The Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament, Rikstornering 2014

Many thanks to Magnus Andersen of Skånska Björnen Riddare for providing the following text and most of the images about Rikstornering 2014. Additional images were provided by Pella P.hoto and Måns Thuresson Photography.

Written by Magnus Andersen

At the end of May, the 15th official Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament, Rikstornering 2014, was held at Hovdala Castle in the south of Sweden. This year there were about 35 mounted knights that participated in the two day competition.

The jousters who competed at Rikstornering 2014(photo by Pella P.hoto)

It was the third year that the tournament was held at Hovdala Castle. At the same event, there were also a variety of reenactment groups as well as a medieval market. The number of visitors was more than the previous years. Not yet summarized, but probably about 13000 - 15000 during the two days. And the spectators were fantastic, active and shouting high. During the two days, each about 8 hours of competitions, there was fantastic support from the spectators.

There were knights from six different groups anticipating the championship: Arboga Raedarius, Infensus, Nordic Knights, Silverfalken, Skånska Björnens Riddare and Torneamentum. The tournament consisted of three different competitions: Mounted Skill at Arms (Swedish version) and Swedish Mounted Tournament – where you ride from both sides at the same time – which was performed as both an individual and as a team competition. Additional prizes were also awarded to the Best Youth (age 18-23), the Best Herald, the Most Chivalrous Jouster and the Most Handsome Jouster with Horse.

Best Youth, Timmy Hoas, Knight of Time, from the jousting troupe Torneamentum
(photo by Måns Thuresson Photography)

The competition was coordinated by Svenska Riddarsällskaps Samarbetsgrupp (the Swedish Jousting League). Hovdala Castle is also the place the group Skånska Björnens Riddare uses as a base for training and gathering. New for this year was a new area for the competition and for the camp where the tents were located. After the second day of the championship, a banquet was arranged at the Castle, where the most important thing at the tournament was confirmed: the spirit of good comradeship and chivalry!

The Mounted Skill at Arms competition:
The Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament focuses more on riding skills than on traditional tilting, and since we started to do competitions in Mounted Skills at Arms, a couple of years ago, it has been a great success. The Swedish version of Mounted Skills at Arms is riding a course as fast as possible while hitting all the targets with different weapons (lance, spear and sword). It is maximum speed and gallop all the way. If you miss a target you receive a penalty of 10 seconds.

The first day was a qualification round, and finals were held the next day. The second day starts without any benefits or points from the qualification round. This competition was more demanding and longer than last year, and no one managed to have a clear round. Even though the first three places were won by Torneamentum, it was very close, and they were followed by knights from other teams. In the finals, it was five knights from Torneamentum, four from Skånska Björnens riddare and three from Arboga Raedarius.

The winner was Kristian Utas (Riddare Bagge/Knight of the Ram) from Torneamentum with 182,8 seconds.

The Knight of the Ram, Kristian Utas, wins Mounted Skill at Arms at Rikstornering 2014
(photo by Pella P.hoto)

Second and third place also went to jousters from Torneamentum:
2nd place – Mattias Utas (Riddare Tjelvar) with 184,5 seconds.
3rd place – Timmy Hoas (Knight of Time/Tidernas Riddare) with 210,1 seconds.

During Falsterbo Horse show (one of the largest horse shows in Europe) there will also be a competition in Mounted Skills at Arms with six knights. It will take place the 9th of July in Falsterbo.

The Swedish Mounted Tournament:
Swedish Mounted Tournament consists of six different parts where pairs of jousters ride with a variety of weapons aiming for different targets. The first day was a qualification round with finals held the second day, starting from zero again. In the finals it was five knights from Torneamentum, three from Arboga Raedarius, two from Skånska Björnen and one each from Infensus and Silverfalken.

The results for the individual competition:
A jouster from Torneamentum again won first place, Anders Larsson (Kunskapens Riddare/the Knight of Knowledge) from Torneamentum, who had a clear round at 90 points.

Anders Larsson, the Knight of Knowledge(photo by Måns Thuresson Photography)

There were two knights with the same points (79), so second place was shared by Kurt Nilsson (Garanas af Nattavaara) from Arboga Raedarius and Erik Graneskog (Spjuthök/ Knight of the Spear and the Hawk) from Skånska Björnens Riddare.

The results for the team competition:
The winning team was Torneamentum (284 points)

Tourneamentum, the winning team for Rikstornering 2014(photo by Pella P.hoto)

In second place was the first team from Arboga Raedarius (240 points). At third place was the team from Skånska Björnens Riddare (225 points). In total, there were six teams with four knights in each.

Other awards:
The Best Youth was Timmy Hoas(Knight of Time/Tidernas Riddare) from Torneamentum.
The Best Herald was Daniel Norr, from the group Arboga Raedarius.
The Most Handsome Knight with Horse(visitors’ choice) was Gustav Norman(Sir Wilhelm Erövrare) from Arboga Raedarius.
The Most Chivalrous Knight was Lorentz Hoas(Riddaren av Tvenne Pilar/the Knight of Two Arrows) from Torneamentum.

