'Which is a testament to Mike's hard work.' The Schaumburg castle was built in 1991, 'and in terms of consistency, it's still our best castle,' Baker said. Today Medieval Times is a quasi-theatrical experience, with a story (set in 11th century Spain), a jousting tournament, some sword fighting, a falcon-flying demonstration, a parade of Andalusian horses and a chicken dinner, served to the audience at their seats. Their visas running out, the Spanish knights left, and it would take eight months before the first American castle could do a complete show. In the early days of Medieval Times in the U.S., he explained, the Spanish knights spent a while in Florida training their clueless American brethren, although neither camp spoke the other's language. I was skinnier, 165 pounds, but he could see, as young and green as I was, I was going to be a knight.' Then this gentleman from Spain came in to train us. I would watch these guys do stunts on horseback and assume they had been riding their entire lives or had a stunt background. 'I was a squire for a little more than a year, but I became a knight on my 18th birthday. He was a poop shoveler, stable boy, a peon.

Sir Mike was hired with no intention of becoming a knight. Some knights come to Medieval Times through an ad in the newspaper. He was born in Lansing, Mich., and spent his teens in Southern California. A pair of lowly squires carried a bundle of javelins, most of which had been splintered at the last show but bound back together for jousting practice that week. A knight in a Cubs jersey was talking with a knight in a White Sox jersey. He walked down the arena steps, to what the knights call 'the sand,' the oblong-shaped ring, surrounded by rows of seats, that serves as their playing field and stage. The Dennis Quaid of medieval sport, he has become.

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