On Saturday August 24th, Academie Duello was a part of the Scion City Chase. This event is an urban adventure where teams of two race each other through a series of "Chasepoints" throughout the city of Vancouver. At these points they undergo challenges that will either help or hinder them on their way to the finish line.

This is the fourth time that Academie Duello has participated and each time we are involved we like to do something a bit different. This year may have been my favorite challenge yet.

Chasers were greeted at the door and asked to choose one of them to be the Knight the other the Squire. Then they were informed what those jobs entailed.

The Academie Duello museum floor was scattered with weapons and armour, on the far side a dragon that needed to be slain (a big sword target), and in between two fearsome warriors brandishing synthetic swords, moving about in cutting patterns.

The squire's job was to move into the battlefield and attempt to collect as much equipment for their knight as possible, one piece at a time. They were taught proper martial movement and the more that they kept to it the less likely the warriors were to chase them.

Once they felt they had collected enough stuff, their knight was equipped and they would then attempt to cross the battlefield, slay the dragon and return. The equipment they were geared with included armour (helmets, breastplate, arm harness, etc), shields (big and small), and swords. The more equipment they had the more protected they were from the blows of the warriors. They too had to use good footwork and do their best to stay safe as they crossed, struck the dragon, and returned.

The event was a ton of fun and everyone seemed to have a great time. In fact many teams that crossed the finish line of the chase and had missed our station (you were not required to visit every station) came afterward because they heard that it was so much fun.

Thanks to all of our volunteers and staff who made the event happen, including Matheus, Kimberleigh, Adrian, and Kristin.

This photo gallery gives a small glimpse into the joyful chaos:

Devon Boorman is the Co-Founder and Director of Academie Duello Centre for Swordplay, which has been active in Vancouver, Canada since 2004. Devon’s expertise centres on the Italian swordplay tradition including the arts of the Renaissance Italian rapier, sidesword, and longsword, as well as knife and unarmed techniques.
Read more from Devon Boorman.