In late July 2019 I was reviewing the LARP List here on my site and one of the entries caught my attention. The entry was for the Seattle Knights and I remember years ago when I knew someone who had gone through their Academy and had been a Knight for a while. I remember thinking how cool that was and that I wanted that experience, but back then I didn’t have the time or money to do it. Fast forward until now and when I saw that entry the thoughts of that the question came back into my mind: Is the Academy still running and could I afford it? I looked over their site, learned that the Academy is still running, and reached out. A few emails, a phone call, looking over schedules and bank accounts, and an opportunity to observe a class later and I decided to sign up for the Academy.
And now it’s time. The Academy starts on Monday, Sept. 16. I have just a few days until I start the journey and process to becoming a Knight. I’m excited, a bit nervous, but really looking forward to this overall experience, too. Those of us joining this new cohort and starting the class were told to bring garden weight gloves (I’ve got some fencing gloves from my Western Martial Arts (WMA)/Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) days that will work perfect), wear sturdy boots such as hiking or combat boots (combat boots, check), and to bring our curiosity and desire to learn stage combat, improv acting skills, persona building, and the such (got all that). Gear wise, I’m set.
The class itself is being held at a stable about 20 minutes from where I live, so it’s also handy for me to get to. I’m not going to share addresses or anything that will give away the location as that needs to remain private to those of the Seattle Knights and this new cohort.
There’s something else I want to share, too, and that is I want to take you with me on this journey. I plan to chronicle the journey of this experience, starting at the very beginning, and share it with you. I hope to do some video clips here and there, share some pictures, and of course write about the experience. I also want your questions, so please, ask away by leaving a comment below, using the contact form on the left side of the site to reach out to me, or if you prefer to remain anonymous use the Ask Me Anything box over on the right side.
More to come next week when the class starts up.