Stichting HEI Posts about the White Bear Tournament in Nyborg Slott

For the past three years, the historical education group Stichting HEI has produced a high quality non-choreographed jousting demonstration at Nyborg Slot in Denmark. Here is what they had to say about this year's tournament:

White Bear Tournament at Nyborg: Sublime for the third time

In the weekend of 5 and 6 July the town square of Nyborg saw the hosting of the White Bear Tournament by Foundation HEI for the third time in a row. Like the previous year there were six knights participating, judged by the Herald Bear. Also like previous year lances and clubs made from one solid piece of wood with steel coronels and grips were used. It was sublime!

Please take a look in the photo galleries below to see what feats of arms occurred on the tournament square of Nyborg. Many a lance and club were broken and in the melee somebody even got wrestled off his horse. Instead of the hunting demonstration of last year we paraded through town this edition. In the fifteenth century many tournaments were preceded by a flashy column through the city, like the Vesperye as it was called in Bruges, the home city of our tournament company of the White Bear.

To see the photo albums, click here.

Bertus Brokamp in The Joust at the White Bear Tournament(photo from Stichting HEI)

Related articles:
Historical Jousting Tournament at Nyborg Slot in Denmark

Vera Bos Talks about Her Upcoming Documentary "The White Bear"

The Tournament of the Golden Chain at the Middelaldercentret 2014

The Tournament of the Golden Chain took place August 1 – 3, at the Middelaldercentret in Nykøbing, Storstrom, Denmark. It was produced by Arne Koets who has been working for the past several years to organize a group of jousters and support crew that are able to create jousting tournaments which are as historically accurate to the fifteenth century as possible. The idea to create these historically accurate tournaments began when he met Wolfgang Krischke of the Hofreitschule Bückeburg while jousting with Toby Capwell and Dominic Sewell with support crew provided by the Company of St George and the Guild of St Olav.

Arne Koets at the Tournament of the Golden Chain 2014(photo by Middelaldercentret)

Several years later, after succeeding in producing the highly regarded Grand Tournament of Sankt Wendel, Arne wrote to the director at the Middelaldercentret about doing a tournament in their medieval village. Not only did the center provide the funds necessary to bring in eight historical jousters, they also had entirely new costumes made for their own members who would be acting as ground crew during the tournament.

The tournament lasted three days with a session of jousting and a mounted melee each day. The lances used for the tournament were shaped solid wood lances with steel coronels. These lances are naturally tapered from tip to base since they are made from small pine or fir trees. Over the course of three days, the jousters broke approximately 42 of these lances. They also broke several of the hefty wooden clubs used during the mounted melees.

Tournament of the Golden Chain at the Middelaldercentret(video by vem2311)

Each day of the three day tournament was a separate competition. The first day was won by Arne Koets; Joram van Essen won the second day; and the third day was won by Dominic Sewell.

Joram van Essen at the Tournament of the Golden Chain 2014
(photo by Middelaldercentret)

When asked about the tournament created by Arne Koets and his team, the curator of the Middelaldercentret had this to say:

"The Medieval Centre in Denmark is a research organization that presents its result to the public by use of re-enactment in a carefully and authentically reconstructed environment. Through the years the Centre has built up many valuable contacts to the leading persons and groups of the European reenactment scene, and when the chance came to present the jousting group organized by Arne Koets to our local community, there were no doubt in our minds. These knights have an approach to living history that is second to none and have the same philosophy as the Medieval Centre: Why do it, if you don´t do it 100%! – realizing that you can only get something that one could call “a high-possibility statement” and what you have set out to do will never end.

"We learned at lot this year, and if we get a chance to do it again next year, it will be even better. The visitors, of course, may not all be aware of this, but looking at this group of jousters, you have a distinct feeling that this is what is driving the group – a passion to learn and to do their best. It was absolutely wonderful to experience this for the Medieval Centre during the three days the tournament lasted. We had a great time and would welcome this show back to the town of Sundkøbing any time." – Peter Vemming, director mag art

Arne Koets had a very good tournament, stating "I hit and broke all but one of my lances so that was nice." But he was most excited about something else entirely.

"They gave me the treat today to shoot the world's largest trebuchet. They also gave us the honour of doing a fire shot. Yes, stone shot on fire! They have the world's tallest trebuchet, and they are the builders of the Warwick Castle trebuchet. They do loads of really cool projects." – Arne Koets

It seems as though the Middelaldercentret and Arne Koets share a mutual admiration.

One of the Mounted Melees during the Tournament of the Golden Chain 2014. You can see one of the center's war machines in the background. (photo by Middelaldercentret)

Related articles:
Arne Koets Comments on the Tournament So Far, Plus More TV News Coverage of the Grand Tournament at Schaffhausen

Re-Creating Medieval and Renaissance Saddles: Part One

Arne Koets: Tournament Organizer and Jouster at the "Grand Tournament of Sankt Wendel"

An Interview with Arne Koets: Chosen by the Ladies Jury as the Bravest Competitor at "The Grand Tournament in Sankt Wendel"

Historical Jousting Tournament at Nyborg Slot in Denmark

On July 6 & 7, 2013, at the historical castle of Nyborg Slot in Denmark, a group of accomplished international jousters who belong to or are associated with the Foundation Historical Education Initiative(HEI) recreated an historical jousting tournament as part of the annual Danehof Market. This was the second year that a jousting tournament was included as part of the event, and hopefully jousting will continue to play a part in this annual festival.

