Members of Cariboo Bladed Combat gathered on Oct. 29 at the 100 Mile House Community Hall to hone their sword fighting skills.
The club focuses on Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) and Tristan Feissli, one of the directors and main founders of the club, said HEMA is effectively fencing, but with differences.
"Unlike the Olympics that use very lighter version of the swords - we use a historically accurate reproduction of the swords," Feissli said.
He explained the swords they usually use for practices are typically nylon swords, however, said eventually they will be using real swords.
One of the new things Cariboo Bladed Combat has been doing this year, is investing in long sword techniques - which follows up on a purchase they made last year.
"The long sword, the big sister that we have, is about 20 centimetres longer, and it's the typical sword that you see used by knights during the 14th century and up - it continued during the Renaissance," Feissli said, referring as well to the smaller swords they have been using.
Eventually they want to get more technique in for the long swords, he added.
During a tournament set for June 2025, they will potentially split competitors into two sections - one with small swords and one with long swords, he said.
The club has been in operation since 2018, but paused during the COVID-19 pandemic as martial arts was one of the many things that was prohibited to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
In 2023, the club restarted as a non-profit and so far, around 25 people have joined.
TJ Grabowiecki, another founding member of the club and a board member, said one of the reasons the club is appealing to people is because HEMA is not a traditional mainstream sport. His son, Mason, is also a member and active participant.
"We have members from all walks of life - all physical abilities, and it speaks to some of our participants, more than say, your mainstream sports," Grabowiecki explained.
People who are interested in the sport, such as Liam Shupe, have come out to practices. Shupe got into Cariboo Bladed Combat due to his affinity for swords, which he said had come from "any fictional depiction of a knight."
"It's fun, it's a bit difficult, but it's all around worth the pain," remarked Shupe.
Cariboo Bladed Combat is organizing an event for the 100 Mile House Wranglers set for Wednesday, Nov. 20.
"They have a bonding session around a sport that is physically demanding, that is active and maybe out of their comfort zone," Feissli said. "We hope they are going to have a blast on the 20th and that we can have some of them maybe be interested in coming with us at some point."
Those who are interested in joining can visit the Cariboo Bladed Combat Facebook page or consult the Active Living Brochure if they do not have access to the Internet.
The club additionally hosts an open trial session on the last Tuesday of each month where new people can come and try out the club with no obligation to continue.
