Local warriors gather for medieval battle tournament
Published at | Updated at
The Madison Junior High School gym could barely contain the chaos as warriors from across the region gathered in Rexburg to take part in Frozen Warriors on Saturday.
Frozen Warriors is an annual Belegarth Medieval Combat Society event that brings together fighters representing different geographic areas, or realms, together to battle against one another. Belegarth simulates medieval combat with foam-padded weapons representing swords, spears and the like.
Belegarth is usually an outdoor activity, but Frozen Warriors brings the sport indoors so warriors can battle during the cold winter months.
“Normally, we have events outside in summertime at parks, national parks and campgrounds, places where you can get 75 to 80 people together,” David Bell, who helped organize Frozen Warriors, told EastIdahoNews.com. “That obviously gets hard to do around October, and events start to slow down. They started running Frozen Warriors about seven years ago to say, ‘Hey, we’ll find an indoor place. Come fight.’”
The rules for Belegarth combat are pretty simple. A blow to an arm or a leg renders that limb useless. Strikes to the head or chest are fatal. The battle continues until all combatants on one team are dead. Although Belegarth include some elements of live-action role play (LARP), it focuses more on the combat aspects of LARP.
“There is some LARP element to (Belegarth) in that you can be different races,” said Bell. “At a lot of events, you’ll see people who are green because they’re goblins or monsters, wearing colored contact lenses and really going all out. But none of that has any bearing on the sport itself.
“Combat is 100% of it,” he added. “We’ll play steal the flag or murderball, kind of like rugby but with swords. Most of the people within the sport don’t want to call it LARP at all, even though it is live-action role play.”
Events like Frozen Warriors allow Belegarth fighters to practice their skills and keep their chops sharp. Warriors can also learn new skills and techniques from one another. They can even use Belegarth as a sneaky way to be physically active.
“I like to trick myself into working out,” said Rick Percinsky, an Idaho Falls resident who’s been actively participating in Belegarth for 20 years. “I’m not going to be doing that any other way. This is the only exercise I get.”
Percinsky said being in the middle of a Belegarth battle also gives your mental capabilities a workout.
“You really have to keep your head on a swivel and pay attention to everything going on around you,” he said. “When you get too focused, they get you. I love how you need to maintain your situational awareness. I love that aspect, trying to keep track of everything going on around you.”
Belegarth also provides an environment for like-minded people to make connections and form lasting friendships.
“A lot of these guys are good friends for a long time,” Bell said. “If you need help moving a couch or doing different things like that, you call your buddy from Belegarth. They’re good friends that way.”
Belegarth is a great activity for people from all walks of life. It appeals to people who love Dungeons & Dragons or the lightsaber fighting from the “Star Wars” films, people with an interest in medieval combat, and those looking for a fun way to get out of the house. If you’re interested in joining one of the local Belegarth realms, you can contact them through their Facebook pages. Click here to find your local realm.
