Final Weekend Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015

In what has become a much anticipated climax to the Sherwood Forest Faire season, instead of the usual jousting show, there will be a competitive jousting tournament on Saturday and Sunday, March 28 - 29, the final weekend of the 2015 faire.

Charlie Andrews(far left) and Mark Desmond(center) unhorse each other during the 
Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015(photo by GRHook Photo)

George Appling, the owner of Sherwood Forest Faire(who also plays the part of King Richard the Lionhearted within the drama of the faire), first decided to hold a competitive jousting tournament the final weekend of the faire back in 2011.

"The Knights of Mayhem television show was being filmed in Sherwood Forest and everyone involved thought a tournament would be quite the fitting climax.... We had the Knights of Mayhem doing the joust every weekend at Sherwood Forest Faire 2011. A tournament with more knights seemed like an obvious closer to such a great season of jousting." -- George Appling

This will be the second competitive jousting tournament at Sherwood Forest during the 2015 season; a Mid-Faire Competitive Jousting Tournament was held February 28 - March 1, 2015. When asked why he decided to hold two competitive jousting tournaments this season, Mr. Appling replied:

"Two reasons really:  First, we always have more jousters interested than we have time in a day. There were some jousters who wanted to qualify, so we wanted to create a qualifying competition. Second, we love the tournament and wanted to see it twice!"

A total of nine competitors from five different jousting organizations competed in the mid-faire tournament, and although two competitors were disqualified early on, it was nevertheless a spectacular event with several single unhorsings and two double unhorsings.

In the end, David Schade, leader of the New Riders of the Golden Age, beat Charlie Andrews, leader of the Knights of Mayhem, in the final match to win the tournament. More details about the mid-faire tournament are available in the article, "David Schade Wins Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015".

David Schade(left) breaks his lance against Robbie Hubbard(right) during the 
Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015 (photo by GRHook Photo)

The Final Weekend Jousting Tournament should be equally spectacular since many of the same jousters will be returning to compete. Charlie Andrews, leader of the Knights of Mayhem, will again be competing, and his troupe member Brian Stephenson will be there for the first time this season. Other jousters who will be returning to compete include Eddie Rigney of the Knights of Valour, Dustin Stephens of the Knights of Four Winds, and Joshua Warren, of Sherwood Forest Faire's own Sherwood Knights Academy. David Schade will, of course, be returning to defend his title, while Samuel Keucker, another member of the New Riders of the Golden Age, will be competing at Sherwood Forest for the the first time this season. However, the final list of competitors is still subject to change.

Some of the more exciting jousting passes of the mid-faire tournament can be seen in the 2015 Sherwood Forest Faire Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament playlist on The Jousting Life YouTube channel which is embedded below:

2015 Sherwood Forest Faire Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament (video by Zhi Zhu/The Jousting Life)

If you are hungry either before or after the tournament, make a pilgrimage over to the Jerusalem Cafe (which is behind the water wheel next to the jousting arena) for some restaurant quality middle-eastern fare. I don't usually talk about faire food, but the chicken schawarma and hummus were so delicious, and the service so delightful, that I just had to share the news about this wonderful cafe.

To learn more about the faire and its various events, check out the Sherwood Forest Faire website and Facebook page. You can also follow these links to find out more about the New Riders of the Golden Age, the Knights of Mayhem, the Knights of Valour, the Knights of Four Winds and the Sherwood Knights Academy.

Related articles:
David Schade Wins Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015

Two Competitive Jousting Tournaments to be Held at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015

The Sherwood Joust 2014: After Words

David Schade Wins Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

First Day of the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

Sherwood Forest Faire To Host a Competitive Jousting Tournament

Charlie Andrews Wins the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2012

David Schade Wins Mid-Faire Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015

For the past several years, Sherwood Forest Faire in Paige, Texas, USA, has substituted an actual competitive jousting tournament in place of their usual jousting show during the last weekend of the faire. However this year, Sherwood Forest Faire is hosting two competitive jousting tournaments during its run, one during the fourth weekend(mid-faire) and one during the eighth and final weekend.

David Schade jousts Robbie Hubbard during the mid-faire jousting tournament at 
Sherwood Forest Faire 2015 (photo by GRHook Photo)

Sherwood's Mid-faire Jousting Tournament was held this past weekend, February 28 - March 1. Eight competitors from five different jousting organizations took to the list field, and after two days of competition, David Schade, leader of the New Riders of the Golden Age, was the winner of the tournament. David rode the jousting horse Abraham, a six year old Percheron gelding, throughout the tournament.

