Medieval mayhem
The Knights of Valour will be jousting at Centre 200 tonight
Cape Bretoners have a rare chance tonight to witness one of the most dangerous sports in history.
Members of the travelling extreme jousting organization, Knights of Valour will be donning their armour, mounting their steeds and knocking each other into the dirt at Centre 200 tonight as they take part in a sport that’s as old as it is brutal.
The style of jousting the Knights of Valour use is in itself more dangerous than most forms of jousting currently practised in the world. The style, which comes from Germany, is called Realgestech.
“The style of jousting that we do is probably the hardest and most dangerous of all the jousting styles. There are literally 150 styles of jousting,” said Bill Meyer, the general manager of Knights of Valour “Realgestech jousting is not a sport about if you get hurt, it’s just when and how bad.”
In Realgestech jousting, knights earn points by striking an opponent’s gridded grand guard, a metallic plate attached around the shoulder area, with an 11-foot-long solid wooden lance.
Unlike other types of jousting, the lances the Knights of Valour use don’t break apart on impact.
One point is given if a knight hits the grand guard of their foe. Breaking a lance is worth five points, while unhorsing your competitor earns 10 points.
The Knights of Valour have about 15 jousters who regularly tour across North America. One of the knights that will suit up tonight is 22-year-old Samson Miller from Arizona.
Miller said every time he gets ready for a match, he feels like he’s going into battle.
“It’s a lot of mixed feelings. It’s a lot of adrenaline and a lot of terror. It’s literally like suiting up for combat. You are getting ready for war,” said Samson “Once you are in your helmet, it’s a sight that only a few thousand people in all of history have seen.”
The Knights of Valour have been touring across North America for more than a decade. There was also a reality TV show on the History Channel in 2010 featuring the Knights of Valour called “Full Metal Jousting.”
None of the jousting the Knights of Valour do is scripted and the danger of the sport is real. Some of the more common injuries in the sport include broken ribs, concussions, dislocated shoulders and broken arms.
Meyers said it’s not out of the ordinary for riders to get seriously injured.
“We’ve had people that have had their legs blow open from an impact where the impact has caused the skin to just part and fat and muscle pop out,” said Meyers
Miller is also no stranger to injuries while jousting. Once, because of a particularly bad fall from his horse, Miller needed six months to recover.
“My first year jousting I dislocated my shoulder. I came off wrong and landed on my elbow and my shoulder popped out. I couldn’t lift my arm up and just flopped around like a fish,” he said.
Although the knights experience their fair share of punishment, the horses, which are about 60 per cent rescue animals, are never injured during the sport.
“We still have these partners (horses) that we use and everybody’s very concerned about their health and well-being. I can honestly say that in the 25 years we’ve been doing this we’ve never had a horse get hurt. That’s not something that happens,” said Meyer “That’s another reason we use 11-foot lances. By the time you’re in contact with the other rider, the horse has already passed.”
Even though the sport can be at times brutal and dangerous for the competitors, Miller said it’s always entertaining for the audience.
“They go nuts when someone falls off their horse. That’s what everyone loves to see, really, which is the exact opposite of what we (the knights) want,” joked Miller.
The Knights of Valour show starts at 7 p.m. tonight at Centre 200. For more information, visit facebook.com/ExtremeKOV/.