Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Landis.
Hi Will, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Crossroads’ founders John and Will had both studied HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) independently before meeting in the HEMA Florida Facebook group and deciding to start a sword fighting club in the West Orlando area. Our first meetups were held in a public park in Winter Garden– just a handful of folks sword fighting under the trees. In the five years since then, we’ve grown exponentially, and our club now trains multiple sword fighting disciplines from longsword to saber to sword and buckler and beyond. Our instructors and students have medaled in HEMA championships locally and internationally, and we founded and host Steel Jam, a recurring tournament in Central Florida.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Building a club and a tournament series from scratch has been a huge undertaking, and without the dedication of our volunteers, instructors, and students, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Once the club was founded, we caught the attention of some amazing local HEMA practitioners who added tremendous skill and experience to our all-volunteer instructor team. Having these talented individuals share their knowledge and passion has been a huge factor driving our success.
We’ve faced some of the challenges many HEMA clubs face, including raising funds and finding a dedicated practice space. After practicing in parks and borrowed spaces, last summer we signed the lease on a space of our own in Winter Garden-with air conditioning!- allowing us the flexibility to welcome more participants and provide even more programs.
Because our mission is to educate our community about historical combat and make HEMA accessible to anyone interested, we chose to become a nonprofit organization. Transitioning to the nonprofit model was a long but worthwhile process, and we are proud of the services we provide and the community our club has developed.
Biggest thing is other people with an interest/with experience found us, liked us, and became volunteer instructors
We’re a nonprofit and going through the nonprofit model has brought challenges (long but worthwhile process)
People become part of community so strongly
Big challenge = money related, getting a roof over our head — overcoming this means a lot more people can participate
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The most important thing to understand about Crossroads Swords is simply this: swords are cool, and learning to use them is rewarding. Training in sword fighting is a great way to improve your fitness and coordination, challenge your ability to perform under pressure, better understand your body and its abilities, and experience history in a completely new way. As a nonprofit school, Crossroads Swords makes hands-on historical combat training and education accessible to participants of all experience levels in the West Orlando area. There are no physical or ability requirements to participate: you only need an interest in swords or other historical weapons.
Ready for adventure? Your first two classes are free, and we have plenty of loaner gear for you to try out.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Through the development of Crossroads Swords, our biggest takeaway has been that it’s the participation of our community that drives our growth and brings our organization to life. We all love the sword fighting itself–training, sparring, and participating in tournaments–but none of that is possible without the time and effort of our members, who help organize our school, run tournaments, hold social events, and generally keep us functioning!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://crossroadsswords.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/crossroadsswords
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/crossroadsswords
- Discord: https://discord.com/invite/ZSZcvhNqeR
