The Clackamas print., May 10, 2000, Page 9, Image 9

Feature _____________ 1
TllE ClACkÄMAS P rìnt
WedNEsdAy, M ay 10, 2000
Warriors clash in battle for honor, glory, fun
JASON LINGEL
Staff Writer
The sounds of sword on shield
fill the air as the two armies clash
on the battlefield. Archers, barbar­
ians, fighting monks and mystical
druids join in battle armed with
swords, axes, pole-arms and their
wits. As the dust settles, a victor
is left standing and a new cham­
pion is crowned.
No, it’s not the opening se­
quence to Gladiator. It’s an
Amtgard battle game. Amtgard is
a non-profit organization that pro­
vides a safe environment to prac­
tice medieval warfare and Live Ac­
tion Role-Playing (LARP).
“We like to call ourselves a me­
dieval reenactment society,” said
former Clackamas student Casey
Skoog, who is the Baroness of the
local holding of Amtgard, 'Sapphire
Shores'.
Members of Amtgard assume a
persona or character that they act
out during meetings. Skoog’s main
persona’s name is Caliegh.
Amtgard gatherings consist of vari­
ous events including tailoring, po­
etry, theatrics, and of course sword
fighting.
“Being able to hit each other with
padded swords is a plus,” said
Clackamas
student
Justin
Orzechowski, or "Orgy," in his
Amtgard persona. “You definitely
learn the art of sword fighting.”
'! 1 WeajfonS' hi Amtgard are com­
monly referred to as boffer weap­
ons, due to the padding put on dur­
ing construction. The padding pro­
tects participants from injury to
eyes and body.
Amtgard is open to the public
and people from all walks of life are
welcome.
“Anyone can go,” explained
Caliegh. “College students, high
school teachers— we’ve even had
a minister attend before.”
Amtgard refrains from “mun­
dane discrimination” according to
Caliegh.
“Even if you’re the lowest man
on the totem pole in real life, you
can be a king in Amtgard,” ex-
panded.Orgy.
Having little to no out of pocket
cost makes Amtgard even more
open to all walks of life.
“If you just want to play, it
doesn’t cost anything,” informed
Caliegh. “Dues-paying members
can vote on official business con­
cerning the kingdom and holding.”
Amtgard is also involved in the
community.
“We help the community by tak­
ing care of Gladstone/Oregon City
parks,” said Orgy.
Amtgard teamed up with the
Marines last Christmas to help
with the Toys for Tots toy
drive and assisted the
American Heart Associa­
tion
in
previous
fundraisers.
Sapphire Shores J
is part of the King-
dom of the Valley
of the Silver
Rains, which has hold­
ings in SW Wash­
ington, NW Oregon
and Montana. There are a total
of ten kingdoms across the U.S.
with holdings all over the world, in­
cluding Croatia, Germany and Rus­
sia. The original Kingdom, Burn­
ing Lands, was founded in El Paso
Texas in 1983.
Sapphire Shores meets at
Meldrum Bar Park Saturdays and
Sundays at noon. Campouts and
other events happen all summer
long. For more information on
Amtgard or Sapphire Shores, con­
tact Casey Skoog at 794-0734 or
visit the Amtgard web site at
www.amtgard. com.
[top] Orgy fights against a
Vancouver combatant in the
Single Sword event. Fighters
square off for battle during the
Weapons Master Tournament
in Vancouver, Washington.
There were five events in all.
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON LINGEL
[top] Friends Duncan Gray and Sir Doomsday battle it out during
the Dual Sword event.
[left] The costume is a large part of assuming the Amtgard
persona. Awards are given for outstanding self-tailored
costumes.
orders to
Oregon City
Hilltop
SMaptóìn ct
V
Lène
" " S-Coftrarw (Si I
!
$749
£. #gCjMJSnwg 'p J
Si
ONLY VALID WITH
COUPON * Not valid
with any other offer.
Expires: 5/17/00
Get any 2 standard subs for $ 7. 49
with this coupon!
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
z