Instructors 

Carol Shaw is Vice-President, Treasurer, and Historic Fencing Instructor of The Sword Conservatory. Beginning in 2006, she trained in medieval weapons with European Medieval Arts of Arms (EMAA) learning a variety of medieval weapons including single-handed sword, two-handed long sword, sword and shield, dagger, staff, and pike. Carol was knighted in 2009 after completing her Knight Errancy entitled, Is the Damsel in Distress?. Wearing historical woman’s clothing, she demonstrated how medieval women could have defended themselves using a dagger and common household objects, such as baskets, tankards, and wet clothing. After achieving knighthood, Carol continue her weapons training by learning rapier, military sabre, cutlass, small sword, and Scottish broadsword. She served on EMAA’s light weapons and pirate demonstration teams, participating in various shows throughout North Carolina (Renaissance festivals, Scottish Highland games, Pirate festivals, Library demonstrations, Girl Scout programs, and Public school demonstrations). Carol currently assists Craig Fruedenrich in leading The Sword Conservatory’s Pirate group which demonstrates and teaches pirate style swordfighting techniques at pirate festivals and museums throughout North Carolina. Her favorite weapon is dagger because men lose their size advantage during close fighting. She likes to remind everyone that the way to man’s heart is between his third and fourth rib!

Craig Freudenrich is the president and Fencing Instructor of The Sword Conservatory. He began sport fencing with foil in 1978 and continued through the 1980s. In 2005, he trained in medieval weapons with European Medieval Arts of Arms (EMAA). There, he learned various weapons (e.g. single-handed sword, two-handed sword, sword & shield, dagger, staff, pike, etc.) and was knighted in 2007. He participated in EMAA’s armored demonstration team from 2006 to 2010. In 2010, he became the fencing instructor for EMAA where he taught foil, sabre, and epee. Craig developed historic fencing curricula for teaching rapier, military sabre, cutlass, and Scottish broadsword. He also directed the light weapons demonstration team and formed the pirate demonstration team. Both of these teams participated in various shows throughout North Carolina (Renaissance festivals, Scottish Highland games, Pirate festivals, Library demonstrations, Girl Scout programs, Public school demonstrations). He continued teaching these weapons in sport fencing and historic fencing classes when he co-founded The Sword Conservatory in 2016. Craig leads The Sword Conservatory’s Pirate group which demonstrates and teaches pirate sword fighting techniques at various pirate festivals and museums throughout North Carolina. Craig and Eric Lindbeck started The Sword Conservatory’s Scottish broadsword group and have begun teaching Scottish broadsword and sword and targe in classes, workshops, and Scottish festivals. In addition, Craig was a foil fencing coach of the Kestrel Heights School fencing team in the North Carolina High School Fencing League from 2012 to 2017.

Bio & photo coming

Bio & photo coming

Eric Lindbeck is the Secretary, a Co-Conduct Officer, and an instructor of swordfighting at The Sword Conservatory. He started his training in historic martial arts with European Medieval Arts of Arms (EMAA) in 2009, studying Medieval and Renaissance combat styles (including broadsword, longsword, shield, dagger, unarmed, staff, pike, rapier, buckler, and main-gauche), and as a member of the armored demonstration team (2010 – 2016). He did his independent study on the bec-de-faucon and was knighted in the Spring of 2012. Also while at EMAA, Eric trained and performed with the stage combat demonstration team from 2011 to 2013. In the Fall of 2012, Eric founded the Holly Springs, NC school of EMAA, while also learning sport fencing (foil and sabre) and 19th century maritime fencing (cutlass). He developed EMAA’s curriculum for sword-and-buckler, based on MS I.33 (aka the Tower Manuscript), the oldest known European fight manual. When EMAA was closing down in 2016, Eric led a group of EMAA instructors to found The Sword Conservatory, Inc., achieve non-profit status, and continue to offer swordfighting classes to the community. Eric continues to lead the business side of The Sword Conservatory, with responsibilities spanning risk management, legal, suppliers, partners, marketing, and contracts. For Chris Shaw Films’ Somerled pilot (2017), Eric was fight director for the mass-combat scenes in addition to being prop master. He has also created the fight choreography for local children’s theater. Eric enjoys teaching. He is the lead instructor for two weekly classes in medieval combat and delivers a train-the-trainer class for TSC instructors. He has taught or demonstrated for many organizations including Duke University, The Girl Scouts, Sola Gratia Classical Academy, The Carolina Renaissance Festival, Greenville South Carolina Scottish Games, and the North Carolina Museum of History. He also likes to do original research, having created a Roman boot camp curriculum, and a class on 18th/19th century sword dueling, in addition to collaborating with Craig Freudenrich on TSC’s Scottish broadsword and targe curriculum.

Tom Holihan is a Medieval Swordfighting Instructor from Holly Springs.  He began training with The Sword Conservatory in 2019, learning a variety of medieval weapons including single-handed sword, two-handed long sword, sword and shield, dagger, staff, and pike.  He became an assistant-instructor in 2020, and was promoted to full instructor in 2024.

 In 2024 Tom created a curriculum for Sidesword and Rotella, which will be used to supplement the existing sword and shield curriculum. 

Tom teaches Medieval Swordfighting classes on Saturday mornings in Holly Springs, and assists Eric Lindbeck in running classes at various locations in the surrounding area.  He serves on the TSC Medieval weapons demonstration team, participating in various shows throughout North Carolina (Renaissance festivals, Scottish Highland games, Pirate festivals, and Public school demonstrations).

 Tom's past training with marital arts includes Isshin-Ryū and Judo.  His favorite medieval weapons are sword and buckler, and dagger.

Todd Hankinson began training with The Sword Conservatory in 2018 and completed medieval weapon fighting curriculum including single-handed sword, two-handed sword, sword and shield, dagger, two-handed axe, polearms, sword and buckler, and unarmed vs armed fighting.  He became an Assistant Instructor in 2019 working with the Adult Medieval Fighting class.  Todd is currently working on his independent study with the polearm known as a Partisan.  In the past, Todd had other martial arts training including Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate, Archery and Japanese staff (Bo).  His favorite classroom activity is weapon sparring and his favorite weapon is the hand-and-a-half sword.

Bio & photo coming

Bio & photo coming