Valkyries

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The Valkyries

Biography of Group

The Valkryies were formed as an all-female fighting company on September 14, 2017 in the Kingdom of Dragonspine. Although many of us are strong in crafting, leadership, and service, the company’s focus is fighting, specifically training and promoting female fighters.

FAQ's

Why an all female company?

1) In the words of Dr. Stacy Sims, “You are not a small man. Stop eating and training like one!” The reality is, women’s bodies and minds respond differently to nutrition, training and the stresses of tournament fighting and battlegames. A simple example - most current fighting companies probably don’t spend a ton of time working on strategies for fighting against taller fighters. Since most women are, on average, shorter than their male counterparts, as a women’s fighting company, we can work on that challenge proactively and improve our overall performance. On the other hand, women tend to excel at group fighting. As a women’s company, we can capitalize on those skills and promote events that bring out our gifts.

2) Female support. Women face considerable challenges in a game created by (mostly) men that favors male strengths. Having a core group of women fighters for support and encouragement makes a difference!

Why a fighting company and not a household?

1) There is already a great household that supports female fighters: House Lionesse! Membership to that household is open (and encouraged!). There are other more selective households popping up across the country doing similar work.

2) In our game, there’s a cultural difference between households and companies. Companies are organized for fighting, while households tend to be organized around other interests. Although there are households with high barriers to entry, in general, households are more loosely organized.

3) We’re dedicated to FIGHTING. We plan to take the field together at events. We are by every definition a fighting company.

What’s your stance on all-female tournaments and segregating awards for women?

Each member has a slightly different stance on where the future of women’s fighting is headed, but we all agree that more support for female fighters is needed. As a company, we are reading as much as we can and researching the benefits of same-gender competition, and we’re actively involved in the wider conversation happening in Dragonspine and Amtgard International; however, the company has no official stance on these matters at this time.

This fighting company is a great idea! How can support it?

There are many ways to help! Here are some ideas:

• Tell people about us in your kingdom or at your local park.

• Host a women’s tournament in your area.

• Offer to help our members get to SKBC! It’s an expensive venture, but it’s a priority for us! Pm one of our members or email us at [email protected] to ask how you can help.

• Donate fabric (Kona cotton Storm or Medium Grey are our colors).

• Donate garb, shields, or swords. We’ll rep your work, and you’ll contribute to helping a women’s company shine!

• Send us tips and tricks for how you’ve either overcome unique challenges as a female fighter or capitalized on strengths.

• Come fight with us when you’re in the Albuquerque area!

I’m in another fighting company. Can I join Valkyries?

Maybe. Assuming that your current company allows dual membership (Asura, for example), it is possible. Some companies that have a strict policy of one-company-only have also considered allowing current members to join Valkyries, because they do not see it as interfering with their company’s goals. In these cases, the company typically has a broader conversation about an alliance with the Valkyries so that the Valkyries never take the field against the person’s other company.

All of the current full members belong to one company only, Valkyries; however, there is someone in process with us that belongs to a small local company, which has agreed to let her join us, citing no conflict of interest.

I live in Alaska / Iowa / California / somewhere far from New Mexico... can I join?

Maybe. We are currently considering at least one person who lives outside of New Mexico, and we are open to national membership; however, petitioning also requires that you get to know our current membership, which lives and fights primarily out of Albuquerque, NM. Ideally, petitioners who live far from our home base would find at least one other woman to partner with for training. When this is not possible, the process of petitioning and staying close with the company will be more difficult. We are open to conversations and creative ways of connecting if you are passionate about making things work and it becomes clear that you are a good fit for the company. If you fall into this category, contact us at [email protected] or pm one of our members, and we'll begin a conversation.

What does the petitioning process involve?

First step requirements:

• 1. Be a fighter! There are lots of GREAT companies that stress leadership, service, etc. We’re fans. And we do that too. But if you’re not training and working to improve your fighting, this isn’t the company for you.
• 2. Get to know the current membership - reach out to one of us online to inquire about what that might look like for you.
• 3. Meet up with us in person, fight with us, and see what the chemistry’s like. Super important. We travel a lot to events, so this might be easier than you think. If you’re far from Albuquerque, we recommend considering if there is another woman in your area that would also be good for the company that you can petition with. Having two women in the same area is much preferred to having just one floater out there by herself.
• 4. Be clear about why you want to join the company.
• 5. Be clear about your goals as a fighter and have a clear training plan in place.

The next step:

• 1. Pass a vote. In order to be welcomed as a petitioner, the Valkyries must vote 100% to take you on as a petitioner.
• 2. Complete the petitioning program, which includes increased self-awareness, education, and opportunities to get to know the current members. The process does not have a set time (ex: 1 year), but rather depends on how quickly petitioners complete a set number of assignments. The Valkyries have a strict no hazing policy.
• 3. Pass another vote, this time for membership!

Affiliated Groups

Our brothers, Wheel

Members

Lady Page Kierra Tul Aldalómë

Lady Xantcha

Lady Squire MaGyver, Co-Captain

Lilith Everstouter, Co-Captain

Full membership will be announced at SKBC 2018. Stay tuned! For more deatils about the company or to inquire about membership, pm one of our members on Facebook or email us at [email protected].

Additional Images

Check us out at https://www.instagram.com/amtgardvalkyries/ for more!

More Information

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