The Jousting Life: Jan Gradon

Showing posts with label Jan Gradon. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Three Teams of Jousters to Compete at the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament 2015

The Leeds Easter Tournament will occur this coming weekend, from Friday, April 3, through Monday, April 6. Also called the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament, it is the only competitive jousting tournament sanctioned by HM The Queen Elizabeth II. The winner of the tournament "holds" the Queen's Jublilee Horn Trophy and the title of Queen's Champion until the next tournament. Although the trophy resides in the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds throughout the year, the tournament winner's name and coat of arms are inscribed on a small shield which is permanently attached to the chains supporting the Queen's Jubilee Horn Trophy.

Out of the four jousters who were invited to compete last year, Mark Caple won the honour of being the Queen's Champion for 2014. You can read more about Mark and his experiences during the tournament in an interview he gave The Jousting Life. But who will win the honour of being the Queen's Champion for 2015?

2014 Queen's Champion Mark Caple on the jousting horse Aramis, Mark Atkinson holds the Queen's Jubilee Horn Trophy (photo from Royal Armouries Tournaments)

For the 2015 Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament, six jousters were invited to compete for the honour of holding the trophy and the title for the year. The jousters will compete in three teams of two:
Team England – Nicky Willis and Andy Deane;
Team Burgundy – Ben van Koert and Steve R. Gagnon;
Team Poland – Jan Gradon and Jarek Struczynski.

Nicky Willis

Nicky Willis at the Tonsberg Medieval Festival 2013 (photo by WinPics Photography)

Nicky Willis will be riding for Team England. Nicky is a professional horse trainer and barn manager and has been involved with supplying horses for the Royal Armouries international jousting tournaments since 2003, however this will be first time she has ever competed as a jouster at any of the Royal Armouries tournaments.

She has been jousting since 2008 and has competed in a number of other tournaments across Europe and Australia. Her proudest moment came in 2013, when she earned the title of Joust Champion at the Tonsberg Medieval Festival Tournament. Nicky will be the first female jouster to compete in the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament.

To learn more about Nicky, check out "Meet the Jouster: Nicky Willis" on the Royal Armouries blog.

Andy Deane

Andy Deane at Arundel International Tournament 2014 (photo by Stephen Moss/PhotoSM)

Andy Deane will also be riding for Team England. Andy works as a visitor experience team coach at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. You may remember him from the recent interview he did about his participation in a particularly amusing training video.

Andy has been involved in armoured combat since 1985 and in jousting since 1993. He joined the Royal Armouries jousting team in 1995 and served as captain of the team for a number of years. He has competed in numerous tournaments in various countries over the past 22 years, and has won the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament twice, first in 2011 and again in 2013. In 2014, he won the individual championship at the prestigious Arundel International Tournament.

To learn more about Andy, check out "Meet the Jouster: Andy Deane(Old Iron-Arm)" on the Royal Armouries blog.

Ben van Koert

Ben van Koert at Arundel International Tournament 2014 (photo by ARW Photo)

Ben van Koert will be riding for Team Burgundy. Ben first encountered competitive jousting while working as a fire-artist for the event, Ridders van de Haar in 2004. Over the next few years, he became more involved with medieval reenactment and attended several tournaments. In 2008, he began to help out as ground crew for the jousting troupe Stichting HEI. Then, he also started taking riding lessons.

After some additional training with the jousting troupe Destrier and with renowned jouster Arne Koets, Ben competed in his first joust in 2011. In July 2014, along with his teammate Per Estein Prøis-Røhjell, Ben van Koert won the Team Championship at the prestigious Arundel International Tournament.

To learn more about Ben, check out "Meet the Jouster: Ben van Koert" on the Royal Armouries blog.

Steve R. Gagnon

Steve R. Gagnon at the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle 2013
(photo by Andrzej Wiktor)

Steve R. Gagnon will be also be riding for Team Burgundy. Steve works as an art and creative director in the advertising industry -- emphasis on 'creative'. When he is not jousting, he likes to draw, paint and sculpt. He also writes the occasional article for The Jousting Life. You can see an example of his skill in both the written and the visual arts in the article, "A Few Yards of Scarlet Velvet".

