Come join us for our first ever for-real-zies Longsword Tournament!
The Update!
Check out the Unicorn Cup Update Blog for the latest updates about the tournament including:
Volunteer Schedules and List of duties
Pools
Rules Updates and Clarifications
And much much more!
Seriously, if I put it all on this page it would take up WAAAAAY too much space)
The Registration Site!
Registration is now open. Follow this link to log into Ferrotas.
The Tournaments!
Hilt and Helm Fencing Club is having its first ever Official Longsword Tournament! On Saturday January 20th, there will be 3 divisions:
Open Longsword
When: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Number of Entry Slots: 48*
Who May Enter: Anyone with appropriate gear. The top 16 fighters who register for open will be moved over to the Invitational Longsword Tournament to take the sharks out of the pools. Invitations will go out shortly after registration is completed, but the final roster of Invitational Tournament Fighters will be debuted on the day of the tournament in case there are any last minute sign ups or drop outs.
Gender Minority Longsword
When: 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Number of Entry Slots: 16
Who May Enter: Anyone with appropriate gear who doesn’t identify as a cis-gender male. Fighters who qualify are able to sign up for both Open and Gender Minority, but if selected for the Invitational Tournament must chose if they would rather do Invitational or Gender Minority as they will be occurring at the same time.
Invitational Longsword
When: 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Number of Entry Slots: 16
Who May Enter: The top 16 fighters from Open Longsword will be hand picked and moved to the Invitational Longsword Tournament. Fighters will be chosen based on the following criteria:
HEMA Rating (1500 and up)
Number of Medals won in non-beginner or in house tournaments (Non-zero).
The Schedule
7:00 AM - 8:00 AM: Doors Open
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM: Registration Opens
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM: Gear Check for Open Longsword
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Open Longsword
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM: Lunch
12:45 PM - 1:00 PM: Fashion Show Registration Opens
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM: Fashion Show
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM: Gear Check for Invitational and Gender Minority Longsword
2:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Invitational and Gender Minority Longsword
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM: Intentionally left empty so people can shower
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Doors Open at Lolev Brewery
8:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Awards given out at Lolev Brewery
10:00 PM - 1:00 AM: Drinking and hanging out at Lolev Brewery
The Prizes!
Prizes for the Unicorn Cup 2024
We are giving out medals for places 1 - 8 across all tournaments. For those of you who are better fencers than mathematicians, that’s 24 MEDALS! We’re also having a fashion show during intermission where fighters can walk down the red carpet to compete for the title of “The Most Elegant Fighter in All of Pittsburgh!!!”
See “Da Rules” section of this page for details on the rules of the tournament and the fashion show.
The Cost
Early Bird Registration: $80 (Open Until Jan 13th)
Registration: $100 (Open Until Jan 19th)
We are looking for people to volunteer as judges as table staff. Everyone who volunteers gets $20 in cash at the event; however, they will be required to attend an online meeting before hand so that they can get training and orientation prior to the event. If you’re interested, please email us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com.
Buy your tickets here!
The Venue
Estelle S. Campbell - Boys & Girls Club of Western PA
Address: 4600 Butler St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Parking: There is a parking lot in the back behind the venue, but there is plenty of free street parking on Butler Street where ever you don’t see a meter. There is a small lot outside of the venue where we can drop off equipment and find parking later.
The Food
Between Open Longsword and Gender Minority/Invitational Longsword there will be an hour break for lunch. Light refreshments will be served; however, the venue is in the heart of Lawrenceville, one of the hottest most hip neighborhoods in all of Pittsburgh. Below are a short list of restaurants that are within 10 minutes walking distance of the venue.
For dinner, we will be having an after party at Lolev Brewery where the awards will be distributed and food trucks will be available.
Equipment
This section explains the equipment required for each weapon set. All fighters will be examined prior to start of the pools to ensure they are in compliance.
Required Gear
Fencing Helmet with back of the head protection
Gorget
Padded Fencing Jacket
Heavy Fencing Gloves
Forearm/Elbow Protection
Groin Protection (we won’t look but for your sake it better be there)
Knee/Shin Protection
Before the Fighting Starts
Each fight will consist of 2 two fighters facing off against each other. All fighters will be in one of these statuses throughout the tournament.
Fighting Now - 2 people are currently in the ring fighting.
On Deck - 2 people who will be fighting after the people that are “fighting now” are done. If you take too long (5 minutes), both fighters will lose and we will move on to the next group of fighters.
