Introduction

The tournament is being held as part of the annual Upper Hutt Summer Carnival.  It follows the same format as the 1999 tournament with separate skill-at-arms and jousting competitions. The Summer Carnival is an annual non-profit community fund raising event which attracts up to 20,000 spectators. The tournament will also decide the Australasian Champion for both events.  Currently both are held by Rodney Walker (Australia).

The Upper Hutt City Council is partially sponsoring the tournament and is activity assisting us with finding another sponsor.  The Order of the Boar is organising and hosting the tournament. We are holding both a non-contact skill-at-arms competition and a lance and shield full-contact jousting tournament.  Competitors can enter one or both, but we prefer that jousters enter both.

Overseas Visitors

If you are coming from Australia you need to be recommended by the Ordre of the Blak Prynz and you can fly directly to Wellington International Airport.  If you are coming from elsewhere then you need to fly into Auckland International Airport and then connect with a domestic flight through to Wellington. Overseas visitors will be met at Wellington International Airport by Order of the Boar members.  We can billet visitors, or if you prefer other accommodation we can arrange hostel accommodation 2 kms from our training site or motel units 2.5kms from our training site. We are currently negotiating either free or at least discounted accommodation costs at either the above units or a hotel in Upper Hutt. We will also provide lunch and dinner at the practice sessions leading up to the tournament, during it, as well as the day after.

New Zealand Competitors

If you are not an Order of the Boar member you need to provide your own horse, tack and approved jousting equipment.

Time Table

A minimum two day’s worth of practice is required prior to the tournament.  If you haven’t taken part in an Australasian tourney before then we strongly suggest that you take part in the full four days that we have available for practice. Each day’s practice will consist of a couple of hour’s worth of actual tournament practice as well as a general riding session to allow people to get used to the horses.

• Monday 19th February: Practice sessions commence.
• Friday 23rd February:  Rest day for horses, set up venue.
• Saturday 24th February:  10AM  Skill-at-arms competition.
• 12PM First round of jousting matches.
• 2PM Jousting Final
• 3PM Awards.
• Sunday 25th February:  BBQ for all Carnival participants.

Qualification Test

Competitors who are not known to us (e.g. haven’t competed at an event we’ve also taken part in, or who haven’t trained with us) must complete a formal qualification test while wearing their armor or costume. The test will be held at the first practice session that each competitor attends. Competitors will be required to complete the following:

• Walk, trot, and canter upwards and downwards transitions.
• Perform an upwards halt to canter transition.
• Perform a downwards transition from canter to halt.
• Ride a simple figure 8 in a circle at the trot.
• Back up.

• they show lack of control of their mount
• they have obvious difficulty with their equipment.
• they hit the helm, body, or mount of the opposing knight without hitting the shield first.

Money and Prizes

Competitive jousting in New Zealand is still in its infancy and like most minority sports here attracts very little interest from potential sponsors.  The Order of the Boar has been successful in attracting modest amounts of support.  We hope as public interest in this activity grows that we can eventually be in a position to cover most of the costs incurred by both our club and the tournament’s participants. Therefore we do not offer prize money.  Neither do we charge entry fees or fees for using our horses or equipment.

A significant portion of any sponsorship money that we receive is allocated to help our international visitors meet some of their costs.  For this tournament the support that we can offer is modest and is ultimately dependent on the level of sponsorship we receive.  As a general indication we hope to be able to provide Australian visitors with $400 (NZ) each and any Northern Hemisphere visitors $1,000 (NZ) each.  This also assumes that you are an active participant – either a rider or part of the ground crew.

We are probably not in a position to offer New Zealand riders and ground crew any significant payments. After deducting all the costs of running the tournament and the payments to our international visitors we will divide any residual funds among the riders, ground crew and horse owners on a basis of 1 share each. However we would expect payments of any to be very modest, probably no more than $50 each. Every competitor will receive a small token and certificate commemorating the event. The winner and runner up in both competitions will receive a certificate as well as a physical prize.  This will be a small item of re-enactment or jousting kit.

Horses

As at the time of writing, we have a limited number of trained horses available to us.  Therefore we are restricted to an absolute maximum of 8 competitors (e.g. two competitors per horse).

The owner of a horse also has the final say on who can it.  So there is no guarantee that a competitor will be able to ride on the day. Therefore we strongly suggest that if you are coming from overseas that you make prior arrangements with us.

Authenticity

The tournament is part of a medieval fair re-enactment so we require that everybody achieve a basic level of authenticity with his or her costume and equipment.  These should be styled on actual historical examples from the period 1300 to 1400 AD (for jousters this is full mail or transitional mail and plate armour).

We reserve the right to exclude competitors and supporting ground crew whose costume and equipment does not meet the above rule, e.g. fantasy theme items including “Braveheart” and “Xena” style outfits.