Steve first began jousting in the year 2000 in Canada. He began jousting internationally in 2009, and has since competed in Belgium, France, Poland, England, USA and, of course, his home country of Canada. He has also organized several international jousting tournaments. However, his proudest achievement so far was winning the jousting competition during the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle in 2013 against 11 of the world's most renowned jousters.

To learn more about Steve, check out "Meet the Jouster: Steve R. Gagnon" on the Royal Armouries blog.

Jan Gradon

Jan Gradon at the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle 2013
(photo by Andrzej Wiktor)

Jan Gradon will be riding for Team Poland. Jan Gradon is one of two main organizers (his teammate Jarek Struczynski is the other) for the largest international jousting tournament in Poland, the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle(Turniej Króla Jana III Sobieskiego na Zamku w Gniewie), about which he did an interview with The Jousting Life. Jan has been loosely involved with historical reenactment since 1996, but became more seriously involved when he joined the Society of St. Michael Archangel (TaŚMA) in 2004. He became involved with historical equestrian reenactment with the group Xiazeca Druzyna in 2005.

Jan has competed in tournaments in both Europe and North America. Some of his favorite tournament memories include participating in the first international joust at Gniew Castle in 2008 and winning the tournament championship at the Tournament of the Phoenix in 2011. He is also quite proud of winning the mounted skill at arms portion of the prestigious Arundel International Tournament in 2014.

To learn more about Jan, check out "Meet the Jouster: Jan Gradon" on the Royal Armouries blog.

Jarosław 'Jarek' Struczynski

Jarek Struczynski at the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle 2013
(photo by Andrzej Wiktor)

Jarek Struczynski will also be riding for Team Poland. Jarek is the other half of the dynamic duo that organizes the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle. He is, in fact the main man behind the reconstruction and regeneration of Gniew Castle(Zamek Gniew) and its development into one of the leading centers for historical reenactment in Poland. Jarek is also heavily involved in various other military/historical events throughout Poland.

Jan and Jarek make a great team and were previously paired as Team Poland at Arundel International Tournament 2014, where they were given the nickname "The Joust Brothers". Jarek has competed in a number of other tournaments around the world including competitions in Poland, England, Belgium, France, Norway, Canada and the USA. He earned the highest individual score at Le Tournoi du Lys d’Argent in 2012 and the Tournament in Trondheim, and he earned the title of Tournament Champion at the Tournament of the Phoenix 2013.

To learn more about Jarek, check out "Meet the Jouster: Jarosław 'Jarek' Struczynski" on the Royal Armouries blog.

Since jousting horses are also a rather important part of any tournament, the Royal Armouries blog has also created a separate post for each jousting horse who will be involved in the tournament.

Wouter Nicolai on the jousting horse Albert during the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament 2013 (photo from Royal Armouries blog)

Click on the name below to see the information, photos and videos about each horse:

Albert: 16.3 hand, Irish Draft x Thoroughbred
Alfie: 15.1 hand, Traditional Gypsy Cob
Aramis: 15 hand, Dales x Irish Draft
Dylan: 15 hand, Dales
Patrick: 17 hand, Irish Sport Horse
Rupert: 16.3 hand, Irish Draft
Ted: 15.1 hand, Irish Cob
Tino: 16.1 hand, Lusitano x Irish Draft

You can find out more information about the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament (aka the Leeds Easter Tournament) and other jousting events on the Royal Armouries Tournaments Facebook page.

Related articles:
An Interview with Jouster Mark Caple, Champion of the Queen's Jubilee Horn Tournament 2014

Andy Deane and "How to Train a Knight"

Interview with Ben van Koert, Half of the Winning Team at Arundel International Tournament 2014

A Few Yards of Scarlet Velvet

An Interview with Jan Gradon, Coordinator of the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle

Mark Caple Wins the Leeds Easter Jousting Tournament 2014

Monday, December 22, 2014

Favorite Moments From 2014: Part Seven

And now, the last in our series of favorite moments from 2014...

... from Jan Gradon of Poland:

In 2014, I was not very active in jousting like in previous years, but still have very good memories and fantastic experiences. First of all, I again co-organized the Tournament of King John III in Castle Gniew.

