Service members, civilians 'hash' it out

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

07.05.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Senior Airman Chawntain Sloan
MNC-I PAO

HASH

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq -- The chase is on, and the hounds are hot on the hare's trail. But this isn't an ordinary scavenger hunt led by the Easter Bunny. This conniving hare will do almost anything to throw even the most skilled hound off track.

It's a challenge that about 35 service members, Department of Defense employees and contract civilians who are part of the Lost Lake Hash House Harriers at Camp Victory, Iraq, welcome every Sunday starting at 7 p.m.

While the Lost Lake hashers have been pursuing the hare for about three months, the world-wide tradition of hashing, as the running sport is commonly known, stems back a couple centuries.

During times and in locations where hunting game was sparse, men were substituted for hares and hunted by their peers in a non-lethal game called Hares and Hounds or Paper Chase.

Since a man's sense of smell is not as keen as a hound dog's, the hare would lay a trail for the hunters to follow using scrap paper.

"It's a running game, but you don't realize you're actually running," said 1st Lt. David Dixon, the Lost Lake Hash House Harriers" master of ceremonies, or songmeister as fellow hashers call him.

"You're running hard, trying to catch the hare, or if you are the hare, you're running to try to not be caught, but you're having fun doing it, so you don't really realize the workout you are getting."

In 1938, Albert Stephen Ignatius Gispert recreated the age-old Paper Chase game with his fraternity, which met weekly at the Selangor Club Chambers in Malaysia.

Because of its bland food, the club became known as the Hash House, and the Hash House Harriers were born.

Currently, about 1,500 other groups, including the Lost Lake Hash House Harriers, are listed in the World Hash House Harriers Database maintained online by Global Trash, the world hash publisher, at www.gthhh.com.

"There is a hash in just about every major city in the world," said Dixon, who has been a participant in several hash groups stateside and overseas since 1996.

"Each hash has different ways of doing things, but essentially, there are traditions, not rules."

While some groups may only meet on a monthly basis or to commemorate special holidays, the Lost Lake Hash House Harriers attempt to recreate the social camaraderie founded with the original non-competitive sport every week.

"We meet up at a different location each week, which is usually disclosed at the previous hash," said Dixon.

The Lost Lake hashers start each hash by introducing who they are, where they are from and what hash group they belong to.

Most people who have hashed with other groups have nicknames that were given to them based on the stories they shared with their group.

Those who don't already have nicknames are usually given a name by the Lost Lake hashers after their fifth time hashing, Dixon said.

"Some of the names and songs are not politically correct, but it's all in jest, and people have to have a thick skin and a sense of humor, or they are not going to enjoy what we do," he said.

Once everyone has been formally introduced, the hare is blessed with a traditional song and sent on his or her way.

"The hare usually gets a 10- to 15-minute head start, during which we socialize, sing a few songs and stretch out," Dixon said. "When I determine that it has been 10 to 15 minutes, I announce "On on!" and everyone breaks the circle and starts following the trail."

Using flour in place of scrap paper, like the traditional game, the hare maps out the trail along with several detours designed to confuse the hounds.

"The hare's goal is to not get caught but still lay a trail that is easily followed by the pack," said Dixon. "One dot of flour marks the trail until there is an intersection.

Once they reach the intersection, the runners are left to their own to devices to try and figure out which is the right trail to follow. The pack usually breaks up a little bit at this point, which helps the hare get further ahead."

The runners work as a group to decipher the meaning of the different markings and try to snare the hare before reaching the end of the trail.

"Trying to finding the right trail is my favorite part because it's like a big mystery," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Cheryl Migas, who recently joined the group. "You have to follow it to figure it out."

"Depending on the hare, the trail can be anywhere from a half mile to as long as four miles," said Dixon.

To ensure that the hashers don't get dehydrated, there are beverage checkpoints along the way.

"The preferred beverage of hashers is beer," said Dixon. "Here, we are a dry hash, but we have a variety of nonalcoholic beers and Gatorade available."

The beer checks, as they are called, also serve as a means for the hare to get further ahead. They usually slow everyone down for about five to 10 minutes because people start to socialize and don't realize how much time they are wasting, said Dixon.

"Eventually, the trail will come to an end, and it's usually never at the same place it starts," said Dixon. "It's usually at an undisclosed location that nobody knows about except the hare.

That way, no one runs straight to the end, and if the hare decides to run back to the start, no one will be there waiting for him or her. The objective is not to win the hash, it's to find the right trail and catch the hare."

At the conclusion of the hash just as at the start, the songmeister takes accountability to make certain that no one went missing along the way.

"We then circle back up, and I initiate punishment or reward," said Dixon. "We bring people in the circle and sing songs to embarrass them for things like missing a couple of hashes in a row, being the first or last person to finish and shortcutting the trail."

"Hashes all have different aspects, so you never know what's going to be a violation," said Migas, who started hashing in 1997 with Osan Bulgogi Hash House Harriers at Osan Air Base, Korea.

"But, it's all in fun. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't like it, you can always walk away."

For more information about the Lost Lake Hash House Harriers, log onto their homepage at www.sports.group.yahoo.com/group/lostlakeh3/ or contact Dixon at 822-1662.

For more information about the history of hashing or other hash groups, log onto Global Trash at www.gthhh.com.

The Lost Lake Hash House Harriers will continue the chase with a new hare and a new trail this Sunday starting a 7 p.m. at the parking lot next to Sports Oasis Dining Facility Stage.

"I don't want to discourage anyone from joining, but if you're easily offended, this is not the group for you," said Dixon. "If you're not a runner, that doesn't matter.

It's not a race, so it's not about winning."
"It's a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon because it not only gets you out but you also get to see another side of people and meet people you would probably never meet," said Migas.

• Date Taken: 07.05.2005
• Date Posted: 07.05.2005 14:09
• Story ID: 2265
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