Group helps interpreter realize passion for archery

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“Nikolaos Phaistos is a mercenary archer from the Greek island of Crete,” Sumandra said of his alternate persona.

“He was hired by the Medici family to find their lost daughter, Cecilia.”

He proceeded to tell the story of finding Cecilia in Persia, but instead of returning her to her family, he joined her clan and her quest to make right in the world.

“That’s the fun part,” Sumandra said. “You can make your own history in a true historical context even though it’s not real history.”

Sumandra is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to research and re-creation of medieval and renaissance culture, according to organization officials.

“The SCA holds archery tournaments, fencing competitions, heavy armor battles, which all lead to larger battles between kingdoms around the world in our international gatherings,” Sumandra said.

As a teen, Sumandra’s uncle taught him to shoot bows and arrows.

“I loved archery but knew that nothing would come of it in life,” he said.

Sumandra put archery aside and, in his early 20s, began taking American Sign Language classes, which led to his current career as an interpreter.

Then, a friend of Sumandra’s told him about the SCA, and that there were archery tournaments and medieval recreation events every weekend.

“I went to my first archery tournament and felt, right away, that I was in my element,” Sumandra said. “I went home that night and joined up.”

That was four years ago. Since then, he has become an active participant in weekly gatherings and has achieved the title of Chiron, the highest level of archery in the SCA. This position allows Sumandra to teach and train others within the organization. He uses his signing skill when there are deaf or hearing-impaired people who want to participate in SCA festivities.

“Sure, signing is not [of the