Jan Gradon, acting as Knight Marshal at the Tournament of King John III, keeps a close eye on jousters Steve Mallet and Jeffrey Hedgecock (Photo by Studio A)

This year was a new experience for me as I was asked to marshal the tournament. I got to know that the job is really tough and a heavy responsibility. Sometimes we, jousters, do not recognize how difficult is the judging, both for the scoring judges and the Knight Marshal, and that the decisions are difficult to make. Especially when you are friends with most of the competitors.

Jan Gradon, holding the baton of the Knight Marshal at the Tournament of King John III,
Gniew Castle (Photo by Marta Kitta)

Besides jousting, we had a very good time, and it seems that all the competitors enjoyed their time spent in Gniew, which is most important for me, because, as I have said a number of times, tournaments should be social events. I'm glad that jousters like Gniew and want to return to our tilt yard and party hall.

The second great experience was the Arundel International Tournament. It was my second appearance on the grounds of this beautiful Castle. Last year I was asked by Andreas Wenzel to be his team mate in the Holy Roman Empire Team. This year I was asked to form my own team and joust under the banner of my home country. When we arrived at the castle, I saw two huge banners with my photo from last year hanging on the castle walls and the same photo on the leaflets. This was so cool!

Jan Gradon, in front of Arundel Castle and the banner featuring his image
from the previous year's jousting tournament (photo by Stephen Moss)

I came together with my friend and fellow Polish jouster Jarek Struczynski, with whom I made a team that we called the 'Joust Brothers'.

The Joust Brothers, Jan Gradon and Jarek Struczynski, Arundel 2014 (Yes, they are wearing sunglasses inside their helms) (photo by Stephen Moss)

For me it was very touching to follow a banner with Polish White Eagle, and be encouraged by Polish visitors too.

The Polish banner along with banners from the other jousting teams in front of Arundel Castle, 2014 (photo by Stephen Moss)

The Polish banner along with banners from the other teams in front of Arundel Castle, 2014
(photo by Stephen Moss)

I am also happy that I won the Mounted Skill at Arms competition and got a beautiful hunting horn made by Matt Bayley.

Jan Gradon holding the Hunting Horn awarded as the prize for the Mounted Skill at Arms competition, Arundel 2014 (photo by Stephen Moss)

Jousting in Arundel is always great, due to the fantastic set of people and horses, this year thanks to Mark Atkinson and Nicky Willis. Arundel was also great this year, because I was given a chance to bring my family.

Polish jouster Jan Gradon with his wife and daughters, Arundel Castle, 2014
(photo by Stephen Moss)

We all really enjoyed the fact that we could spend a week in the castle together, and it gave me a lot of strength when being watched and cheered for by my wife and daughters. The best session of the whole week was the one on Friday, during a storm and rain! Thunderstruck!

Jan Gradon jousts Phillip Leitch during a storm at Arundel 2014 (photo by Stephen Moss)

... from Arne Koets, born in the Netherlands, but living in Germany:

In front of the Riding hall at Bolsover Castle, the residence of William Cavendish, duke of Newcastle, author of a famous riding treatise of the 17th century, I joust for my long standing and good friend Dominic Sewell and against my even longer standing and very dear friend Joram van Essen.

Arne Koets jousts Joram van Essen, Bolsover Castle 2014 (photo by Stephen Moss)

But this is not the most amazing thing I did this year. My actual best moment is this...

Arne Koets beats Wouter Nicolai(with a little help from Tournament Master Wolfgang Krischke) during one of the crest tournaments at Schaffhausen 2014 (video by Felix Walder)

The very end of one of the 'Nachturnier' at Schaffhausen, where (after having fought three 'charges' of the Kolbenturnier) the crests become the target. The riders were very tired by this point, but I am quite proud of my horse Maximilian in this clip.

... from Magnus Andersen of Sweden:

The height of happiness is probably the small moments when you become one with the horse. No knight is better than his horse. When it works, it's fantastic. One of the highlights this year was Rikstorneringen 2014 (Swedish Jousting Championship), another was the Mounted Skills at Arms races at Falsterbo Horse Show. Rikstorneringen was incredibly fun, many knights and amazing friends – a competition but also a willingness to help each other to perform at their best and have fun.

