Need knight job? Medieval Times hiring

Are you the kind of guy who thinks that chivalry is not dead and is willing to fight, and possibly die, for the hand of a princess, up to three times a day on Saturdays?

If so, Medieval Times might be the employer for you.

Medieval Times, the family entertainment venue that features a jousting tournament and sword fights in a dinner-theater arena setting, is opening a castle in Scottsdale this year. The organization is holding an open casting call today to find candidates to train to be a “knight of the realm.”

Wanted: Young men (at least 18) who are physically fit and grew up playing team sports or doing martial arts. Experience on horseback would be useful, but it isn’t required. The most important attribute for a future knight isn’t physical, however.

Tim Baker, director of stunts, choreography and equestrian programs for Medieval Times, said they’re looking for what made the knights of legend truly special: Character.

“Most of the guys who don’t work out, it’s not because they can’t ride or they can’t fight,” Baker said. “It’s because they can’t function in a group or they have a bad work ethic or temper.”

Knight training is demanding

Baker said maybe a dozen men will be selected from Thursday’s casting call. Those who make the cut will go to a Medieval Times training ranch in Texas where their days will be filled with activities designed to prepare them to be a part of the show.

A typical morning is spent learning about horses and how to ride. After lunch comes physical training and learning to use the 12 medieval weapons that are part of the show.

The swords, lances and other weapons are real, they just aren’t sharpened because, as Baker put it, “We aren’t really trying to kill each other but the impacts are real.”

During the intense training – it takes about 90 days to get ready to take part in the show at the most basic level – Baker and his staff are watching to see if the guys have what it takes to be knights.

“What kind of work ethic do you have?” Baker said. “How you support a guy who’s maybe not as good as you? Are you vain, or will you say, ‘I can help you get better with that’.”

That’s why a background sports can be useful.

“They don’t mind being coached,” Baker said. “They have a sense of team. You and I in a sword fight are watching out for each other. While it may seem like we’re trying to kill each other, it’s exactly the opposite.” in team

About half will become knights

The training is intense because the possibility of injury is very real.

Medieval Times performers use actual weapons. About the only thing they can’t use that would be realistic for the period are bows and arrows.

“Our insurance won’t let us do that in an arena full of people,” Baker said.

The shows are a carefully choreographed dance involving men and horses designed to be entertaining and look realistic to audience members just a few yards away . ...

Men and horses get cues from the music, smoke and lighting that help them know what to do.

There is room for some improvisation, but for the most part, the movements are so rehearsed that a knight from a Medieval Times venue in California could step into the show in Toronto and safely ride a horse and fight a man he’d never met, Baker said.

That takes countless hours of practice. Baker said it takes 300-350 hours of training just to prepare someone to be the first person to “die” in the show.

“What you’re seeing is thousands of hours of training. The performances are enhanced with lighting and a little bit of smoke, but we don’t use any special effects,” Baker said.

The horses are the real stars

Much of the knights’ training is spent on learning to care for and ride horses because the show couldn’t function without them.

Most of the horses are Andalusians, a breed with roots in Spain, where the first Medieval Times castle was built. The breed is known for its intelligence, responsiveness and agility in addition to having a striking physical presence with long, flowing manes.

Some other horses, mostly Quarter Horses (known for their speed over short distances) are purchased for roles in the show as well.

Baker said being able to work with the horses (he grew up riding on his family’s property in Florida) is part of the reason he has remained with Medieval Times since the first U.S. castle opened in Florida in 1983. Now 55, he helps train knights and performs only occasionally, but he stays involved in the care of the horses.

“You can almost tell what kind of horse they’re going to be from birth,” Baker said. “You think, ‘This is going to be a great dancing horse. This is going to be a great jumping horse. This will be a great battle horse because he’s fearless and calm’.”

Horses are ready to perform at about 3 years old and retire after about 15 years.

“That would be similar to about a 17year-old person up to about a 55-yearold who retires in really good shape,” Baker said.

“We don’t wait until they’re too old to do the show any more to retire them. If we can’t find a good home for them with somebody who’s going to love and support them, we bring them back to the ranch (in Texas) and they retire out there.”

Most performers in the shows start as squires, who support the knights in the castle much like squires supported actual knights in ancient times. Squires can go on to become knight candidates and eventually knights, but that’s not always the case.

“There can be all kinds of reasons we might have to say this probably isn’t for somebody,” Baker said. “In some cases you’re welcome to be a squire to see if you can work those things out.”

But not making it as a knight necessarily the end of the line.

Some guys develop a connection with the horses and go on to become trainers. Others may find a niche in the business side of the organization. Baker said some of the men he’s trained to perform have gone on to become general managers of the castles or moved into marketing and sales.

The pay is modest to start. Baker said entry-level performers in Phoenix might start at about $12 or $14 an hour, but can earn more quickly as their skill progress.

Men drawn to becoming a knight probably aren’t in it solely for the money.

“The horses and the weapons training and the camaraderie is probably why I’m still here after 35 years,” Baker said. “I still love it.” isn’t