8-27-12: Full-Contact Jousting

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Jousting-0827.mp3

This segment originally aired on August 11, 2010.

Two summers ago, the New York Times Sunday Magazine published an article titled, "Is Jousting the Next Extreme Sport?"

Jousting, of course, is the Maryland state sport, and the article briefly mentioned a Maryland-based jouster named Paul Schneider.

Here’s the description of Sir Paul from the website of his jousting crew, the Lords of Chivalry:

“He is very active with his church where he is a Sunday School teacher and sings in the choir.  Be warned; when you feel the sting of Sir Paul's lance during the joust you too will hear church bells.”

Paul lives in southern Anne Arundel County, but he was gracious enough to come up to our Charles Village studios to tell Nathan all about full-contact jousting. And, as you can see in the picture, to let Nathan and producer Lawrence Lanahan try on his armor.

Here's some video of Sir Paul (we're pretty sure it's Sir Paul) unhorsing an opposing knight.

Paul won the jousting tournament at the Tennessee Renaissance Festival in June. You can catch Paul at the Maryland Renaissance Festival on Saturday. The next weekend, he and the Lords of Chivalry are off to the Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival in Johnson City, Tennessee.

We asked Paul last week if unhorsing people ever gets old. “As long as it’s the other guy,” he said, “that’s fine.”