Skill-at-Arms

The skill-at-arms competition tests the rider’s ability against a number of different exercises.  Each rider runs once around a single course made up of a number of skill-at-arms stations. These include ring spearing, the moor’s head, a spear throw and the spinning quintain.Points are awarded for completing each skill-at-arms station with the rider who obtains the highest number winning the competition. Points may be deducted or competitors disqualified for reckless behavior or misconduct (please refer to the disqualification rules below).Riders must wear at least a medieval soft costume and a light medieval style helmet for the competition.

Jousting

The jousting competition tests the jousters in jousting against another jouster with shield and lance.

Jousting Equipment
The minimum protective body equipment is a padded undergarment that covers the entire torso and upper thighs as well as at least the upper arms worn under a steel mail hauberk that covers at least the same areas. A padded arming cap worn under a full-faced helmet that also covers the entire head and neck must protect the head. It is to be from a minimum of 1.6mm steel with eye slits no wider than 20mm. The throat area must be protected by a gorget. This should either be of 1.6mm steel or a minimum thickness of 4mm of leather.

The shield should be of appropriate medieval design made from a minimum 15mm thickness of curved plywood. This should be faced with either several layers of canvas or faced with at least 20 gauge mild steel.  We strongly recommend metal faced shields. The lances that we use have 9 feet projecting forward from the handgrip.  We will provide all the lances.  We can also provide you with a shield. Please advise us now if you require a shield.

Jousting Competition Format
If there are 5 or less jousters competing on the day there will be a single round robin where jousters will compete against each other.  First and second places of the round robin (as determined by the number of victories) will determine the tournament champion and runner up.  In the event of a tidied number of victories the winner will be the jouster who has scored the most points. If there are 6 more jousters on the day then they will be split into two pools, the winner of each meeting the other in a final to decide the tournament champion and runner up.

Jousting Rules
Each jousting match will consist of one or two measuring passes and four contacting passes. At the end of the contacting passes the points are totaled with the jouster scoring the most points being the winner of that match.  In the event of a tie a 5th deciding pass will be run, followed by a 6th if necessary.

A measuring pass is a pass where the lances are carried vertically or at 45 degrees and no attempt is made to hit the opponent’s shield.  The purpose of the pass is to ensure that the jousters and their horses are running correctly.  At the end of the first measuring pass either rider can call for a second measuring pass if required.  The measuring pass is a safety feature, especially if we are jousting in adverse conditions. Once each jouster is satisfied that they are running correctly then they run four contacting passes attempting to hit each other’s shield only. Points are awarded as follows:

• 1 point: For a hit that merely glances off the opponent’s the shield.
• 2 points: For a hit that lands solidly on the opponent’s shield.
• 3 points: For a hit that lands solidly on the opponent’s shield and either unbalances him or causes a dismount.

• 1 point: For failing to present the shield or folding the shield just prior to impact,  any points scored by the offender for the pass that the offence was committed in are not recorded.
• 1 point: For dropping the lance during the pass except for safety reasons.
• 1 point: For any misconduct such as abusing the opponent, ground crew or judges, foul language throwing equipment to the ground, reckless behavior etc. 2 points for the second offence, disqualification from the tournament on the third.
• 1 point: For a hit on the top or inside edge of the shield that deflects and hits either the opponent or mount. Disqualification if the lance is held thereby causing additional injury to either the opponent or mount.
• 1 point: For failing to maintain an appropriate gait during the pass  (this means that if you walk or trot down the tilt line you will be penalised).

Disqualification
A competitor will be disqualified from the tournament if he or she is under the influence of alcohol or any other drug.  If you are on prescribed medicine please check with us first. A competitor can also be disqualified at any stage during the tournament for any misconduct or behaving in such a manner that puts other people or horses at risk. A competitor will be disqualified from the jousting tournament if he strikes the opponent or the horse without hitting the shield first - unless there are mitigating circumstances.

These circumstances could be if the horse throws it’s head up just prior to impact or if the opponent folds their shield just before impact and not allowing the other jouster enough time to either release the grip on the lance or move it off target.

Application Form

If you wish to register an interest in taking part please complete the following application form and either send it to callum@jousting.co.nz or post to:

Order of the Boar,
CM Box 39,
Kaitoke,
Upper Hutt,
New Zealand.

For further information please visit our website; http://www.jousting.co.nz or contact us as above.
 
 

Name:  _________________________________________________________________
 
Address: _______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Phone/E-Mail: ___________________________________________________________

Club or Jousting Affiliation: _______________________________________________

I am entering (circle one choice): Skill-at-Arms only / Skill-at-Arms and Jousting

If you require a horse please provide your height and weight:  __________________

Jousting Experience (continue on back of page if necessary)

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer:

I the undersigned, acknowledge that participation in this event contains certain unavoidable risks. I agree to accept these risks, thus I will not hold responsible the tournament hosts or the organisers of the event or any individual participating therein.

The Order of the Boar provides rules and guidelines for the safety and behavior of participants during this event. By signing this application I acknowledge that I have read these and agree to abide by them.
 

Signature: ______________________________    Date: _________________________