Stamina: It's what counts

I give you Her Ladyship Roisin ingen Ailill, Legionaire and premier of the Griffin's Sword, squire to Sir Kaydian Bladebreaker, and as of last weekend, King's Champion. It has been far, far too long since she and I crossed swords. She'll probably kick my ass the next time we do. At least, that's how I'd bet. In this picture, she's fighting at the Coronation of King Siegfried and Queen Gwyneth. Take note of that armor. If you cross sticks with her, know this: you won't wear her down in the fight.

She isn't a Knight, yet, though I suspect she will be unless something untoward happens to her. While she is a good fighter, she doesn't have a lot of tournament victories to her name. She is not the largest, strongest, fastest fighter out there either. She is, however, a grand inspiration when it comes to a critical combat ability: staying power.

One of the reasons Roisin was made a Premier of Northshield's AoA-level fighting award, the Griffin's Sword, was referred to by King Siegfried I at his Coronation Court. He said she was always "first on the field, last to leave." Her stamina is acknowledged by Belted and un-belted fighters alike. She can literally fight until everyone else drops, and she demonstrated that so well at Gulf Wars XV (2006) that she was awarded the Nordhrband, a Northshield award which is "bestowed upon gentles who have committed those heroic and specific deeds of valor, courtesy, or prowess in the arts martial and which have increased the renown and reputation of Northshield."

In the end, it doesn't matter if you have such speed that your blows are just blurs flying through the air. It matters not if your strength can hew boulders, or your skill so refined that you can strike individual rivets on your opponent's helm at will. If you can't stay out there for more than a minute or two, you won't get far.

My objective is to increase my stamina to the point where I can run 100 feet in full armor, and arrive with enough juice left to fight a four-minute engagement. I won't hold a candle to THL Roisin, but then, I don't expect I ever will.