Click on pictures to embiggen.

Panoramic shot of the Nyborg Slot Lyst Field created by combining 8 separate shots
(photo by Nicolai Godvin/courtesy of Nyborg Slot)

The jousters who participated included the famous organizer of "The Grand Tournament of Sankt Wendel", Arne Koets, as well as several of the jousters who participated in Sankt Wendel -- Joram van Essen, Alix van Zijl, Wouter Nicolai, Andreas Wenzel -- and one other jouster, Bertus Brokamp. The Nyborg Slot tournament consisted of two sessions of jousting and two sessions of mounted melee, one session of each for each day. Although scores were kept and the winner of each session was announced, no overall score was kept and there was no overall champion.

According to Arne Koets,"the winning was unimportant to all of us," and the jousting at Nyborg Slot was "more of an actual tournament then a modern competition." When asked to expand upon that statement, Arne responded:

"We did the most historically accurate jousting and tournament we could muster. This also means that the rules represented the sentiments of the period and were not geared towards a modern competition. The participants rode their best to score points (based on Tiptoft* rules and others) but the prowess was judged by a lady in the end." -- Arne Koets

Arne Koets(left) jousts Wouter Nicolai(right)(photo by Nicolai Godvin/courtesy of Nyborg Slot)

In keeping with this historical authenticity, all of the jousting was done with tapered solid lances with steel coronels and vamplates. The lances are made from young pine trees which naturally taper from base to tip. When the trees are the right height and diameter, they are cut down, the branches are removed, they are cut to the exact length needed and some minimal shaping is done, thus creating the most historically accurate solid lances according to what is currently known about 15th and 16th century jousting.

Preparing the lances for the joust(photo by Nicolai Godvin/courtesy of Nyborg Slot)

All of the jousters had practiced using these tapered solid lances, though for Alix van Zijl, Wouter Nicolai and Bertus Brokamp, it was the first time they had used them in competition. And as far as anyone knows, Alix is the first female jouster to use solid tapered lances in competition. Before this tournament, Alix had jousted using both balsa and poplar tipped frangible lances. When asked about the differences between frangible lances and tapered solid lances, she replied:

"Jousting with solid lances is a lot different, for one thing, they are a lot heavier than the usual balsa tipped ones. I had to train specifically to gain the strength to handle them safely. The lances are also very differently balanced because of the sharp steel coronel at the end and the grappers and vamplates around the grip. That makes it imperative to use an arret, and that changes a lot in, for example, couching the lance and aiming. We all trained a lot in getting it right.

The solid lances have so much possibility of doing damage that safety goes first, and that again makes jousting difficult. You really don't want to hit low, ever. And combined in all of this is that the hits are harder than I ever had, including a balsa tipped ferrule hit on a non-protected area on my arm. Even with a good armour, I am still bruised." -- Alix van Zijl

Alix van Zijl(left) breaks lances with Joram van Essen(right)(photos by Hanno van Harten)

When asked if she planned on continuing to joust with tapered solid lances, she replied:

"Am I planning on continuing jousting with solids? Hell yeah!!!" -- Alix van Zijl

When asked how the melees at Nyborg Slot compared to the melees at Sankt Wendel, Alix replied:

"The melees are more than fun! This group (and the 2012 group of Nyborg as well) is so intent on doing it right, keeping the horses in a canter, trying to hit each other, seeing the fun in ambushes and good maneuvers. We use a more robust system compared with Sankt Wendel, where the Marshall decides if the jouster has been hit often enough." -- Alix van Zijl

Joram van Essen, Andreas Wenzel, Wouter Nicolai and Alix van Zijl during a Nyborg 2013 melee
(photo by Majbritt Merstrand)

It certainly seems as if these jousters are intent on "doing it right". When asked about his beliefs and feelings in regard to the competitive aspect of competitive jousting, Arne Koets replied:

"My personal interest in jousting and tournaments is that of martial art and experimental research. I want to understand it, like an eastern martial artist tries to learn to reach the next dan. One can do martial arts competitively, but it should not detract from its core artistic character. Sometimes losing well is better then winning badly." -- Arne Koets

Arne Koets on his horse Maximillian (photo by Isis Sturtewagen/Stichting HEI)

Martyn Smith had this to say about the tournament at Nyborg Slot:

“Up until this weekend at Nyborg I was convinced that it was impossible to get anywhere near re-creating an authentic 15th century joust & melee. I was wrong.... As marshal of the joust, it was for a fleeting moment like being back in the 1470's. What these guys have put together should inspire all of us into jousting/historical representation/living history or whatever you chose to name it!” -- Martyn Smith

Joram van Essen breaks his lance against Bertus Brokamp
(photo by Nicolai Godvin/courtesy of Nyborg Slot)

When asked how they felt about the Nyborg Slot tournament overall, Arne replied:

"It was an inspiring event. The newer jousters amongst us gave very good account of themselves, showing tremendous improvement over last year and dealing with some new and hard to use equipment. The hits were hard and spectacular, the jousters were professional. The melees were hard and interesting, ridden with great skill. The atmosphere was hard working but friendly and relaxed.

The event was again well organized as always, and the ground crew was plentiful and made up of long standing friends who knew their jobs well. The lances worked out great, and we were very happy to have the vamplates which showed repeated impacts. The clubs were great too, and we broke many."

And Alix stated:

"Slot Nyborg has provided us with a magnificent opportunity to show authentic 15th century jousting. We thank them!"

Alix van Zijl waiting to joust (photo by Nicolai Godvin/courtesy of Nyborg Slot)

You can find out more about Nyborg Slot on their Facebook page as well as on the following websites:
Nyborg: Danmarks Riges Hjerte
&
Nyborg Slot

You can find out more about Stichting HEI, the jousting group that produced the tournament, on their website.

You can see more pictures from the Nyborg Slot 2013 jousting tournament in the TJL Facebook page album, "Nyborg Slot 2013".


*Tiptoft rules are based on an historical set of jousting rules from a primary source. Though some gaps in the rules were filled in based on remarks from the manuscripts translated in Jousting in Medieval and Renaissance Iberia by Noel Fallows.

Random Pic

This picture is from the Mounted Skill at Arms(MSA) competition during the European Championship Jousting Tournament(ECS) at Spottrup Borg. I don't know exactly what is going on here. Does anyone care to explain? (Feel free to be as creative as you like. Don't let reality get in your way.)

Mounted Skill at Arms competition during ECS at Spottrup Borg(photo by unknown)

Suggested explanation:

"To have a more historic approach the Squires decided to launch heads at the crowd for souvenirs instead of modern t-shirts." -- Ivory Siren

If you know who took this picture, please let me know so that I can properly credit them.

Videos of the European Championship Joust at Spottrup Borg

A nice video of the Bishop's Market Medieval Faire and European Championship Joust(ECS) at Spottrup Borg in Denmark. This event is also referred to as the EM i Ridderturnering or Ridderdyst:

(video by bunsterdk)

Video of the Mounted Skill at Arms(MSA) portion of the tournament

(video by Eva Nautrup)

Another video of American jouster, Steve Hemphill's helmet being stuck off by Gunnar Cederberg of Sweden. You can see the tv news video of this incident in a previous post.

(video by beidorion)

A long interview of Ole Bach of Viborg who won the mounted skill at arms(MSA) portion of the competition and earned second place in the overall tournament. It includes scenes of Ole jousting during the tournament. I believe that this is the interview that formed the basis for this written interview article posted on Heste-nettet.dk If you are curious about what he is saying you can copy and paste portions of the interview, skipping the pictures, into Google translate. It's not perfect, but it will give you an idea of what was said.

(video by Spøttrup Ugeavis)

This video starts a little slow with scenes from the Bishop's Market, but then has some nice video of the jousting.

(video by pkfilm)

This video is mainly an interview with Sam Wullum, the curator of Spottrup Borgmuseum. However, it does include a few short shots of the jousting.

If you know of other video of the joust at Spottrup Borgmuseum 2012, feel free to give the links in the comments section.

Jouster's Helmet Knocked Off by Opponent's Lance at the European Championship Joust at Spottrup Castle

News video of American jouster Steve Hemphill getting his helmet struck off by the lance of Swedish jouster Gunnar Cederberg during the European Championship jousting tournament (ECS) that took place last week in Denmark.



Video from tvmidtvest.dk/nettv/

This tournament, called EM i Ridderturnering in Danish, took place during the week of July 23 - 27, 2012 at the famous Danish landmark, Spottrup Borg("Borg" means "castle" in Danish). The helmet removal by lance hit, which is reminiscent of a scene from "A Knight's Tale", occurred during the first pass of Steve's second jousting match during the finals on Friday. The helmet was so badly damaged that it was no longer usable, and Steve had to withdraw from the rest of the competition, leaving him in sixth place overall.

However, even though he was unable to finish the competition, Steve was still chosen as the "Most Chivalric European Champion" of the tournament.

The lance assisted helmet removal was not the only hard hit by a Swede during this tournament. Swedish jouster Klas Lundberg, who was the overall winner of the tournament, broke the shafts of several lances during the tournament, and although the tips of these style of lances are designed to break, the shafts are not. Klas also managed to almost punch a hole through the ecranche(a small shield strapped to the left shoulder) worn by Joakim Løvgren, one of the rising stars of Danish jousting.

UPDATE: Klas did not almost punch a hole through Joakim's ecranche; he did punch a hole through it... and dented the armour underneath.

Joakim Lovgen and Klas Lundberg with the damaged ecranche (photo by Asa Cidh)

Fortunately neither Steve, nor Joakim were injured during these incidents.

Many thanks to Petter Ellingsen of Ridderhest for sharing the link to the helmet incident video with TJL.

Sweden's Klas Lundberg Wins European Championship Jousting Tournament Again!

This article has been updated. Click here to see update.

The hard hitting Swedish jouster Klas Lundberg has successfully defended his status as the best jouster in Europe yet again. This is his third time to win the European Championship Jousting Tournament(called the EM i Ridderturnering in Danish) in as many years. Although he was in second place at the end of the Mounted Skill at Arms (MSA) portion of the tournament, he came from behind during the first day of jousting and managed to win the overall tournament by the slimmest of margins, earning the right to keep the title of European Jousting Champion.

Klas Lundberg of Sweden (photo from Facebook)

This was the first year that the European Championship(ECS) was held at the famous Spottrup Castle. Many of the locals were hoping that the castle's resident knight, Ole Bach, would finally win the championship. Ole had finished third in two previous ECS tournaments, and although he did not win this year, he did improve his standing by coming in a very close second.

Klas Lundberg and Ole Bach jousting at Spottrup Borg (photo by Ronja Knightingale)

Denmark's newest jousting star, Joakim Løvgren won third place. An astonishing accomplishment for someone in their first major tournament.

There was some confusion as to whether Toin Peeman would actually compete in the finals because of the injury he suffered during his last pass of the semi-finals. Apparently, it was decided that Toin was unable to compete, and his place in the finals was filled by American jouster Steve Hemphill who was competing for the German team.

[UPDATE: There was actually a lot of confusion.  It turns out that the points earned for jousting were weighted more heavily than the points earned for MSA. Although Toin had more raw points than Steve, once the scores were weighted, Steve had actually outscored Toin -- despite not competing in his final match of the semi-finals -- and earned the sixth spot in the finals on Friday.]

Steve Hemphill had also suffered a slight injury on Thursday, and because of that, as well as the fact that his horse Cybil was extremely tired, he did not compete in his final match of the semi-finals. However, on Friday he had recovered enough to take his place in the finals. Unfortunately, in his second jousting session of the finals, Steve's helm was struck off by his opponent's lance and damaged beyond use. He was thus unable to compete further.

Despite all that befell him, or perhaps because of it, Steve Hemphill was chosen as the "Most Chivalric European Champion" of the tournament.

The top six finishers based on points for the overall tournament were:

1) Klas Lundberg, Sweden
2) Ole Bach, Denmark
3) Joakim Løvgren, Denmark
4) Petter Ellingsen, Norway
5) Gunnar Cederberg, Sweden
6) Steve Hemphill, United States/Germany

The top three winners for the mounted skill at arms(MSA) portion of the tournament were:

1) Ole Bach, Denmark
2) Klas Lundberg, Sweden
3) Sara Hay, Australia/England

Ole Bach competing in the MSA (photo by Spottrup Borgmuseum)

In the team competition, the top two teams were:

1) Denmark
2) Sweden


Although the competition was intense, the rivalry was all left in the lysts. Once their jousting passes were over, the competitors expressed their friendship and support of one another by clasping hands as they rode past each other. These gestures of camaraderie reveal the true spirit of the old/new sport of jousting.

Xavier Fauvel of France and Nicky Willis of England (photo by Ronja Knightingale)

Again, many thanks go to Broder Jakob of Spottrup Borgmuseum and Ronja Knightingale who have been providing me with the information and pictures for these articles.

Klas Lundberg Continues to Lead in the European Championship Joust at Spottrup Borg

This article has been updated. Click here to see update.

At the end of the fourth day of the European Championship Jousting Tournament being held at Spottrup Castle in Denmark, the defending champion, Klas Lundberg of Sweden was still in the lead. Hometown favorite Ole Bach trails by only two points. The two jousters are poised for a photo finish during the finals of the tournament on Friday.

Klas Lundberg(left) and Ole Bach(right)(photo by Ronja Knightingale)

Surprisingly neither of the overall tournament leaders actually scored the most points during the second day of jousting competition. Joakim Løvgren, a Danish jouster in his debut tournament actually outscored all the more experienced jousters during the semi-finals, earning him his place in the finals on Friday.

Sadly injuries have caused several other jousters to withdraw from the competition before reaching the finals. Female jouster, Sarah Hay, who is from Australia but was competing for the English team, was in third place overall at the end of the first day of jousting. Unfortunately, in the last pass of the day, her right knuckle was broken, ending her ability to compete in this years tournament.

Sarah Hay(left) and Darth Rimmer(right)(photo by Spottrup Borgmuseum)

During Thursday's semi-finals competition, Steve Hemphill, an American jouster competing on the German team, suffered a shoulder injury and had to withdraw from the competition. He had already earned 82 points, and who knows how far he could have gone if he had not been injured.

Steve Hemphill tilts at rings(photo by Spottrup Borgmuseum)

Toin Peeman of The Netherlands was injured in his last past against Nicky Willis of England. He had already earned his place in the finals, but it is uncertain whether he will be competing in them. The decision will be made based on how he feels Friday morning.

Toin Peeman receives medical attention(photo by Ronja Knightingale)

Currently, the list of the six jousters who will be competing in the finals is as follows:

Klas Lundberg, Sweden - 125 points
Ole Bach, Denmark - 123 points
Petter Ellingsen, Norway - 96 points
Joakim Løvgren, Denmark - 86 points
Gunnar Cederberg, Sweden - 85 points
Toin Peemen, The Netherlands - 84 points (injured)

[UPDATE: Apparently, although the raw points given here are accurate, the points earned for jousting were weighted more heavily than the points earned during MSA. Once the weighted scores were worked out, Steve Hemphill had actually earned a higher score than Toin Peeman -- despite not competing in his final match due to injury and a tired horse -- and therefore earned the sixth spot in the finals.]

And here are the jousters who competed in the semi-finals, but did not reach the finals:

Steve Hemphill, USA/Germany - 82 points (injured)
Nicky Willis, England - 78 points
Per Nerlund, Sweden - 78 points
Xavier Fauvel, Belgium - 73 points
Darth Rimmer, USA/England - 71 points
Luc Pettilot, Belgium - 71 points

With Klas and Ole so close in points, the finals should be an exciting competition. Apparently, Klas has been jousting so aggressively that on two occasions not only did he break the tip of his lance which is designed to break upon impact, he actually broke the shaft of his lance as well. (None of the injuries are attributed to his actions.) And with his hometown cheering him on, it is certain that Ole will be doing his best to finally win the title of European joust champion.

Klas Lundberg(photo by Ronja Knightingale)

Ole Bach(photo by Ronja Knightingale)


Many thanks go to Broder Jakob of Spottrup Borgmuseum and Ronja Knightingale who have been providing me with the information and pictures for these articles.

Klas Lundberg Takes the Lead in the European Championship Joust at Spottrup Castle

At the end of the preliminary round of jousting during the third day of the European Championship Jousting Tournament(ECS), Klas Lundberg representing Sweden was ahead of Ole Bach representing Denmark, by just one point. The ECS tournament is being held at Spottrup Castle for the first time this year, and Ole Bach, the hometown favorite of Spottrup Borg, was in the lead after the first two days of the tournament which involved two rounds of mounted skill at arms(MSA) competitions. At midday of the third day of the tournament -- the first day of jousting -- Ole Bach was still in the lead with 98 points.

Ole Bach's scorecard(photo from Facebook)

Ole Bach has come in third place twice before in previous European Championships which were held in Horsens, Denmark. Since Ole is the resident knight at Spottrup Castle, he and his fans were hoping that with the championship being held at Spottrup Borg, that this would be his year to finally win first place.

However, late in the third day of the tournament, Klas Lundberg managed to catch up with and surpass the hometown favorite. Klas Lundberg is the current European Champion, and it looks like he may successfully defend his title.

Klas Lundberg of Sweden(photo from Facebook)

Of course, there are still several days of jousting left, so it is possible Ole Bach will manage to regain the lead and finally win the championship that has eluded him in years before. It is also possible some other jouster may come from behind to surprise everyone and win the championship.

Ole Bach(left) and Sarah Hay(right) break lances in the tilt
(photo from Spottrup Borgmuseum)

Ole Bach Still in the Lead after the Second Day of Competiton at Spottrup Borg

Ole Bach of Viborg, representing Denmark, is again the leader after the second day of competition during the European Championship Jousting Tournament at Spottrup Castle in Denmark.

Ole Bach competes in the MSA(photo by Ronja Knightingale)

Day two of the European Jousting Championship involved the second of the two mounted skill at arms competitions. In this second event, the competitors rode in soft kit -- non-armoured clothing that would be appropriate for the time period. At the end of the second day of competition, the same three competitors remain in first, second and third position:

1st place: Knight Ole Bach, Denmark
2nd place: Knight Klas Lundberg, Sweden
3rd place: Toin Peeman, The Netherlands

The remaining days of the tournament will involve the jousting portion of the competition. First the preliminary rounds, then the semi-finals, with the finals and the announcement of the tournament champion being the highlight of the last day of the Bishop's Market Medieval Festival.

You can read updates about this and other events on the Facebook page for Spottrup Castle, and you can read more about the European Championship Jousting Tournament in these previous articles on TJL:

European Championship Jousting Tournament at Spøttrup Borg 2012

Competitors From Around the World to Compete at the 2012 European Championship Jousting Tournament

Ole Bach of Viborg Leads After First Day of the European Championship Joust at Spottrup Borg

Ole Bach of Viborg, representing Denmark, is the leader after the first day of competition during the European Championship Jousting Tournament at Spottrup Castle in Denmark.

Ole Bach cleaves cabbage(photo by Spottrup Borgmuseum)

Day one of the European Jousting Championship involved the first of two mounted skill at arms competitions. In this first event, the competitors rode in armour, in the second MSA event, the competitors will ride in soft kit(historical clothing). At the end of this day's competition, the leader board is as follows:

1st place: Knight Ole Bach, Denmark
2nd place: Knight Klas Lundberg, Sweden
3rd place: Toin Peeman, The Netherlands

You can read more about the European Championship Jousting Tournament in these previous articles:

European Championship Jousting Tournament at Spøttrup Borg 2012

Competitors From Around the World to Compete at the 2012 European Championship Jousting Tournament

Competitors From Around the World to Compete at the 2012 European Championship Jousting Tournament

Seventeen jousters, including several female jousters, who have demonstrated their skills in previous tournaments around the world will be competing at this year's European Championship Jousting Tournament which will be held at Spottrup Castle in Denmark, July 23 – 27, 2012. This event is sanctioned by both the International Jousting Association(IJA) and the International Jousting League(IJL), and the winner of this tournament will become the 2012 European Jousting Champion.

SWEDEN:

Klas Lundberg

Klas Lundgerg is the current European Jousting Champion and will be defending his title in 2012. He has been riding since age 6. He started with dressage and jumping, but nowadays, he mostly rides western and competes in classes such as reining, herdwork and roping. He also makes armour parts, spear tips, etc... However, his day job is teaching welding. He has been in the Celeres Nordica jousting troupe as a knight since 1994. He tried competitive jousting and competed internationally in IJA World Championships 2005. He's an IJA level 4 instructor.
(photo from Facebook)


Acheivements:
Winner of European Championship in 2010
Winner of European Championship in 2009
Uppsala tournament 2008 – joust, 2nd place
Uppsala tournament 2008 – skill at arms, 1st place
Uppsala Tournament 2007 – joust, 2nd place
Uppsala tournament 2007 – skill at arms, 2nd place
Oslo International 2006 – skill at arms, 1st place
Uppsala tournament 2006 – skill at arms, 1st place
Uppsala Tournament 2006 – joust, 1st place
New Zealand 2005 - IJA World Champion of Chivalry
New Zealand 2005 – joust, 4th place
Oslo international 2005 – skill at arms, 1st place
Oslo International 2005 – joust, 3rd place

Per Nerlund

Per Nurlund is part of the Celeres Nordica jousting troupe in Sweden. He has been riding since 1968 and has been training horses since 1980. Lately, he has been working to develop a better jousting saddle. Per has only recently started jousting. He has participated in several jousting competitions in Sweden, but this will be his fist international event.
(photo from Facebook)





Gunnar Cederberg

Gunnar Cederberg has experience jousting with the Celeres Nordica troupe in Sweden. He is only 19 years old, but has been riding since he was 6, mostly dressage but also jumping. He has been riding in tournaments for many years, but this will be his first international event.
(photo by Asa Cidh)

BELGIUM:

Frederic Piraux

Frederic Piraux of Belgium has been a member of the Compagnie des Hackamores jousting troupe since 2000. He is also the founder of the International Jousting League. From 1989 – 1995, Fred worked as a mounted policeman. He is currently an instructor for the Liege Police Academy. When he's not training with horses, he studies historical swordsmanship. Fred now runs clinics around Europe where he teaches beginners to become accomplished jousters and combatants. He has participated in shows and competitions in USA, Canada, UK, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. (photo by Pamela Morgan)

Achievements:
European Championship 2010 – 5th place
European Championship 2009 – 4th place
Conclave 2009 - Mounted Games Champion
Conclave 2009 - Mounted Archery Champion
Hackaland 2009 - Historical Division Champion
Hackaland 2009 - Mounted Archery Champion
Taupo 2008 - winning team
Hackaland 2007 – Champion
Gniew 2007 - Champion
Hackaland 2006 – Champion
Eyneburg 2006 – Champion
Sword of Honour 2005 - winning team
Sword of Honour 2003 - winning team

Mathieu Kevers

Mathieu Kevers is a 24 year old from Belgium. He is part of the Compagnie des Hackamores jousting troupe. He is an experienced rider and has competed in tournaments for some years now. This will be his first competition in Denmark.
(photo by Danny Van Hecke)

DENMARK:

Toby Kaas

Toby Kaas is a descendant of one of the old knights of Denmark. He jousts with the Himmerlands Middelaldercenter. He has done a lot of jousting and knights tournaments in Denmark.
(photo from Ridder-Kaas.dk)

Achievements:
European Championship 2010 – 17th place
European Championship 2009 – 14th place





Ole Bach

Ole Bach of Viborg has done a lot of jousting both in his home country Denmark and internationally. He rides with the Ildhesten jousting troupe. In 2009 and 2010, he earned third place in the European championship in Jousting. Ole was the crowd favorite last time, and we suspect that the crowds cheering him on will be just as loud this year. (photo from spottrupborg.dk)

Achievements:
European Championship 2010 – 3rd place
European Championship 2009 – 3rd place

FRANCE:

Luc Petillot

Luc Petillot has been riding for many years, and is one of the best knights in France. He has been jousting for the last 10 years and is one of the key members in the International Jousting League. He is the manager of the group Excalibur ile de France.
(photo by Cori Killian)




Achievements:
European Championship 2010, 8th place
European Championship 2009, 6th place
Hackaland 2009 – behourd, 1st place
Gniew 2008 – joust, 2nd place
Gniew 2008 – skill at arms, 3rd place
France 2008 – joust in 3 tournaments
Gniew 2007 - crest melee, 1st place
Gniew 2007 – joust, 9th place
Gniew 2007 – skill at arms, 10th place
Normandy 2006 – joust, 1st place
Eyenburg 2006 – joust, 2nd place
Liege 2006 – joust, 6th place
Liege 2006 – skill at arms, 1st place

Xavier Fauvel

Xavier Fauvel rides with the Excalibur ile de France jousting troupe. Also known as Xavier de Gonneville, he has been jousting since 2001 and is a well-known competitor around Europe, however, this will be his first competition in Denmark. He won the European Championships in 2003 and 2004. He participated in the World Championships in London, Canada in 2003, and was the winner of the Polish tournament in Golubsky Castle in 2011.
(photo by Pamela Morgan)




Marie Baron

Marie Baron is a seasoned jouster and a fierce competitor. She has been in the jousting troupe Excalibur ile de France for 8 years and has participated in many international tournaments in the the past few years.
(photo by Bronwyn Elliot)

Achievements:
European Championship 2010, 14th place
European Championship 2009, 9th place
Liege 2006 – joust, 1st place
Normandy 2006 – joust, 2nd place
Eyenburg 2006 – joust, 2nd plac

NORWAY:

Petter Ellingsen

Petter Ellingsen rode his first horse 14 years ago, and has been jousting the last 13 years. He runs the company Ridderhest and was the organizer of the first Norwegian championship in jousting. He is an IJA grade 4 jousting instructor and has done shows and competitions in Norway, Sweden, France, Belgium, Germany, Canada, Poland, New Zealand, USA, Australia and England. Overall, he has participated in more than 300 shows and tournaments.
(photo from Petter Ellingson)


Achievements:
European championship 2010, 2nd place
European Championship 2009, 2nd place
Gniew 2009 – jousting champion
France 2009 – Tournament champion
Australia 2009 – joust, 3rd place
Hackaland 2009 – joust and skill at arms
Uppsala tournament 2008 – skill at arms, 2nd place
Gniew 2008 – jousting champion
Gniew 2008 – Behourd champion
USA 2008 – Team and individual champion
Hackaland 2008 – Jousting champion
France 2008 – skill at arms, 1st place
New Zealand 2007 –joust, 3rd place and skill at arms
Sonora 2007 – joust, 3rd place
Eyenburg 2006 – winner grand champion(jousting, skill at arms)
Sonora 2006 – joust, 1st place.
Eyenburg 2006 – Crest melee, 1st place
Liege 2006 – joust, 4th place
Liege 2006 – skill at arms, 4th place
Oslo 2006 – joust champion
Hackaland 2005 – jousting and skill at arms champion
New zealand 2005 – IJA world skill at arms reserve champion
Agincourt 2004 – joust, 3rd place

Ivar Mauritz-Hansen

Ivar Mauritz-Hansen began his knightly career in 2007 when he became a member of the reenactment group De Norske Frilansene Compagnie d'Oslo in which he started out as a foot soldier. He also began training to ride horses, focusing on knightly riding, at The Riding School of Trollspeilet, where he is still being instructed by Per Estein Prøis-Røhjell. In the winter of 2010, Ivar bought his horse Laszlo, a Holsteiner gelding, which led to more training and even more focus on knightly riding and sports. In the spring of 2011, he was accepted into the riding group of Frilansene and has since participated as a knight in most of the battles and tournaments that Frilansene attends.
(photo from Petter Ellingson)




Achievements:
Hamar Medieval Festival 2012
Hadeland 2012
Bergenshusdagene 2011
Oslo Medieval Festival 2011
Hamar Medieval Festival 2011
TV-production for NRK Super 2011
Battle of Wisby 2011
Battle of Hamar 2011

ENGLAND:

Nicky Willis

Nicky Willis has been riding since she was 11 years old. She has tried lots of different riding disciplines such as dressage, jumping, western, driving and tournaments. For the past four and a half years, she has worked for Tournament Stud, where they breed, train and joust the horses. She has been doing Mounted Skill at Arms(MSA) and jousting for several years. Her first joust outside England was in Belgium in 2010. The tournament at Spøttrup Borg will be her third joust representing England abroad.
(Photo from Facebook)



Achievements:
European championship 2010, 11th place

Sarah Hay

Sarah Hay is from Australia, but will be riding for England. She has been riding for over three decades in a variety of disciplines such as western, dressage, jumping, sporting, side saddle, mounted archery and jousting. This is her fourth year of jousting, and her third year of competing internationally. In recent years she has won international tournaments in both the northern and southern hemispheres. This extremely accomplished female jouster is not a member of any jousting troupe, but is a member of the International Jousting League.
(photo from Facebook)




Achievements:
1st place archery, Warsaw, 2012
5th place joust, Warsaw jousting tournament, Warsaw, 2012
1st place MSA, Blacktown int joust, Australia, 2012
2nd place joust, Blacktown int joust, Australia, 2012
2nd place MSA, St Georges day int joust, Australia, 2012
2nd place joust, St Georges day int joust, Australia, 2012
Tournament champion, France, 2012
3rd place horse archery, Hackaland, Belgium, 2012
Tournament champion, Hackaland hist joust, Belgium, 2011
Tournament champion, Winterfest international joust, Australia, 2010
Tournament champion, Abbey int IJL tournament, Australia, 2010
3rd place MSA, France, 2010
4th place joust, France, 2010
Tournament champion, Belgium, 2010
Tournament champion, Winterfest international joust, Australia, 2009

Darth Rimmer

Although Darth Rimmer is from the US, he will be riding for England. He began medieval foot combat at the age of 16 and began jousting in 2009 after attending the Sword of Chivalry tournament. He is a member of the Knights of the Golden Sun and participates in re-enactments of many different time periods including Medieval, Ancient Japan, Great War and WW2. His motto is: "Per Angusta in Augusta" (Through difficulties to great things).
(photo by Ulrich Kiener)



