Constellation Academy of Defense & Dance Symposium

Hosted by the Shire of Mynydd Seren

May 17-19th 2024 at McCormick's Creek State Park

**Please remember that because this is a State Park, you will have to pay a small fee at the entrance of the Park of $7 for In-State visitors and $9 for Out-of-State visitors (decided by your license plate)**

Non Member Adult Registration $20

Adult Member Registration $10

Children ages 0-17 are free.

Feast: $10

Lunch: $5

**Online Registration Link: E-Pay Registration Form**

Checks and cash will be accepted at Gate, but the only way to guarantee you get a space in the cabins is to pre-register.

Schedule:

Friday

6-9PM - Gate/Troll Open

Saturday

7AM - Park Opens **Please remember that because this is a State Park, you will have to pay a small fee at the entrance of the Park of $7 for In-State visitors and $9 for Out-of-State visitors (decided by your license plate)**

TBA

Sunday

Must leave site by 11am.

Accommodations/Cabins:

Group camping in cabins will be available at McCormick's Creek State Park, we have approximately 50 bunks. 

More information can be found here. 

Any questions can be directed to the Event Steward.

Tent camping IS available at the site, but must be registered through the State Park - so if interested in tent camping, please see McCormick Creek's website about reservation information.  There is also a hotel on site at the park that can be booked (although we have no reserved block since we are providing cabin camping).

Rapier Class Schedule:

Class Descriptions:

TRACK 01

Katerina die Herrliche

Spear 101: Spear basics from period sources

Spear dueling essentials, based on Italian sources like Marozzo and Fiore. Come learn how to put the pointy end into the other guy when the other guy is six feet away.

Roland de Sullane

Beating Spear 101: You don’t need a spear to win

The advantages of a spear over a sword appear insurmountable until you learn what a spear can’t do. Come learn how to manage the fight when you definitely don’t have the reach.

Gwynneth Vierch Ieuan

List Table 101: Keep the tournament running smooth

With the right support team and the right paperwork, running a list table is easy. Walk away from this class knowing what you need, who you need, and a QR code of class notes, paperwork, and sample tourney brackets.

William David Drake

Getting Good 101: How to get better faster

We know who “usually wins” in a tournament, but why? Come learn some basic changes you can make at your practices and in your training to accelerate your success.

Andries von Voorburg
***CLASS CHANGE*** Going Solo 101: Working by yourself
Are you the only one who made it to practice this week? Come learn how to use neuroscience to get the most from your solo training time. 

TRACK 02

Gwynneth Vierch Ieuan

Pez 101: Avoiding the one-shot

Nobody likes getting hit with a one-shot right after “Lay on.” Learn how to not let that happen!

Liu Kuaici

Dagger 101: Using shorter pointy ends

Keeping the dagger from getting in your way, mostly using the Northern Italian approach. We won’t be doing anything more intense than drill, but please bring minimum protective gear, a rapier, and a dagger with quillions.

Tedesco da Venezia

Cut and Thrust 101 : Mechanics, Calibration, and Kit-building

You don’t need a book to do well on the cut and thrust listfield. Come learn a manual-free approach to fighting that covers the additional attacks in C&T, the change in calibration, and the extra armor you need.

Rashid al-Sanna

Melee Command 101: Bringing the team together

You don’t need a loud voice to lead a unit. Come learn how to organize a group of people by their strengths, and then apply that team to the scenario objective.

Finn O’Connor

Bolognese 101: Getting started with the side-sword

Come learn the basic cuts, thrust, guards, and footwork designed around the shorter (but not short) swords of Marozzo and dall'Agocchie, among others.

Appolonia von Berlichingen

Meyer 101: Getting started with the guards and postures

Come learn how to fight in the German tradition, with pride of place for the longsword.

TRACK 03

Lazaro de Toledo

Longsword 101: Using longer pointy ends

Come learn the basic principles of the longsword, including how to use that leverage to your advantage instead of having it used against you.

Gwyneth Banfhidhleir

Fighting is Dancing 101: Everything is a tempo

Body mechanics, balance, endurance, agility, spatial awareness, and mental acuity all play a part in being a successfully partner. Come learn the basic aspects of dance training as it relates to fencing.

