Apache Junction, Arizona.

For this week’s photo challenge, Krista tells us, “Forget the sad times. This week, it’s all about revelling in a win… In your photo this week, focus on the win, the victory…” You can read the entire challenge post here. In the photo above, one of the competitors in a jousting competition at the nearby renaissance fair begins a demonstration of his swordsmanship.

In the first of several competitions, the swordsman’s goal is to hit targets with his sword, knocking them down while passing by at a full gallop. In the image below, another competitor attacks the second target after missing the first.

The final challenge in the competition is a one-on-one jousting match. The object for each jouster is to attack a shield on the breastplate of his opponent, knocking it free or capturing it on the point of his lance. If you look closely at the shields on the jousters, you can see in this round they both scored a direct hit on the opponent’s shield.

As they say, to the victor goes the spoils, and in these competitions, the victors and defeated alike all live to compete again in the next Renaissance Fair performance. You can view my entire post about our visit to the Arizona’s Renaissance Festival in February 2014 here.

John Steiner