HMB events organizers: life without tournaments

2 days before the opening - the most acute moment! That's what I really miss!

Do you miss tournaments and adrenaline of the HMB fights? The organizers of HMB events understand you all too well, maybe even more! Accustomed to spinning all season in a whirlpool of events, solving dozens of problems at once … suddenly found themselves in a state of calm and forced rest in 2020.

We asked Evgenii Galushin, the HMBIA secretary, the main organizer of the HMB World Championship Battle of the Nations and organizer of other tournaments and festivals in Russia and abroad, about how bored the organizers are without their beloved and familiar work on preparing and holding tournaments.

 

According to Evgenii, many projects, usually taking place in summer and spring, are now forced to be postponed to September due to the situation with COVID-19. In addition, work is underway to prepare for the 2021 tournaments.

Such scale projects as, for example, the Battle of the Nations, are being prepared in advance, and preparations are already underway. But, unfortunately, due to the current situation, it is quite difficult to make a decision regarding the location. Indeed, in order to make sure that the location will be convenient for spectators, fighters, transport, logistics, it is necessary to examine all the proposed options personally”.

 

Evgenii also noted that for many years he and his team never had such a calm summer. There are not enough events, there is a lack of everything related to the organization of these events. And what stage of work on the event is the most exciting for the organizer?

“As for me, probably it is the moment when there are only a couple of days left before the opening of the event. You enter the site, you have to build all infrastructure of the festival and you have to do it in time! To build and to prepare everything, to make sure that everything is in place, done on time. This is a challenge to yourself and to your team! This is the maximum tension of all forces. 2 days before the opening – the most acute moment! That’s what I really miss.”

If the preparatory work is done well, then during the event, all that remains is to have fun. The team involved in organizing the tournament is already revealed here. If everyone is in their place and knows their job, then all that remains is to adjust all the processes. But there is a certain moment when the main organizer of the Battle of the Nations can realize that it time to relax:

My favorite moment is when the event ends! When everything is officially closed, the battles are over, the medals are won, the audience is gone … and at this moment you can completely relax!
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done – to disassemble everything, take out, submit reports. But, the moment of tournament closing  is my favorite! ”


Marcos Villani from Argentina
, a fighter and organizer of the “Valherjes” and “Terra Avstralis” tournaments, held within the framework of the Buhurt League system, also agrees with Evgenii Galushin. According to him, tournaments and everything connected with them are sorely lacking!


“Of course I miss the fights, all the friends I have. The beauty of living in medieval markets. As a tournament organizer I have to be in every place at the same time. I’m an organizer, fighter, captain and father. And making everything at the same time is so exciting! I miss it!”

Fighters around the world miss it too. Arturo Gutierrez, the captain of the ACM team from Mexico, is also eager to fight. 

“I really miss tournaments! It’s so sad that all tournaments are canceled this year. I really want to come back to the lists with my team. I cannot describe my emotions before going into battle. At this moment, I always check if the team is ready, look at the schedule of our fights, check the weapons. Sometimes, at the last moment, you even have to repair armor or weapons. But this is a very good experience. And all this excitement that we feel during the fight…The clang of steel, the screams of fans, the scattering of sparks from the weapon blows … How I miss all this!

 

Robert Dionisio from the USA told HMBIA News what seems to him the most touching and precious moments at the HMB World Championship Battle of the Nations:

“The most touching moment of Battle of the Nations for me is seeing the friends and friendly adversaries I meet there for the first time again at registration or during the first day and night of the event.  The most touching moments are the people and stepping into the field each time, looking across it and waiting for the Marshals to give the signal to let us loose on each other”.

 

As we can see, HMB tournaments have become an important part of all community members’ lives. And it doesn’t matter where the tournament is held, its status and scale are not important. It is important that the organizers of these tournaments love what they do and do their best to make the tournament or festival interesting, memorable and exciting. We all miss HMB tournaments and look forward to seeing the shine of armor, clash of weapons, excitement and admiration for the amazing HMB knights return to our lives!

HMBIA News

top