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Fantasy Combatants Aid History Lessons

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By GEOFF FOX

gfox@tampatrib.com

Published: December 4, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - Jody Carroll swung a sword at Tabitha Johnston's torso, but she blocked it with a plywood shield and countered with a strike of her own.

Metal met metal, and a loud ping resounded through the media center at Land O' Lakes High School. After a few more swings, Carroll and Johnston, dressed in metal-studded leather, were breathing heavier.

Being a medieval warrior or soldier must have been hard work.

"Do you know what the difference is between a warrior and a soldier?" Paul Stonebridge, a member of Four Horseman Fantasy Combat, asked a group of world history students. "A warrior fights for his own glory. A soldier fights together as one unit; they fought for the legion. They were one faceless mask."

Along with Carroll, Johnston and Dave Rivera, Stonebridge spent several hours at Land O' Lakes High on Monday, teaching students about weaponry and war tactics from the early Dark Ages to the Renaissance.

The Four Horseman group's presentation, coordinated by Kris Keppel, a media specialist at the school, augmented the students' world history education.

"It's been great," Keppel said. "The kids have been asking questions. There should be about 450 students through here to see it. It's been entertaining and informative."

Stonebridge, a librarian at the Land O' Lakes branch on Collier Parkway, said he has conducted similar demonstrations at schools around Central Florida for about 15 years.

During one class period Monday, the group discussed sword and axe technology. The following class learned about the history of hand-held weapons, including all manner of swords, axes and hatchets that could be thrown up to 50 feet.

In one demonstration, Carroll, Johnston and Rivera held shields to show how Roman battlers could defend against arrows raining down on them or advance on an enemy, their swords sticking out over the shields as they moved forward.

Playing an enemy, Stonebridge, dressed in black leather garb, demonstrated how an attacker could get past one shield- and sword-bearing Roman, only to get cut down by the rest.

"They liked combat so much that even when there was no war going on, they started these arenas," Stonebridge said of the Romans. "They put people they didn't like in there and had them fight for their amusement."

The group discussed the construction and uses of broad swords, which weighed about 8 pounds and were swung with two hands. One broad sword had a ball on the end of the handle that allowed the point to be "rotated around for thrusting attacks," Stonebridge said.

They showed off a curved-blade sword used by Middle Easterners against European attack. The Middle Eastern swords were lighter, as was the clothing worn by desert fighters. The group showed punch daggers, long swords, short swords and large axes.

Throughout the demonstration, members of the Four Horseman group engaged in mock battles using various weapons.

With one mighty swing, Rivera, who lives near Largo, brought a large axe down on a plywood shield that had been placed on the ground. His blow caused a large divot to go airborne.

The group also produced a pirate cutlass sword ("Like you see Johnny Depp using in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'" Stonebridge said) and a cavalry saber made in the United States in 1864.

"The leather has just about turned into paper," Carroll said, holding the weapon high so the students could see. "This is a real piece of history."

Keyword: Medieval to see more photos of the demonstration. Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

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