Magnus Andersen on his AQH gelding Teals Jayjay, Rikstornering 2014
(photo by Pella Photo)

When you start, and the crowd shouts, then you live. Forgetting all the training in bad weather, early mornings and late evenings. One forgets the time, becomes one with the horse and focuses forward – speed and precision, trying to win, to maintain the feeling forever.

Magnus Andersen, jumping his AQH gelding Teals Jayjay, Rikstornering 2014
(photo by Pella Photo)

Afterward, a relaxation, satisfaction and gratitude to the horse you love.

Magnus Andersen, tent-pegging with his AQH gelding Teals Jayjay, Rikstornering 2014
(photo by Pella Photo)

Afterward, a relaxation, satisfaction and gratitude to the horse you love.

Many thanks to all the jousters, ground crew and photographers who shared their favorite memories of the 2014 jousting season!

Do you have a favorite moment from 2014? Please share it in the comments.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Photos and Scores from Day 2 and 3 of the Arundel International Tournament 2014

At the end of Day 2 of the Arundel International Tournament, it looked like Team Poland still had the lead in the team competition, but Team England was catching up, and Team France and the Burgundian Alliance were still within striking distance. In the individual competition, Jan Gradon had caught up with Andy Deane and the two were tied for first, with Jarek Struczyński and Ben van Koert both only one point behind, and Per Estein Prøis-Røhjell and Steve R. Gagnon only one point behind them.

Day 2 Scoreboard for Arundel 2014(photo by Kyle Van Dolah-Evans)

Phillip Leitch(left) and Jan Gradon(right) joust during Day 2 of Arundel International Tournament 2014(photo from Victoria Dawe/ArundelCastle)

Phillip Leitch(left) and Jan Gradon(right) shake hands after their match
(photo from Arundel Castle)

Jarek Struczyński and Patrice Rolland joust during Day 2 of Arundel International Tournament 2014(photo from Arundel Castle)

Andy Deane attacks a hapless cabbage during the Mounted Skill at Arms competition
(photo from Arundel Castle)

By the end of Day 3 of the Arundel tournament, Team England had managed to pull ahead in the team competition, though Poland was still close enough to be a threat. Team France was now only one point behind Team Poland, and the Burgundian Alliance, though behind by three points, was still in the running. In the individual competition, Andy Deane managed to gain the lead again, with Ben van Koert surpassing both Jan Gradon and Jarek Struczyński to reach second place. The two Poles were tied for third and Steve Gagnon was only one point behind. With four more days of competition, however, anything can happen.

Day 3 Scoreboard for Arundel 2014(photo by ARW Photography)

Andy Deane of Team England smashes his lance against Ben van Koert of the Burgundian Alliance
(photo by ARW Photography)

Phillip Leitch of Team England and Per Estein Prøis-Røhjell of the Burgundian Alliance both break their lances during their jousting pass(photo by ARW Photography)

Ben van Koert of the Burgundian Alliance(photo by ARW Photography)

Jarek Struczyński of Team Poland(photo by ARW Photography)

Friday, July 11, 2014

An Interview with Jan Gradon, Coordinator of the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle

Jan Gradon is one of two main organizers (Jarek Struczynski is the other one) for the largest international jousting tournament in Poland, Turniej Króla Jana III Sobieskiego na Zamku w Gniewie. Outside of Poland, the joust is generally referred to as the Tournament of King John III at Gniew Castle. Jan graciously agreed to be interviewed about this year's 23rd annual tournament.

Jan Gradon(photo by Andrzej Wiktor)

Hello Jan, please tell us a little about yourself.

I’ve been involved in historical re-enactment since 1996/7, but at first it was not that "historical". I got more into it around 2001, when I first traveled to England for the Battle of Tewkesbury and other events abroad, and then when I joined the Society of St. Michael Archangel (TaŚMA) in 2004 and my equestrian re-enactment group Xiazeca Druzyna in 2005.

