Youth Sparring Partners are experienced adult fighters who are authorized to fight full contact against youth fighters using youth weapons, calibrations, and rules.
Sparring partners are only permitted to fight against youth fighters under the direct supervision of a warranted Youth Combat Marshal.
Youth Sparring Partners of Æthelmearc
Sparring Partners must reauthorize when their other heavy weapons authorizations expire. Expired sparring partners may not fight with youth fighters other than their own children until they renew their authorizations.
The following fighters are authorized as youth sparring partners:
Count Andreas Morgan (Sylvan Glen) through 10/4/2019
Lord Angus Azurwolf (Ballachlagan) through 12/28/2021
Lord Angus the Bull (Thescorre) through 5/31/2022
Countess Ariella of Thornbury (Debatable Lands) through 3/26/2021
Sir Arnthor inn Sterki (Hunter’s Home) through 2/23/2021
Master Clewin Kupferhelbelinc (Debatable Lands) through 9/9/2021
Baron Cormacc mac Gilla Brigde (Endless Hills) through 12/26/2019
Lord Dyrycke Hastings (Angel’s Keep) through 5/19/2021
Prince Gareth Kincaid (Misty Highlands) through 12/9/2019
THLord Garreth Whytbull (Ballachlagan) through 8/18/2021
Lord Gunnar Thorbjornson (Hunter’s Home) through 8/3/2019
Lord Halfdan Rauthkinn, aka Drake (Hunter’s Home) through 1/22/2020
Count Isenwulf Thorolfsson (Debatable Lands) through 2/14/2020
Lord Jakob Krahe (Endless Hills) through 5/9/2021
Master Jussie Laplein (Steltonwald) through 4/3/2021
Lotharius qui et Segimundes (Endless Hills) through 7/11/2021
Master Kieran MacRae (Debatable Lands) through 3/29/2022
Duke Magnus Tindal (Sterlynge Vayle) through 11/9/2019
Lord Metheus Weasel (Hunter’s Home) through 1/7/2019
Master Morien MacBain (Atlantia) through 5/19/2021
THL Nikolas the Bastard (Hunter’s Home) through 3/21/2020
Baron Rauthbjorn Lothbroke (Hunter’s Home) through 4/14/2020
Lord Robert MacEwin of Thornhill (Debatable Lands) through 5/7/2021
Lord Robert Pour Maintenant (Debatable Lands) through 9/20/2021
THLord Rouland of Willowbrooke (Sunderoak) through 5/19/2021
Lady Runa Thorigrimsdottir (Sunderoak) through 6/24/2021
Baron Silvester Burchardt (Abhainn Ciach Ghlais) through 1/15/2022
Earl Thomas Byron of Haverford (Debatable Lands) through 10/26/2021
Sir Thorgrim Skullsplitter (Sunderoak) through 4/11/2021
Lord Thorstein Thorgrimsson (Sunderoak) through 7/19/2021
Traygor (Tuchux) through 7/23/2021
Master Uillam macanTsaoire (Debatable Lands) through 8/29/2021
Lord Ulf Halfdansson (Hunter’s Home) through 7/23/2019
Lord Vassilis Monevassios (Endless Hills) through 2/10/2020
Sir Vladimir Mechnik (Sunderoak) through 9/29/2021
Earl Yngvar the Dismal (Delftwood through 5/23/2021
Why would you want to be a Youth Sparring Partner?
- To make it possible for kids in small groups to fight even when there are no other kids their age participating in youth combat. One of the reasons youth combat programs are hard to create and sustain, especially in shires and cantons, is that there just aren’t that many kids. If you have one kid, or two kids of very different ages, it’s hard to have a youth fighting practice because they can’t meaningfully fight with anyone. Adults can bridge that gap. If you have a single youth fighter, he or she can fight with an adult sparring partner, have some fun, and learn something new each week. And even if your Youth Combat Marshal is a heavy fighter, kids can benefit from learning more than one person’s style and technique.
- To provide youth fighters with real training in SCA combat. Frequently, youth marshals are the parents of youth fighters, and have taken the job so their kids can fight. Many of them have no experience as SCA fighters. They need adults with fighting experience to help train their youth fighters, so the kids aren’t just whacking away aimlessly at each other without understanding how to improve their technique. Sparring partners can help kids become more effective fighters.
- To hone the skills of the best youth fighters. Often, the really good youth fighters plateau because they’re the best among the kids and don’t know what the next step is. By working with adults, they can learn some of the finer points of combat, like how to take out an opponent with a specific weapons form, how to take advantage of an opponent on their knees, how to turn an opponent’s size or stance to their advantage, etc. Nuances like these can turn good youth fighters into great ones, and better prepare them for transitioning to adult combat.
- To help shape and improve the next generation of SCA fighters. Youth fighting has been around for years, but many kids have had trouble making the transition from youth combat to adult. It’s not just that the calibration levels are higher; the mechanics of adult fighting are actually very different from youth fighting. Blows thrown from the wrist, without any shoulder or hip in them, work just fine in youth combat. Blows that strike a shield or sword but still make pretty decent contact with the helm or body can be killing blows. Kids who go from that to adult combat get frustrated when their blows aren’t accepted, because they may not understand why those blows aren’t good. Sparring partners who tell them “That wouldn’t have worked in adult combat, but the calibration was good for youth so I’ll take it” are providing youth fighters with valuable information. Further explaining how to strike the blow the right way can clarify technique issues with kids.
- You’ll be teaching not only the youth fighters, but also the Youth Combat Marshal. Marshals without fighting experience can learn from you right alongside the youth fighters, which will make them better marshals because they can pass along your suggestions to other youth fighters in the future. This will help both the YC Marshal and the kids, because the youth fighters will start with the right techniques, and won’t have to unlearn bad habits.
- Teaching kids will make you more mindful of your own technique. Nothing really ingrains a skill like teaching it to someone else. As adults work with kids, adult fighters have to think through how and why they do various moves, stances, and blows, which reminds them to use the proper techniques when they fight adults.
- To model appropriate behavior. Kids look up to adult fighters, and seek to emulate them. By showing chivalry both on and off the field, you can help youth fighters learn how to be both respectful and respected as a warrior. You can model being gracious in victory and defeat, being willing to take it easy on a new fighter so they learn and improve (rather than pounding them into the ground just because you can), and having fun while still keeping a competitive edge.
Youth Sparring Partners are not required to get background checks, because they are only allowed to work with kids under the supervision of a Youth Combat Marshal and in the presence of someone who does have an SCA Background Check. The only exception is that, of course, parents are always permitted to spar with their own children.
Sparring Partners also do not need to be paid members of the SCA.
If you are interested in becoming a Youth Sparring Partner, please contact the Kingdom Youth Combat Marshal. Make sure to also talk to your local Youth Combat Marshal since you will need to work with him or her. If your group doesn’t have a Youth Combat Marshal, but has kids hungry to try combat, you could become a Youth Combat Marshal, start a youth combat program, and also authorize as a Sparring Partner.
A division 3 youth fighter working with a sparring partner
Updated October 4, 2018.