COMPETITORS
This year we have 6 competitors who are mad enough not only to test their skills in the mounted arena but also in ground combat as well - 4 events in total!
There are three New Zealanders and three international riders taking part - forming two teams. The team with the highest score takes away the Taupo Team Challenge Trophy. The rider with the highest personal score takes away the main prize of this year's tournament - The Taupo Knight's Challenge.
Callum Forbes - New Zealand
Callum is a member of the Order of the Boar in Upper Hutt. Callum has been jousting since 1993, is a founding member of the International Jousting Association, and is one of the world's pioneers in the revival of jousting as a modern, international competitive sport and historical spectacle.
Callum has been organising international jousting events since 1999 which includes the biennial Harcourt Park International Jousting Tournaments held in Upper Hutt which inspired the early Taupo tournaments. Callum as also represented New Zealand at jousting competitions in Australia, the USA, Sweden and Norway.
This is the first time Callum has organised the jousting element at Taupo and has planned something special in the format of this year's Taupo Knight's Challenge - the first event of this type to be held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Callum lives on a rural property at Kaitoke, Upper Hutt with his wife Linda and daughter Rhiannon. He works in his own business as a financial planner and he also teaches martial arts, self defence and medieval sword fighting from the Upper Hutt Martial Arts Academy.
Graham Nixon - New Zealand
Graham discovered jousting when his new interest in horse riding collided with an established interest in armour and medieval re-enactment. He contacted the Order of the Boar in 2004 and spent several years driving down to Upper Hutt from Auckland attending joust training weekends where he learnt to joust. In 2005 he co-founded the Company of the Lance along with several other interested people in Auckland.
Over the next 6 years Graham has established himself as one of the top jousters on the world stage where he has competed (and more often than not won) in tournaments in Australia, Belgium, Sweden, France, Canada, the United States and New Zealand where he was one of the founders of the Taupo Tournament.
Graham currently lives in Auckland and runs his own business making armour and costume.
Joram Van Essen - New Zealand
Joram moved to Europe from New Zealand in 1999 to pursue an interest in medieval re-enactment. He spent 4 years between 2001 and 2004 jousting for English Heritage in the United Kingdom. He has also competed at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, UK, between 2002 and 2006 winning the individual joust in 2003 and the team jousts in 2003 and 2005.
He set up his own events company for organising jousting events at museums and castles in the Netherlands and participating in them. He jousted professionally at Archeon, in the Netherlands between 2004 and 2007 on a full time basis, and he has also jousted in other European countries from Norway to Belgium.
Joram returned to New Zealand in 2008 to study for a teaching degree. He competed at Harcourt Park, Taupo and Lithgow (Australia) during 2009 where he performed very strongly. Joram has also been passing on his skills and expertise to other the New Zealand riders since his return.
Justin Holland - Australia
A member of the Nova Hollandia Jousting Team, this is Justin's third attendance at Taupo.
DOB 24/03/1968
Motto: Invictus in animo (Unconquered in Spirit )
Jousting Since 1996
Competed in Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France and Poland
Achievements: 1st Australian Championships 2004
1st St Michaels Tournament, Abbey Museum, Australia, 2006
2nd St Michaels Tournament, Abbey Museum, Australia, 2002-2005, 2007
2nd New Year’s Day Tournament, Rotorua, New Zealand, 1996
2nd Filain Tournament, France, 2008
3rd Hackaland Tournament, Belgium, 2007
4th Hautes de France, Bolougne –sur- Mer 2008
4th Zamek Gniew Tournament, Poland 2008
4th St. Georges Day Tournament, Australia, 2007
Other Interests: Historical Swordsmanship, Horse Training, Napoleonic Cavalry
Petter Ellingsen - Norway
Petter has been jousting for over 10 years. Petter has had an interest in history and knights since childhood.
He started his jousting career in the early 1990's doing ground events and shows with various medieval groups. He took up riding at the age of 24 specifically so he could joust. Petter is a founding member of De Norske Frilansene and currently holds the position of sports director and international liaison.
Petter has done an amazing 300 plus jousting displays, shows and tournaments in his career jousting in New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Poland, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Petter competed very successfully at both Harcourt Park 2005 and 2007 and this is his first appearance at Taupo.
Peter lives in Oslo where he works as a nurse. Petter also has two young children.
Phillip Oliver - Australia
Phillip has been riding all of his life in the hack arena, before deciding that he would like to do something more spectacular with his horses. So in 2008 he joined Rod and Michelle Walker's Jousting Troupe Full Tilt.
Since joining Full Tilt, Phillip as been training hard and has attended many of Full Tilt's shows throughout Australia. Phillip has come a long way since he started jousting and he took the jousting world by storm earlier this year when, in his first jousting tournament, he came 3rd in the joust at the 2009 St. George's Day International Jousts at IronFest in Lithgow (Australia) - more than holding his own against some of the world's best jousters.
Phil is a builder by trade and his attendance at this year's tournament is also his first trip outside of Australia.
OTHER RIDERS
Supporting the 6 Taupo Knight's Challenge competitors are a number of both local and international competitors who are taking part in some (but not all) of the Taupo Knight's Challenge competitions. Those competing are all proven competitors in their chosen events and along with the Taupo Knight's Challenge competitors will be competing for the first place prize in their chosen events.
Andrew McKinnon - Australia
Andrew is taking part in the mounted skill-at-arms and the mounted melee.
Bob Lawton
Bob started to learn to joust with the Company of the Lance and the Order of the Boar after seeing the jousting at the 2007 Taupo Tournament. Bob has since competed at both Harcourt Park and Taupo with the intention of developing his skills so he can also attend jousting events overseas.
Bob lives in Auckland where he works for Telecom . This year he is competing in the mounted skill-at-arms, mounted melee and joust.
Jerry Smith
Jerry started jousting in 2005 and is one of the founding members of the Company of the Lance jousting group in Auckland. Jerry has also helped organise previous Taupo Tournaments.Since starting jousting, Jerry has established himself as another New Zealand jouster at the top of the world stage. He has competed in Australia, Belgium, Poland, France, Czechoslovakia and the USA and is renowned for his hard-hitting style.
Jerry is a stone mason by trade and this year he is competing in the mounted skill-at-arms, mounted melee and joust.
Vikki Subritzsky
Vikki became interested in jousting in 2004 and se started travelling all the way from Whangerei to Upper Hutt to learn to joust at the Order of the Boar joust training workshops. Vikki has participated in most jousting tournaments in New Zealand - initially as a rider in the skill-at-arms before jousting for the first time at the 2007 Taupo Tournament.Vikki is taking part in the mounted skill-at-arms and mounted melee in this year's tournament. She is also the "9th" rider in the joust in case any of the 8 riders in the jousting competition can't take part on the day so you may see Vikki in the jousting as well!
Denyse Clifton
Tony Spears
Adrian Fetzer