With the group, we portray many periods, from Normans through 13th century knights and Rus warriors, early 15th century with the battle of Tannenberg, mid/late 15th century (we started jousting roughly in 2006/7), 17th century with Polish national cavalrymen and Finninsh Reiters, 2nd Ulhan Regiment of Grand Duchy of Warsaw from the Napoleonic Times to Polish cavalrymen of WWI. We also have a horse archery team within our group, that participates in horse archery contests. In the plans there are Romans too. The group trains due to massive help from our stables Pa-Ta-Taj near Warsaw. They train us also in "normal" riding – dressage, horse jumping, etc.

Jan Gradon, riding Briar, jousts Mark Caple at Arundel International Tournament 2013. In the bottom left is Jan's friend and squire, armourer Tomek Samula(photo by Richard Pearn)

From my past experience, the best equestrian memories I have are: Hastings 2006 where we were riding in Dom Sewell’s conroy, and I was riding his horse George [a 'conroy' is a name for a Norman cavalry troop]; my first international joust in Gniew Castle in 2008; winning of Tournament of the Phoenix 2011, and second place in 2013; Le Tournoi du Lys d'Argent in Canada in 2012 where I was unhorsed; and getting into the final (and losing by 1 point as a team, and receiving 2nd individual score) at Arundel International Tournament last year.

Besides jousting I do skiing in winter and do quite a bit of wargaming and painting miniatures. I enjoy a family life with my wife Ula and two daughters, Marysia and Zosia, and our border collie Gibon.

Jan Gradon with his wife Ula and their two daughters(photo by Andrzej Wiktor)

When and how did the Tournament of King John III get started?

The Tournament of King John III started in Gniew Castle in 1992. In 1994 the first mounted tournaments were organized, but at that time they were mainly for a show and only Mounted Skill at Arms contests. Twenty years ago, no one thought of doing jousting, as historical re-enactment was just starting in Poland. In 2007 the first jousting tournament was held, and since then it has grown bigger with higher equipment standards. This year it was the 23rd edition of the event, and the second tournament affiliated with WJT.

Steve Mallet jousts Jeffrey Hedgecock at Zamek Gniew 2014(photo by StudioA)

What makes Zamek Gniew a good location for a jousting tournament?

First of all, Zamek Gniew is a real castle, so it is always better to joust on a historical site. Secondly, it is an ideal place to organize an international tournament as it has everything on site: a four star hotel where competitors stay, a restaurant where they are fed, a hotel for all the ground and stable crew, a permanent tilt yard with recently covered stands for the public, permanent stables, armoury for the competitors and a fully equipped party hall to have fun in the evenings.

The tiltyard at Zamek Gniew(photo by StudioA)

Who is allowed/invited to watch the tournament?

The tournament is open for the public, so anyone can come. On Fridays we usually hold training sessions, and they are free to watch. Saturday and Sunday are ticketed, but the prices are not very high, and as far as I know, residents of Gniew have a discount. There was a limited advertising this year, but we had around 2500-2800 spectators.

How did you become involved with organizing this year's tournament?

I was active around the Tournament since 2008 or 2009. Having traveled with Jarek Struczynski to various international events, we saw many things that we could change and include in our tournament. The first tournaments were more in the sport format with competitors in equipment from different periods (i.e. 14th century jousting with 15th century). Having participated in the Tournament of the Phoenix 2011, I came to an idea of organizing a strictly 15th century tournament in a similar format, where competitors have to participate in many contests to get the final prize. I shared that idea with Jarek, who approved it. I divided the work with Jarek. He and his team organized everything on site, preparing the premises, and I must admit they did an enormous job. My part was to organize and arrange everything with the competitors and ground crew.

In 2013, we organized the first tournament affiliated with WorldJoust Tournaments(WJT) and the International Jousting League(IJL) which involved 12 competitors! Unfortunately the weather was terrible, and not everything went smoothly. This year our second WJT tournament was moved in time to the end of June. The weather was perfect, and we were able to run all the contests.

Adam Firyn of Team Poland at Zamek Gniew 2014(photo by StudioA)

How was the tournament organized this year?

This year we ran a team tournament with four international teams: England with Steve Mallett and Sean George, Norway with Petter Ellingsen and Per Estein Prois-Rohjell, Burgundy with Wouter Nicolai and Jeff Hedgecock, and last but not least, Poland with Michał Ruda and Adam Firyn.

First we held a Mounted Skill at Arms(MSA) competition. This was just for the MSA prize and the scores were not counted towards the team score. The MSA was won by Steve Mallett from team England.

