“Fill in the Blank” Questions
SCA Name: Andrea of Clear Mount
Survey taken on: Sept. 14, 2003
Year you authorized in Heavy Weapons: March, 1978
Year you actually started fighting: Oct., 1977
Estimated Total Years Fighting: 17
How Many Years did it take for you to get Knighted? 4
Kingdom that you were Knighted in? West
Still Active in Fighting? No
Year Retired (if applicable): 1992
If Retired, Why did you retire? Injury
Who was the most influential person to you before being knighted? Sir Steven MacEanruig and Sir William the Lucky; I was their squire, they trained me.
In what other forms of martial arts have you participated, in what styles and what ranks did you achieve? I was a fencer from the age of twelve through college; I have a handful of medals from tournaments I won as a teenager; I qualified for the Junior Olympics, but wasn’t able to go. I studied Shon-ru karate in college and got a green belt; I took up Uechi-rhu karate when I lived in Connecticut (in an effort to stay in shape during the winter), and earned my brown belt.
Do you feel that your Martial Arts Background made a difference in your fighting career? Fighting was as much an aid to karate as the reverse; karate made me stronger, and therefore a better fighter; fighting made me impervious to contact. Fighting full speed, full power spoiled fencing for me.
What other athletic endeavors have you participated in? I ride, sail, hike, do archery; I used to ski and waterski, run, and play team sports for fun.
Do you feel that your Athletic Background made a difference in your fighting career? Yes
What Books that you have read that have made a difference to you and/or your fighting career? Ivanhoe; Robin Hood. I fell in love with Robin Hood as a child and from that sprung my love and study of history.
What led you to start chivalric fighting? –
Were you a member of an active fighting household, war band, squire, special trainee, etc, at the time of your training? –
Were you able to get additional training other than that offered at regularly scheduled fighter practices? –
During your training years, did you attend special workshops/fighter practices etc? –
“Select from a List” Questions
Gender:
Female
Primary Fighting Style:
Tournament
Melee
War
Practice - Where one learns the craft
Primary Fighting Form:
Sword & Shield
Great Weapons
Pole Arms
Primary Shield Handle:
Side Mount
Primary Shield Type:
Heater
Fighting Stance:
Sword Leg Back
One is not stationary while one fights
Fighting Behavior:
Aggressive
Defensive
These categories are too limited
Dominant Hand:
Right Handed
Ambidextrous
Fighting Calibration:
–
Blow Strength (Kingdom):
–
Blow Strength (Society):
–
Fighting Level:
High Level - Low
Fighting Awards:
Knight
Average Fighting Performance in Tournaments:
–
Was your Significant Other a Knight/Master of Arms at the Time of your Elevation?
Did not have a Significant Other
Were you a Royal Peer before you were Knighted?
Yes as Consort, but if I hadn’t been crowned that day, I would have been knighted; I was knighted twenty minutes after stepping down from being queen, right after being made a countess.
Sat the throne 1 time as consort.
Since being Knighted, Have you become a Royal Peer?
No
Greatest Impediment:
–
Height:
(5′3- 5′7)
Weight:
(140-180)
Strongest Ability:
Speed
Accuracy
Technique
Really Good Fakes
In Fighting
Common Injuries:
–
“Open Ended” Questions
Knighthood:
Do you still feel the same about being a knight as you did before your elevation?
Yes
Fighting Philosophy:
I fought because it was (to this day) the funnest thing I ever did in my life. I also enjoyed the craft (I was taught by two knights, William the Lucky and Steven Maceanruig, who specialized in the craft — check out William the Lucky’s Headless House Fighter’s Handbook. And I enjoyed the challenge of fighting people bigger and stronger than I — and killing them.
Training Philosophy:
Break down what you need to know into small pieces. Learn the small pieces at slow speed, fast and light, and then full speed. Then go on to the next thing. If you practice that way, it will be in you automatically when you need it.
Words of Wisdom:
Men get a long ways on strength alone — they can swing the sword hard enough without much technique. Then they get stuck at the “solid unbelted” stage for a long time — often forever — because at that point they really think they have nothing more to learn, because it was so easy up to then. Women have a greater challenge to reach the “solid unbelted” stage, because they are for the most part not as strong. If they reach it, it is by technique, and learning that technique sends them along faster afterwards.
