The International Jousting Championships!

Nerdy me watching the female jouster getting prepared.

 Alright, those who know me well, know how much of a nerd I am.  Not only do I teach History and Drama, I am pretty obsessed with Science Fiction and Fantasy.  This is an event that caters to all my joys... and even got the husband involved.  This is somewhat massive.

Every 2 years the International Jousting Championships are held in Upper Hutt, New Zealand.  I first had the chance to attend years ago because we lived around the corner, and happened to be walking the dogs through as they were setting up.  The husbands interest was piqued and we went back to take a look.  I was hooked!  Costumes, armour, horses, roasted potatoes, literally Knights in Shining Armour!  I was such a fangirl that the Bulgarian competitor gave me a signed photograph that I still hold in my daily planner.

The event is hosted by the Order of the Boar, based in Upper Hutt, who specialise in medieval hand-to-hand combat.  This means that not only is the jousting on show, but also sword play, combat and archery.  There is also a medieval village with people happy to show how to make chain mail or talk about life for a knight.

This is as close to "Sports" as I like to follow.  We always head in for a few hours, to catch the jousting mainly, and see everything else in between.  The event is held over 2 days, and both are fantastic.  Now that the niece and nephews are starting to get a little older, I'll be tempted to take them to the event in 2015...

What I love the most is the horsemanship. The riders are completely amazing, and the horses are truly beautiful.  Having some of the best riders from around the world is fantastic to watch.  I was a complete fangirl for the guy from Sweden... but he was beaten out by the woman from Australia.

The Husband comparing himself to a knight