 |
|
|||||
J.D. KENNEDY, Knight, Medieval Times
Job: Knight, Medieval Times, Lawrenceville
What I do: Any damsel looking for a knight in shining armor should go to Lawrenceville. There, J.D. Kennedy and his fellow knights joust nightly at Medieval Times, a restaurant and tournament at Discover Mills shopping mall.
Kennedy, 25, is the head knight for the crew of good and not-so-good knights, squires and horses. He's in charge of training man and beast in jousting, sword fighting, riding and "everything there is to be done" in the show. Besides taking to horse himself, he also handles the scheduling and the paperwork of modern times.
The theme of Medieval Times is the re-creation of an 11th-century Spanish tournament, hosted by the king and princess, with a gathering of noble guests. Fear not: Neither human nor horse is deliberately harmed. The fights with swords and other medieval weapons are carefully choreographed and rehearsed. "We like to reuse our knights," Kennedy said.
Back in the days of El Cid, knights could lose everything if they lost a joust -- their horses, their weapons, even their freedom. But in the modern version, the tournament is part of the story to find a successor to the king. Every five years or so, the restaurant chain changes the plot to keep things lively.
For knights, the career path can lead to jobs as stunt men in movies.
What got me interested in this: "I always loved this as a kid," Kennedy said. In high school, he won tickets to a Medieval Times show near his home in Orange County, Calif.
After studying acting and playing sports in high school, he got a job as a squire. He was promoted to head knight and moved to the Atlanta area to open the Medieval Times here. It opened July 21.
Best part of my job: "Working with horses," Kennedy said. "I never expected I would enjoy them so much. I'm going to be involved with them for the rest of my life."
He also enjoys performing for the crowds. "Sitting out there, victorious, with a thousand people cheering for you -- nothing matches that feeling. Not a lot of people have a crowd chanting for them."
Most challenging part: As head knight, Kennedy deals with the management side of the business. "I'm in charge of 24 performers, all with their own egos. Everyone has a different question every day." The job is physically demanding, "but we're up to it," he said.
What people don't know about my job: The tournament has real horses. Once inside Medieval Times, every member of the staff -- from knights, kings and princesses to serfs and wenches -- stays in character and costume. (There were no wristwatches in the 11th century.) And at dinner, you eat with your fingers.
What keeps me going: "Everything about this job -- I love it. I get paid to do what every kid imagines: fighting with swords, riding horses, people cheering. While I work here, I'll never have to grow up."
Preparation needed for this job: Kennedy has been with Medieval Times since 1999, starting off as a squire. "Everyone starts as squires in the stables, cleaning up after the horses. That's a little bit of humility."
In training to be a knight, a squire learns the various aspects of the show, including riding and weapons use. "You have to be physically fit. You learn how to jump off a horse, hit the ground, roll, get up and fight," he said.
Potential knights have to be lean and strong and carry themselves in a powerful manner. "If you have long hair and are tall, it helps," he added.
Squires are promoted to knights in three to six months. New knights spend plenty of time as squires in the shows.
The job includes about three hours of rehearsal daily. "Every aspect of the show is choreographed to keep injuries to a minimum," Kennedy said.
It takes about one to three years before a squire/knight can master all the aspects of a show, he said.
- By Karl Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.
