super stoked," she said.

The sport is similar to fencing, but more robust because the swords are typically heavier and firmer. They bend, but not as easily as fencing swords.

The swords are historically similar to Medieval swords, but they're not sharp or pointed at the ends. Much of the goal in competitions is to display good technique that's historically accurate.

The local club is under the broader organization called HEMA, Historical European Martial Arts.

"We practice the way they intended us to use these (swords)," Jason said.

Amy encouraged others to come, saying it's a good way to get out and be active while getting to know the historical side of martial arts.

"It's kind of Game-of-Thrones-style fun," she said.