David Schade on the jousting horse Abraham, Tournament Winners, 
Mid-faire Jousting Tournament at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015 (photo by GRHook Photo)

The tournament consisted of six sessions of jousting: a qualifying session(noon Saturday), four sessions of jousting competition(Saturday, 2pm & 4pm and Sunday, Noon & 2pm), and a Finals session(Sunday, 4pm). The qualifying session was used to examine the horsemanship, jousting skill and general safety of those wishing to compete in the tournament. The sessions of jousting competition included three to four matches between pairs of qualified competitors. The Finals session was to feature the top two jousters from the previous four competitive sessions in an extended final match to determine the tournament winner.

Points within each match were awarded in the following fashion: a solid hit against a legal target(above the waist, below the head) earned 1 point, a lance broken against a legal target earned 5 points, and unhorsing your opponent by striking him in a legal target area earned 10 points. The jouster with the highest number of points after four passes won the match. If the points were tied after four passes, additional passes were run until there was a winner.

Once each match was over, the points earned during the match were irrelevant, and only the number of matches won was used to determine the ranking of the jousters.

The list of jousters who competed in Sherwood's Mid-faire Jousting Tournament included:

From the New Riders of the Golden Age (the home team):
David Schade, leader of the troupe, colors red & gold, stage name "Sir William"
Mark Desmond, colors blue, black & silver, stage name "Sir Marcus"
Harry Bouchard, colors red, green & silver, stage name "Sir Henry Darling"

Left: Mark Desmond on the Brabant mare jousting horse Daisy (photo by GRHook Photo)
Right: Harry Bouchard on the Percheron gelding jousting horse Marcus (photo by GRHook Photo)

From the Knights of Mayhem:
Charlie Andrews, leader of the troupe, sporting yellow feathers on his helm, stage name "Prince Kyllem Awl"
Robbie Hubbard, sporting various borrowed colors, stage name "Sir Michael"

Left: Robbie Hubbard on the Percheron jousting horse Arthur (photo by GRHook Photo)
Right: Charlie Andrews on the Belgian jousting horse Jaegermeister (photo by GRHook Photo)

From the faire's own Sherwood Knights Academy:
Joshua Warren, colors red, black & white, stage name "Lord Arcadia"

Joshua Warren on the Percheron jousting horse Mercy (photo by GRHook Photo)

From the Knights of Valour:
Eddie Rigney, colors pink & white, nickname "The Hitman"

Eddie Rigney on the Percheron jousting horse Skull Crusher
(photo by The Jousting Life)

From the Knights of Four Winds:
Dustin Stephens, colors green, black & gold

Dustin Stephens on the Belgian jousting horse Sampson
(photo by GRHook Photo)

Although many of the jousters used stage names during the tournament, the competition was real.

Unfortunately, the Four Winds jouster Dustin Stephens was disqualified during the first day of competition for being unable to get the horse he was riding to consistently canter the length of the tilt. Horses do have minds of their own and can sometimes decide that they just don't feel like jousting at the moment.

The remaining jousters gave the audience quite a few thrills and spills throughout the tournament. On the first day of competition, Mark Desmond and Charlie Andrews managed to unhorse each another, not once, but twice. During their first match together, they were both competing for ranking points, and in their second pass, they had a dramatic double unhorsing. (Both the first and second pass are shown in the video below)

Jousting - 1st Session, Double Unhorsing, Mark Desmond & Charlie Andrews, 
Sherwood Forest Faire (video by The Jousting Life)

After they came off their horses, both jousters still had one foot caught in the stirrup, as you can see in the still photo below:

Mark Desmond(left) and Charlie Andrews(right) with their feet caught in their stirrups
(photo by Pamela Morgan Photography)

If you watch the video closely, you can see that Charlie was actually dragged along the ground by his horse Jaegermeister, which, according to Charlie, was absolutely terrifying. For a few seconds, he seriously thought he was going to die. Fortunately, Jaegermeister was stopped fairly quickly, and neither Charlie nor Mark was seriously hurt. Both were ready to continue jousting within a couple of minutes, and after completing their fourth pass, Charlie had won the match.

