Re: Martial arts

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 12:21:28 -0700

> I wrote an article on this on the GD waaaaaay on back. I called
> the Sartarite version Iorgh!, popularly assumed to be a spoof on a
> certain someone's name, als^H^H^Hactually, a rip from Dog Gaelic.
> Basically it's just ur-camanachd, without benefit of uniforms;
> rules; a pitch; equal numbers of players; common sense...
>
> Roderick claims the credit for the phrase "full contact golf" in
> describing the Heortling national sport, but he also swiped _my_
> Valind-worshipping goat-eaters, so who would you trust? ;-)

I also claim to have written up shinty for RQ on the GD before you.

I've played shinty as described above (part & parcel of 16th Century re-enacting...), the worst we ever got hurt was smashed fingers and a nearly broken jaw (we were using an american softball - I personally can say that stopping one with your face may save a goal, but is not recommended!) Our friends in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) thought we were nuts for running at high speed trying to hit a ball with stout sticks and *no armor* (this, while one of the best SCA fighters in the world was nursing a just-broken arm...). Of course, we were all friends, so we weren't *trying* to hit each other.

A friend from back then is organizing a proper shinty league in the San Francisco Bay Area - with store bought camans and ball & everything. If anyone is interested, drop me a line and I'll put you in contact with him.

and those Valindi were lifted fair and square. If *you* can't protect your livestock, should I cry?
:-)

RR