1. JEREED GAME

2. This is Turkish ancestor sport.

3. It is a special old Turkish horseman competition with javelin.

4. Jereed involves two teams of horsemen, each armed with dried oak or poplar ,blunt ends sticks. The sticks were heavier and thicker, however in order to reduce the risk of injury, players came to prefer sticks made of poplar wood, which become lighter when dried.

5. The teams line up facing one another on the field, each player at a distance of about 100 metres from the next.

6. The Jereed game begins with introduction of the players to the spectators with words of praise, followed by handshakes at center field and a parade of each team with its flag. Meanwhile, drums and zurnas (reed pipes) play Ottoman military marches and Köroğlu folk music.

7. At the beginning of the game, it is traditional for the youngest rider to trot towards the opposing team, shout the name of a player and at a distance of 30 to 40 meters toss his jereed at that player challenging him to enter the game. Then, he gallops back to his side, meanwhile the challenged player pursues him and throws a jereed at the fleeing player. The fast-charging chase game goes on in two 45-minute periods.

8. A player wins points when he manages to hit his rival with the stick,or ride him out,or catch an incoming jereed in mid-air.

9. The referees, who are former jereed players with standing in the community, count the number of hits and at the end of the game announce the winning team

10. Some players score more points by hitting his opponent three or four times before that player manages to escape and take his place back in his row.

11. This process of chasing and fleeing, while trying to hit an opponent with a stick, is the essence of the game, which requires skill and sportsmanship. To hit the horse instead of the rider, which is regarded as a sign of inexperience, is against the rules, and causes the offender to be sent off the field.

12. At the end of the game, the winner is announced by a council of former jereed players depending on points collected by two teams. Organizers give awards to the winning team and a banquet is held.

13. Cihan Uygar KAYA
Alp AKPINAR
Eliz DOĞAN
Deniz DOĞAN
Begüm ATEŞ
Hatice Zeren ZENGİ
Irmak PAKSOY
Beril Su GÜR
Mahmut ÇEKÇEK
Duru SARITEKİN