When they faced each other again during the next session of jousting, only Mark was competing for ranking points. Charlie had enthusiastically agreed to take the place of disqualified jouster Dustin Stephens in order for Mark to have someone to joust against. During the fourth pass of the match, Charlie and Mark again unhorsed one another. There is video of the second double unhorsing on The Jousting Life's YouTube channel. However, photographer Gary R. Hook of GRHook Photo was kind enough to share this spectacular sequence of photos documenting the pair's second double unhorsing. (Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.)

This time, since Mark was in the lead coming into the fourth pass, he was the winner of the match.

Mark Desmond on the jousting horse Daisy
(photo by GRHook Photo)

There were also several single unhorsings during the tournament. Sherwood's own Joshua Warren was unhorsed by Charlie Andrews late in the first day, and then again by David Schade early in the second day of competition. In the video below, you can see that Joshua was having trouble with his horse and had swung his lance far to the side. However David could not see that Joshua was having trouble and hit him solidly in the grand guard, unhorsing him.

Jousting - 3rd Session, 1st Match, David Schade unhorses Joshua Warren 
at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015 (video by The Jousting Life)

It is an accepted practice that a jouster can swing his lance far off target to indicate that he is having trouble and is asking for a mercy pass (i.e. not to be hit). However, it is understood that due to the extremely limited visibility through a jousting helm, the opposing jouster cannot always see that the first jouster has asked for a mercy pass. Therefore it is also understood that asking for a mercy pass does not always mean that you will receive it. Just one of the reasons that, despite taking every reasonable precaution, jousting is still a dangerous sport.

After the second unhorsing, during which he landed badly on his face, Joshua chose to withdraw from the competition due to injury.

The second day of joust competition saw Harry Bouchard unhorsed three times during the same session. He was unhorsed twice by Charlie Andrews during the four passes of their match, and was later unhorsed a third time during his match against Robbie Hubbard. When asked how he felt about being unhorsed three times, Harry responded:

"I don't mind at all. I will eat as much dirt as it takes until I get better." 

His persistence paid off. In the next session of jousting, Harry managed to win his match against Eddie Rigney.

Harry Bouchard unhorsed, 2015 Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 1
(video by The Jousting Life)

Going into the Finals, David Schade was clearly the top competitor so far, having won all of his matches. However, who the second jouster in the finals should be was not clear. Mark Desmond and Charlie Andrews had earned the same number of ranking points, both having won all but one of their matches. Therefore, it was decided to hold two matches during the Finals. The first match would consist of four passes between Mark and Charlie to see which of them could earn the right to face David in the final extended match(six passes) which would determine the tournament winner.

During the first pass of the first match, Charlie managed to unhorse Mark, putting Charlie in the lead, both in terms of the match and in terms of unhorsings between the two of them. Although Mark managed to resist another near unhorsing during their second pass and to break his lance against Charlie during the fourth pass, it was not enough to overcome Charlie's initial lead. Charlie won the match, putting Mark in third place, and earning Charlie the right to face David Schade in the final match.

Jousting - Finals, Mark Desmond unhorsed by Charlie Andrews, 1st Pass, Sherwood Forest Faire
(video by The Jousting Life)

Charlie and David had actually faced each other once before during the tournament, and David had won that match 16 to 12. The weather, which had been freezing cold all day, turned wet during the Finals, when rain began to fall.  The conditions were truly miserable. However, both jousters were still eager to try their mettle against one another one last time. And after six cold, wet passes, and with a score of 18 - 13, David Schade won the match, and by doing so, won the tournament – much to his surprise.

Jousting - Finals, David Schade & Charlie Andrews, 6th Pass, Sherwood Forest Faire
(video by The Jousting Life)

You can see many of the jousting passes from the mid-faire tournament on the 2015 Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 1 playlist included on The Jousting Life's YouTube channel.

2015 Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 1 playlist (videos by The Jousting Life)

There is, of course, a second competitive jousting tournament coming up the last weekend of the faire, March 28 - 29, where the jousters will get a second chance to compete and possibly win. To learn more about the faire and its various events, check out the Sherwood Forest Faire website and Facebook page. You can also follow these links to find out more about the New Riders of the Golden Age, the Knights of Mayhem, the Knights of Valour, the Knights of Four Winds and the Sherwood Knights Academy.

Related articles:
Two Competitive Jousting Tournaments to be Held at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015

The Sherwood Joust 2014: After Words

David Schade Wins Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

First Day of the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

Sherwood Forest Faire To Host a Competitive Jousting Tournament

Charlie Andrews Wins the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2012

Correction: Information about one of the disqualified jousters was removed as per his request.

Two Competitive Jousting Tournaments to be Held at Sherwood Forest Faire 2015

For the past several years, during the last weekend of the eight weekend long event, Sherwood Forest Faire has replaced their usual jousting show (performed by the New Riders of the Golden Age) with an actual competitive jousting tournament. This year, two of the eight weekends will include competitive jousting tournaments as part of the entertainment.

Jousters Eddie Rigney and James Johnson unhorse each other during the Sherwood Jousting Tournament 2014 (photo by The Jousting Life)

The first competitive joust will take place during the 4th weekend of the faire, February 28 - March 1, and the season finale Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament will take place, as usual, on the last weekend of the faire, March 28 - 29. Last year's tournament was won by the leader of the New Riders of the Golden Age, David Schade. It will be exciting to see who wins this year's tournaments.

David Schade unhorses Joshua Warren during the Sherwood Jousting Tournament 2014
(video by The Jousting Life)

This year's competitions will again include jousters from David Schade's New Riders of the Golden Age (the faire's home troupe) as well as jousters from Charlie Andrews' jousting troupe, Knights of Mayhem. You may remember Charlie and his troupe from the National Geographic tv series Knights of Mayhem.

Charlie Andrews(left) and David Schade(right) break their lances against one another during the final match at the Sherwood Jousting Tournament 2014 (video by The Jousting Life)

In addition, there will be several free-lance jousters – jousters unaffiliated with a specific troupe – participating in the competition, including Joshua Warren who teaches at the faire's own Sherwood Knights Academy.

Joshua Warren during the Sherwood Jousting Tournament 2014
(photo by Pamela Morgan Photography)

The faire takes place at 1883 Old Hwy 20, McDade TX 78650, USA (see directions). You can find out more about the faire on the Sherwood Forest Faire website and Facebook page.

Playlist of videos from the Sherwood Jousting Tournament 2014
(video by The Jousting Life)

Related articles:
The Sherwood Joust 2014: After Words

David Schade Wins Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

First Day of the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

Sherwood Forest Faire To Host a Competitive Jousting Tournament

Charlie Andrews Wins the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2012

David Schade Wins Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament 2014

This past Saturday and Sunday, March 29 & 30, were the last days of the 2014 Sherwood Forest Faire. As has become tradition, instead of the usual jousting show, the last weekend of faire featured a competitive jousting tournament. Seven jousters participated this year, including jousters from the New Riders of the Golden Age, the Knights of Mayhem, the Knights of Valour and others. David Schade, the leader of the New Riders of the Golden Age, was the winner of this year's jousting tournament. Because he had been performing as Sir William Dudley during the run of the faire, he was referred to as Sir William during the competition as well.

David Schade on his Clydesdale mare Christine(photo by Suzanne DeMink)

On the last day of the tournament, David Schade came into the final session of jousting having lost not a single match. Both Charlie Andrews and Eddie Rigney entered the final session with a single loss each. So Charlie and Eddie faced off in the first match of the session to see who would advance to compete with David for tournament champion. During the second pass Charlie's lance positively disintegrated from the power of his strike, and after five passes, Charlie had won the match and the chance to advance.

Charlie Andrews shatters his lance against Eddie Rigney(video by The Jousting Life)

The final match between Charlie and David was very evenly matched. Only the first pass did not include a lance break, though both competitors struck their opponent fairly. In the second pass, both competitors broke their lances against one another. In the third pass, Charlie broke his lance, and in the fourth and fifth pass, David broke his. A sixth pass was run, and both competitors again broke both their lances. At the end of the match, David was the winner of the match by one lance break and was declared the Champion of the Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament.

