Gintaras - Commander Thu, 9 Apr 2009

Spring is upon us and war is calling far and near. We have already faced foes south of our Kingdom and trained for battle in our local Shires and Baronies. And now we face conflict at our Region¿s border to the north and to the east. This year promises to be one to remember.


Command Staff

The 2009 Midlands Command staff setup will be a little unorthodox. For all events leading up to Pennsic, I will be the Commander and Baron Robert Downey and Sir Ix will be our XOs. At Pennsic, Robert will be in charge and Ix will remain as XO. For personal reasons I am unable to attend Pennsic this year. I thank Baron Robert in advance for leading in my absence. Baroness Rowan will continue to be Company Clerk at all events, but most importantly at Pennsic.

With Robert moving up to Regional Commander at Pennsic a vacancy will be left for the number two XO position. This is an exciting opportunity for some one to step in at Pennsic as the number two XO supporting Rob and Ix. This position will likely be responsible for:

• Attending all command staff meetings.
• Taking good notes about battle plans and intelligence and keeping them confidential.
• Working with the Company Clerk to ensure an accurate record of all Midlands fighters at every battle.
• Reviewing battle plans and strategies with Rob and Ix.
• Communicating messages the day before the battle if needed to households and baronies in the region.
• Various battlefield responsibilities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Midlands Fighters can expect to fight melee and practice the art of war at the following events:

• May 16 - Chaos Caravan, Greyhope, (Michigan City, IN)
  • Fight in the woods with your preferred fighting unit!
  • Also last year the Midlands practiced against Constellation after the woods activity.
  • Also a joint Unbelted Champions Practice with Constellation Unbelts.
• June 12 - 14 - Border Skirmish VI: Lindisfarne Strikes Back! (will be at Simmons Island Park in Kenosha, WI. Just over the Border)
  • Defend Our Border! This is not a practice, but the real thing where we put our strategy and tactics to the test
  • The Midlands (and Midrealm) has been very under-represented for the past couple of years. We need to increase the turnout!!!
• July 11 - Feast of St. Ethyl - If it Ain't broke, Don't Fix It, Swordcliff (Taylorville, IL)
  • A great place to learn play melee as a Region before Pennsic (Oh, and they have a Pool!)
  • Heavy Crossovers bring your rapier gear to train with the Rapier Army.
• July 18 - Simple Day, Sternfeld (Indianapolis, IN)
  • Lots of melees. The Midlands had a good-sized unit last year, let¿s keep it up!
• July 24 to August 9 - Pennsic (Slippery Rock, PA)
  • You know what to do. It's the event where stories are made.

Since time is of a premium at events, I am making a call to all Knights, Captains, Sergeants, and other veteran melee fighters to continue to train the troops in the basics of melee combat at your local practices. Even if it is just once per month, that will greatly help the Region when we fight as a unit. Here are some things that would be of assistance to train at the local level:

• Three-on-One drills
• Practice reforming to your unit
• Remembering the Mission Objective
• Echoing Commands

You can also contact me for more information. I look forward to seeing you all out there on the field and will report to you on our progress as the season continues.