Cactus Cup 2025

Jane's journey in HEMA began in 2014, and she's since become a force to be reckoned with in the world of German longsword. As one of only 10 North American representatives at the 2019 European Games in Minsk, Jane has proven her competitive mettle on the international stage and continues to perform at a high level. 

But what truly sets Jane apart is her passion for coaching. She's dedicated to creating a safe, fun environment where fencers can excel. At practice she uses her background in motor skill acquisition to encourage fencers to explore technical and tactical solutions to common fencing problems, enabling them to develop a skill set that works for them. 

At tournaments, nothing makes Jane happier than watching her students and friends succeed. She believes firmly in tournament success being far more than pure wins and losses, and pushes her fencers to set personal goals for themselves that are achievable regardless of outcome. Her expertise in sports psychology and tactical analysis make her an excellent corner, and she has a record of coaching many fencers to personal best performances and tournament wins. 

Mariana Lòpez is a founder and head coach of the Metropolitan Historical Fencing Academy (MHFA) and has 18 years of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) experience. A highly accomplished competitor with various gold medals amongst a number of weapons she’s also a tournament organizer and referee in both North America and Europe, and a former member of the Mexican National HEMA Championships committee. Having a strong passion for art she has also partaken in a multitude of art projects related to HEMA, creating reproductions, illustrations for books, fencing manuals restoration, and other visual resources. As an International Relations major Mariana founded Esfinges, an international organization with thousands of members dedicated to the support and promotion of woman’s participation in HEMA.

Christina has been practicing HEMA since 2017, where she started at Boston Armizare. A Fiorist at heart, Christina has 6 gold medals in Women’s/URG Longsword categories. She is currently an instructor at both Boston Armizare and Moose Historical Fencing in Maine. In a coaching role, Christina has been helping fencers improve by using a personalized approach for each fencer. Need a little silliness to get your mind off things? Or specific tactical advice against challenging opponents? She's got all that covered and more. 

 Lacey Eck is an Assistant Longsword Instructor at Two Ravens Fencing School in Cleveland, Ohio. Longsword is her passion, with a focus on Italian Longsword. She leads two weekly classes, including a dedicated Women's+ Longsword session on Fridays as part of the Two Ravens Valkyrie program—an initiative to grow underrepresented genders in local HEMA. Her coaching focuses on fencing principles, as well as discovering/nurturing individual strengths and mechanics. Watching the confidence of her students grow is one of her joys.   Lacey has competed in Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) tournaments nationally and internationally. Her martial journey began with épée fencing in 2019, and she transitioned to HEMA in 2021, quickly establishing herself as a strong competitor. Notably, she has won two opens. Beyond the salle, Lacey serves as a Two Ravens’ representative on the board of the Ohio River Valley League. She also contributes to the league’s Safety Committee, helping to develop standards and practices that promote safe and inclusive environments.  
 

Having done HEMA for over a decade, Jonathan has a higher ratio of hitting people than being hit. Specializing in longsword, saber and singlestick, there are few weapons that he can not fight in. When he is not yelling at clouds, he thinks about the swords often and the underlying principles that connect the different styles. He often has unorthodox methods of approach but people supposedly say it works. If you find your self under his care, “may God preserve your soul”.

Michael-Forest Meservy is the lead Scholar and instructor of the Noble Science Academy.  Michael-Forest initially began his study of the longsword in 2001. Michael-Forest has taught at events all over the country, including at Longpoint, SoCal Swordfight, and IGX.  His students include Rashelle DeBolt Burrell, who has ranked #1 in the world in multiple weapons. Michael-Forest is a certified instructor of the HEMA Alliance and holds an MLitt in Medieval History from the University of Glasgow.

Justinder is a travel, sword and history junkie. A lifelong fan of swords, as soon as he found out HEMA existed in 2014 he dived in with both feet and has since taught and fought with multiple schools internationally. He eventually landed in New Mexico as head instructor of Burning Sun HEMA in Silver City. When asked what's his weapon of choice, it's all the weapons! He loves to train, teach, fight and compete in any weapon he can get his hands on, with multiple medals in every weapon set he's competed in. He also loves to make friends and spar so if you see him ask him for a fight!

Ramon is an Instructor and Conditioning Coach at Mordhau Historical Combat. Rising to the challenge of high level tournament coaching, Ramon has been a supportive corner at notable events such as SoCal Swordfight and Helsinki Longsword Open. As a successful competitor himself, he knows the value of holistic coaching. His approach to coaching is a blend of psychological support and tactical advice tailored to fit each fencer.