Meet the Instructors

Eric Metz

In 2006, Eric started at Montana State University (MSU) and earned a Bachelor of Science in earth sciences and secondary education. As an undergraduate, he studied Cretaceous marine reptiles of Montana, focusing on plesiosaurs. Afterward, he earned a Master of Science in geology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2019. His thesis focused on the anatomy of a new genus of a group of Triassic marine reptiles called thalattosaurs.

Founder, Head Instructor, and Water Dino Expert

Calder Larsen

Calder has been practicing HEMA for about a decade now. He is well rounded in his knowledge; focusing on a variety of weapons, masters, and manuscripts. He is an accomplished fencer, traveling to a some of the biggest competitions in the US. He has a few medals in Longsword, and is known for conducting himself with honor and skill. He enjoys teaching all skill levels and loves many aspects of the sport, martial art, and history. Outside of HEMA, he has a wide assortment of hobbies including: many tabletop games, video games, hiking, and reading. He prides himself on being approachable and accepting of all walks of life. He is always ready to talk or spar or instruct. He will make sure you get what you desire out of your HEMA experience.

Instructor
Instructor

Julia β€œLiz” Larsen

Liz Larsen has over 10 years of martial arts experience and has been a part of Lost Arts Historic Fencing since 2018. She's earned medals in URG Longsword, Open Longsword, and Arming sword cutting. She has also competed in Rapier, Saber, and Messer.

Liz strives to find the right methodology to help understand the material to each students strengths and comprehension through demonstration, theory or one on one instruction.

Instructor

Steven Kassebaum

Steven started HEMA in 2021 and was quickly hooked becoming a regular member of the club since. Starting with longsword he has branched out into other sword systems including rapier and sidesword. He has competed in many different disciplines and won medals in multiple weapons.