Jousting and Fencing

Just listened to Session 18 of the Mythgard Academy class on Le Morte d’Arthur. One unexpected thing I am really enjoying about this class is Prof. Olsen’s explications of knightly combat in “SportsCenter” style. Despite the five centuries since jousting was a thing, I recognize almost everything from my old days in competition, just one century ago.

This session had a long treatment of sir La Cote Male Tayle beginnning ab0ut 2:21:16. Sir La Cote Male Tayle is a strong knight, but not in the top ranks, so sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses. I can relate to that much better than to hot-shots like Tristram. When sir Mordred is spilling the beans on how top-ranked knights keep an eye on the competition, it reminded me of a bout I fenced long ago. January, 1998, the North American Cup in South Bend, Indiana. The luck of the draw put me in Pool #1. My first bout was against a short, left-handed, tough-looking guy whom I didn’t recognize.

What I did recognize was most of the US National Team, a few top-ranked coaches, and a couple of off-duty referees watching me fence. That’s weird. No, wait — they’re not watching me fence, they’re watching my opponent. I was doing all right, mostly because people tended not to believe how long my lunge could be. (I may occasionally have deceived opponents on that topic. 😇) We were tied 2-2 when he decided he’d seen everything I could do, and he won 5-2. As the spectators dispersed, I heard one of the coaches say, “Now we know who’s going to win the tournament.” Yeah, who?, I wondered. Oh: This guy. The one with an Olympic gold medal in his pocket.

Sir Mordred’s perspicacity hasn’t diminished a bit. But Ibragimov only beat me because the temperature was 20° F and I’m strongest in warm weather. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.