Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / April 3, 2015, edition 1 / Page 16
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8 i April 3, 2015 The Goofordian WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM/SPORTS Athletes rally to be the Fighting Quakers BY ZACHARY LINDSEY Staff Pacifist In the many years of Guilford College athletics, Guilford’s teams have been known as the Quakers, and now the school is making moves to become the Fighting Quakers. The current mascot also represents the peacefulness of the Quakers traditions, but recently it has been brought to the attention of students and alumni that regular Quakers do not resemble tranquility every time an athlete steps on the field. This is not necessarily a bad thing considering sports are supposed to be competitive and physical. Therefore, the step to change both mascot and teams to Guilford College Fighting Quakers has begun. “If we changed ' our mascot to a Fighting Quaker, I strongly believe our motivation would increase as we would have a much stronger desire to win,” said junior lacrosse player Andy Hickson. As the College continues to find a suitable name for its athletic prowess, both students and faculty especially desire the College to change the mascot to a Fighting Quaker. “If our mascot resembled something more intimidating our success of bringing more national championships to Guilford College would be higher,” said junior Jeremy Morris. The Friends General Conference is supporting Guilford College’s decision in changing their mascot to a more violent representative of the College. “Guilford College changing its mascot to the Fighting Quakers is a positive change for their athletics,” said FGC member Matthew Duncan. “It goes hand-in-hand with our values as Quakers, and it upholds Guilford’s commitment to peacefulness and equality throughout the wide diaspora of Quaker beliefs and traditions.” “As a Quaker school, we have to lead by example carrying the Quaker traditions everywhere we go,” said sports enthusiast and President Jane Fernandes. “Our goal is to share a powerful, deceptively simple tool that challenges each and everyone to believe in peacefulness and nonviolent activity.” The Quakers have won five national championships in the last 42 years. This includes the 1973 NAIA men’s basketball title, the 1981 NAIA women’s tennis title and the 1989 (NAIA) 2002 and 2005 (NCAA Division III) men’s golf titles. Currently Guilford competes as an NCAA Division III and Old Dominion Athletic Conference member. This new Nathaniel Green-themed mascot, in honor of the original “Fighting Quaker,” will soon make appearances at Armfield Athletic Center and Ragan-Brown Field House when the Quakers are at war with their opponents. “Even though Quakers aren’t violent, being called the Fighting Quakers is a form of significance and entitlement,” said sophomore basketball player Gregory Vose. “When each and every athlete takes the field we believe (Nate the Fighting Quaker) helps signify our physicality.” The normative testimonies of Quakerism directly oppose violence, but Nate the Fighting Quaker is a sign of equality and peace. The normative testimonies of Quakerism should be incorporated into the school’s curriculum and athletic departments because a part of Guilford College’s core values allows students to shape their perspective and promote positive change in the world. Athletic spirit is highly respected at Guilford as teams continue to dominate the ODAC. The Fighting Quakers have embraced the name since the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Lindsey R. Davis Jr. and Guilford’s board of trustees have granted the change to the Fighting Quakers next athletic season. The men’s volleyball head coach Ivan Rich stated that the suggested sketches for the mascots have been very eerie in comparison to the current mascot, Nate the Quaker. “The new design for the mascot, now know as Fighting Quaker Nathanael Greene, named after Major General Nathanael Greene of the Continental Army, portrays significance that Quakers can fight for what they believe in, yet still be pacifistic,” said Rich. “It’s an honor that, within the time I’ve been at Guilford College, Guilford is .now calling themselves' the' Figlhting Quakers,” said sophomore football player Jeffrey Uresti. “Allowing this school to bear a new trademark and improving the school’s icon is a wonderful thing. “This trademark will send a clear message to our opponents that we’re in for the long run. Amtgard lays siege to get real weapons BY ANNIE FULLWOOD Medievalist “Amtgard is everything to me,” said avid Amtgard participant and junior Lance Lot. Lance, like many other fantasy fans across the country, has turned to Amtgard to fulfill his dreams of living within the genre. Amtgard is the name of the organization and sport that focuses on allowing its players to participate in medieval combat, quests and crafts. While the organization is mainly based in the United .States, there are a few international guilds. Unfortunately, North Carolina is severely lacking in any major guilds; the closest official team is in Chapel Hill. As described on the official Amtgard website, the main characteristics of the sport are the live-action role-playing theme as well as the boffer style of combat. Players use foam-padded equipment styled after medieval and fantasy weaponry during combat. The Guilford College Amtgard guild. Dwarf Cove, has recently begun attempting to change many of the fundamental aspects of the sport. “Our club is growing each year, and we’ve reached the point where competing behind the lake with our cheap foam equipment is not going to be enough” said Arthur Caliber, president of the Guilford Amtgard club. “As a guild, we’ve agreed that we will need our own field. We also want permission to install a few stables and to purchase weapons for our recreational use. “Horses and weapons were key aspects of medieval fighting, and we think they could be invaluable to our community.” Caliber, along with the entire Dwarf Cove club, is currently petitioning the college to allow these requests. They are currently seeking permission to own and house a minimum of two horses on campus, as well as to purchase swords, authentic armor and quality bow and arrow sets for each of the 15 guild members. The total estimate of the expenses, not including the cost of land, is $4 million. “I completely understand the hesitation the school has towards our plans,” said Gwen Vere, member of Dwarf Cove. “People worry we’re going to use swords against bystanders or accidentally stab each other. But, we’re all well trained in combat to avoid anything dangerous from happening. They also might think the horses have a negative impact on campus, but I completely disagree. Other clubs could use the horses. We could even look into forming a polo team.” Vere accurately summed up campus concerns, as seen in the online comments to the petition. “Absolutely horrifying,” said senior Morgan Fay. “What’s next, paying people to dress up like witches to fight? And who is going to clean up after the horses?” Many others question the cost and the danger of using real swords. It is yet to be seen if the weapons used would be sharpened or dull. The Guilford community collectively hopes for the latter. “The idea may seem too radical at first, but using real weapons and animals can be great for publicity and popularity for our club and Guilford,” said Vere. “With swords and more exciting equipment we may even be regarded as a real team sport.” President Jane Fernandes has yet to comment on the requests from the Amtgard club, but Caliber has high hopes for his guild. The guild also has not heard from the Amtgrad organization in response to their actions. It seems that Dwarf Cove may be in for a long fight, one that does not involve foam lances. • ^ The Amtguard Club advocates that they recieve their own field and stables to make from for their new horeses and equipment.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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April 3, 2015, edition 1
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