Learn about the history of the medieval sport of jousting
Learn about the history of the medieval sport of jousting
Reviving the medieval sport of jousting.
© Behind the News (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
PHILLIP LEITCH: When I first got here I used to have to pinch myself every now and then, and it's sort of become almost normal for me now. You know, I do live in a castle. But it's very handy if you want to joust and dress up as a knight. It works out pretty well for me.
NIC MAHER: Yep, you heard that right. Phil here lives in a real-life castle in Ballarat. And he's also Australia's only full-time jouster. Jousting is when two knights, fully decked out in very heavy armor, charge at each other on horseback with big sticks called lances. And they do it all while trying to hit each other as hard as possible. Sounds pretty insane, right? Well, yeah, it is pretty insane.
Jousting started all the way back in the Middle Ages but not on the battlefield. It was actually a sport for rich people. Knights would travel from across the land to compete for money and honor. To win a joust, you can knock your opponent off their horse or score points by landing the best hits or by breaking your lance. The sport faded away with the Middle Ages, but has reappeared over the past 50 years with new comps popping up all over the world.
Earlier this year, Phil the jousting master decided to take his mate, Cliff, under his wing.
LEITCH: Cliff started here as a much better horseman than I am. Even then, though, he still had a lot to learn to actually joust.
MAHER: And the pair spent months training up for the St. Ives Medieval Faire in Sydney, one of Australia's top jousting tournaments.
LEITCH: I suppose success, having won it before, I suppose I need to win again.
CLIFF MARISMA: For me to just present myself and do OK with it is a win. Anything more than that, well, then it's a great win.
MAHER: When the big day finally came around, a twist of fate saw the pair matched together in the first elimination final.
ANNOUNCER 1: These two brothers in arms. From Victoria, they will be jousting for a place in the semifinal.
MAHER: It was friend versus friend.
ANNOUNCER 2: Huge contact.
MAHER: But Cliff shocked just about everyone by beating the man who taught him everything he knows.
ANNOUNCER 3: He has definitely handed off the torch to his student here.
MAHER: Cliff then scored another big win to make the grand final.
ANNOUNCER 2: It's time for the final. Cliff Marisma in black and white. And a [INAUDIBLE], oh! Nearly a dehorsing.
MAHER: The well-struck blow forced Cliff's opponent to retire, making Cliff the underdog the new champion of jousting.
ANNOUNCER 2: Cliff Marisma is going to be your champ. The 2016 champion at the St. Ives Medieval Faire.
MAHER: The two mates shared a big hug. At the end of a day neither are likely to forget anytime soon.
MARISMA: I owe him so much. He's one of my best mates, my mentor, my teacher.
LEITCH: One of us had to go, and there's no other person that I would rather lose to.
NIC MAHER: Yep, you heard that right. Phil here lives in a real-life castle in Ballarat. And he's also Australia's only full-time jouster. Jousting is when two knights, fully decked out in very heavy armor, charge at each other on horseback with big sticks called lances. And they do it all while trying to hit each other as hard as possible. Sounds pretty insane, right? Well, yeah, it is pretty insane.
Jousting started all the way back in the Middle Ages but not on the battlefield. It was actually a sport for rich people. Knights would travel from across the land to compete for money and honor. To win a joust, you can knock your opponent off their horse or score points by landing the best hits or by breaking your lance. The sport faded away with the Middle Ages, but has reappeared over the past 50 years with new comps popping up all over the world.
Earlier this year, Phil the jousting master decided to take his mate, Cliff, under his wing.
LEITCH: Cliff started here as a much better horseman than I am. Even then, though, he still had a lot to learn to actually joust.
MAHER: And the pair spent months training up for the St. Ives Medieval Faire in Sydney, one of Australia's top jousting tournaments.
LEITCH: I suppose success, having won it before, I suppose I need to win again.
CLIFF MARISMA: For me to just present myself and do OK with it is a win. Anything more than that, well, then it's a great win.
MAHER: When the big day finally came around, a twist of fate saw the pair matched together in the first elimination final.
ANNOUNCER 1: These two brothers in arms. From Victoria, they will be jousting for a place in the semifinal.
MAHER: It was friend versus friend.
ANNOUNCER 2: Huge contact.
MAHER: But Cliff shocked just about everyone by beating the man who taught him everything he knows.
ANNOUNCER 3: He has definitely handed off the torch to his student here.
MAHER: Cliff then scored another big win to make the grand final.
ANNOUNCER 2: It's time for the final. Cliff Marisma in black and white. And a [INAUDIBLE], oh! Nearly a dehorsing.
MAHER: The well-struck blow forced Cliff's opponent to retire, making Cliff the underdog the new champion of jousting.
ANNOUNCER 2: Cliff Marisma is going to be your champ. The 2016 champion at the St. Ives Medieval Faire.
MAHER: The two mates shared a big hug. At the end of a day neither are likely to forget anytime soon.
MARISMA: I owe him so much. He's one of my best mates, my mentor, my teacher.
LEITCH: One of us had to go, and there's no other person that I would rather lose to.