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 …