Torneamentum is the most well known jousting group in Sweden. They have won most of the Swedish Championship Jousting Tournaments, respect, however they have to fight hard for it.

But next year…

Magnus Andersen of Skånska Björnens Riddare, the author of this post(photo by Pella P.hoto)

You can see more photos and read a bit more about the tournament at the Pella P.hoto blog

Related articles:
New Promotional Video for "Rikstornering 2013" at Hovdala Slott in Sweden

Rikstornering 2013: The 14th Official Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament

Random Pic: A Burning Ring of Fire

Random Pic: A Burning Ring of Fire

The Swedish historical riding group Infensus, which means 'ready for battle', practices tilting at rings a little differently.

Asa Cidh on her Knabstrupper gelding Helge(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

This image makes me think of a variation to the chorus of that old Johnny Cash song...

~She thrust in to a burning ring of fire...~

When I asked Asa Cidh -- who is actually a member of the jousting group Celeres Nordica, but was practicing with Infensus that day -- how the riders kept the fiery ring from burning themselves or their horses, she answered:

"Some riders have a "stop" on the spear, a small screw. Most of us, as you see in the photos, pick the ring 'at an angle', we push the horse a little bit away from the tilt." -- Asa Cidh

The above picture and the ones below are from a training session the group did in April.

Tanja Carlson on her horse Bella(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Tanja Carlson on her horse Bella(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Bjornar Hugdal Kalberg on Hercules(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Kristina Nystrom carries off a burning ring(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

Asa's Knabstrupper horse, Helge, glances at the fiery thing on the ground, but does not seem bothered by it(photo by Gunnar Cederberg)

You can find out more about the group and what they do on the Infensus website.

Random Pic: Consult Your Horse

It's always good to make sure that you and your horse are on the same page before beginning a busy day of riding.

Jouster Klas Lundberg of Sweden consults with his horse about the day's schedule
(photo by Johanna Kyller)

You can read more about Klas Lundberg in the following articles:

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

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

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

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

Rikstornering 2013: The 14th Official Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament

The 14th Official Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament, Rikstornering 2013, was held May 10 - 11 at Hovdala Slott(Castle) in Sweden. The jousting troupe Torneamentum (Facebook page for Torneamentum) was yet again the winning-most team, though the competition was closer this year than it has been in previous years.

The jousters of Rikstornering 2013 (photo by Kersti Tufvesson)

Many thanks to Magnus Andersen for the following information [The article below was written by Magnus. However, I edited it to make it easier for English speaking readers to understand]:

In Sweden there is a strong tradition to create associations, groups or organizations for people who share a common interest. There are at least 10 different associations in Sweden for jousters who train together in order to put on tournaments at medieval markets, weddings and as independent shows. Many years ago, these groups worked together to create Svenska Riddarsällskaps Samarbetsgrupp(the Swedish Jousting League) to set up rules and standards for a Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament. The main purpose of Svenska Riddarsällskaps Samarbetsgrupp(SRS) was to improve the quality, riding skills and equipment used in jousting, and to create a forum where different topics could be discussed, such as safety issues.

Malin Hellstedt (photo by Annika Niklasson Adolfsson)

Since the creation of this league, there has not been a championship every year. However, Rikstornering 2013 was the 14th official Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament. In all of Sweden there are a total of about 100 jousters. However, since this was the championship, only the most skilled jousters competed, making it a true championship. There were a total of 45 jousters who competed at Rikstornering 2013, which was held at Hovdala Castle in the south of Sweden – the same place the championship was held last year.

Hovdala Castle is a fantastic place to hold a tournament because it is in a area without modern houses. During the two days of last year's tournament, there were more than 12,000 visitors, and this year there were even more. At the same event, there were also a variety of reenactment groups as well as a medieval market.

Medieval Market at Hovdala Slott (photo from Hovdala Slott Facebook page)

Sweden has the highest number of horses per person of any country in the world. So it is a very common thing to ride. The Swedish Championship Jousting Tournament focuses more on riding skills than on traditional tilting. In Sweden is it more common for jousters to wear chain mail instead of plate armour. However, both types of armour are used. Tilting [what most people mean when they say jousting] is mainly performed for shows, and most of the jousters do it for fun or as the finale in a show. However there are some differences in the way Swedish jousters tilt because of the different types of protection worn by the competitors. [Based on pictures of the event, Swedish tilting is the style of jousting commonly referred to as “shield-tagging”]

Jennifer Marklund (photo by Malin Persson)

The most well known group in Sweden that is doing European style tilting [in plate mail with an ecranche and frangible lances] is Celeres Nordica which international jousting champion Klas Lundberg is a member of.