In the Hole - 2 people who will be fighting after the next 4 people are done. Be prepared to step in when the time is appropriate.
Sitting around - Everyone else in the pool. Relax, but don’t get too comfortable. You could be “On Deck” or “In the Hole” at any moment so keep an ear out. If you’re going to step outside or use the rest room, let someone know.
Structure of a Match
At the start of each match, each fighter must keep one foot on the corner matching their assigned color until the director calls “Fight!”
When a judge sees a quality hit land, they will call “Point!”
When the director sees a quality hit land, they will call “Halt!”
Judges will lower their heads.
Fighters will stop fighting and return to their sides.
The director will say “Judges!” and the judges will show their scores.
If a judge sees a strike to the arm/leg, they will raise the hand of the team who scored the point to the side.
If a judge sees a strike to the head/torso, they will raise the hand of the team who scored the point above their head.
The director will adjudicate points as they and the judges can agree.
If all judges and the director agree, points are allotted as the collective sees it.
If the director and at least 1 judge agree, points are allotted as they see it.
If neither the director nor any of the judges can agree, the match is reinitiated.
Head/Torso = 2 Points
Arms/Legs = 1 Point
Doubles are subtractive
If I hit you in the head, but you hit me in the arm, I get one point.
Which ever fighter has more points at the end of 3 minutes or reaches a score of 7 wins.
During the Fighting
Only a “Quality Hit” (defined further in “Da Rules”) will be considered viable means of pausing a match.
During the match, fighters may not have both feet on the padded ring matts.
Doing so once will be counted as a “ring out “and will reset the match.
Excessive use of force or hitting the back of the head will result in a yellow card. Points can not be scored in the same action that yields a yellow card.
2 yellow cards for the same offense will result in a red card which will cause the fighter to lose that match.
2 red cards for the same offense will cause the offending fighter to be barred from the rest of the tournament.
Quality Hits
A quality hit is performed with the weak of the blade to a valid target by either
a thrust with sufficient force that it would penetrate an unprotected body part if the blade were sharp
or a cut that rotates at least 30 degrees with intention to inflict bodily harm
or a slice that travels at least 1/3rd of the blade’s length
Pommel Strikes are also considered quality hits if and only if they meet the following criteria
The fighter presents the clear capability to perform a pommel strike by raising their pommel in the air above the opponent’s mask.
Does not actually make hard contact with the opponent’s mask. If the director feels the strike was done too hard, the point will be thrown out and the offender given a red card for excessive force. Is this subjective? Yes. So err on the side of caution if you don’t want to be yelled at.
Shouts one of following words to demonstrate their intention:
Bonk!
Pow!
Bam!
Boop!
Other equally humorous words will be considered on a case by case basis.
In-Tempo Hits
Two hits will be considered “In-Tempo” if they were initiated at the same time.
Valid Targets
Any quality thrust or cut to a target above the ankle will be considered valid. No strikes to the back of the head will be considered valid and any such strikes will result in a yellow card.
Grappling
Grappling will be allowed; however, both fighters have approximately 5 seconds to resolve the grapple in a quality hit.
Take Downs
Take downs (neither their set up nor their execution) are not permitted. We have hard wood floors and they are not conducive to having people get thrown on them.
Pocket Sand
Expressly forbidden.
The Fashion Show
All fighters who wish to be judged in the fashion show must show up at at 12:45 pm at the registration table. You’ll be asked to fill out an index card with your name, club affiliation, and a quippy introduction that will be read as you walk down the red carpet. Once everyone has been gathered, you’ll be given an order in which you’ll appear and be ushered off stage. Promptly at 1:00 PM, fighters will walk down the red carpet as they are introduced by the announcer, strike a pose in front of the judges, and walk back up the red carpet so the next person can be called. All fighters will be judged on 4 categories:
Color - How well does your kit stand out from the normal HEMA black?
Uniqueness - Is this a kit that can be bought off the rack, or does it showcase your personality and individuality?
Theme - Does your kit have a theme of some sort? Does it tell a story? Does it have a unifying motif?
Toughness - Is your kit able to withstand tournament level combat or are you merely cosplaying?
Fighters will be given a score from 0 to 100 by a panel of 4 judges in each category. Audience enthusiasm for your kit will account for an additional 100 points. Whoever has the highest score out of a possible 2000 Points will be crowned “The Most Elegant Fighter in All of Pittsburgh!!!”
If you have any questions or concerns regarding “Da Rules” please feel free to message us at hiltandhelm@gmail.com.