Stage Combat Group Wields Swords, Staffs—Even Lightsabers
By Melissa Newcomb
Most couples have a first dance at their wedding reception. Jacob Lehman ’06 and Jennifer Wholey Lehman ’10 had a sword fight. To music from a Pirates of the Caribbean film, the couple dueled in full bride-and-groom attire in front of their guests—a moment that was years in the making.
The two had met through Ring of Steel, a student-run stage combat club that blends martial arts and theater using steel swords, wooden staves, and even lightsabers.
“There’s an intrinsic need for play that never goes away,” says Jennifer, who majored in communication in CALS and now works in Alumni Affairs while serving as Ring of Steel’s staff advisor.
“I think that everyone, at least a little bit, wants to feel like a badass, and that you can be the hero in your own story.”