For the Team prize, we were to count scores from Jousting (overall 6 sessions), mounted melee and crossbow. However, because the competitors did not have a chance to practice the crossbow before the contest, in the end we made it an individual competition that did not count towards the overall score.

As for jousting, we had each of the teams jousting with all the other teams. In each session, one team was jousting with another, and each competitor was to make 3 passes with each competitor from the other team. The scores were counted depending on the area hit (shield, armour), and breakage (attaint, full break). The Lady of Honour and the other Ladies could add 1 or 2 extra points to a total score of a team or individual if they liked his riding, behavior etc...

Lady of Honour Viktoriya Borisova wraps a token around the lance of Michel Ruda
(photo by Marta Kitta)

The mounted melee was watched by the Marshall, Knight of Mercy and Court of Ladies, and scores were applied under their opinion. In the end, all scores were put together, and England became the Team winner, Petter Ellingsen earned the Individual title, and Michał Ruda won the crossbow competition.

What can you tell me about the horses that were ridden in the tournament?

All the horses this year were provided by the Castle crew and Krystian Mróz, who was the Stable Master. They were various breeds, from Trakehner, Silesian, Polish Halfbred, and Shire cross breeds.

What were some of the most exciting/interesting moments during the tournament?

There were a lot of good, and strong hits. Quite a few lances broke in their solid parts. I must say that I cannot choose one exciting moment, as I’m very happy with the event as a whole.

Sean George breaks the base of his lance against Wouter Nicolai(photo by StudioA)

Did anything exciting/interesting happen before or after the tournament?

On Thursday prior the event, we had a nice party during the day with a few drinks and laughs, and then Jarek Struczynski ordered us to mount up. Steve Mallett, Jeff Hedgecock, Sean George, as well as the Gniew team and I were dressed in 17th century Polish costumes, and we went for a ride onto the fields and forests on the banks of the Vistula River. Everything began calmly, and then Jarek ordered a flat out gallop. I hope this will be well remembered.

On Friday we had an excursion to Marienburg Castle – the capital of the Teutonic Order, which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful castles in Europe.

We also held a bareback melee, where we rode just in pants with no saddles, and were fighting with softer maces, and grappling was allowed. It did hurt a bit, but it was fun!

Luc Petillot(left) and Jan Gradon(right) compete in the bareback melee
(photo by Martin Hagen Johnsen)

After the Tournament, we also had a Mass with a Gregorian choir in the Castle’s chapel.

What can you tell me about the night jousting that took place by torchlight this year?

Jan Gradon, Luc Petillot and Adam Ałaszewski await the beginning of the Tournament of the Golden Rose(photo by StudioA)

It was not a part of the competition. We organize it annually as the Tournament of the Golden Rose. There is a local legend about a Golden Rose and its Protector. In the tournament, knights joust to get the Golden Rose, and the winner has to duel the Protector. This year we had Luc Petillot (Knight of Mercy during the day competition), Adam Ałaszewski from Gniew, and me as the knights, and Jarek Struczynski as the Protector of Golden Rose. It was a show, but the jousting was real. All done with bonfires, torches and nice music. I was very happy to do it, as I could try my new armour before this season (btw, huge thanks to Pelle for letting me use his helmet).

Adam Alaszewski and Jan Gradon joust during the Tournament of the Golden Rose
(photo by StudioA)

What is unique about the Tournament of King John III?

As I said to the Competitors during the briefing on Friday evening, the Tournament is mainly a social event, where people from different countries and cultures can meet, talk, have fun and break some lances. Jousting is a crucial part of the event, but it is very important to have fun. We definitely had fun… especially on Saturday night!

How does the tournament vary each year? What are some of the ways the tournament was organized in previous years?

We change the format annually. In the past it was mostly a foot combat. Then when the jousting started, we change from individual, to team, change the rules, etc..., but the spirit stays the same.

What would you like to say about/to this year's participants?

This year we had some Competitors that participated in the past (Jeff, Steve, Petter, Michal and Adam), and two new ones – Sean and Pelle.