Achievements:
Hackaland, Belgium 2011
Tournament of the phoenix, USA, 2011
Tournament of the Phoenix, USA 2010

GERMANY:

Ulrich Kiener

Ulrich Kiener began riding in 1990 (English, western, horsemanship). His first experience with a jousting tournament was in 2006, and he has competed in several tournaments since then. He is a member of the Societas-equestris, and he and his wife run the IJL Team Germany “Deutsche Tjostvereinigung” and give seminars for Mounted Skill at Arms and jousting. In 2000, Ulrich also began historical sword-fencing, and has participated in several competitions both semi and full contact.
(photo from Facebook)

Achievements:
Roma (joust), 2012
Kaunas Hansadays (jousting), 2011
Battle of Grunwald (jousting), 2011
Forest (Belgium), 2011

Steve Hemphill

Steve fondly remembers his father teaching him how to respect, train and ride the family’s horses. In the 1980's, he became interested in medieval and renaissance history while he was attending college, and in 2003, Steve decided to renew his interest in horses and to combine it with his love of medieval history. Since then, he has produced and competed in a number of medieval equestrian events around the world which showcased competitive jousting and other medieval equestrian sports. Steve is a member of the Board of Representatives of the International Jousting League and a level 2 Jouster with the International Jousting Association. He is the owner of a’Plaisance, Ltd. and the Executive Producer of the “Lysts on the Lake”. When Steve is not involved with jousting, he can be found competing in Dressage and Eventing. (photo by AzulOx)

Achievements:
Neauphle Le Chateau 2012, winning team
Verneuil-sur-Avre, France 2012
Lysts on the Lake 2012
Lysts on the Lake 2011, 1st place jousting
Tournament of the Phoenix 2010, 1st place MSA
Lysts at Castleton 2010, 1st place MSA, 1st place jousting
Tournament of the Phoenix 2009, 1st place MSA


For more information about the European Championship Jousting Tournament at Spottrup Castle in Denmark, see the previous article about this event and/or see the Spottrup Borg website.

European Championship Jousting Tournament at Spøttrup Borg 2012

Tournament announcement:

As part of the Bishop's Market Medieval Festival this year, there will be a European Championship Jousting Tournament. The event will be held July 23 – 27, 2012 at Spøttrup Borg (Spottrup Castle) in Salling, Denmark. This will be an actual jousting competition sanctioned by both the International Jousting Association and the International Jousting League and hosted by Nidaros Riddercompagnie (Medieval Mounted Combat Norway).

The competitors will include 17 jousters from around Europe, including Spottrup Borg's own knight, Ole Bach from Viborg. Ole Bach has competed twice in European Jousting Championships and earned a bronze medal both times. He is hoping that competing on his home ground with the support of his local followers will help him to earn the prestigious gold medal this time around. The other jousters have all qualified to compete in this tournament based on their participation in jousting championships in their own countries.

Ole Bach of Viborg (photo from Spottrup Borg website)

The competition will include two Mounted Skill at Arms sections, one in soft kit (historical clothing) and one in full armour, as well as a jousting section. During the week, preliminary rounds will lead up to the semi-finals and eventually the finals which will be a main attraction of the 2012 Bishop's Market.

Ole Bach at Bishop's Market Medieval Festival (photo from Spottrup Borg website)

For more information, check out the website for the Spottrup Borg Jousting Tournament as well as the Facebook page for Spottrup Castle. You may also email Sam Wullum, the curator of Spottrup Borg.


From the official press release:

Welcome to the Middle Ages

One of the most exciting attractions in the Skive Region is Spottrup Castle, Denmark's best-preserved medieval castle. Spottrup Castle stands in the beautiful Salling, by Spottrup Lake and with the Lim Fjord in the background. Built in the 1520s, Spottrup Castle is a marvellous example of a medieval Danish fortress. Once completed, it was a state-of-the-art castle, with its towering nine-metre ramparts and double moat built to withstand even the most effective cannons of the time.

Today, the castle houses a museum, where visitors can see how people lived, fought and worked there back in medieval times. There is a fascinating old medicine garden, divided into characteristic square and rectangular beds with medicinal plants and herbs. lt also contains a small rose garden with scented beds and espaliers.

During the summer season, the museum hosts numerous activities such as concerts, evocations, displays, markets and other cultural events focusing on the medieval period. The hugely popular Bishop's Market [23-28 July) has a mixture of stalls, selling anything from traditional crafts to medieval delicacies.

There will be over 300 actors and performers in medieval costumes; there will also be knights on horseback and even a staged attack on the castle. Add to this the rumbling of cannon balls and the heady smelt of horse droppings and gunpowder.

The market promises to be a huge success this year, particularly because it coincides with the 2012 European Jousting Championship.

The championship is this year hosted by Spottrup Borg, as the organisers wanted an authentic medieval setting. Sixteen knights from all over Europe will compete for the coveted gold medal; one of the favourites to win is the castle's very own knight.

Jousting at Spøttrup Castle (photo from Spottrup Borg website)