Armored Combat Worldwide tourney brings regional warriors to Roberts
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ROBERTS — BJ’s Bayou in Roberts was transformed into a medieval battleground this past Saturday as the site of Armored Combat Worldwide’s Northwest Regional tournament.
Around fifty armored athletes from Idaho, Utah and Montana competed, giving them a chance to put metal on metal, test their abilities and develop friendships. Combatants squared off in one-on-one duels and team melees, battling with a variety of weapons.
The tournament also drew dozens of onlookers drawn by the spectacle of warriors in full armor swinging swords at one another.
“It’s a wonderful sport,” Carly Smith, treasurer for the Salt Lake Crusaders, told EastIdahoNews.com. “It’s great to watch. There’s nothing quite like ten men in a ring trying to kill each other.”
Smith said that apart from the violence, armored combat also appeals to many participants because it provides a connection to history.
“A lot of Americans, we’re mutts and we don’t have a lot of connection to our past or our history, so for a lot of people, it’s a connection to their ancestors,” she said. “Several of our fighters have recreated their ancestors’ armor and are able to have that connection there.”
Ethan Watt, president of the Boise chapter of Armored Combat Worldwide, said that the sport appeals to people who want to compete and be part of a team.
“I played football forever growing up,” Watt said. “I was always kind of craving that physical thing to do. For me, (armored combat) recreates that and you get to be on a team again, which is a big deal for a lot of people. I really like having a difficult thing to strive against and a reason to work out, and this is just fun because you get to do it in armor. A lot of people grow up wanting to be knights, and now we actually get to do it.”
While armored combat allows people who may not be the most athletic to compete, the sport is quite cardio-intensive. It also requires stamina and strength to bear the weight of a full suit of armor.
“For a lot of fighters, the key is the stamina to be in armor,” said Watt. “Back in the day, you’d grow up in armor and you’d start at a young age learning how to fight. So you had all that development as a youth learning how to fight in armor. We’re just getting started getting into it, so figuring out what is the best way to train for strength and conditioning is difficult. I think the best way to get better at fighting is to just keep fighting, so that’s what I tell my guys.”
Rick Percinsky, captain of recently-formed Snake River Sentinels, the Idaho Falls Armored Combat Worldwide team, said that armored combat appeals to a number of different personality types.
“It’s a pretty broad audience,” he said. “There’s a lot of veterans here and a lot of history nerds. Athletes, like people with MMA (mixed martial arts) backgrounds, come out to do this. Weightlighting and people who are into fitness in general. It hits all kinds of groups honestly. We’ve got cowboys and we’ve got city people. We’ve got everyone.”
Percinsky said that while the violence is a draw, the thing he likes most about competing in armored combat is the comradery that forms between fellow fighters, both teammates and opposition.
“It’s like a giant extended family,” he said. “You get to know everyone a little bit. Sure, the violence is great, but getting to know people and hitting your friends is the best part.”
If you’re in the Idaho Falls area and are interested in getting involved with Armored Combat Worldwide, here are some relevant links:
