Alan Beck wins Midsommar Slam 2026 open steel single-rapier title

Alan Beck of Cymbrogi School of Western Martial Arts won the open steel single-rapier title at Midsommar Slam 2026, finishing ahead of Sheik Bacchus of Schola St George, DFW in a 22-fencer field. The two-day meet ran June 27-28 at the Airdrie Martial Arts Center and mixed rapier with longsword, dagger, and messer, plus workshops.

The final sheet shows a clean spread across the top of the division. Timothy Drone of Academia del Leone took third and Jerry Swank of Brandr Combat Academy finished fourth, while the visible fifth-place tie included Solomon Smallwood and Christopher Davis, both from Cymbrogi, along with Alejandro Anazco of Vier Blossen Historical Fencing and Aaron Nichols of Sword to.... That cluster matters because it shows Beck’s club did not just produce one winner; Cymbrogi put three names into the upper bracket conversation, a sign of depth that can change how a school is viewed across a season.

In single rapier, that depth usually comes from the same competitive habits that drive ratings success: tempo control, patient work at measure, and a sharp sense for when to commit to a line rather than force an exchange. A 22-fencer draw is smaller than some major longsword fields, but it is still large enough to create real separation between the medal spots and the pack, and the result list shows that separation clearly. Beck’s gold over Bacchus, with Drone and Swank completing the podium, gave the division a spread of schools from the very top down through the fifth-place tie.

The event was tracked on HEMA Scorecard and HEMA Ratings, so the result carries more weight than a local medal table. HEMA Ratings lists Beck with Cymbrogi School of Western Martial Arts in Moore, Oklahoma, and Drone with Accademia del Leone, tying the podium to the wider rating system that shapes seeding and season momentum. Arena Weapon Arts promoted the meet, and a pre-event post said singles had 25 spots remaining at one point, suggesting the field came close to filling. Another promotion noted a 1:6 payout ratio across events, a reminder that Midsommar Slam was built as both a competitive card and a managed tournament product.

Beck leaves Midsommar Slam with the kind of result that travels well: a rated gold medal, a win over a strong second-place finisher, and a club result that looks sustainable rather than accidental.