26-05-2025
Medieval knights clash in Lethbridge: ‘I love being in full armour'
Entering the Cavendish Farms Centre in Lethbridge was like stepping into a time machine set for 1300s Europe.
Hosted by the Company of the Black Spears, Coulee Clash this past weekend brought fighters from across Alberta to Lethbridge for a tournament that would have made Robert the Bruce proud.
'We have around 40 guys in full suits of plate armour and we're hitting each other with arming swords, longswords, great swords, poleaxes, axes, maces — you name it, you're going to see it,' said Brian Boisson, captain of the Company of the Black Spears.
While a quick glance might show cosplay or live-action roleplay (LARP), the tournament is actually a real sport called buhurt and it's full-contact.
'You're going to score as many points as you can, similar to what they would do back in the day when they would want to test out strategies for wars without actually going to war. They would host these tournaments. It's the same thing we're doing,' said Ryan Neilson, captain of the Arverni Legion.
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Edmonton LARP community
He says competitors train every day to claim glory in the arena.
'When everyone is a kid they pick up a stick or whatever and pretend they're a knight. Now to actually be able to do that and test your abilities against everybody else in the world? Can't compare it.'
Lethbridge is sending four fighters to Texas this summer to compete on the world stage and bring honour to Canada.
'I'm going to admit, it's actually almost a little intimidating because we're going to be fighting the best swordsmen and best armoured combat fighters from around the world,' said Boisson.
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However, he says his team will make Canada proud.
'Right now, especially with the way the world is, representing Canada is really important to us and we're going to be out there in our medieval tabards and we're going to have a big maple leaf on them.'
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Scott Sheehan also fights for the Company of the Black Spears and he will be joining Boisson on the trek south of the border.
'It's a kind of an obscure but worldwide event. We're all meeting in Texas because the surface of the sun was on loan, I guess — it's going to be hot,' said Sheehan.
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He says the flashing steel is what spectators see at these events, but the real battle is inside the armour.
'It's the kind of sport about who can dig deep when you're tired. This is a 'being tired' simulation and who can function in that space.'
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He says the armour worn is nowhere near as light as modern Kevlar vests.
'It's full weight. The helmets are 30 pounds, the armour can vary, the weapons are heavy,' said Sheehan.
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'It's as much of a fighting sport as it is a heat-management sport.'
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According to Neilson, that heavy armour worn during buhurt duels is period-accurate, meaning it's the same stuff used by the soldiers who defended Stirling Castle or conquered countless fortresses.
'Our weapons are all to scale as well. We blunt all our edges — there's no sharp blades and same with our points — they have a certain roundness so we're not actually stabbing each other.'
While medieval knights were typically men, Saint Joan of Arc proved women were equally capable. Centuries later, Kolby Verkirk channeled her inner warrior for the first time at Coulee Clash and she says it was a blast.
'It's really great and really thrilling. Once you get that adrenaline going, it's just 'pop, pop, pop' all the way. Then, if you're new like me, it starts to weigh you down a little but. It definitely takes a lot to exercise and be healthy for it, but other than that, it's quite the thrill,' Verkirk said.
'I love being in full armour and just knowing I can hit somebody and I won't hurt them.'
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Her journey into buhurt began with medieval media.
'Video games. I played a lot of For Honor and then I loved all the medieval stuff, then I went to Comic Con and they used to fight too, so I was like, I want to do that. A couple years later, they were looking for more fighters and I was like, 'where do I sign?''
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She says being a woman in a male-dominated sport is no problem either.
'There aren't really many females, which is understandable, but it's open to females 100 per cent. Boys are usually very nice to ladies, they're very much gentlemen,' said Verkirk.
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At the end of the day, it's the spirit of fun, competition and friendship that drive many of buhurts most faithful fans.
'It is honestly the most fun I've ever had out of any competitive sport I've been in,' said Boisson.
'Nothing compares to putting on a suit of armour and swinging a longsword at somebody.'
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Aside from Sheehan and Boisson, Graham Macbean and William Betcha will represent Canada from Lethbridge in Texas this August. The team is fundraising their trip on GoFundMe, with the hopes of easing the cost of flights, hotels and other expenses.