Raphael di Merisi

Manuals 101: How to find the book that speaks to you

Don't know what style to pick or which book to read? This class will offer a hands-on exploration of multiple different period rapier manuals to help you find what works best for you.

Raphael di Merisi

Drills 101: Training tools that aren’t boring

Want a better way to go from working on a specific technique to getting it to work in sparring? This class will provide you with a variety of approaches for trying to build new skills faster than just free sparring.

Liu Kuaici

Teaching 101: How to avoid the firehose

Nobody enjoys trying to learn from the firehose, and nobody likes teaching that way either. Come learn how to share what you know in a way that promotes your students progress.

Moira MacGillavrey

PT 101 : How to recover after your hiatus

The only thing worse than recovering from injury is fighting while injured. Come learn how to bring your body back from short- and long-term breaks from the sport.

Dance Retreat:

Join us for dancing and teaching whatever you feel in the moment.  Come prepared to share, learn, and dance all that you like!  There will also be a meeting about the Known World Dance Symposium Saturday afternoon (Time TBD).

Silent Auction:

Do you have nicer items you would like to donate to the Shire but feel bad about just putting in a garage sale? Are you an artisan who loves making things but now has too many crafts sitting around your house? The silent auction is for you! 

Silent Auction items will start at $10 to reflect their nicer quality or artisanal origin. There is no limit as to the type of craft, we only ask that all crafted items include a tag stating what the item is and the name of the artisan who created it, so that proper credit will be given. While silent auction items can also be handed over at the shire business meetings for our local members, we are primarily accepting them at the event site, either Friday evening or Saturday morning. Any items that are not sold will be given back to the artisan unless specifically requested otherwise. 

Garage Sale: 

We will be hosting a garage sale in order for our Shire to declutter all of those SCA and SCA adjacent items that we have piled up in our homes. This may include fabric that we’ve never used, the extra feast gear we kept just in case, materials for fibercrafts we thought we were going to get into, etc. For the garage sale all items will be priced between $1-$10 dollars.

For shire members, we ask that all donations be dropped off at our business meetings, either April or May, so that items can be sorted through and priced before the event. However, if there are those outside our shire who also wish to donate, we will still accept donations at the event. If possible, we would prefer to receive them on Friday, so that we can again sort and price them. All items that are not sold in the garage sale will be donated, either to the Shire, the Kingdom, or Goodwill depending on the items left. 

Lunch Tavern:

Walking Tacos:

Ground beef with taco seasoning 

Black beans (vegetarian option/side) 

Fritos and/or Doritos snack bags

Toppings:

Lettuce

Tomatoes 

Black Olives 

Shredded cheese 

Sour cream 

Salsa 

Hot sauce 

Drinks:

Lemonade 

Iced Tea

Water 

Feast Menu & Information:

Ethiopian Stew as a vegan/vegetarian option. Here are the ingredients: olive oil, onion, garlic, freshly grated ginger, Berbera spice blend, cayenne pepper, vegetable broth, split red lentils, diced tomatoes, red potato, fresh spinach leaves, sliced and lightly packed, and salt and pepper to taste.

Coddle: Potatoes, Onions, Bacon, Sausage, Veggie broth, Cream, Flour, Butter, various and sundries.

Pork Pie, braised Brussel sprouts in cream sauce and strawberry short cake 

Notes About the Event Site:

Due to the setup of the camp ground, and the fact that we're not allowed to anchor anything to the ground (anything that creates a hole), Period tents (using stakes) are not allowed.  There is generally a decent about of shade because of the tree cover, and we have reserved some buildings/shelters for use if there happens to be rain.  If you would like to bring a pop-up for a day presence, please check in with the Event Steward upon arrival so that we can get it placed properly.  

Event Staff:

Event Steward & Dance Retreat Host : THL Sionnain of Mynydd Seren

Rapier Class Coordinator: Master Adam Comyn

Rapier MIC: Maedhbh Ni Manainn

Webminister: Dame Sara Hasenkamp

Lunch staff:  Oddleif the Deep Minded 

Feast Stewards: Masters of Defense Vindis & Peter