WASHINGTON -- When you think of state sports, you probably imagine the list including the likes of basketball, football, or baseball. But it might surprise you that the state sport in Maryland is a tad more archaic: Jousting. How did this happen? That's the latest question we went to answer in our weekly segment called "The Why."
Our Question: Why Is Jousting The State Sport in Maryland?
The origins of jousting can be found hundreds of miles away from Maryland, in Europe. In the Middle Ages, it was literally a method of war. When guns were introduced, this method of warfare became unnecessary, and so it became a sport instead. According to common folklore, the early founders of Maryland enjoyed the occasional jousting tournament. However, the sport didn't really gain popularity in the state until the 19th century.
According to the Maryland State Arts Council, the rebirth of jousting in Maryland was mostly due to a man named William Gilmor, who lived in a massive mansion in the Towson area. In 1839, Gilmor traveled to a big jousting tournament in Scotland, called the Eglinton Festival. This event attracted some 100,000 people, from across the globe.
"(It) was kind of like if Woodstock met RenFest..." said Clifford Murphy, the Folk and Traditional Arts Director for the National Endowment for the Arts. "What a supremely quirky thing for a Towsonite to do in 1839!"
After attending the event, Gilmor decided he wanted to bring jousting back to Maryland, and so he held a tournament of his own on his massive property. Soon enough, Gilmor would be considered "The Godfather" of Maryland jousting.
"While many in the jousting community attest to the tradition's presence in Maryland since the arrival of the first Maryland colonists," wrote MSAC. "The years which followed Gilmor's tournament saw jousting tournaments flourish as a symbolic extension of medieval nobility."
In the time since this first tournament, the sport has been embraced by a small, but passionate group. Two tournaments, the Calvert County Jousting Tournament and the St. Joseph Jousting Tournament, have been held for more than 150 years in Maryland.
More than 100 years after Gilmor's trip to Scotland, a group of passionate jousters created The Maryland Jousting Tournament Association in 1950.
"This organization was instrumental in the establishment of a set of riding rules," wrote the Maryland Jousting Tournament Association. "Adopted by riders and tournament sponsors throughout Maryland. It boasts members from every corner of the state."
The rules of these tournaments differ notably from the medieval practice, because they no longer involve the stabbing of other riders, but of rings instead. That way, they can have fun without people dying from stab wounds. Good call!
The creation of this association would be crucial to jousting getting the official sport status. That's because a prominent member of the group was Henry J. Fowler. The avid jouster was not only a former president of the group, but also a member of the House of Delegates in Maryland.
In 1962, Fowler submitted a bill to make jousting the state sport. Because of the long history in the state, the motion was embraced, and approved overwhelmingly.
Do you have a Why Question you want answered? You can send your questions to Evan Koslof by email at ekoslof@wusa9.com, on Twitter at the handle @ekoslof, or on Facebook at "Evan Koslof Reporting."
