PAGE 10
MONDAY, JUNE 11, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
LOCAL
Lawrence LARPers create own world
JESSICA TIERNEY
jtierney@kansan.com
You're enjoying an evening hike in the woods. The sun is setting and the air is cool. You hear a soft rumble, but you shrug it off as thunder, a distant storm. Hiking further, the rumble becomes louder, like it's headed directly towards you. Then the rumble becomes more like a roar. You hear voices, shouting, even snarling. Then, a group of nine or 10 people emerges, running and shouting. You duck behind a nearby tree. The light is low, but you can see capes, shields, and swords.
Yes, swords.
No, this isn't a hallucination.
You've just witnessed a LARP
LARP is an acronym for "Live Action Role Play." It's a style of interactive gaming that can trace its origins to the late 1970s. Fans of tabletop role-playing games and fantasy films such as "Logan's Run" wanted to take their appreciation of those imaginary worlds and recreate them in real life.
gathering and the running, shouting, shields and swords are all part of this intricate game that takes imagination to a whole new level.
"I like to describe it as King Arthur in the woods with a plastic sword," said Joe Bearden, KU graduate and chapter director of Heroic Central, a LARP organization located in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas.
Its popularity has grown since the '70s, especially within the last decade
and the release of "The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy.
The oldest recorded LARP group is the United States-based organization, Dagorhir, founded in 1977. Its name originates from I.R.R Tolkien's Sindarin Elven language and translates as "Battle Lords." According to its official website, "To experience Dagorhir is to grasp at the unobtainable."
Some LARPs are historical, some are fantastical, and the future are set in dystopian worlds of the controlled by androids. There is clearly an appeal to every nook and cranny of the human imagination.
For Bearden, it's become a full-time job and passion. He began LARPing in 1992 and is currently working on
developing a LARP camp at a site near LaCygne, Kan. He founded a local chapter of Heroic, a national LARP organization, in 2009.
Bearden says participants are mostly college age, but they can range anywhere from as young as 4 to working adults. He says its appeal can be different for everyone.
"For some people, it's just as simple as liking to fight," he said. "For other people, it's about creating a character and seeing the character develop over time."
For participant Larisa Hines, LARP is a creative outlet and temporary escape from reality.
"LARPing is my little Las Vegas," said Hines. "What happens in game, stays in game."
Hines has been involved with local LARP organizations for 8 years. She maintains two full-time jobs that sometimes conflict with weekend-long LARP events.
"I just tell people that I'm going camping with some friends if I don't think they'd understand," Hines said.
Both Bearden and Hines are passionate about the characters, the land, and the game. For those who don't know about it, LARP may sound strange. For them, it adds excitement and imagination, which real life lacks, and Hines is committed to it.
KICKBALL COMPETITION
"I'm a LARPer for life."
—Edited by Maegan Mathiasmeier
JESSICA JANASZ/KANSAN
JESSICA JANASZ/KANSAN Charlie Naramore, a recent graduate from Lawrence kicks the ball into the outfield Sunday evening at Holcom Sports Complex while playing the Love Garden Squids in kickball. Charlie is a part of the Eldridge Ghosts and plays every Sunday against any one of the 31 other teams who are part of the kickball league until the final tournament begins in early August.
HEALTH
Students cope with allergies this season
KELSEA ECKENROTH
keckenroth@kansan.com
Allergies are bad this summer, causing runny noses, sore throats, itchy eyes, and other symptoms that can make summertime difficult to enjoy for people with allergies.
Ron Weiner, an asthma, allergy, and immunology specialist at the Lawrence Asthma Allergy Associates, 346 Maine St., said allergies are worse than usual this year.
"We had such a mild winter that allergies tended to be earlier and more intense than in the usual spring" Weiner said. He says grass and pollen are the two common summer allergies and tend to peak in May and June.
Amanda Kong, a recent graduate from Lawrence, said her grass allergy is worse during the spring and summer.
"Grass doesn't cause my eyes to itch or anything, but I can't sit in it or else I will break out in hives in about a minute," she said. "Ive just learned to avoid it because it's so itchy."
If Kong does touch grass, she said she takes medication to treat her allergy. "I have to take an antihistamine or use a topical cream to get the hives to go down," Kong said.
Weiner said eye drops and nasal spray are available for people whose nose and eyes are affected by allergies,
and cortisone nasal spray is helpful because it decreases mucus, swelling, inflammation, and sensitivity to the nose.
Nasal decongestants can be addictive or harmful, and can cause rebound nasal congestion, so Weiner said he doesn't recommend them. "They have more side effects than any useful purpose," Weiner said.
Weiner said people can get an allergy skin test done, instead of just taking medicine. "The test can tell someone what they are allergic to whether it's certain trees, grass, weeds, dust, mold, or pests," he said. "The test is an inexpensive and non-traumatic way to identify someone's allergies." Asthma Allergy Associates is the only place in Lawrence that does the allergy skin test.
The time of day and different weather conditions can intensify allergies.
Warren Frick, an allergist at the Lawrence Asthma Allergy Associates, said humidity creates mold, which starts growing in the spring and peaks in the fall. Frick also said climate change is causing pollen season to come earlier, stronger, and last longer than usual.
"Pollen is highest in the early morning and on windy days." Frick said. "Keep your windows and doors closed even if the weather is nice."
Edited by Megan Hinman
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