Posted on comiccongoteborg. 

"With the #Whereheroesmeet posts, we want to highlight some of the everyday heroes from different communities that we think deserve some extra attention. Our third hero is Henrik Ekman from LudoSport."

"#WHEREHEROESMEET - Henrik Ekman"

-- Can you tell us a little about light saber fencing and Ludosport? --
(Henrik)

LudoSport – Sporting Light Saber Combat is a competitive sport with a light sword that can in many ways be compared to Kendo, Fencing or other sword sports. What stands out with LudoSport, however, is the unique weapon, the light saber. Having a weapon that shines and sounds is very different from other fencing sports, but also having a blade that is so light. This means that we can move in a completely different way and do not need any protection that hinders our movement. So we can have techniques that require very agile movements and speed and agility are a more important trait than strength, which makes it easy to get started with LudoSport and you do not need to have prior physical training to be able to be proficient in the sport.

 -- When did you discover the sport and what attracted you? --

 (Henrik)

 I discovered LudoSport when I followed a friend to Stockholm in 2016 to check out the first LudoSport SM. He had previously tested LudoSport when he was living in Stockholm, but moved to Gothenburg to study. Now he wanted to train as an instructor in order to start up the business in Gothenburg. After watching the competition I was completely sold. It seemed so fun and exciting with a new sport that was just getting started and I’ve always had a great interest in Star Wars and Sci-Fi in general. Later in the summer of 2016 we both went to Italy and trained as instructors and together we started LudoSport school in Gothenburg. Now I run LudoSport schools in Gothenburg, Malmö, Helsingborg and Ystad.

--  Can you tell us about your best memory with the sport? --

(Henrik)

 During the four years I dedicated to LudoSport, I have had many incredible memories. I have been to the World Cup three years in a row and get to see the highest level of light fencing in the world. In 2018 I participated and competed and ended up in a shared 17th place. In 2019, I was a judge at the World Cup and had to be part of the team that ensures that the biggest lightweight competition in the world floats as well as possible. And even though these are incredibly great memories, they can’t top my experiences at SIS, the Scuola Internazionale Superiore, the training camp held in Italy every summer where you can be trained as a LudoSport instructor. To gather in a place up in the mountains of Italy with like-minded people for two weeks and dedicate themselves to a sport that everyone loves. It is an incredible feeling that can hardly be described, but you have to experience that type of community and passion in order to understand.

-- Is it common to associate Ludosport / light saber fencing with Star Wars? Are there any similarities? --

(Henrik)

 Of course, many people think directly about Star Wars when they see LudoSport, our bright swords are obviously inspired from a galaxy far, far away. But besides an inspired weapon, you do not really find many similarities. Our bright swords cannot cut through metal, we do not have access to the mysterious “power” to be able to jump soaring or push around and pull objects. But many of our members have a great interest in Star Wars, of course.