Towards the end of this month, people from all over the country will flock to a small town in upstate South Carolina called Fountain Inn. Driving through Fountain Inn, you wouldn’t see anything which seems like it would attract a crowd from across the country. However, one of the doorways into a building in Fountain Inn’s modest downtown area leads to the studio of Sword Carolina.
At Sword Carolina, you can participate in the young sport of Historical European Martial Arts, or HEMA. HEMA practitioners study the manuscripts left behind by the old sword masters of the Middle Ages in order to recreate their lost art.
Though still emerging, the last 20 years has seen HEMA blossom into a quickly growing community. Through the interconnectedness of the internet, it has become both a widespread and tight-knit group. This has produced a global network of practitioners who are all in communication and are aware of each other’s events.
Among these events are the competitive tournaments where practitioners can display their mastery of the art. It is one such competition which will bring the crowds to Fountain Inn. At the end of this month Sword Carolina will hold its annual Study in Steel at the Fountain Inn Activity Center.
The event will include competitive tournaments for use of both synthetic (plastic) and steel swords as well as workshops and lessons. The event will be divided between two-handed longswords on Saturday, April 30 and one-handed short-swords on Sunday, May 1. Participants in the competitions must provide their own safety gear.
Admission to observe is free and admission to participate for both days in $100, a fee which includes a t-shirt and dinner on Saturday. For a small premium, participants can purchase these items separately if they don’t want the full package.
Currently, 42 people have committed to go on the event’s Facebook page with a further 91 people saying they’re interested.
It’ll be hella dope. Probably the best thing that happens all year, according to me, Clemson Student and study in Steel participant David Spearman. David is an officer in Clemson University’s HEMA club, Clemson Longsword, which is a proud partner of Sword Carolina. Several other Clemson Longsword members will also be participating in Study in Steel.
The event is sponsored by Purpleheart Armory.
