by:  Gerald Fontenot and Kirt Guillory

(exact dates are still being researched and updated when found)

Le Tournoi was introduced to Ville Platte, Louisiana in the early 1800's by Major Marcellin Garand from France.  Garand was an officer in Napoleon's army, founder and first mayor of Ville Platte.  He was well acquainted with the history of Le Tournoi and the way the knights of France had ran it for hundreds of years.  It was that the King of France would send out these knights to fight his enemies dressed in heavy armor, mounted on steeds and caring long heavy lances.  They would battle in a circle until one would destroy the other.  Here is where that name "Tournoi" originates, meaning "a dark circle".  Today it is said that Tournoi is French for tournament.

In the early 1800's Garand organized a Tournoi in  the Ville Platte area to be performed for sport.  It was judged on speed and skill, the same as today.  At the time this was the only sport in the area.  People would come to Le Tournoi from all over the country.  They came on foot, by buggy, horseback and wagon.  They would make this an all-day affair with preparations that morning, the tournament that afternoon and the Tournoi Ball that night.  The Tournoi Champion, or King as he was called then, would select his queen that evening at the ball.  They would dance the waltz to open the Ball and rule over the evening events.  It was so well liked, that they ran Le Tournoi four or five times each year.  

These Tournoi tournaments were held for about 90 years, then gradually faded away as other sports such as baseball and country lane horse races became more popular as the population of Ville Platte grew.  The people put aside the ancient sport for other reasons also due to the danger that is involved in running Le Tournoi. 

When planning the Fourth of July celebration in 1948, two men suggested the tournament should be brought back to life in Ville Platte.  It happened that two very old gentlemen were still living in the Ville Platte who had ran in the last Tournoi in the late 1880's.  They still knew exactly how it was run.  So they helped a group of young citizens and a group of patriotic WWII veterans organize the ancient sport again.  It was an immediate success!  And with the popular breed of American Quarter Horse beginning to move into the area about that time, the people became more and more interested in Le Tournoi.  The two fine old gentlemen accredited with reviving and re-organizing  Le Tournoi were "Judge: J.D. Buller and Jules Tate.  Both died a few years after the event took off. 

 

For the first few years of its rebirth Le Tournoi was run as part of the Fourth of July festivities.  When the Louisiana Cotton Festival came into existence in 1954, it was dropped as a Fourth of July Festivity and began to run in conjunction with the Louisiana Cotton Festival instead.  In 1958 The Louisiana Tournoi Association was chartered and states that a Tournoi can take place anywhere, but the championship must take place in Ville Platte each year. 

Le Tournoi requires horsemanship, skill and accuracy.  The knights wear their traditional garb while riding horseback at neck breaking speeds around a semicircular quarter mile track.  Caring long slender lances, the daring knight attempts to spear and retain all seven of the small rings that are suspended on posts around the track.  The seven rings symbolize the seven enemies of cotton which are flood, drought, boll weevil, boll worm, silk, rayon, and nylon.  The knights run three heats each to decide the champion. The Tournoi Queen then bestow the prizes to the winners.  Immediately following is the traditional Tournoi Ball where the queen and her champion reign over the evening. Traditionally, the champion picked his queen at the Ball. 

 ***Since the rebirth of Le Tournoi, it is the top 5 riders from the previous year who judge the contestants in order to choose their queen at the Annual Louisiana Tournoi Pageant.  This is a job the Tournoi Knights take very seriously.  They look for a girl who is confident, down to earth, and has a passion for preserving the heritage of Le Tournoi. 


How the Tournoi is scored...

    THE RINGS:   Each rider starts with a handicap of 210, 10 points for each of the 21 rings.  He runs the course three times, and every ring he lances cuts 10 points from his 210 total handicap.   
    THE TIME:   The rider's time score is the average of his three runs over the course.  The judges multiply the number of seconds of each run by 5; these are added together and divided by 3;  the average thus obtained is the rider's time score.
    FINAL SCORE:   The ring score and the time score are added.  The Tournoi Champion is the rider who's total  score is the smallest figure.

History of the Louisiana Tournoi Crown

The new Louisiana Tournoi Queen's crown was designed in June of 2004 by Amanda Thille, the newly appointed Pageant Director.  It was first worn by Maggie Thevenot the 2003 queen.  Miss Thevenot was relinquishing her crown in just a few months and only had the opportunity to wear the crown a short time.  The crown was designed with significance and tradition in mind.  First, it reflects the tournoi colors; silver, red and black.  The 5 silver shields on the crown represent the champion and top 4 knights who chose their queen.  The 7 silver rings represent the seven enemies of cotton.  The red stones scattered through out the crown signify bravery and courage.  The black/ dark gray lances and knight's helmet in the center shield represent all the Tournio Knights.  While the crosses in the center of the remaining four shields represent Christianity...the foundation of our country.  

        Le Louisiana Tournoi de la Ville Platte is the climatic end of the Louisiana Cotton Festival weekend.  It follows immediately after the Grand Parade which rides down Main Street Ville Platte annually.  For more information about the event or trying out to be Louisiana Tournoi Knight, contact us here through our website on the contact page.