East Kingdom King & Queen's Rapier Championships

The Barony of Smoking Rocks is honoured to be hosting the next East Kingdom Rapier Championship Tournament this coming 10th of October.  Please join their soon-to-be Majesties Brennan and Caoilfhionn as they attend to the selection of the next King’s and Queen’s Rapier Champions.

Following are the conventions for the Champions Tournament.  Please note that any authorized rapier fighter may participate in this tournament, but only those who are willing and able to perform the duties of a Champion of the East Kingdom and affirm as such when signing in with the MoL will be able to advance from their round robin pool into the sweet sixteen. 

The tournament will consist of three parts - the round robin, the sweet sixteen, and the finals.

Part One - Round Robin:  The top fighters in each pool (number dependent on how many pools we have) will be selected to advance to the sweet sixteen.  Matches will consist of a single bout, with weapon forms of the combatants' choosing.

Part Two - Sweet Sixteen:  This will be a double elimination tree.  Matches will consist of a single bout, with weapon forms of the combatants' choosing.

Part Three - Semi-Finals and Finals:  At the semi-finals, all previous losses will be forgiven -- a combatant need win only once to advance to the finals.  The finals will be decided as a best of five bouts, with matched weapon forms.  Weapons forms will be alternating choice, with 1st choice decided by coin flip.  Weapons forms may not repeat until the 5th fight (if necessary). 

Other tournament-wide conventions:  Double kills will be refought until a victor has been determined.  Fencers approaching or crossing a list boundary during a bout will not be recentered.  If a hold is called because a fencer has reached or crossed a boundary, the match will resume with the fencer on the boundary.  Finally, the marshals note that Two Handed Sword is now a separate authorization form.  Every effort will be made to have authorizing marshals available prior to the tournament.  There are no additional restrictions on the use of two-handed swords.

The tournament will be held in the port city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the Ft.  Taber/Ft.  Rodman Historical Park overlooking Buzzards Bay.  The park incorporates historical landmarks and offers many amenities.  The centerpiece of the park is the historic Fort Rodman, built between 1857 and 1871 as part of the nation’s sea coast defense system.  The park features a military museum, beach walking trails, and picnic areas offering panoramic views.  If weather is amenable, we intend to hold the fencing tournament outdoors in front of the fort.

The site, including the Community Center, is wheel-chair accessible, and the park is pet-friendly, as long as animals are kept on leashes and picked up after.  There is ample parking on site and across from the City’s beaches, all within short walking distance from both the Community Center and the fort.

As the tourney field is part of a public park, there are some restrictions; this is an absolutely BONE DRY site and due to health department restrictions, we will not be serving a dayboard or feast.  Gentles may opt to bring their own picnic baskets, and there are a variety of excellent seafood restaurants and craft beer pubs a few minutes away in the downtown New Bedford area.  Camp stoves and other open flames are prohibited, and smoking is not permitted in the Community Center or on park lands.

The site is a 45-minute drive from Providence, Rhode Island, a 45-minute drive from Cape Cod, and 1.5 hours south of Boston.  The downtown bus terminal is approximately 3.5 miles from the site, and offers DATTCO and Greyhound Bus services to Boston, Providence, and New York City.

Hotels in the area include the Marriott Fairfield Inn (3 miles from the site), The Seaport Inn (5 miles), and the Hampton Inn (6 miles).

For more information on local hotels and restaurants, visit:  http://destinationnewbedford.org/
Info on Ft.  Taber Military Museum:  http://forttaber.org/
Info on Ft.  Taber Park:  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60913-d1407373-Reviews-Fort_Taber_Park-New_Bedford_Massachusetts.html

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