Per Estein Prois Rohjell(aka Pelle) and Sean George exchange blows in the mounted melee
during their first competition at Gniew Castle(photo by StudioA)

The crew was Viktoriya Borisova as the Lady of Honour; Luc Petillot as Knight of Mercy; Jarek Struczynski as Field Coordinator; Stanislaw Szmit as the Herald; Krystian Mróz as Stable/Horse Master; Jakub Grybek, Leszek Struczyński, Darek Ostaszewski, Paweł Piotrowski as scoring judges; squires from Chełmno and Gniew; and me as the Marshal.

Jan Gradon(mounted) with other members of the ground crew for the tournament
(photo by StudioA)

What are your hopes/plans for future tournaments at Zamek Gniew?

We will talk about it after this season ends. Next is Arundel International Tournament, where Jarek Struczynski and I will joust as team Kingdom of Poland! Wish us luck!

Best of luck at Arundel and in all your future jousts!

Jan Gradon, holding his Marshal's baton watches the joust at Zamek Gniew intently
(photo by Klaudia Rulinska)

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Jarek Struczynski Wins the "Tournament of the Phoenix 2013"

Editor's Note: My deepest apologies for the lateness of this article, and my sincere thanks to everyone who provided information/pictures for it. They were prompt in delivering their help; I was late in delivering the article. My life was a bit complicated for a while.

This year's annual "Tournament of the Phoenix" was held the weekend of October 18-20 near San Diego, California, USA. The jousting competition included six competitors from five different countries: Jezz Smith of New Zealand, Wouter Nicolai of the Netherlands, Jan Gradon of Poland, Jarek Struczynski of Poland, Jeffrey Hedgecock of USA and (as a last minute replacement for the injured David Young of USA) Marc Hamel of Canada. In addition to the tilting(what most people think of as the actual jousting) competition, there were also a mounted melee and pole axe duels as part of the overall tournament competition.

Jarek Struczynski, Tournament Champion(photo by Clarence Alford Photography)

Polish jouster Jarek Struczynski earned the title of tournament champion, just beating his fellow Pole Jan Gradon by three points. Here is what Jan had to say about the tournament:

"I was invited to the TotP["Tournament of the Phoenix"] for the second time. I won the tournament back in 2011, and was very happy to come back together with Jarek Struczynski. I was really looking forward to jousting there as I really enjoyed the joust in 2011. I knew I was going to ride again on Petrus who is a great horse. I knew all the competitors except David Young, whom I never jousted before. Unfortunately, he damaged his hand prior the event and couldn't compete. Marcus Hamel, who was to be the Knight of Mercy stepped in.

Prior the tournament, we had a great time in California. We rode a cowboy trail with Chad Waldhauser, who also provided horses for the TotP, had some roping practice, and did a trail in Grasslands preserve. We also did some kayaking in the ocean, and organized probably the first kayaking joust ever.

Left to right: Jezz Smith, Wouter Nicolai, Jan Gradon and Jarek Struczynski - kayak jousting
(photo by Leslie Chappell Britt)

The competition at the TotP was very fierce, with many hard hits. For most of us, the weather was the challenge, as most of the Competitors came from much colder weather. For me, the foot combat was the most tiring event. After having fought 3 duels. I couldn't continue as I couldn't catch my breath, and this is when Marcus Hamel became my champion and fought my last duel and won for me. I'm very happy, that through the whole tournament, me and Jarek were very close in points and ended up on 1st and 2nd place. Of course I hoped to win the TotP, as it would be the first time that someone got the Phoenix prize twice, but still I'm very happy with Jarek's victory as he deserved it." – Jan Gradon

Jarek Struczynski(left) and Marc Hamel(right) joust(photo by J. Javier Camacho)

Jan Gradon(left) and Jezz Smith(right) jousting(photo by Brad Holderman)

More photos of the tilting by J. Javier Camacho(click to embiggen):

Photos of the tilting by Brad Holderman(click to embiggen):

During the course of the tournament, Marc Hamel, who had originally traveled to the event with the intention of being the non-competitive Knight of Mercy, ended up competing in the place of several jousters in both the tilt and the Pole Axe duels. Marc was already in California when David Young notified TotP that he was not going to be able to compete due to an injured hand. Marc had not brought his own distinctive armour, but was willing to compete in David's place if a suit of armour could be found to fit him. Fortunately, one of Jeffrey Hedgecock's old sets of armour fit Marc quite well, so he was able to step in and take David's place as a competitor.

