The Lady of the Lyst

Well well well my lovely readers, I have the most exciting news for you ever. I have officially become the first woman to joust as a part of the New Riders of the Golden Age! This Labor Day, I entered the lyst against Dave and took my first passes as an official part of the team. And it was awesome. I am so incredibly proud of where my journey has brought me and how all my training and hard work are starting to paying off; Indigo and I were a perfect team and I couldn’t be happier with how the weekend went.

As you know, I spent all last week training in armor with Indy every day, getting used to riding in my helm and gauntlets. I worked on my lance control, worked on the baston course and sword work with Indy, and focused on running against another horse without a counter tilt in the middle. We train our horses to run without a center tilt in the middle, just two end ropes on the side of the lanes, so it’s important to be able to ride against another rider without your horse drifting into the center. The more I work in my armor, the more comfortable I become in it, and as Dave always preaches, I want it to feel like a second skin. It’s definitely a different experience to ride in armor, your vision is very limited, your range of motion is decreased, and you have to feel your horse more than see what you’re doing.

Saturday and Sunday, Shelby and I participated in the games while wearing our armor. I figured it would be a good way to get a feel for Indigo and see how he would act during an actual show, since he can be a lazy heifer during practice. I didn’t have to worry about riding in my helm or guard, and could practice the rings and my targeting during the gaming shows. Indy did great, and even when he did start getting hot, I was able to settle him down and work through his fire instead of getting frustrated. I really enjoyed being on the field in armor, and me and Shelby being out there in our full gear got a great reception from the crowd. Per usual, Shelby managed to show us all up in most of the events, but Indy and I definitely improved from Saturday into Sunday!

Sunday afternoon I decided it was time to approach Kelly and ask his permission to joust in Monday’s gaming show. Dave had offered to suite up and ride against me, but ultimately it would be Kelly’s decision. When I talked to Kelly, he completely made my day by saying yes to Dave and I jousting, and I immediately was filled with equal parts of excitement and nervousness. A million “what if’s” filled my head, and I tried to just be excited for my big debut, but still had butterflies. I knew I shouldn’t be worried, as I had jousted before, but this was a new group and I really wanted to prove myself to Kelly and show him that he hadn’t made a mistake brining me on to the team and that I would be able to perform to his standard.

The big day finally arrived, and I was up early to make sure my armor was all good to go, my lances were made up, and everything was in order for me to have a successful day. Word quickly spread that I would be jousting, and I had numerous people come up and wish me luck before the show. Dave told me the first two passes he would sweep his lance so I could get set up and get control of my universe, but on the third pass, he was hitting me. As the hour approached, we started getting ready, and to my surprise, I was able to stay calm and focused, and not let myself get worked up. We walked to the field, mounted up and patiently waited for the games to finish so we could enter the lyst.

Harry was marshalling the show, and we had discussed how he would introduce the joust in a way that the audience would support me entering the lyst for the first time against a seasoned rider to test my skills. As he called me in, I rode out on Indy, decked out in our green and black, and rode a lap around the field, and I couldn’t help but smile and laugh with the excitement. We got to the end and I put on my helm and had my guard attached. Previously, I would start getting anxious and worked up as soon as my guard and helm were put on, but this day I was focused. I knew I had a job to do, and I knew that I was going to go out there and do my best. Indy and I quietly stepped into the lyst and I faced Dave and Abe at the other end.

At the call, “Knights at the ready… Charge on!” I raised my lance to Dave and encouraged Indy forward. He smoothly slipped into a canter and I somehow got my lance into place for a break. I felt the impact and when I got to the end, I kept wondering why my lance was so light. Then I saw it was completely broken and immediately got giddy with the feeling of a break on my first pass. Dave and I trotted back to our ends, saluting each other as we rode past. Second lance in hand, we charged forth again, Dave once again sweeping, and me missing. We once again made our way back to our ends and received our third and final lances.

I raised my lance to Dave and once again Indy and I rode forth. I remember trying to focus on putting my weight forward and ridding through the hit, because this time Dave was aiming to hit. And hit he did. Before I could even get my lance aimed, Dave slammed into me, connecting right in the middle of my guard. I was twisted backwards and remember thinking for a mere moment, “I can save this…”, and then I slid off Indy and thudded into the dirt. Oops. I tasted blood and knew I had bitten my tongue, but nothing else was hurting. I turtled around on the ground for a bit before getting up, and then I see Dave walking down the lyst towards me with a big smile on his face. After making sure I was ok, I  gave him a big hug and he told me, “you did good”.

We headed out into the audience to talk with the crowd, and I received many many compliments on both my riding and my jousting. To me, I almost appreciate the compliments that focus on my riding skills rather than my jousting skills, because anyone can sit on a horse in armor, but it takes skill and practice to be able to successfully ride a horse in armor. Back in the tent, all the gang was supportive of my first official passes and my blowout, and I was just aglow with the adrenaline and happiness of officially entering the ranks with the company. Dave gave me the best compliment of all, stating that I was the most poised and in control he’s ever seen me, and that I’d “grown-up” from the last time he’d jousted with me. I was so proud of Indy and I, it was such a great feeling to get back in the lyst and have such a good show.

I can’t wait to see how the rest of Minnesota goes, and am eager to see where my jousting career takes me. There’s definitely no way that I could be doing this without the support and encouragement of all my friends and family, as it has been a huge change and commitment for me. I’d like to send an especially huge shout out to my amazing team; Mark, Harry, Jesse, and Shelby, for always reminding me that it’s about having fun, and they’ll always be there to support me. But most of all, I want to say thank you to Dave, because he is the one that saw my potential a year and a half ago at Sherwood, and he’s the one that brought me back to Sherwood, and pushed the company to bring on a female jouster in New York. He’s responsible for pushing me as well, and giving me all the tools I need to be successful in my endeavors; always being there with advice and coaching, always pushing me to get in my armor, and always motivating me to get better. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him, and will be forever grateful for the opportunities and support he’s given me.

So thank you to everyone, and here’s to more adventure and more broken lances!