Dartmouth Political Official Takes a Stab at Knife Throwing
There's an old saying in politics: "Oh, here's your knife. I finally pulled it out of my back."
SouthCoast Republican Party official Brock Cordeiro probably has plenty of stories to fill that narrative, but there's nothing political about the King Richard's Faire performer's decision to learn knife throwing.
Cordeiro was taught by veteran circus stunt and sideshow performer Ses Carny.
"A few months ago on Facebook, Carny offered instruction on how to throw knives," he said. "So I figured, for King Richard's Faire, it's a useful skill to learn from an entertainment perspective."
Cordeiro – whose stage name is Eirik Magnessen, the leather merchant of Carvershire – said he enjoys taking people by surprise.
"For me, it's showing people another side of my persona other than politics," he said.
Some historians believe we can go back 10,000 years and see weapons being thrown at each other or at prey animals.
"This isn't just throwing a hunk of razor sharp carbon steel at someone, as in the movies," Cordeiro said. "Many throwers are using time-tested methods. The best knife throwers today use techniques you can trace back to the Middle Ages."
That holds true for the legendary Adamovich, the Great Throwdini, who holds 44 world records.
How much of an investment is this hobby?
"You can can get a handful of professional carbon steel knives for around $200. A good throwing knife has a handle that fits perfectly in your hand," Cordeiro said.
Is throwing knives a hobby like throwing darts?
"For me, it's fun and therapeutic," Cordeiro said.
Another name for a knife is a carver – an appropriate name, seeing that this is opening weekend at King Richard's Faire, on Saturday, September 3, with free admission for all residents from Carver.
On Sunday, September 4, it is a salute to public safety, with all police, fire, first responders, sheriff employees, military, and anyone who qualifies for public safety gets in free to start another season of King Richard's Faire.