BY JOYCE BLAY
Staff Writer
There was no gold, but plenty of glory for the winner of the first jousting tournament held by the Lakewood Renaissance Faire in Pine Park on Sept. 18-19.
The faire, sponsored by the Lakewood Lions Club, featured competition that was rich in pageantry, drama and action.
Facing off against two of his countrymen and an American from Austin, Texas, Canadian Shane Adams aka Sir Shanton, rated second in the world, was the odds-on favorite. In seven years of competition, he has never been unhorsed.
Wearing a red bandanna, Adams took the field in the final joust on Sept. 19 mounted atop a black Percheron. Amer-ican Patrick Burkey was mounted on Crispin, an American cream. Richard Elmont, aka Sir Richard Element, galloped onto the playing course astride Paladin, a black Percheron. Sir Timothy Tobey of Ontario, Canada, rounded out the field of players.
Adams’ brother, Shawn, was the announcer for the tournament and asked the audience if they were ready to see the gauntlet.
The gauntlet involved four activities: throwing a spear at a bull’s-eye painted on a bale of hay; spearing a ring held aloft by a squire; slicing a head of cabbage positioned atop the end of a pole that the squire carried upright; and hitting the quintain, which was a metal arm with a shield attached to one end. Knights scored points based on the number of revolutions the quintain made after being struck. Contestants were required to complete all four challenges twice in a circuit of the field.
The crowd indicated it was ready for the tournament to begin by shouting out an enthusiastic “Yes!” in answer to Adams’ question.
Unexpectedly, Element, who was not slated to participate in the final joust after being unhorsed earlier that day, grabbed a spear and galloped onto the course and began to run the gauntlet.
seconds. The audience applauded the results.
Shane Adams took the field next. He scored a bull’s-eye on one bale of hay and came close to scoring another on the next. As he sliced through the head of cabbage, one man in the audience shouted, “Death to cole slaw!” and others seated near him laughed.
As the quintain that Adams hit began to slow down, the crowd once again began counting its revolutions. They stopped at seven.
PHOTOSBY CHRISKELLY staff Clockwise from top left — Heidi Johnson, 15, goes for a swing during the Renaissance Faire at Pine Park, Lakewood; lances break as Shane Adams and Richard Elmont joust; Elijah Long, 10, of Lakewood, aims a golf ball crossbow while playing a game at the faire; Kathy Gorbatuk, 18, of Manville, screams as she is “tortured” for being a shoe thief; Alice Creviston, 13, of Lacey, applies the tickle torture; and, below, Joe Paster-chick also fires the crossbow. Shawn Adams announced that his brother had scored 31 points in one minute, 27 seconds, taking the lead.
With unerring accuracy, Element speared the center of the bull’s-eye painted on the first bale of hay. With lightning speed, his sword flashed in the bright afternoon sun as it sliced the head of cabbage neatly in half. As he made his final run, he aimed his lance squarely at the center of the quintain and connected with it dead center. The quintain spun rapidly around the pole on which it was mounted after the initial impact from Element’s blow, then began to slow down as the audience counted the number of revolutions it made. After the quintain came to a stop, Shawn Adams announced that Element had scored 30 points in one minute, 12 seconds. The audience applauded the results. Shane Adams took the field next. He scored a bull’s-eye on one bale of hay and came close to scoring another on the next. As he sliced through the head of cabbage, one man in the audience shouted, “Death to cole slaw!” and others seated near him laughed. As the quintain that Adams hit began to slow down, the crowd once again began counting its revolutions. They stopped at seven. Shawn Adams announced that his brother had scored 31 points in one minute, 27 seconds, taking the lead. Burkey, the only American in the tournament, was the next to take the field on a horse wearing purple with yellow trim regalia. Burkey sliced the first cabbage in half, but only took off the top of the second one. After spearing the rings, he struck the quintain and spun it around five times before it came to a stop. “One minute, 25 seconds,” said Shawn Adams. “On the slow side. Twenty-two points, but still a good effort.” The last contestant in the gauntlet was Tobey. Tobey missed the bull’s-eye drawn on the bale of hay both times. Instead of slicing both cabbage heads in half, he knocked one off its stick. He speared two rings perfectly. As Tobey prepared to hit the quintain, Shawn Adams assessed the American’s performance by telling the audience, “He needs a good hit.” The quintain spun around seven times. Final score for Tobey: one minute, 23 seconds for a total of 23 points. With the completion of the final gauntlet run, it was clear who had won the competition. “Ladies and gentlemen, your champion!” said Shawn Adams, as his brother, Shane, galloped across the field carrying a bucket filled with gold coins. The money was not genuine, but served as a memento for those spectators lucky enough to catch the ones Adams tossed into the crowd. “That concludes the running of the gauntlet,” said Shawn Adams, who then prepared the crowd for the joust. “Ladies and gentlemen, can we have something a little more dangerous?” Adams told the audience that the Burkey, the only American in the tournament, was the next to take the field on a horse wearing purple with yellow trim regalia. Burkey sliced the first cabbage in half, but only took off the top of the second one. After spearing the rings, he struck the quintain and spun it around five times before it came to a stop.
CHRIS KELLY staff Zachery Maichuk creates a dragon design on a piece of leather at the Renaissance Faire in Lakewood. “One minute, 25 seconds,” said Shawn Adams. “On the slow side. Twenty-two points, but still a good effort.”
The last contestant in the gauntlet was Tobey.
Tobey missed the bull’s-eye drawn on the bale of hay both times. Instead of slicing both cabbage heads in half, he knocked one off its stick. He speared two rings perfectly.
As Tobey prepared to hit the quintain, Shawn Adams assessed the American’s performance by telling the audience, “He needs a good hit.” The quintain spun around seven times.
Final score for Tobey: one minute, 23 seconds for a total of 23 points. With the completion of the final gauntlet run, it was clear who had won the competition.
“Ladies and gentlemen, your champion!” said Shawn Adams, as his brother, Shane, galloped across the field carrying a bucket filled with gold coins. The money was not genuine, but served as a memento for those spectators lucky enough to catch the ones Adams tossed into the crowd.
“That concludes the running of the gauntlet,” said Shawn Adams, who then prepared the crowd for the joust. “Ladies and gentlemen, can we have something a little more dangerous?”
Adams told the audience that the