This month, we are going to shine the spotlight on one of our rookie fighters Jamezie. Jamezie won this year’s Rookie Rumble, so it is fair we make a post about Jamezie and congratulate them on their achievement!
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING FOR ARMORED COMBAT?
I started soft kit training with the Horde two years ago, but have only been in armor since this February at Carolina Carnage.
DO YOU HAVE ANY BACKGROUND EXPERIENCE IN MARTIAL ARTS OR OTHER SPORTS?
I haven’t been much of a sports person for some time. In middle and high school I did several years of taekwondo and was also on my school’s rowing team but since then my primary form of physical activity has been biking around the city everyday.
HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ARMORED COMBAT AND WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO JOIN?
During the pandemic, I got to indulge my love of fantasy and got really deep into D&D and tabletop gaming. A friend of mine started doing HEMA longsword training and I thought that seemed like a perfect extension of my interests, but I couldn’t find any groups within a reasonable driving distance. Researching my options was how I found out about the Knights Hall and was able to attend an event at Winniekenni Castle. Standing in the rain watching people clang about, I knew I needed to give it a try. However, I couldn’t really make the drive up to NH multiple times a week. It was then through a former housemate that I learned a mutual friend of ours did buhurt and was a part of a team in Boston. That’s how I was able to connect with The North Horde and I didn’t waste any time coordinating coming to a practice. At that time Anton Molokov was running our practices and he, along with the rest of the team, immediately made me feel welcome and excited to attend the next practice. I owe a lot of where I am today to Anton and am grateful to have been introduced to the sport by him.
DO YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU FELT IN YOUR FIRST FIGHT? CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE?
My first fight was mercing for the Tidewater Dogs of War in the melees at Carolina Carnage. I was incredibly nervous as we lined up in the list for our first fight. I wasn’t with a team I had trained with, and the few people from my team that had traveled with me were mercing for other groups in different fights. However, Tidewater are great folks and we became fast friends. One of their squires even helped braid my hair. After a few recitations of the Litany Against Fear, once the first round ended and I was still on my feet I knew that the rest of the day would be a fun time. I couldn’t have asked for a better first-fighting event. I’d hoped to have my first fight in Boston so everyone I knew could attend but it was very cute to later open my phone to a series of texts from my friends who had been watching the livestream sending me screenshots saying how excited they were to watch me fight.
WHAT IS YOUR PREFERRED WEAPON? DO YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR FAVORITE?
Primarily I use a falchion and buckler since I love the versatility and speed they allow. But I’m trying out everything to get a feel for what works best for me. Even though my interest in longsword was what drew me into the sport, it’s only recently that I’ve given it a try and really enjoy that dueling style. I’m a woodworker by trade and have been dipping my toes into making weapon handles. I’m still honing in on the ideal style of handle but I just made one for a two-handed axe that I’m excited to put to the test.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ARE SOME POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT COME FROM THE SPORT?
I think as a whole the Buhurt community is an incredibly supportive one. Sure we’re doing a sport and competing against one another, but everyone wants to have fun and make sure we’re all safe. I’ve met a lot of incredible people in the short time I’ve been involved with the sport and it has really made me happy to meet fellow queers holding it down in the list.
WHAT IS YOUR FIGHTING STYLE – IF YOU HAVE ONE?
The weirding way. (Editor’s Note: A solid way.)
DO YOU THINK FIGHTING CHANGES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU PERSONALLY?
I have dealt with a lot of body dysphoria and disconnection from my body. Doing such a physical activity that requires being very present and trusting your body’s ability has changed that around for me. It’s changed my relationship to working out and helped me appreciate parts of me that have made me feel less queer/less trans/less me. Being a part of a team has boosted my confidence in my communication skills and generally my ability to connect with new people. I wish my therapist could’ve just told me that swinging swords around would do wonders for my mental health years ago.
I used to front a trans hardcore band and book an all-queer extreme music festival, both of which saw their end due to the pandemic. Despite my attempts to foster queer community I never really felt included or taken seriously. Joining with the North Horde I’ve found genuinely nice people who may not have known many trans folks when I first met them but have made a point to provide space for me to just be me and worry more about working together as a team rather than if I’m performing queerness in a certain way. It’s made me feel confident and comfortable with the body I inhabit and not just because I get to wear cool armor now.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR NEW PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE SPORT?
Just go for it and don’t be afraid to feel silly. This sport is inherently a little goofy and if you’re not having fun what’s the point? Let yer nerdiest dreams come true and get to practice as soon as you can!
Oh, and get an eastern kit. Let’s get a little more style going out there in the list instead of everyone having the same wolfrib and brig combo. “Sport Optimization” is for dorks.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO FOR THE FUTURE OF ARMORED COMBAT SPORTS?
In general, I look forward to the increasing diversity of the sport as a whole in all aspects. Selfishly though, I look forward to the rules of the sport being more open and accommodating to trans fighters and not enforcing tired and binary understandings of gender. I look forward to transphobes being humiliated in the list if they have a problem with that, and if it just so happens that I get to be the one to do that, all the better.
ANY FINAL WORDS YOU WANTED TO MENTION?
My team captain Kyllian Twiss won last year, which makes me proud to have secured back-to-back Rumble victories for The North Horde. Here’s hoping next year we can pull off the hat trick. FOR. THE. HORDE. 😤
