The Competitors for the Arundel Castle International Jousting Tournament

The Arundel Castle International Jousting Tournament will take place in Arundel, England from July 24 - 29, 2012. This will be a team tournament with pairs of jousters representing the countries of England, Germany and France. Based on pictures and video of previous Arundel tournaments, the competition will involve mounted skill at arms (MSA) and mounted archery as well as jousting. In addition to having prizes for the winning team, there will also be a prize for the individual scoring the highest in the jousting portion of the tournament.

ENGLAND

Dominic Sewell

Dominic Sewell is a true pioneer of modern jousting, having been one of the first riders in Europe to gallop a horse into battle while wearing real 15th century armour in 1996, and one of the first to cross lances in the joust in 2000. He has dedicated his professional life to bringing the medieval warhorse back to life, selecting and training horses with historically accurate breeding and build for historical interpretation, film and television. Today, Dominic is one of England’s leading trainers of war horses and their riders. You can find out more about his work at his website for Historic Equitation Ltd.

Dom regularly competes in tournaments across Europe and America, and has represented England three times at the International Tournament of Arundel Castle. He has won the Individual Championship on two of those occasions, making him the clear favourite this year. (photo by C&J Willis Photography)

Stacy Evans

Stacy Evans is the producer of the International Tournament of Arundel Castle and also one of England’s finest jousters. Stacy has ridden horses since childhood on a competitive level. He progressed into mounted 15th century cavalry and tournament riding in 1999. He holds a deep interest in military horsemanship throughout history, and particularly enjoys recreating British Cavalry of the 18th and 19th centuries. This has led him to ride with the Queen’s Royal Lancers Display Team at last year’s Royal Military Tournament, in the presence of HM the Queen.

Stacy rides regularly for English Heritage and is the current holder of the Queen’s Jubilee Horn, the Royal Armouries’ coveted jousting trophy. He is very much on form this year, and will be very hard to beat. (photo from Facebook)

GERMANY

Andreas Wenzel

A former competitive sports fencer and skilled western martial artist, Andreas Wenzel moved from Germany to England in 2003. He began jousting two years later having joined Destrier, Europe’s leading medieval mounted display team. Andreas rides regularly for English Heritage and the Royal Armouries, and has won numerous tournaments in Britain. His most highly regarded successes include winning the Tournament of the Phoenix in California and the Tournois du Lys d’Argent in Quebec, making Andreas Germany’s most successful international jouster.

Andreas will compete for the fourth time at Arundel Castle this year. Despite his international success, both the team and individual championship of Arundel Castle have so far eluded him. He will be determined to change his fortunes this year. (photo from Facebook)

Wouter Nicolai

As a member of Stichting HEI, the premier Dutch display team for medieval mounted soldiery, Wouter Nicolai is one of the Netherlands’ top historical jousters. When he is not traveling across Europe to compete in tournaments, he works as a professional jouster and historical interpreter at the well-known Archeon Museum Park. This provides him ample opportunity to develop his knowledge about medieval horsemanship on a professional level. A skilled craftsman with a particular interest in 15th century saddlery, he will be competing in a saddle he built himself based on historic references.

Participating in the International Tournament of Arundel Castle for the third time, Wouter is known for his calm riding style and his very steady lance. Undoubtedly he will be a force to be reckoned with. (photo from Facebook)

FRANCE

Steve R. Gagnon

Steve Gagnon stands at the forefront of historically accurate jousting in Canada, having promoted the sport now for more than ten years. He is the creator and producer of Canada’s leading historic jousting tournament, the Tournois du Lys d’Argent near Montreal, which in a country devoid of medieval monuments, serves as a powerful inspiration about European history. Steve trains his own jousting horses and their riders on his farm in Quebec.

Despite having competed across Northern America and Europe since 2001, he has never jousted in England before. It is to be expected that Steve, a man of sheer strength and iron will, will do everything in his not inconsiderable might to take victory back home with him to the forests of Quebec. (photo by Pascal Ratthe)

Marcus Hamel

Marcus Hamel travels extensively from tournament to tournament in Northern America and Europe, and is widely respected in the international jousting community. At home in Quebec he is a core supporter of the Tournois du Lys d’Argent near Montreal, where he competes annually. A retired veteran of the Canadian armed forces, he is known to be a very fierce, tough and relentless competitor who, however, always prizes honour over victory.

At the International Tournament of Arundel Castle, Marc will joust in England for the first time. Later this year he is also confirmed to compete at the Tournament of the Phoenix near San Diego, California, another highly prestigious jousting tournament. Undoubtedly he will be setting his sights high at Arundel Castle – a competitor to watch closely. (photo by Pascal Ratthe)


For more information about the tournament, email Arundel Castle International Jousting.

Video blogs of jousting at Arundel Castle 2009:
Part one
Part two
Part three