A Cut Above the Coffee

Waiting in line for coffee in Vancouver is common, the 'double-mocha no fat soy late with no room' order is even more common. But the guy in front of me with the sword was out of place, even for this town.

Wave Coffee on the corner of West Hastings and Richards is a cool place (free wireless is always cool), but not as cool as the sword fighting school that's on top of it.

I felt out of place when I climbed up to Academie Duello last Friday night for their 'fight night'; no gorget, no gauntlet, not even a guess as to what to expect. What I got was a welcome by Devon Boorman, the resident sword master, and quick advice on how best to impale someone while keeping your shoes clean.

What's cool about Duello is that they're not real into the whole reenactment thing. As a history buff I had to confess it plucked a few heartstrings. They're a western dojo for a western martial art, but cutlass or kendo the point is still the same (best slid between the third and fourth rib).

Two hundred members so far and growing, there's market for this I was clueless about. I held the swords but I didn't use them. I really wanted to, swords are like company credit cards or the State of the Union Address, they give you one hell of a sense of empowerment.