The Bottom Line

Issue date: 10/11/06 Section: The Pulse

Media Credit: Matt Goldman Surveying the Battle Field Michael Weaver and Jared Miller raise their "weapons" in preparation. Dagorhir has a large following across the country; Weaver and friends have given FSU a proper introduction to the sport.

How often is it that a college campus has their very own group of people fighting with foam weapons outside their cafeteria? Not often, that's for sure. Well, Frostburg does have such a group. On Tuesdays at 6pm outside the Chesapeake Dining Hall and across from Cambridge Hall, a group of students do just that. They gather in the grass, sparse out the weapons, and 'go to work' as the character Angel would say.

"Dagorhir is kind of like an opportunity for all those guys that dream of being a medieval hero to get out there and do it," said Matt Sandee, the group's founder as well as their leader.

Dagorhir, elvish for "battle" from the popular series Lord of the Rings involves two sides battling and has very basic rules: "If you get hit in the arm, you lose an arm; if you're hit in the leg, you lose the leg…that's the basics," said Michael Weaver, a participant in Dagorhir and writer for The Bottom Line. "I do the leg work with helping people learning how to fight and learning the rules."

A group of people who do Dagorhir is called a clan. There are many clans across the U.S. and Frostburg's is one of the only Japanese-themed clans. Michael added, "Other clans are either historical or fantasy-based."

Does this mean that anyone can do it? "It's a little bit more casual, laid back and you show up whenever you feel like it." In fact both Michael and Matt encourage people to participate. In fact, both of them guarantee safety in the practice of Dagorhir. "We make all of our own weapons with very cheap materials that we get from places like Home Depot and Wal Mart," Michael said. "The most important thing about our weapons is that they're safe." When asked just how safe they are, Matt responded: "It's safe, besides a few minor finger injuries so far, but that is only expected from any intense sport."

"It's also a great source of exercise," insisted Michael. "Besides being a good way to stay fit, Dagorhir is also a good stress reliever. When asked just how much of a stress reliever it can be Matt laughed and said, "[Dagorhir] most definitely relieves stress. A good portion of the people that play around the country are older fellows that have boring jobs and need to get out there and hit someone, or at least that's how it seems."

If interested in Dagorhir, check out the national site, www.dagorhir.com, and get in touch with Matt Sandee or Michael Weaver who can provide all the information needed. Matt's email is Masandee0@frostburg.edu and Michael's email is Mweaver0@frostburg.edu. Please email them if interested. Also, a site for the clan is being set up but it is not up and running as of yet.

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