You can see video of all six passes on The Jousting Life YouTube Channel, but here is the jousting pass that put David Schade in the lead and eventually led to his winning the tournament:

David Schade breaks his lance and Charlie doesn't during the fifth pass of the final match
(video by The Jousting Life)

David rode a Clydesdale mare named Christine throughout the tournament. Christine is 18 hands tall, 19 years old and has been jousting with the New Riders of the Golden Age for 10 years. Below, David poses with Christine while wearing the sash he was awarded for winning the tournament and gives her a kiss in appreciation for her partnership in the joust.(In case you are wondering, the sash reads,"Joust Master of the Universe.")
[EDIT 4-1-14: David sent me a message about the sash: "I feel like I should point out that the sash was made by some of my teammates as a joke. Which I wore proudly. It wasn't actually awarded for winning." -- David Schade]

David Schade and his Clydesdale mare Christine(photos by The Jousting Life)

Coming in second by a single lance break was Charlie Andrews, leader of the Knights of Mayhem.  Charlie is probably best known from the National Geographic tv series, "Knights of Mayhem" which followed him the other members of his jousting troupe to several tournaments. However, Charlie has also been featured in a number of articles on The Jousting Life.

Charlie Andrews on his Belgian gelding Jaegermeister(photo by Pamela Morgan)

Charlie's horse Jaegermeister is a fan favorite. He even had his own cheering section who frequently chanted his name throughout the tournament. Jaegermeister is 13 year old, 16.3 hand, Belgian gelding.

Jaegermeister carries Charlie Andrews down the list after a massive double lance break against David Schade(photo by The Jousting Life)

Eddie Rigney of the Knights of Valour came in third. Eddie always wears pink in some form when he jousts in honor of his mother and others who are fighting breast cancer. Eddie's jousting career is currently sponsored by Palmetto Moonshine, Fish Stalker Lures and Monster Energy Drink. You can read more about Eddie in this article about him.

Eddie Rigney(photos by The Jousting Life(left) and Pamela Morgan(right))

Eddie could not bring a horse of his own, so Charlie Andrews graciously allowed Eddie to ride Arthur, one of the Knights of Mayhem's horses. Arthur is a 12 year old, 17.1 hand, Percheron gelding.

Arthur charges down the tilt, carrying Eddie in a match against David Schade on Christine
(photo by The Jousting Life)

Two other competitors made it all the way through the tournament, Joshua Warren of the Knights of Mayhem and Ryan Scammon of the New Riders of the Golden Age. Joshua rode Thor, a 10 year old, 17 hand, Paint/Belgian cross gelding. Ryan rode Marcus, a 20 year old, 18 hand, Percheron gelding.

Joshua Warren(left) and Ryan Scammon(right)(photos by Pamela Morgan)


Joshua Warren is unhorsed by David Schade(video by The Jousting Life)


Ryan Scammon is unhorsed by Charlie Andrews(video by The Jousting Life)

Unfortunately, two other competitors were unable to complete the tournament, James Johnson and Elizabeth Jones. Although James Johnson was still recovering from surgery on his left shoulder performed just 7 weeks earlier where he had to have several tendons re-attached and 5 screws implanted, he was determined to joust at Sherwood. Unfortunately, after the dramatic double unhorsing during the 2pm session the first day of the tournament, he not only aggravated his shoulder, but also damaged his hand and was unable to continue to compete. (You can see a picture and video of this pass in a previous article.) Even though he was in pain from his injuries and disappointed at having to withdraw from the tournament, he still wanted to express how grateful he was to Charlie Andrews for mentoring him in the sport of competitive jousting.

James Johnson riding Thor(photo by The Jousting Life)

Elizabeth Jones also had to limit her jousting during the competition. She had injured her back during a practice session a couple of weeks before, and when she and Ryan Scammon knocked each other off their horses during the noon session of jousting on the first day of the tournament, she aggravated her previous injury and decided to sit out the rest of that day's jousting. On the second day of the tournament, she again rode only in the noon session of jousting. [Unfortunately, due to illness, I missed both noon sessions of the tournament and did not get any pictures or video of Elizabeth jousting.]

Elizabeth Jones(photo by Merland Pernetter)

The Sherwood Forest Faire Jousting Tournament continues to be quite popular. The stands were packed for both days of the tournament, and the audience was loudly enthusiastic. You can find out more about the faire and their jousting tournament on the Sherwood Forest Faire website and Facebook page. And don't forget to 'like' The Jousting Life Facebook page in order to keep up with the latest news, pictures and videos.

The jousters are introduced to the audience before the joust(photo by The Jousting Life)