Going Medieval in Clemson, South Carolina…
Clemson University students engage in a form of fighting similar to what is known as “Belegarth,” the night before the Tiger football team takes on Florida State in Clemson, South Carolina.
The students, known as the Tiger Knights of Appalacia, build their own foam weapons and meet three times a week on the Clemson campus.
Full transcript below:
Daniel Kolb, Group member:
- We get all sorts of reactions. You get the people that are saying, "You guys are crazy," and you got the people saying, "We wanna be crazy like y'all."
- They ask us how you join and we toss them a sword and say, "You're in."
Alexander Petraroli, Group Founder:
- If you get cut in the arm by a sword, it goes behind your back and you lose it. If you cut the leg, you take a knee and if you lose it. If you lose any combination of two limbs, you die. Or if you get hit in the body, you die.
- It's good if you want to lose weight too.
Group member:
- I've gone from 270 (pounds) to 230 in the course of what, January? I used to couldn't run. I can run now.
Kolb:
- Or if you want another reason to be out cold during the game other than drinking. This will work just fine.
Petraroli:
- Hey guys, we're re-spawning in 5, okay?
Kolb:
- We get all kinds of people. You get the occasional drunk, which is why we stopped fighting on football Saturdays.
Petraroli:
- It's a big social thing too, we do a lot of stuff together.
Kolb:
- But a lot of us just started because this is something we've always wanted to do.
The Tiger Knights of Appalacia fight 3 afternoons per week until they lose sunlight or feeling in a precious organ. Whichever comes first.
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