As I recently joined the forum, I thought I should introduce myself to those of you that don't already know me. My name is Krissie England and my husband and I know a few of you from the Virginia Renaissance Faire (
www.VARF.org), where we are currently in our 11th year as the armored jousters (as in, right now - we have two weekends left, come out and say hi!). I tell people it's probably one of the few sports where spouses can get paid to strap on armor and hit each other...
As a girl, I was always fascinated with chivalry and knights in armor but I didn't understand why I couldn't be the hero. After all, who wants to be the damsel in distress? I have been riding horses since I was young, and as an adult, extending that into mounted combat seemed the logical next step. When a certain male jouster, the owner of a jousting troupe, told me I would never joust because I was a woman, that was probably the worst thing he could have said to me. Never tell a woman what she can't do! I have been proving him wrong for over a decade.
We have become friends with the Order of the Marshall members at VARF over the years and definitely share many of the same ideals. I am happy to join this group and keep in contact during the off season, and hopefully add something of worth to the conversation. In addition to jousting, we are former SCA fencers and would love to get back into fencing. However, full time jobs, three sons, and a farm have taken a huge hit on our available time. One day...
