The East Responds to Her Majesty’s Sporting Challenge
![Baronessa Maria Pagani and Baron Juan Xavier tribtue to the Patriots was a team effort. It was a team effort. Pani Astrida Borowska made Maria's dresst. Lady Syele von Heidelberg made Juan's Wams and coif. Juan made the pants. Elvira Violante de Ballesteros made the red/white/blue cording. The coif slashes represent the team logo and the large “X” motif on the back of the Wams is both a play on my name, Xavier, and also makes him #10 on the team. Maria’s gown has elements drawn from a Patriots cheerleader uniform.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/juan-and-maria-cateline.jpg?w=199)
Her Majesty Avelina issued a garb challenge to the Kingdom for Birka to pick their favorite sports team and interpret their uniform as a medieval garment or outfit.
“So many of us are rabid sports fans and when we are playing medieval on the weekends, sometimes we can be found wearing our teams’ colors under our garb for warmth,” Queen Avelina wrote. “I was inspired by an exchange between Duchess Kiena and Lady Rafaella and the Atlantians. For the past couple of Coronations, the Atlantians have been issuing garb challenges. These have included Disney Princesses, Superheros and villains. Since the winter reign happens during football season, I decided to issue my own garb challenge. One that would let folks wear their team’s colors in an unobtrusive manner at a medieval event. It was so fantastic to see what people came up with and I was astounded by the talent and creativity of everyone who took part.”
The kingdom was inspired by the words of Her Majesty and responded with creativity and style. Baronessa Maria Pagani and Baron Juan Xavier won the prize of a small wooden box crafted for the Queen by Master Estgardr (Angus Pembridge). The following are some of the garb displayed.
![Lady Isabeau Du Valle organized this entry with Baroness Auriana fila Germani in honor of Isabeau's late father's favorite soccer team. The teammates were recruited from friends who also knew her father. Isabeau expressed her gratitude to everyone, especially her brother Dom Joao, for helping her make this very special tribute. The other team members were Mistress Michel Almond de Champagne, Lady Katarinia Du Valle aka Misha, Dom Joao do Tagarro, Therese of Attleborough, Matthew of Attleborough, Katherine O'Brien (substitute for Lady Marion MacGregor) and Manuel Maccaco.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/maybe-michel-in-there-cateline.jpg?w=300)
![Lady Anna Dokeianina Syrakousina with her striking tribute to the Throwback Tampa Bay Buccaneers](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/woman-from-website-17.jpg?w=242)
![Duchess Kiena and Master Ryan Mac Whyte model their Bruins to which Duchess Kiena added a hood with the Patriots logo in the form of a Thors hammer.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/kiena-and-ryan-cateline.jpg?w=242)
![Duke Gregor stands up for the Dallas Cowboys.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/gregor-cateline.jpg?w=199)
![Lord Aleksei Dmitriev won the early period category with the Minnesota Vikings. The purple tunic and pants represented the home jersey, complete with white legs wraps for the socks and a white kaftan to represent the away jersey. The hat with the appliqued horns matches their football helmet.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-1.jpg?w=199)
![Don Frasier MacLeod models a tribute to the Bruins, which is an Elizabethan coat with a faux bear fur collar and lined sleeves. made by Dueña Mercedes Vera de Calafia.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/frasier-cateline.jpg?w=199)
![Lady Fortune Sancte Keyne displays her tribute to the Bruins with a partlet that had little round embroidery designs to emulate their logo. The dress is based on Bonafacio Veronese's Finding of Moses.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-20.jpg?w=300)
![Baron Angus Pembridge, wearing early Anglo Saxon trews, a tunic and winnigas that represent the 1912 Boston Red Sox uniform.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/angus-cateline.jpg?w=149)
![Reinne Chevalet la Mareschale hand stitched and embroidered a 10th century Viking Apron dress and underdress with a coif as her tribute the U.S. Equestrian Team.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-9.jpg?w=199)
![Lady Tysha z Kieva wearing a gold undertunic with a black wool apron dress embroidered at the hem with the Pittsburgh Steelers tricolored diamonds. The series of six gold rings around the neckline to represent the team's six Super Bowl rings.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-5.jpg?w=199)
![Ella de Caleys represented the Boston Bruins with a bear on the front and back of the dress, and another on the headscarf, hockey-puck-ish brooches, and two whittled wooden hockey sticks hanging from the necklace. Brown wool trim around the top of the apron dress had "Boston Bruins" runes embroidered in harvest gold wool thread. The color scheme was the Boston Bruins original colors in 1924, and the bear that was enlarged from their original bear motif. The necklace includes beads of glass, wood, stone, metal, and fresh water pearls, all in team colors. Alec Craig whittled the hockey sticks.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-4.jpg?w=166)
![Lord Jake deTwelfoaks wore an 11/12th century riding tunic in the fashion of the NHL's Hartford Whalers. Mundanely, Jason Taylor plays goalkeeper for a men's recreation league hockey team named after the Whalers. The tunic and winnegas (viking leg wraps) were made by Lady Ascelinne deChambord, mka Paige Damian of Camelot Creations.](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-8.jpg?w=207)
![Cateline 16](http://eastkingdomgazette.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/cateline-16.jpg?w=149)
Reblogged this on Musings of a Medieval Mind and commented:
I totally want to do a garb event in the Outlands with a theme like this!!!
This was so much fun!
What fun!!!!
I wanna play again!
Reblogged this on Anachronistic and Impulsive and commented:
Here’s the EK Gazette article on the Garb Challenge at Birka!
What fun! I wish I had been there to see it all in person 🙂
Wow! What amazing talent! Sharing with BMDLers in Aethelmearc! (Go Steelers!)
This is brilliant. I may have to forward it on to someone here in Artemisia and suggest we make our own version!