Insane-o and Ragnar face off 10 feet apart, each clutching a red glaive. They trade blows back and forth, looking for an opening in the other's defense. Insane-o swings his blade and slashes Ragnar's face, sending him to the ground and scattering his glasses...
\Hold!"" cries Sorbo, otherwise known to mortals as UW-Madison junior Greg Stemm, forcing more than a dozen combatants to lower their weapons. Ragnar (Kurt Peterson, recent UW-Madison graduate) takes a breather to recover his glasses and his senses, while Insane-o (UW-Madison freshman Chris Thomason) does 10 push-ups as penance for a head shot.
Battles like these come to life every Tuesday night, when the Clan of the Hydra meets underneath Gordon Commons. Since its inception as a student organization last semester, the clan has grown to almost 20 members coming together for one purpose: to hack and slash each other for fun.
The group, founded as part of the Belegarth National Sparring Organization, migrated from Milwaukee when Sorbo came to UW-Madison last semester. He put the group together, working with a group of friends and his brother Matt, a UW-Madison senior known as X.
""We've been actually fighting each other since we were little kids, with sticks and plastic weapons,"" X said.
Combatants use fiberglass blades heavily wrapped in foam and fabric, with more advanced games using padded javelins and arrows. For defense, combatants can wield plywood shields or wear leather guards, penetrated only by double-handed weapons marked with red tape.
""They don't do too much real damage, so it's no more dangerous than any other sport,"" X said. ""Though we're hitting each other, it's within reason.""
Combatants force opponents to drop their weapons or kneel down by ""severing"" arms and legs, killing them with two limbs or a chest shot. Shots to the groin and head are outlawed-while the weapons are padded, a forceful hit in sensitive areas can knock a combatant prone.
While standard battles involve two teams lining up on each side of the room and charging, specialist games are highly popular. These include Ogre-a player with a glaive swings over a pile of weapons while everyone else tries to get through, and Zombies, where everyone lies on the floor until raised by opposing 'necromancers'.
Fighters say the best thing about the sport is it provides exercise and stress relief. Besides the focus needed when an opponent is attacking you, some specialist games use regeneration rules that force players to run to respawn points across the room.
""The fact that it's based in combat can make it a lot more interesting than just running [or] stair-stepping,"" Sorbo said. ""Some people have that medieval fantasy bent and just want to get in on the action first-hand.""
While many participants are drawn to the game because of an affinity for video games and fantasy, several sparrers have experience with physical activities like karate and Tae Kwon Do, Most said they prefer sparring because the rules are looser and there is a wider variety of opponents.
""It matches a lot of the things I love ... kind of the best of all worlds,"" said UW-Madison junior Shannon ""Scrapper"" Heibler, a fencer currently taking classes in Medieval Studies.
While any activity that has weapons in the description has a risk of injury, players do not consider it any more dangerous than mainstream sports. Most players finish sessions covered with bruised arms and knees.
""If you're playing a game where you're getting beaten with swords for four hours, you expect some bruises,"" said UW-Madison freshman Mick Pratt.
Some are less lucky. UW-Madison freshman Rachel ""Rae"" Reineke sprained her ankle fighting back a charge and had to limp out of the room, while Peterson had a pair of glasses broken by a wild swing.
""Sometimes, I just feel like I'm a magnet,"" said Peterson, who averages two head or groin shots per session. Despite the fact sessions frequently pause when he hits the ground, he said he enjoys the fighting too much to quit.
""Everyone's a good sport about it ... and it's usually a good laugh,"" Peterson said.
X said the clan will expand in the spring, possibly move out to the SERF athletic fields in building up a team to attend the Spring Wars regional tournament in April.
""We're trying to make a good show of it and have some fun,"" X said.
