Joe Partridge

Ski technician by day but it's all about the (k)night! Joe works at Glenshee Ski Hire but by night he's making medieval armoury and meeting with his local Knight league club dressed in all the gear and training how to fight and win at the upcoming International Medieval Combat Fighting (IMCF) World Championships!

1. Tell us the weirdest / funniest thing that has ever happened to you at work?

I’ve met so many interesting people working at Glenshee Ski Hire. There’s a real mix of local people that come in regularly because they don’t have their own skis and visitors who have travelled from all over the world, young and old, to experience the slopes here. As you can imagine, you meet lots of characters, but I couldn’t possibly share the funniest things that have happened. It’s too explicit! 

 2. What signals the start of your days off?

Honestly, I kind of go from one job to another. I really enjoy my ski technician job, but also love my craft work and would love to build some work around this too. Every week on one of my days off, I often take a trip into Perth with my other half to pick up materials and chill out, maybe get something to eat. On Sundays, I meet up with my local Scottish Knight League club, 'The Deil’s Claymores' in Crieff, for training practice.

3. What might people be surprised to know about you?

Before I joined the Scottish Knight League and became a Medieval fighter, I dabbled in acrobatics.Before I joined the Scottish Knight League and became a Medieval fighter, I dabbled in acrobatics. I used to do powerlifting and through this I gained a lot of muscle weight. Then I saw this guy called Jujimufu online who could do loads of tricks, back flips, high kicks and lifts while being super strong too. It’s called ‘Tricking’ and once I saw it, I thought I really want to give this a go!

I was a real novice at it and because of my weight and inflexibility, I was quite sluggish, but it was lots of fun teaching myself. It was around this time that I started watching a TV show called 'Vikings' that inspired me to learn how to make authentic Viking and medieval shields, which led to an interest in using them for full contact fighting.

I later found out about the Scottish Knight League (the national governing body for medieval combat sport in Scotland) and ever since then, I've been an affiliated member and sportsman, attending tournaments, learning about the sport, and of course building up my armour and weapon collection to compete. Through the medieval fighting training, I’ve lost a lot of that weight from when I was power lifting, but the acrobatics have helped me be more flexible and agile when competing.

4. What is at the top of your bucket list?

Definitely getting Scotland to a really good level at the International Medieval Combat Fighting (IMCF) World Championships. The Scotland team are really excited about the World Championships coming to Scone Palace from May 10^th – May 13^th which will be the first time they’ve ever been held in the U.K. We can’t wait to compete. Compared to some of the other countries, we are still fairly new into the sport. It would be amazing to see a standardised training programme for medieval combat fighting in this country so we could be serious contenders for a high podium finish in some of the events at future World Championships.

5. Who or what inspires you?

Lots of people inspire me. Jugimufu inspires me. Also, a US power lifting coach called Mark Rippitoe is brilliant. Some of the most famous bodybuilders have always inspired me, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman and Frank Zane. Their level of fitness and the effort they put in inspired a generation and still inspire me, even though they if they were at their peak a long time ago!

6. Tell us about the day you’d love to live again?

That’s so tough to answer because there’s so many days I’d like to live again. I imagine that in a few weeks I’d probably say the IMCF World Championships because I just know that is going to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

7. What’s the best part about your job?

I have a great manager at Glenshee Ski Hire who is very supportive of my interests and just generally a good guy. When I’m in my workshop, I’m in my element. I get a lot of satisfaction from finishing a shield and seeing people’s faces when they see what I've created.  

8. Complete this sentence; the best things in life are…

Spent with my friends, family and my other half. They're what matter the most to me. I’m sure they’ll be there cheering me on at the IMCF World Championships since its on our own home soil which will make it an even more special experience!

***

Joe will be representing Scotland at this year’s IMCF World Championships from May 10-13 at Scone Palace. Cheer Joe on along with his team mates as they battle it out against 31 countries participating in full-contact medieval battles, duelling, team fights and archery. Find out more >>>