“Fill in the Blank” Questions
SCA Name: Hilary of Serendip
Survey taken on: Sept. 17, 2003
Year you authorized in Heavy Weapons: 1979
Year you actually started fighting: 1979
Estimated Total Years Fighting: 23
How Many Years did it take for you to get Knighted? 4.5
Kingdom that you were Knighted in? West
Still Active in Fighting? I haven’t officially hung it up, but a series of injuries - root canals, back problems, wrenched knee - have kept me out of armor most of the time for the last year or two. I keep meaning to get back in, but at 59.75 there isn’t a lot of time left….
Year Retired (if applicable): –
If Retired, Why did you retire? –
Who was the most influential person to you before being knighted? Master Raymond the Mild
In what other forms of martial arts have you participated, in what styles and what ranks did you achieve? Aikido; munched a shoulder before getting ranked.
Do you feel that your Martial Arts Background made a difference in your fighting career? No… but Master Raymond’s did. He was a black belt in Aikido and had studied some other arts, and used ki a lot in his fighting.
What other athletic endeavors have you participated in? Hiking, dancing
Do you feel that your Athletic Background made a difference in your fighting career? It was dancing all weekend at Dickens Christmas Faire that made me believe I might hold up on the field.
What Books that you have read that have made a difference to you and/or your fighting career? “Inner Tennis” by W. Timothy Gallwey
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? I was running with Random House, and it felt like almost everyone else - all the men and most of the women - either fought or had fought… and they didn’t seem crazy. What I told myself I wanted was to be able to draw armored combat, and to do that I needed to know what people were actually doing with their bones and muscles.
The BART practice in Oakland was practically an extension of the household - membership was extremely fluid - and everyone there taught everyone else all the time.
When we needed a unit to take the field, we called ourselves the Orcs and taped red eyes to the front and back of our helmets.
Were you able to get additional training other than that offered at regularly scheduled fighter practices? For much of the first year, I worked with Master R. in his backyard for a coupla hours before practice.
Sir William the Lucky and Sir Steven MacEanruig also ran weekend Orc practices off and on for years, and I got a lot out of those.
During your training years, did you attend special workshops/fighter practices etc? A few here and there, but they don’t really stick in mind. (We’re talking 1979-1983 here….) I was also teaching heavily from around 1981 onward.
“Select from a List” Questions
Gender:
Female
Primary Fighting Style:
Tournament
Melee
Practices
Training
Primary Fighting Form:
Sword & Shield
Primary Shield Handle:
Side Mount
Primary Shield Type:
Heater
Fighting Stance:
Sword Leg Back
BART Standard
Fighting Behavior:
Defensive
Calculating
Dominant Hand:
Ambidextrous
Fighting Calibration:
Middle
Blow Strength (Kingdom):
Lowest
Blow Strength (Society):
–
Fighting Level:
High Level - Low
Fighting Awards:
Knight
Average Fighting Performance in Tournaments:
3rd - 4th Round
Stopped entering tournaments around 1986
Was your Significant Other a Knight/Master of Arms at the Time of your Elevation?
Did not Have One
Were you a Royal Peer before you were Knighted?
Yes as Consort
Reigned Once as Consort
Since being Knighted, Have you become a Royal Peer?
No
Greatest Impediment:
Physical
Height:
(5′7-5′11)
Weight:
(140-180)
Strongest Ability:
Technique
Common Injuries:
Knees
Wrists
“Open Ended” Questions
Knighthood:
Do you still feel the same about being a knight as you did before your elevation?
Yes
Fighting Philosophy:
Fight your own fight rather than the other guy’s.
Training Philosophy:
Let people find out how much fun fighting can be before they find out how much it can hurt; once they’re hooked, they won’t care.
Consider your trainee’s body type and condition, and teach to that. People need to learn what they can do, not try to ape what you can do because of how you’re built.
Words of Wisdom:
When you’re starting out, set your own victory conditions - things that can happen in a fight to show that you’re getting your own way at least part of the time. “Make the opponent take three steps backward before it’s over” is a good one….
