The event was held last weekend April 13-17. 3 days of heart-stopping jousting yielded point totals going into the finals of Order of the Crescent 114, Destrier 108, Burgundians with 104 (?) and the Royal Armouries trailing as an 'also ran' with a score of 80. The Order of the Cresent jousted like demons but finally lost to Destrier by one point in a nail biting final that required a sudden death "joust off" that kept us screaming our lungs out and in the end left us emotionally drained. With my best friend and brother the captain of one team and my best friends and husband comprising the other team, there was no way to come out of this unscathed for me. My joy for Dominic and Destrier is of course tempered by disapointment for the Crescent. No matter, the Crescent were in high spirits, ecstatic at their performance and to have been the highest scoring team this tournament regardless of the outcome. Dominic has demonstrated what an amazingly solid, disciplined and consistent jousting machine he really is, and all are overjoyed for him. He has worked very hard for this, and it is well deserved.
Everyone agreed that the level of jousting was the highest it has ever been, with each session having its shares of thrills and spills. The hits were harder than ever, and all participants displayed a high level of horsemanship by not beng unhorsed even given the massive hits. 3 lance bodies were broken during the course of the tournament, and point records were set every day.
In retrospect, all I can say is to spend an entire week with your very best friends, people you admire and respect, doing the thing you love more than anything in the world, is an experience that cannot be described. The Order of the Crescent has truly come into our own as a jousting team and as a fraternal order of tightly knit "brothers". This bond is what jousting is meant to be, and I am honoured to be a part of it.
Gwen
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posted 04-19-2006 07:24 AM