Klas Lundberg (photo by Malin Persson)

This year's tournament mainly consisted of three different competitions: Mounted Skill at Arms (Swedish version) [MSA – Combined Course] and Swedish Mounted Tournament – where you ride from both sides at the same time – which was performed as both an individual and as a team competition. Additional prizes were also awarded to the Best Herald, the Best Youth (age 18-23), most handsome jouster with horse and the most chivalrous jouster. There were no serious accidents or incidents. The horses were in good condition and were inspected by a veterinarian in the mornings.

The results for Mounted Skills at Arms:
The Swedish version of Mounted Skills at Arms is riding a course as fast as possible while hitting all the targets with different weapons (lance, spear and sword). It is maximum speed and gallop all the way. If you miss a target you receive a penalty of 10 seconds. The first day was a qualification round, and finals were held the next day.

Erik Graneskog (photo by Annika Niklasson Adolfsson)

The winner was Anders Larsson(Kunskapens Riddare/the Knight of Knowledge) from Torneamentum, who had a clear round and an extremely fast time of approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds. Second and third place also went to jousters from Torneamentum: 2nd place - Daniel Utas(Riddare Hans af Wisby) 3rd place - Kristian Utas(Riddar Tjelvar). However, the results of the finals were all very close except for Anders' winning run which was outstanding.

Anders Larsson also known as Kunskapens Riddare/the Knight of Knowledge
(photo by Malin Persson)

The results for Swedish Mounted Tournament:
The first day was a qualification round with finals held the second day. Swedish Mounted Tournament consists of six different parts where pairs of jousters ride with a variety of weapons aiming for different targets. In the Swedish Mounted Tournament individual competition, a jouster from Torneamentum again won first place, Jan-Erik Utas(Riddare Bagge/Knight of the Ram). Second place was also won by a jouster from Torneamentum, Fredrik Strange(Tidernas Riddare), and third place was won by a jouster from the group Infensus, Pontus Persson(Riddare Lejongap).

Jan-Erik Utas also known as Riddare Bagge/Knight of the Ram(photo by Helen Kullander)

In the team competition Torneamentum won first place. Second place was earned by a team from Arboga Raedarius. In third place was the second team from Torneamentum, and in fourth place was a team from Skånska Björnens Riddare. Torneamentum is the most well known jousting group in Sweden. They live on Gotland Island, and they have won most of the Swedish Championship Jousting Tournaments, however it was a lot harder for them to win this year than it used to be.

Members of Skånska Björnens Riddare(photo by Kersti Tufvesson)

The Best Youth, Joanna Varde(Riddare Vingfåle), and the Best Herald, Dennis Augustsson, were from the group Skånska Björnens Riddare. The Most Handsome Knight (visitors’ choice) was Jan-Erik Utas (Riddare Bagge / Knight of the Ram) from Torneamentum, and the Most Chivalrous Knight was Carsten Nihlen (Den Skånska Gripen / The Scanian Gryphon) from Arboga Raedarius.

Carsten Nihlen(photo by MalinPersson)

In addition to the competitions, members of the jousting troupe Celeres Nordica also performed a demonstration of “normal” jousting or as we say “Man against Man” [plate armour jousting with ecranche and frangible lances].

Mats Gustavsson(left) jousts Gunnar Cederberg(right)(photo by Malin Persson)

The tournament lasted two long days with constant competitions running 8 hours each day. At the end, we had a parade with all the 45 jousters riding in procession, and of course a banquet where we spent the whole night celebrating. In the future it might be fun to also have international jousters visiting us or performing demonstrations during the tournament.

The final procession of jousters (video by Anna Hjortsberg)

The detailed results are published at www.svenskariddarsallskapet.se and
rikstornering.se


You can see more pictures of Rikstornering 2013 in The Jousting Life's Rikstornering 2013 photo album on Facebook.

Celeres Nordica's New Promotional Video

On March 5, 2013, the jousting troupe Celeres Nordica added a new promotional video to their website. The video features the pyrotechnic performances they put on for show. It is quite entertaining. The flaming quintain is particularly spectacular. Although this website focuses on competitive jousting, many of the skills used in putting on a jousting performance are also useful when competing in a jousting tournament.

Though the Celeres Nordica website and promotional videos seem to feature the more theatrical elements of the troupe(Google translate can only do so much with the Swedish language), some of the troupe members are also members of the International Jousting Association and the International Jousting League and do compete in tournaments. In July of 2012, Celeres Nordica member Klas Lundberg won the European Championship Jousting Tournament(called the EM i Ridderturnering in Danish) for the third time. You can read about his victory in this article.

(video from gyllenelejonet and Celeres Nordica)

New Promotional Video for "Rikstornering 2013" at Hovdala Slott in Sweden

"Rikstornering 2013" which is the Swedish national jousting championship will take place May 10 - 11 at Hovdala Slottet 6223, Hässleholm, Sweden. You can find out more about the event on their official website as well as the Facebook page for "Rikstornering 2013"

It looks like it will be a fun tournament!

Promotional video for "Rikstornering 2013"(video produced by Skånska Björnens Riddare)