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Local Star Wars fans unite to form first lightsaber duelling club

When high school teacher and self-described "Star Wars geek" Erik Bauckman dropped $800 on a custom-made, duel-ready replica lightsaber, he says he couldn't let it go to waste.

"I found 'the one,' but I really felt the need to justify that I hadn't just bought a several-hundred-dollar toy."

In March, Bauckman started looking for other fans in the Halifax area who were interested in lightsaber duelling, but to no avail.

"I found a choreography group, but no duelling club," he said. "I wanted something where I could actually test myself and my Jedi skills."

A new hope

So Bauckman looked elsewhere — south of the border, to be precise — to discover the American-based network Saber Legion.

"They're basically a group of friends in the states that have a martial arts background and a love for Star Wars," he said.

"They release training videos for their members and in return, you can send in videos for critique."

Although the Saber Legion only started early last year, it already has clubs — or charters — all over the world. But none in Atlantic Canada.

Bauckman decided to start up his own charter, which he's dubbed the Eastern Watchmen. According to the group's Facebook page: "'Watchman' is a class of Jedi and is not considered gender specific."

Return of the Jedi

When the club first started, Bauckman said he and 16-year-old student Ben Cox were the only two members.

However, they said they just knew there had to be more people out there who would be interested in the Eastern Watchmen.

The two started hanging posters, distributing business cards, and recruiting members on Facebook and Kijiji.

But the best form of advertising? "I wear my saber around everywhere," Bauckman said.

"I'll be at the store and someone will look down at my hip and suddenly we're talking about it."

The group currently has more than 30 members, where all ages and skill levels are welcome.

Training sessions are free, but interested parties are advised to buy their own lightsabers and protective equipment, which is considered mandatory by the Saber Legion.