Imagine sitting on top of a horse in full medieval armour, barely being able to move, charging head-on towards your opponent, and getting slammed as a wooden lance hits your body.
This is the very rare sport of jousting and it鈥檚 what Josh Tobey of Chilliwack has been doing for the past 10 years.
He鈥檚 part of a full-contact jousting troupe called Knights of Valour which puts on Renaissance festivals and brings jousting shows to places across North America.
Tobey calls it an 鈥渆xtreme鈥� sport.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like driving into a brick wall every single time.鈥�
It takes about 1,800 pounds of pressure for the 11-foot long wooden lances to break.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 basically the force you鈥檙e getting hit with every time you snap it, and that鈥檚 right near your chest, over your heart,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been told by a lot of EMS they鈥檙e surprised that none of us have had a heart attack or something, because you鈥檙e basically just re-jumping your heart every time you get hit.鈥�
Do people think he鈥檚 crazy?
鈥淥h yeah, all the time,鈥� he said.
Once his 120 pounds of armour is on, Tobey can barely move and he can hardly see through the quarter-of-an-inch eye slits cut into his helmet. He鈥檚 like a statue. He drops the reins and has no control of horse 鈥楽uperman鈥� as he holds on with only his legs.
Superman gallops about 30 kilometres an hour towards the other knight coming at the same speed down a 220-foot long run called a 鈥榣ist鈥�.
鈥淎ll you can see is your opponent. You watch that lance coming to you every single time.鈥�
And then it hits him.
His opponent鈥檚 wooden lance rams into the metal target that sits over his heart. His body bends backwards like a scene from The Matrix as wooden lance pieces fly through the air.
Tobey, still atop Superman, pulls himself back up.
What people see with Knights of Valour is real, not staged.
The knights get five passes per match to try and hit the target 鈥� called a 鈥榞rand guard鈥� which is about the size of a dinner plate 鈥� or knock the opponent off his horse. Points are only awarded if the lance hits the grand guard. It鈥檚 three points if the lance hits the target and doesn鈥檛 break, five points if the lance breaks when it hits the target, and 10 points if the knight knocks the opponent off his horse.
Tobey said it鈥檚 like getting hit with a sledgehammer each time.
So, why does he do it?
鈥淚 like the thrill of it, the joy, the fame you get at the shows, the spotlight, and the travelling that comes with it. Also it鈥檚 really cool showing people that a 2,000-year-old sport is still alive today.鈥�
Jousting has been part of his life for 24 of his 28 years. It started when his dad, Tim, was introduced to the sport in Ontario. He fell in love with it, and soon enough, Josh and his brother Aaron did as well.
He remembers as a kid, he and Aaron would make their own children鈥檚 suits of armour out of thin tin and his mom鈥檚 old cookie sheets, and use shorter lances.
鈥淲e would run at each other on foot鈥� with half a lance, and we鈥檇 still have the little target on our armour.鈥�
Today, he admits he doesn鈥檛 practice jousting.
Started by Shane Adams and based in Alabama, there are about 10-12 members with Knights of Valour who live mostly in Ontario, Alberta and Colorado. They travel as a group with the horses throughout North America putting on jousting shows and Renaissance fairs.
When he鈥檚 not jousting, he鈥檚 pouring concrete for his own business called Tobey鈥檚 Concrete, although he does get paid to joust. This year alone, he went to approximately 35 shows, 24 of which were over the course of 12 days at the PNE.
The horses they use are Percherons because they鈥檙e bigger and can handle when the knight gets hit. Reins are not held onto while jousting because if they鈥檙e pulled, it could potentially rip the horse鈥檚 mouth.
Tobey has suffered several injuries including multiple concussions, a broken collar bone, two broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a torn rotator cuff. His dad retired after breaking his jaw, but Tobey said he doesn鈥檛 think any injury could retire him from it.
Unlike football or soccer, there鈥檚 no defence in jousting.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a mental game to sit there and put yourself in an accident every single time.鈥�
At first, he was not good at putting the fear and danger out of his mind. His dad would coach him and his mom would calm him down.
Now he can do it on his own.
To prepare himself for a match, he鈥檒l take a nap while sitting in full armour on top of his horse.
鈥淣ow I think I鈥檓 just not even doing it. I picture I鈥檓 on a beach or I鈥檓 doing something else. I don鈥檛 think. I shut my brain off and I let my body do it.鈥�
These days, Tobey helps others get in the zone.
鈥淚鈥檒l tell guys, 鈥楽top thinking.鈥� And then I always say, 鈥楬ave fun.鈥� Because if you鈥檙e not having fun, why are you doing it?鈥�
The people he jousts with are family. He said Adams is like a father to him, as was another knight he knew who died in a car crash.
鈥淚t shook me pretty hard,鈥� he recalled.
Tobey was only 16 at the time, and he told the knight鈥檚 wife at the funeral that he was going to start jousting in honour of her husband. Tobey asked her if he could wear her husband鈥檚 jousting colours. She loved the idea and now he wears blue, silver and gold feathers in his helmet and three gold stars.
And although he was practically born into jousting, he and his brother were never forced into competing.
鈥淢y dad never peer pressured us into it鈥� I always had the thrill of wanting to do it and I finally did and haven鈥檛 stopped.鈥�
