The Reader's Digest-abbreviated answer to that question is that we are a we are a non-profit, educational organization that studies and, to a degree, re-enacts the Middle Ages. But that doesn't tell you much, does it?

We do dress in many costumes, from very plain to very fancy. We do lots of research on medieval history. Some of us hit each other with rattan sticks covered with duct tape, while others poke each other with rapiers. Some of us practice different arts, such as brewing, cooking, sewing, embroidery, or jewelry making. We eat really well. We make good music and sing by campfires. We dance. We party. We talk. We have fun. Did I mention we fight?

One of our main activities is martial arts. Within the field of martial arts, you can be anyone from a Mongol hordesman lusting for enemy blood to a swashbuckling pirate on the deck of a frigate.

There are heavy fighters. These are the fighters that use "swords" made of rattan covered with duct tape. For those who don't like to get up close and personal there are archers using non-piercing arrows, and fighters that fight with polearms.(blades on long poles) Then there are the rapier fighters, who use metal practice rapiers to fence (short for defense or staying alive). If that's not enough then there are also equestrian activities which let the horses get into the fun. Although jousting is not practiced (we haven't quite figured out how to knock someone off a horse safely), the 'games' that were taught to train for jousting are what we practice. There are martial activities open to anyone, men, women and now children have some form of martial combat they can participate in.

If that's not enough for you, and you like to build things, then maybe siege engine construction is for you. There is always live weapons against wooden or cardboard targets and everyone has battle tactics to learn. The martial arts are very important to the SCA, as they were very important to the time periods we strive to represent.

Part of what makes it so important is that our Kings and Queens are crowned by "right of arms," or being the best fighter in a special tournament called Crown List. Each participant chooses a consort of the opposite gender to fight for, and if the fighter wins, the consort rules beside them on the thrown. There are both men and women who have won the crown by there own prowess on the field of combat.

However, martial arts are not all there is to the SCA. There is the vast category of activities known as arts and sciences. This would cover many things that people did for a living, such as woodworking, armor making, leather working, cooking, weaving cloth, sewing, jewelry making, brewing, or what people did for fun, such as storytelling, singing, dancing, or playing games. If you can think of something that someone did in the Middle Ages, or even in the Dark Ages, then most likely someone in the SCA does that very thing. We even enter our best efforts in Arts and Sciences contests that are judged.

There are lots of options for things to do in the SCA. But, what if someone does not want to make so much as he wants to serve? If someone is not keen on making things with their hands, or does not have a pleasant singing voice, they can still find a place in the service arena. This includes such things as waterbearing (bringing water to fighters and others to avoid heat-related illnesses), our first-aid people called chirurgeons, assisting with cooking, helping to run an event, or even planning children's activities for a morning. Service is one of the big areas of the SCA that is so integral to the Society being successful. If everyone helps everyone else out, then no one gets left behind or goes wanting.

These are the three cornerstones of SCA activities: Martial Arts (embodied by The Chivalry), Arts & Sciences (embodied by the Laurels), and Service (embodied by the Pelicans.) While people take their activities rather seriously, we don't do them as if they were jobs. We do these things because they satisfy our need for fun. We do them because they're fun and enjoyable for us to do.

If you would like to have fun with us, please feel free to join us sometime. Ask questions if you see someone doing something that looks intriguing. Offer to help if you can't seem to figure out what to do. Maybe you could even try on some armor and take a whack at fighting. Whatever you try, have fun and enjoy yourself.

By
Cynwise æt Sceaduwode

With help From:
Lord Greggor of Vulpine Reach
Marthe Elsbeth of Oak Hill
nur al-haiya