I met Marie a little over 3 years ago when they had their very first fight at The Knights Hall in Nashua, NH. It was also my very first time seeing a steel fight, and two days later I would be joining them and their teammates training at The Knights Hall to be competitive female fighters. In those 3 years that I have gotten to know Marie, the Hellcat, they have grown to become an amazing fighter in the field, captain of the Vandals and a trainer for female fighters who come to the academy to train. It is always a pleasure to train with Marie, and I truly do admire their passion, which is why Marie deserves to be recognized as our first female Fighter of the Month.
| REGION/TEAM: | Captain of the Vandals, member of the Banshees |
| NOTABLE WINS | 1x National S&B Gold 1x Conference Polearm Gold 1x Championship Melee Gold |
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING FOR ARMORED COMBAT?
I’ve been training and fighting for armored combat for over 3 years.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR OTHER SPORTS?
Nope! I Jumped into steel fighting head first with no other martial experience. Every little bit of jiu jitsu or boxing or combat art I’ve learned has been in my steel training.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARMORED COMBAT AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN?
I learned about armored completely by chance. I was scrolling Facebook and came across an ad for The Knights Hall and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I instantly fell in love. So I looked up the Hall, saw it was only 5 minutes away and I sort of half promised myself I would go one day. A couple months later I was at Birka being introduced to the people that would eventually become my actual family and the school that is now the biggest part of my life.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT IN YOUR FIRST FIGHT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE?
Oh man. I just remember being so pumped I couldn’t think straight. It was just energy and anticipation. I’m pretty sure I was nervous even if I didn’t think I was in the moment. Honestly I was mostly hoping that I’d be drafted to the same team as my friend. I didn’t totally understand what was going to happen after that. All I knew was my name would be called, I’d be given a surcoat, and then I’d have to struggle fitting some $100 bucket over my head. The rest of the night was a blur. As soon as the ref said “Go” my brain said “Get ’em” and I ran and just started swinging.
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERED WEAPON? DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE?
Two handed axes are, and always will be, the love of my life. Thankfully they’ve very understanding and supportive of my budding relationship with polearms.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT COME FROM THE SPORT?
I think there are a number of them. Health, fitness, comradery, community. The list is pretty lengthy.
WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE – IF YOU HAVE ONE?
It’s hard to say. I think my fighting style is something along the lines of “Hit them until they question their life choices.”
DO YOU THINK FIGHTING CHANGES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
Absolutely but only if you want it to.
When I first found steel fighting I was coming from a pretty rough place. I had been homeless, in a string of abusive relationships, had my life threatened for things like having the audacity to exist on a Tuesday. It wasn’t great. And because of all that I became a very angry person. I thought that nothing was ever going to be ok and on a long enough timeline everyone I knew was going to find a way to hurt me so I took it out on people.
That was incredibly fucked up of me. Through all the haze and the rage I knew it was but I didn’t know what else to do. I just wanted to be kind to people the way I hoped people would be kind to me. Eventually with a lot of help, a massive amount of patience, and a supportive community I am a wildly different person. I had always wanted to be better and the steel fighting community was the only place that had ever given me the opportunity to really succeed.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE SPORT?
Be humble, you probably have a lot more to learn than you think you do. We’re all learning new things about this sport all the time so be patient.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE FUTURE OF ARMORED COMBAT SPORTS?
I’m very much looking forward to seeing how the ACS will influence women’s fighting in the US, especially with their focus being on women’s 5s. I can’t speak for everyone but the majority of my experience has come from 3s and 5s is a completely different world I’m very excited to explore.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANTED TO MENTION?
Be humble. Show up to practice. Don’t abandon your team.
Follow Marie Brooks on their Instagram page where she posts about their fighting life and their steel fighting community.
