Pillowfecht 2: Too Fecht, Too Furious!

On January 7th, 2023, Hilt and Helm fencing club celebrated its 1st anniversary but turning our usual open house into a for-real-sies fencing tournament with a twist! Instead of a usual tournament, fighters fought in teams of two!

Before the fighting began we had two promotions to celebrate. Jacob Holfelder, our very first Knight School graduate, went to compete in their first ever fencing tournament: Blue Box Open. They even managed to win fights in both Longsword and saber after only a few months of training with us. That combined with their perfect attendance record earned them the title of “Second Thane of Hiltenhelm”. When Sheradon could no longer commit to running class on Saturdays, Jacob stepped up and agreed to open up class for free sparring if I couldn’t be there. For this selfless act of generosity we have promoted them to “Warden of Week’s End” and official recognize them as an officer of the club!

Next was Sheradan Crow! He was our very first ”not me” instructor and made it so we could run class twice a week. Thanks to him I could go to tournaments and know everything would be handled. And when his schedule no longer allowed him to commit to Saturdays, he opened up his free time to private lessons and lead our public class initiative. He’s punching WAAAY above his weight class in terms of handling responsibility. In recognition of his deeds, we’re giving him the title “Third Thane of Hiltenhelm”, giving him a seat at the Small Council, and promoting him to “Hand of the Jarl”! I can’t run this club with one hand. I needed two, and I can’t think of a better one than Sheradon!

Next, 4 teams of 2 from across Pittsburgh came out to try our ”Alley Fight” rule set. no longer a test of individual skill, this ruleset relied on team work and good defense to keep from getting knocked out and leaving your team mate outnumbered. Congratulations to Chuck Gross and Mal Grant for coming in 1st place!

Also want to make a big shout out to JW Pugnetti and Nick Bulan for judging, Sheradon and Jacob for running the table, Jon and Kait for running everything else, and everyone who has helped make the past year a success! Hope to see you all for Funfecht on Memorial Day and Pillowfecht 3: “Fecht is Family” when we announce it!