Volunteer Profile: Jamie Woods

Jamie Woods keeps medieval combat alive at Hellgate

Name: Jamie Woods

Organization: The Flagship Program

Site: Hellgate High School

Position: Gladiators leader

Woods joined the medieval foam-fighting Gladiators as a student when the club first began at Hellgate in 2004 and is still close friends with the club’s founder, who was also a student at the time.

When he graduated in 2008, Woods, also known by his fighting name “Zuloo,” knew he wanted to give back to the club he had enjoyed so much. The 21-year-old waited a year after high school before volunteering with Flagship and is starting his second year as a leader for the popular medieval combat club.

“It was one of my favorite things to do in high school and I wanted to share that experience with them and keep that going,” says Woods.

The club’s popularity has erupted – it boasts the highest membership of any Flagship club in the school – and the activity has now even spread to Sentinel High School. Woods says he would have never guessed it would become so popular when he first joined.

“There were quite a few teachers that didn't like us just because of our premise,” he says. “We fight with foam weapons.”

Gladiators is actually part of a larger foam-fighting not-for-profit organization called the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. Founded in the ’70s, Belegarth has “realms” across the country and one larger group in Missoula. Sometimes participants base their fighting characters off of fantasy, such as J.R.R. Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, though Woods says the Gladiators group contains few role-playing elements aside from choosing their distinct fighting names.

When he’s not volunteering through Flagship as a Gladiator or working, Woods takes his enjoyment of the activity home with him and fashions medieval armor.

“Since I do custom work, I can do just about anything someone asks,” says Woods.

Though foam-fighting battles can get heated – Belegarth participants are encouraged to be aggressive and physically fit – Woods says rules are in place to ensure no one gets seriously injured. At Hellgate, students must turn in a parental permission slip to engage in the fighting activities before they can even touch a weapon. Though students can watch others practice, the permission slips are a non-negotiable safety net.

Once they get into the fray of battle, students still have some safeguards built into the rules of Belegarth melee. Woods cites one rule over all: No hitting another participant in the head. Even though the medieval-style foam weapons are not lethal, only a few ultra-padded pieces of “offensive equipment” can be aimed at a person’s head.

With a history rooted in the group, it’s no wonder Woods says his favorite thing about volunteering with Flagship is continuing the club for students. Though it is very popular in the school, the 3 to 5 leaders who show up to run the club offer essential experience and guidance.

“There's not really anyone else there that knows the rules enough to keep the club going,” says Woods.

Since the school year is still young, more students may join the Gladiators in their sport, and on top of leading the club, working and making armor, Woods is currently forming his own unit in Belegarth based on the Knights Templar.