The Championships

All entrants must be chipped citizens, and professionals must have an established track record. Amateur candidates are often eligible because they have won an amateur competition held in advance, although this does not account for all amateurs in the tournament. Hycathae are permitted to compete on the condition that they do not use their magic to advance themselves unfairly; since this magic is not always visible to the naked eye, this rule is enforced via monitoring of the Hycatha’s chip, which tracks their heart rate. The Hycath Salvation Program in each Marcdom offers the chance to apply for the Championships as a benefit of registration.

It is permitted, and common, for one athlete to participate in multiple disciplines, meaning that the total number of competitors rarely in fact reaches 240, although this has happened occasionally over the years.

Structure

Observation of the Championships traditionally begins eight weeks before Champion’s Week when the Arena is officially blessed by the Octal of East Mercia. The week itself begins with a ceremony in Champion’s Square, where competitors will visit the statues of past Champions in order to pay their respects.

Competition in the five disciplines takes place from the Monday to the Friday. Each of these is made up of five bouts showcasing one or more different key skills of the discipline; most of these are held in the Arena, although some take place elsewhere in Nottingham on account of technical specificities, logistics and public safety considerations. One out of these five bouts is given the evening slot on one day, often because it has a certain theatrical quality.

By the end of the Friday, the athlete who has accumulated the most points in each event will have won that title, and will thereafter be referred to as a Marksman, Fleetfoot, et al. The Saturday is a day of widespread celebration, playing host both to the medal ceremony for individual disciplines and to a programme of exhibition sports put on for public entertainment. Spectators and supporters participate in a potluck, and fairground attractions are also in attendance.

On the Sunday, the winners of the individual disciplines compete against each other for the Champion title. In the case that a multi-disciplinary athlete has won more than one title, they must choose one of their disciplines to represent, receiving double points in that discipline; the second-place finalist in the other discipline/s will then automatically advance to compete in the Champion event, ensuring that there are always five competitors. The eventual Champion, however, will not relinquish their individual discipline title, instead they keep both.

Individual Disciplines

 

Marksman

The Marksman event showcases skill in archery. Its five bouts are:

• Long-distance fixed target with a longbow,
• Fixed target on horseback with a compound bow, held outside the Arena,
• Clay pigeon shooting with a crossbow, held outside the Arena,
• Speed shooting with a compound bow, where the most arrows fired with precision wins, and
• Trick shooting, where a flaming arrow is fired at a target to set it alight, followed by firing a second unlit arrow at a thin rope suspending a measure of water which, if hit correctly, will extinguish the target. This is traditionally the evening bout.

Notable Marksman through history include Robyn Loxley (Huntingdon).

 

Fleetfoot

The Fleetfoot is the runners’ event. Its five bouts are:

• Speed hurdles,
• Parkour around the Arena, where a number of potential paths are available and points are awarded for style and creativity over simply completing the course,
• A paired obstacle race in the Arena, traditionally the evening bout,
• An individual obstacle race around the Outer Circle, vaulting ‘found’ obstacles such as cars, fences and indiscriminate rubble, and
• An individual obstacle course challenge held over water in the bay.

 

Swordsman

The Swordsman event showcases skill in armed combat. Its five bouts are:

• Broadsword, fought two-handed, hand below hand,
• Fencing, fought one-handed,
• Quarterstaff, fought two-handed, hand next to hand,
• Sai, fought with one in each hand, and
• A team melee trial, traditionally the evening bout, where competitors from one Marcdom aim to eliminate another Marcdom’s competitors one by one. Competitors wear electronic pressure pads, and the points vary depending on where they hit their adversary. The first to go out receives only one point, going up to the last left standing, who receives the full sixteen.

 

Gunner

The Gunner event showcases skill with ballistic weapons. Its five bouts are:

• Fixed target sharpshooting with long-distance rifles,
• A rifle clay pigeon shoot,
• Precision shooting with handguns, where competitors must hit ‘threat’ targets and lose points for hitting a ‘safe’ target,
• Fixed target/moving shooter bout, where competitors are driven around the city by lorry and required to fire at targets, with colour-coded blanks used to identify shooters, and
• A team trial much like that in the Swordsman bout, with the same scoring system but with tagging lasers used instead of swords.

Notable Gunners through history include Janice Quinn (Nottingham) and a protégé of hers, Helen Carey (Pirehill).

 

Warrior

The Warrior event is a test of strategy. Its five bouts are:

• A martial arts bout where competitors face off one against the other,
• Another martial arts bout where two competitors are cuffed together and go up against eight externally sourced professionals, often former medallists,
• A gauntlet bout where competitors are given a special item to smuggle through four zones, with an externally sourced professional opponent in each who will try and stop them and no limit on their use of technique, but a point deducted for every time they drop the gauntlet,
• A team trial, going eight against eight to capture a flag, through stealth and/or fighting, and
• Trick riding, where competitors are sent into the Arena on horseback and must collect objects placed at varying levels without coming off the horse. Traditionally the evening bout.

Notable Warriors through history include Killian Greaves (Huntingdon).