Fightcamp – The Climb #853

Thursday 24^th June 2021

When the pandemic first hit, I cancelled all plans. I knew from reading about the Spanish Flu that we could expect second and third waves. As far back as May 2020, my extended family cancelled plans for xmas with a view to maybe having a gathering in summer 2021.

I had wanted to start my own swordfighting school in early 2020 and had pretty much got ready to recruit when the pandemic hit. I told myself that I wouldn’t look at doing it now until Septemeber 2021.

As the vaccines became available, I’ve always ignored freedom day. My view has been that we’re not ‘free’ until everyone has had their second jab, which would be around September 2021.

So for the past year, mentally I’ve set my mind on September 2021 as the time I could start to plan things. But as well as things have gone – all things considered – we’ve seen hiccups along the way. As a result, I’ve been saying since the end of last year that 2021 was out, and that I’d not start even planning anything until after I’d had my second jab.

Well, that happened this week, and with it I’ve started to think about plans. Even so, I still expect a little bit of a bumpy ride. We’re well into vaccinations and yet we’re seeing a third wave. Things happen!

I’ve thought my policy of no events in 2021 was a good one until…

…I got asked to teach at Fightcamp.

Fightcamp is one of the oldest UK HEMA events and the first I attended. I’ve won medals there. I’ve got drunk there.

I originally got asked to teach last year but the event got cancelled, and thought I’d missed my shot, but today I got asked.

I’ll admit, I had a massive bout of social anxiety when I was asked. Would we still be in the grips of a 3^rd wave? How would I cope with people? Do I even know how to HEMA any more?

I’m fat, I’m out of shape, but I’ve missed HEMA. I’ll probably be too fat to fit in my jacket, but I can still teach. It’s motivation, it’s a sense of normality I’ve been putting off, it’s a chance to see friends I’ve not seen in ages.

So, of course I was going to do it. It’s a massive honour just to be asked.

And by doing so, I finally feel some of that normality returning that I promised myself I’d get back to once I had my second jab. I also feel I’m coming out of it, where I left of, not where I feel I’ve dropped to.

The event is not for another 2 months. I’m doing a workshop I’ve done loads of times before inside SOTS. I can pretty much do it in my sleep.

I’m both excited and scared. I’ve put so much of my life on hold for the past 18 months that now we’re coming out of it, there’s a fear that I might not be able to go back to things, that I’ve lost the skills, or have been forgotten.

But most importantly, I’m looking forward to it. If this week’s theme has been the jab, perhaps next week’s needs to be fitness rather than Warcraft. Or possibly both!