Kingdom Equestrian Championship Introductions

King and Queen's Equestrian Champions 2013-14.

In Æthelmearc, my home Kingdom within the SCA, I regularly compete in tournaments.  Chief amongst these is the Kingdom Equestrian Championship.  In this competition, riders compete to named the King's Equestrian Champion for a year. The Queen also chooses her champion at this event. This competition is the highlight of our equestrian program. Prior to the start of the actual competition, the riders are introduced to the Crown and the Gallery who are observing the Tournament. Riders may introduce themselves or have a Herald read their introduction. These introductions are an important part of our events as they add to the atmosphere and recreate the pageantry of the Tournament of the Middle Ages. The following is the introduction I wrote for myself for the 2009 Kingdom Equestrian Championship: 

Warhorse Rocky

"I come before you, Shoshida Tora Gozen, and I hope today to display the highest level of chivalry, demonstrating the qualities so sought in the Tournaments of old.  It is my hope that I may win this Tournament and the honor of being named King's or Queen's Champion.  But a warrior is nothing without a fine steed.  Without the horse, how vastly different would be the past, and how much less rich our own Known World. And so I would devote my time before you speaking not of myself, but of my fine warhorse. Rocky, though small in  stature, is huge in heart, and has been a loyal companion of mine for several years. He carried me valiantly in this same Tournament last year, and has accompanied me to many Tournaments throughout the Known World.  Many times has he traveled to the MidRealm, enduring long trips far from his pasture friends and lush fields to carry me proudly upon his back with a lively step. Though many horses tower over him, few can match him in his courage and loyalty. It is my hope that he will inspire those who see him perform today, so that they too can come to appreciate his specialness as I have and marvel at the wonder of the Warhorse."

A booklet was prepared for the Tournament, so that the witnesses could identify the riders.  The following was my introduction in the booklet:

"Shoshida Tora Gozen (aka Shida no Tora Gozen) is a 13th Century Japanese warrior woman who left Japan following the establishment of the Kamakura Shogunate. Trained in the arts of the horse and bow, she serves the Kingdom of Æthelmearc as an Equestrian Marshal, is currently the Deputy Kingdom Equestrian Officer and the Marshal of Mounted Combat. She has been honored to be invited into the Order of the Golden Alce and the Order of the Keystone for her service. You will know her by her device: Per chervon gules and argent in pale a riding bit and an eagle sable. Rocky, her Norman style mount is stalwart and loyal, sturdy though short, and a veteran of the equestrian games."

These elements greatly enhance our equestrian events, and I am posting them not to elevate myself in the eyes of the reader, but to provide examples for others seeking to write similar introductions.