Knight Life in Frazier Park
The Signal, September 19, 2004
The medieval sport of jousting is brought back with a modern twistCharge, Sir Knight! Charge, Fair Maid!
A once bloody medieval contest between nobles was played as an equal-opportunity sport Saturday at a small ranch in Frazier Park.
Dressed in colorful period costumes, both men and women - who no longer had reason to hide their gender - mounted draft-type horses to compete in the first-ever Frazier Mountain Fall Jousting Tournament and Faire on the Tait Ranch.
James Zoppe, founder of the American Jousting Alliance, said jousters follow rules and guidelines and carry updated weapons to make tournaments a safe equestrian sport.
A former circus Rosinback rider, Zoppe offers a training program for riders and horses on his Lockwood Valley ranch.
Prior to the main jousting event, each jouster rode a qualifying test to determine basic levels of horsemanship.
As the jousters charged their mounts at full gallop, riders aimed for the shield rather than the horse or the opponent, Zoppe said. Crossbred draft horses are preferred because they are able to withstand the impact and absorb the shock of the hits.
The hand-carved grips on the 10-foot lances enable the long spear to slide back through the jouster's hand as contact is made with the opponent's shield. A strike is only allowed on the shield and the rider is not deliberately knocked down.
With an emphasis on sportsmanship, points are awarded on strike and skill, Zoppe said.
Other skill-at-arms games matched medieval contestants in ground sword fighting, spear throwing, archery and spearing rings.
For more information, call (661) 858-8444 or visit http://www.jameszoppe.com.
Judy Ann Mook
Signal Staff Writer
The Signal
Santa Clarita Valley, CA