
Make a donation.
HEMA is not a cheap hobby. A typical kit can cost anywhere between $1,000 and $1,500 dollars. Many clubs either require members to purchase their own gear or provide loaner gear at a substantial rental fee. We are able to keep HEMA affordable for new people by collecting donations. Check below for our current goals and see how far we have come. Please consider donating today.
Club Officer Roster Changes
A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON!
Sadly as much as we love her, Liz’s time as my hand of the Jarl has come to an end. Her husband got a really big promotion in Atlanta and they will need to move at the end of February. Thankfully, Ryan is going to step into her position and fulfil as many of her old duties as his schedule allows.
ANNOUNCING A NEW MASTER OF LESSONS!
Keith Datum will be the new Master of Lessons on Wednesdays. The new beginner class will focus on small sword.
ANNOUNCING TWO NEW MASTERS IN TRAINING!
Adam Whaley and Morgan Redfield has both demonstrated mastery over longsword and saber respectively. After conferring with them, they’ve both expressed interest in becoming full instructors. Over the next few months we will work with each of them on putting together lesson plans with the goal of Adam becoming the new beginner Longsword instructor in July and Morgan the new beginner Saber instructor in September.
WE WANT YOU TO ADMIN!
If you are a consistent student who would like to help the club in exchange for comped membership, send us an email at hiltandhelm@gmail.com and express your interest and availability. Admins are expected to do the following:
Arrive at the club 15 - 30 minutes early to open up.
Stick around 15 - 30 minutes after class ends to ensure everything is closed up.
Master the push press system to assist people in
Signing up for class.
Renewing their memberships
Answering questions from random people from the street
Helping to familiarize new students with the gear
All admins will receive a complimentary club membership for the duration of their tenure and are only asked to work as an admin one day per week.
Future Event Plans
Funfecht 9: So Many Swords
Date: May 23rd - 25th
Description: Join us for our big annual Spar-Be-Que! We have instructors from around the HEMA-sphere teaching everything from longsword and saber, to stage combat and patch sewing. Tickets are currently sold out, but check out the wait list and be notified if someone cancels.
Pittsburgh Pride
Date: May 31st.
Description: We will be marching in the annual Pittsburgh Pride Parade and setting up a booth in the park to raise money and awareness of the club by selling merchandise and handing out fliers.
Demonstration at Camp Kon-Oh-Kwee
Date: June 7th
Description: We will be going to Camp Kon-Oh-Kwee to perform a fencing demonstration. If you’d like to help, email us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com.
The Alicorn Cup - Summer 2025
Date: TBD
Some people were upset that we had to remove Gender Minority Longsword from Unicorn cup. The reality of the situation is that we had a really low turn out last year and needed to replace it with event that would draw a larger crowd. Instead, we are planning a Gender Minority Tournament at the club. We’ll have it in the summer with twelve spots for Longsword and 12 spots for Saber. Once we have more information on the date, time, and tickets, we will announce it.
Schedule
Here is the schedule for May to June.
Mondays
Advanced Longword Class with Tony Cavalline and Ryan Leonard- 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Free Spar - 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Tuesdays
Intermediate Saber II Class with Eric McChesney - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Free Spar - 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Wednesdays
Beginner Small Sword Class with Keith Datum - 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Free Spar - 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Saturdays
Intermediate Sword and Buckler with Robin Steele - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Free Spar - 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
We are also offering private lessons.
Thursdays with Paul or Liz
6:30 pm to 7:30 pm (Paul or Liz)
7:30 pm to 8:30 pm (Paul)
Saturdays with the Chris Shelton (The Jarl of Hilt and Helm)
8:00 am to 9:00 am
9:00 am to 10:00 am
10:00 am to 11:00 am
See our class passes page for details.
Hilt and Helm Winter 2025 Status Update
Spring is finally here! That means looking back on the gloomy winter and seeing what your friends at Hilt and Helm have been up to! Read here to stay up to date on your Hilt and Helm news!
Funfecht IX: So Many Swords!!! May 23-26, 2025
Here’s a handy dandy summary excerpty about our big annual spar-b-que: Funfecht!
Hilt and Helm Fall 2024 Status Update
Fall of 2024 was jammed packed with tournaments, events, and a 3rd year anniversary celebration! Read below to see what the club has been up to.
Hilt and Helm Summer 2024 Status Update
Check out what Hilt and Helm has been up to this summer! We've decorated the new space, went to Sword Quench in Columbus Ohio, Harvest Fecht in Cincinnati, and the Ohio Renaissance Festival to see a tournament friend joust!
Hilt and Helm Spring Status 2024
Sorry for the delay, but A LOT of stuff has happened since our last blog post. Read here to see all of the exciting developments at Hilt and Helm Fencing Club!
H&H’s Adventures in Commercial Real-estate. Episode 1: The Hollow Castle
Join us in our newest adventure… finding a commercial real estate location. What Faustian bargains will our adventurers have to make in order to freely stab each other in the face? Read our blog to find out?
Hilt and Helm Winter 2023 Summary
Catch up on your Hilt and Helm news as I recall our trips to Blue Box 2023, Lake E-Fecht, and Unicorn Cup 2024!
The Plan for Unicorn Cup 2024
If you’re competing in or volunteering for the Unicorn Cup 2024, YOU MUST READ THIS BLOG POST!
Hilt and Helm Fall 2023 Summary
We were super busy during the Fall of 2023. Catch up on your Hilt and Helm news here!
Blood on the River 2023
Hilt and Helm Fencing club goes to Broken Plow’s signature event: Blood on the River 2023!
Hilt and Helm Summer 2023 Status Update
Here’s the Hilt and Helm Summer 2023 Status Update
AG Open 2023
Hilt and Helm went to the AG Open 2023 for a weekend of fun, fighting, learning and SHOPPING!!
Hilt and Helm Spring Summary 2023
This quarter we accomplished a lot! Had 4 guest instructors, welcomed 3 new staff members, won our first medals in fencing tournaments, put on Pillowfecht 3, and cleaned out the back room to get a whole bunch of new usable space!
Ascalon Sword Festival 2023
Hilt and Helm earns their first 2 medals at the Ascalon Sword Festival 2023!
Pillowfecht 2: Too Fecht, Too Furious!
We celebrated our 1st anniversary with a for-real-sies fencing tournament!
As You Wish 2022
Went to “As You Wish” Rapier and Dagger Tournament where I met David Miller from Sellsword Arts and Robert Childs who is arguably one of the best HEMA fighters in the world!
Pillow-Fecht Fall 2022
Pillow-Fecht Fall 2022 ends with the crowning of the new Pillow-Fecht champion: Jonah Driver aka “Robert the Snooze”
Cross Roads 2022
Hilt and Helm travels to Delaware Ohio for Columbus Saber Academy’s Annual Event: Cross Roads Longsword and Saber Tournament!