Well, we did as much as we could on our part to navigate through the pandemic this year. And though we had a good plan to resume indoor training, we knew as the second wave surged and engulfed Alberta, the decision to halt training for the rest of the year was inevitable. So, let’s enjoy the break with those dear we can keep near to us in this time and hopefully we can reunite early in the New Year, with our swords in hand! Until then, we send everyone best wishes of health and happiness as this year of doom and gloom ends. We can only hope next year will be better!

As we move back indoors for the winter, we have to adapt around covid-19 precautions and so are limited in our class capacity to 12 attendees maximum. Therefore, we have a pre-registration available, so anyone who wishes to attend either a Tuesday or Thursday class, has to sign up and pay fees. The system works first-come, first-serve and will be done month-to-month. Everyone who attends has to sign a waiver and the Code of Conduct, as well. Click here for more details on classes and protocol.

So that we can continue our training inside the hall when the weather makes a switch to the freezing cold, we will have to enforce further safety measures around covid-19. Tuesday, November 3, 2020 will be our first class back inside the newly renovated Highland Park Community Hall. While we are excited about moving back inside, we do have to place restrictions on class size and structure.

For all the details please read the class schedule and covid-19 procedure

The club has been keeping active and holding a good attendance this summer since we started outdoor sessions. We’ve had a few newcomers come and try it out and some keep coming back! Tim opened up Tuesday training again, where he is walking us through Richard Marsden’s book on Polish Sabre, as well as breaking down boxing mechanics. As we are still limited in our training environment, keeping proper distance between every person, there is only so much we can train individually, but we do the best we can. Really, this is a great time for anyone to try out Western martial arts with us, as every person can train at their own level and hone in on the finer details of the techniques. Also, there is no cost to participate! Mark continues leading us through master cuts and guards with German longsword every Thursday. As we approach the colder seasons, the board is working on plans to keep the club active as best we can inside the hall, with the highest safety measures. More details on that will be released at the end of the summer.

Forge members punch the air as they practice uppercuts during a training session with Tim on Tuesday, August 4.

As our community is still faced with the reality of Covid-19, The Forge has adapted our training to accommodate safe distancing measures. Therefore, we are only providing individual training in an outdoor, group setting, which means no sparring and no partner drills and always remaining at least two longsword-lengths away from each other! We have had two great sessions already, held outside on the field adjacent to the Highland Park Community Hall. We practice sword cuts, guards, footwork and body mechanics with Mark instructing at the front. Pellwork and more may be added as we progress through the summer. At this point, we can only accommodate people ages 18+ as a further safety measure, but we welcome anyone, no matter your experience or abilities, to bring a training weapon of your choice and join us every Thursday at 7-8:30pm to build your sword skills with us! If you don’t have a training weapon, please contact the club if you’re interested to join and some members may be able to lend a spare. As we are a non-profit group, there is NO FEE to participate as we have no rental costs at this time to cover. Whether you’ve trained with the Forge before, or not, now is an excellent time to get into the swing of things.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the board has decided to cancel our annual HEMA tournament, Anvil, which was scheduled in June. These have been sad, slow days during the lockdown and there are many of us who miss our weekly training classes. We also missed being a part of Calgary’s Comic Expo and our first Judging and Coaching Workshop in April, as well as Sabreforce’s May the Fourth lightsword tourney. As Calgary’s lockdown loosens over the coming months, we will have to wait and see if we can safely commence training over the summer. Members may remain active by their own motivations as we train separately. The club is still open online through social media channels, so reach out to The Forge or its members if you want! We are all in this together. Stay safe and healthy.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, The Forge has cancelled training classes until the end of March. We will determine at the end of the month if classes start up again in April. Stay healthy everyone and keep training at home!