Marc Hamel in Jeffrey Hedgecock's old jousting armour and shield(photo by Brad Holderman)

Later, during the pole axe combat, he not only fought his own/David's duels, he also stepped in to fight in place of Jan Gradon and Jezz Smith when they were unable to continue. Marc tied for first place in the pole axe competition with Jarek Struczynski and Jan Gradon(Marc obviously did a good job as Jan's champion).

Jarek Struczynski(left) and Marc Hamel(right) in a pole axe duel(photo by J. Javier Camacho)

More pictures of the pole axe duels by J. Javier Camacho(click to embiggen):

Here is what Marc Hamel had to say about the tournament:

“It was a great tournament. David Young let me ride his horse Hardy in his place, and the first session was excellent. We went for the poleaxe session – I was trying to forget that famous hit in the face that I received last year. I made all my 4 duels plus 2 others for Jan Gradon and Jezz Smith (they were too exhausted). Let's just say that I didn't rest much.

The second session of jousting was more tough. Jarek and I hit on each other like trains, and I injured my hand seriously and had to withdraw for the remainder of the session. The second day was good as well. Jarek and Jan were at the top of their game. As for me, I couldn't break my lances with efficiency, but I kept going because I could still provide a good target for my opponents.

A lance shatters against Marc Hamel's ecranche during the joust(photo by J. Javier Camacho)

I want to raise my lance for Wouter Nicolai. On the scoring board he may have finished last, but he rode a horse who was not easy to ride and never took any chances to break his lances unless it was perfect. I think of him as an excellent technician, with a great sense of honor, with clean runs every time. Jarek won the tournament with grace and humility, and I hope to be like him one day.” – Marc Hamel

Based on his honourable behavior throughout the tournament, Wouter Nicolai of the Netherlands was chosen to receive the Chivalry Award for 2013.

Wouter Nicolai, Chivalry Award(photo by Clarence Alford Photography)

Here is what Wouter had to say about the tournament and winning the Award of Chivalry:

"Participating at "The Tournament of the Phoenix" was a very good experience. I found it both a fun and a high quality event. I found it very difficult to adjust my riding style to a western horse(Spot). Despite my problems riding Spot, I found him an exceptionally good horse for jousting and melee. He is brave and responds well. While I enjoy doing jousting competitions, I am not really a competitive jouster. The reason that I joust is because I like the history of the tournament. I try to get as close as possible to experience a 15th century tournament. This makes the Chivalry Award for me personally the most significant prize. I am greatly honoured to be chosen to receive it." – Wouter Nicolai

As part of the overall tournament competition, there was also a mounted melee which was fought using wooden clubs. Jeffrey Hedgecock earned the most points during the mounted melee.

Jarek Struczynski(left) and Jeffrey Hedgecock(right) exchange blows during the mounted melee
(photo by Brad Holderman)

More pictures of the mounted melee by Brad Holderman and J. Javier Camacho(click to embiggen):

A short video of the mounted melee:

Post by Tournament Of The Phoenix.

Tournament of the Phoenix 2013: Mounted Melee(video from the Tournament of the Phoenix Facebook page)

The final scores of "The Tournament of the Phoenix 2013"
(photo from the Tournament of the Phoenix Facebook page)

The jousters of "The Tournament of the Phoenix 2013"
Left to Right: Wouter Nicolai, Jezz Smith, Jan Gradon, Jarek Struczynski, Jeffrey Hedgecock and Marc Hamel (photo by Brad Holderman)

In addition to the six jousters who competed in the main jousting tournament, there were six other competitors who participated in a Mounted Skill at Arms competition. Joel Hill of USA won the MSA competition.

Joel Hill stabs the "pig" during the MSA competition(photo by J. Javier Camacho)

Here is what Joel Hill had to say about the Mounted Skill at Arms competition:

"The competitors[main jousters] did not participate but rather acted as our mentors, gave us advice and cheered for us. Ann Schilling was the only competitor to hit the boar with the crossbow which was a big accomplishment." – Joel Hill