It has been a good year for me, all things considered.
I competed in my very first international medieval combat tournament, and (without blowing my own trumpet too hard), I did what I went there to do: fight well and represent my country. There were also some unexpected gifts: I met a number of awesome people and made many, many friends. My overall impression of IMCF was that I have never been in a bigger gathering of people with so few assholes. It was wonderful.
We also hosted a very successful national tournament here at home, which gave some good exposure of the sport to the public and set the bar for future events. That was a lot of work, the greater portion of which was not done by me, and I felt that it was a very good, high note on which to set out for our independent missions.
Those included working towards setting up more training venues, as well as a youth development initiative. We've had mixed responses to our efforts, but on the whole, we remain positive and hopeful that our efforts will bear plenty of fruit in the form of a wide variety of fighters from different backgrounds and of different ages, to fill the many categories of combat that are opening up overseas and also locally.
In my personal capacity, I have been very lucky to have parents, friends and a husband who all actively support and encourage me, and so I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you - those who have gone to the long and arduous trouble of wading through my blog posts, those who have offered support (online and in person) for those initiatives that we have undertaken, those friends and family who have been there to comfort us when we were feeling betrayed and rejected, and also to my parents, all of whom have given of their very best in their own ways to help us get to IMCF (and back again!), and also to where we are now. I am grateful and humbled by the unexpected love and kindness that you have all shown us.
And so I would like to leave you with this happy and joyful song from Korpiklaani.
May the festive season bring you fun and laughter and rest and comfort. May you emerge into the New Year unscathed and ready to take on the challenges it will bring.
To those of my brethren who celebrate in the South, have a raucous Litha (Summer Solstice), and to those who celebrate in the North, may you have a blessed Yule (Winter Solstice).
That's all from me this year, so I will see you on the flipside.
And remember...
I competed in my very first international medieval combat tournament, and (without blowing my own trumpet too hard), I did what I went there to do: fight well and represent my country. There were also some unexpected gifts: I met a number of awesome people and made many, many friends. My overall impression of IMCF was that I have never been in a bigger gathering of people with so few assholes. It was wonderful.
We also hosted a very successful national tournament here at home, which gave some good exposure of the sport to the public and set the bar for future events. That was a lot of work, the greater portion of which was not done by me, and I felt that it was a very good, high note on which to set out for our independent missions.
Those included working towards setting up more training venues, as well as a youth development initiative. We've had mixed responses to our efforts, but on the whole, we remain positive and hopeful that our efforts will bear plenty of fruit in the form of a wide variety of fighters from different backgrounds and of different ages, to fill the many categories of combat that are opening up overseas and also locally.
In my personal capacity, I have been very lucky to have parents, friends and a husband who all actively support and encourage me, and so I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you - those who have gone to the long and arduous trouble of wading through my blog posts, those who have offered support (online and in person) for those initiatives that we have undertaken, those friends and family who have been there to comfort us when we were feeling betrayed and rejected, and also to my parents, all of whom have given of their very best in their own ways to help us get to IMCF (and back again!), and also to where we are now. I am grateful and humbled by the unexpected love and kindness that you have all shown us.
And so I would like to leave you with this happy and joyful song from Korpiklaani.
May the festive season bring you fun and laughter and rest and comfort. May you emerge into the New Year unscathed and ready to take on the challenges it will bring.To those of my brethren who celebrate in the South, have a raucous Litha (Summer Solstice), and to those who celebrate in the North, may you have a blessed Yule (Winter Solstice).
That's all from me this year, so I will see you on the flipside.
And remember...
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