Deadline to sign up for La. Tournoi is Friday

The deadline to compete in this year’s Louisiana Tournoi is this Friday.
Normally the deadline for the traditional French jousting competition would have already passed due to the qualifying process. However due to the flooding that hit the region in August, and the rains that followed in September, the qualifying was delayed twice before finally be scrapped all together for this year’s competition.
Anyone that is 17 years or older is eligible to sign up to compete in the event.
“We actually postponed two weeks in a row because of weather,” Louisiana Tournoi Board President Kent Saucier said. “You couldn’t park in the grounds around the track. People would have bogged down around it. And last weekend it was squirrel season so we couldn’t have it then.”
Due to the weather, and the possible hazards of qualifying on a still wet and muddy track, the Louisiana Tournoi Board made the decision to put the well being of the riders and horses first.
“It is all about safety,” Saucier said. “We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
After having the event washed out three times last October, the board took action in the offseason to help the track’s conditions. The board dug ditches around the track area to better help drain it, when and if hard rains fall.
The weather may also be playing a role in the amount of competitors that have signed up. As of Monday, Saucier said that only eight riders have signed up for the event.
“A lot of people haven’t had time to practice for it this year,” Saucier said. “No one wants to go out there and not do their best. There are probably some other people that aren’t coming out this year because they are helping out people affected by the flooding or they need help themselves.”
The 2016 Louisiana Tournoi will run at Industrial Park in Ville Platte on Sunday, October 16th starting at 3 p.m. Riders will need to report at the track for 2 p.m.