• pay up and get storage unit contents
• purchase tent (Panther Regency?)
• make/check tent poles for tent, along with ropes
• purchase horse trailer(?)
• clean armour
• restrape armour
• blue armor (puchase of tank/torch)
• organize armour packaging
• redo cloasure on bar grill  basinet
• roll front edges on vambraces (trim down a bit?)
• repair/fix guantlets
• nix padding for padded liner (period style) both helms
• purchase aventail/camails X2 and install
• ? of voiders and skirt or habergon – looks like habergon is right
• jupon or arming coat
• spiff up some garb
• make a new piece or two of garb (better stuff)
• order chuasses and braies
• use above to pattern a few more
• order turn shoes
• make chamfron and crinit (w/ eye protection)
• get saddles/tack out, clean and oil
• get bottles for cordial
• bottom cordial (simple syrup 2:1?)
• labels for cordial?
• ride a bunch on Jack and some on Angel
• fix one suitcase
• make a choice about 1350-60 versus 1390-1400?
• make a sheild, heater curved opposite (jousting)
• make side/back plates for churburg #13, strap, use…

I used the graphic above because I am pretty sure that I if I do one thing a day I will be pretty close to completion by the time GW rolls around.  Keep in mind the list is kind of crude at this point, like garb for instance needs to be broke down more into what specifically are goals for the war and listed out separately.

Currently there is a movement to make the membership money from those members residing here in the U.S. stay here in the U.S. to support the IJA stateside and get it really going.  This involves a number of things, including the creation of non-profit corporation status with the U.S. and the ability to get an umberalla liability insurance policy to be able to tap into for events.  That last one is going to be a major step toward really moving foward with the organization and having a regular group of events spring up at various places.

To that end, as is the case with so many things in this world, the seed money to get that process going is simply just not there right now.  I know that more then a few of the readers of this blog are probably interested in eventually taking things to the next level.  Currently it has been suggested that membership will run $20.00 per person annually.  Further, in order to get the funds to be able to proceed with things like formation of the corporation, getting things in order on the insurance and a few other things, like websites, that perhaps a five year membership be made available.  Further it has been even suggested that perhaps if anyone that wanted did that move they could get the remainder of 2009 membership for free.

I realize this not apply to very many people, but if you have ever though you may want to go there eventually (think really good looking period armour, full wood lances with balsa tips, and perhaps 1000′s watching jousting competitons and exhibitions) then I would encourage you to inquire so you can get in the ground floor of making this grow in a major way.

If you check out the website you can get an inkling of the differences. First of all, where the SCA is all inclusive and lets anyone participate who makes a minimum effort of the wide range of cultures and time period, the IJA has a much more narrow time period and is only open to those histirical interpertations of knights or men-at-arms from the classic European concetric ideal of knights background we would expect.

Taking that one step further, the group has very rigid requirements on both hard and soft kit representations of your character. To clarify, the hard would be in armour ready for the joust or such and the soft would be the clothing a noble of such rank would wear at perhaps court or such as that for the same time period. Both hard and soft kits will be judged, either in person or via picture by some very knowledgable folks prior to one being allowed to even really start things.

From there there are several rankings of what one can actually participate in during events, usually centered around brotherly competition in arms. The rankings are actually termed grades and without giving it all away at the lower levels one is only allowed to act as a squire and participate in the skills of arms competions, where things such as tilting at the rings, the quintain, and such are the focus. At the next level jousting in local tournaments is allowed, though local is to the country generally. The upper grade levels allow you to participate in jousts in other countries. At the highest you judge other applicants on riding grade and as wether kits are up to specificiations or not.

Obviously a much smaller group in number, but the jousting is typically done with wooden lances, the tips most commonly balsa wood. When compared to the SCA, the skill at arms is similar, though some of the life weapons would be frowned on by the SCA. Further comparison of the wood lances with the foam really makes the SCA jousting seem a step below. (I should note the one big IJA tournament I did, had at least six SCA members participating who had stepped up to such a level. Keep in mind though that no one is in the group thinking they are going to hurt anyone – it is all friendly. Even to the point of prizes being limited and generally most everyone getting a stipend if such is available.

Fundamentally this could probably be compared to the difference between high school sports and the step up to semi-pro sports. It is a good place to aim for somoene that is very serious about things, but not a place to start at. Oh, and there are at least two such events in the United States next year and an offspring group that has two other events on teh schedule for 2009 as well.

As I write that above about semi-pro, it dawns on me, that I am a professional jouster, having been paid for such on several occasions, and that strikes me as odd. I am going to start putting that on my resume though.

** And the hat-trick **

** Originally published on Mephistos on 16th of December 2008