CTFL, Where have you been all our lives?
People having fun. This is what summer and being human are all about. I want to take part really bad. Columbus, Ohio lets get it on. I have the perfect helmet to make for it.
Via Wikipedia:The CTFL was started by Robert Easley in Seattle, Washington. Robert had childhood memories of hitting friends and family with cardboard tubes in mock sword fights. He came up with the idea of starting regular tournaments around the act of cardboard tube fighting. This idea comes from three core beliefs:
- People need more ways to play and take themselves less seriously.
- Events can be fun without alcohol.
- Cardboard sword fighting is fun.
The CTFL hosts tournaments and battles where cardboard tube fighters go head-to-head in an attempt to break their
opponents tube without breaking their own. The events also focus on cardboard costumes and theatrics. These events are often held at public parks throughout the summer, are open to everyone ages 5 and up, and emphasize fun over competition. Cardboard tubes are provided and all events are free for participants.
“The CTFL was created out of a desperate need to better train and arm citizens with cardboard tubes. While many speculate that our fore fathers, when drafting the constitution, originally intended the fourth amendment to refer to fire arms, there is now a small group of non-academics who believe that they were more likely referring to elite militias of card board tube wielding ninjas. While this training often takes place during childhood, it is discarded by adults who remain uneducated about the importance of such practices. The goal of the CTFL is to provide organized cardboard tube based events that help spread cardboard awareness.”
Cardboard Tube Fighting League in Philadelphia – Battle Royal!
There are rules:
1) Don’t break your tube. In a duel, the last person with an unbroken tube is the winner. In the event that both participants break their tubes at the same time, both duelists are considered losers. A tube is considered broken when it is held horizontal and the tip drops to an angle greater than 45 degrees or it is completely detached from the rest of the tube.
2) No swinging arms. No body slamming.
3) No stabbing. Lunges involving tubes are not allowed under any circumstances. Participants who exhibit this behavior will be ejected from the event.
4) Do not attack the opponent’s face. Hitting the face is heavily frowned upon and can force ejection from the event.
5) Once a tube is broken, fighting must cease.
6) Only official CTFL tubes are allowed. These tubes are provided at the events.
7) No blocking of opponent’s tube other than with your own tube.
8 ) Tubes must always be held near the end. Participants may switch ends as they see fit. Holding tubes in the middle is illegal.
9) Shields are banned in tournaments and battles.
10) All participants must sign a waiver.
Blog, I am your father 
I’m totally going to start a chapter in Sedona. Our biggest local rock band is made up of six guys who build their own costumes out of cardboard anyway. We could totally use that as a jumping off point for our own CTFL chapter.