Two Beers with Gregers - "You only get as much fun as you create yourself".
Two Beers with Gregers - "You only get as much fun as you create yourself".
Many have seen him, but who is the man (not) named “Gregers”? Whether you have met him at community service, as a choir-boy at the digital welcoming in 2020, or as the “trønder” of all “trønders” in TF: For a modest man as he is, he has done an impressive amount of things in a short period of time. Perhaps not so strange, living by the motto…
Journalist: Tord Kristian F. Andersen
Fotograf: Åsne Sørlie-Nordnes
Translator: Aleksander Mæland Munkejord
Shut-in, Quiet Country Boy
Gregers was born as Erik Sand, eldest son in a group of 5 siblings, and hails from a former sheep ranch in Steinkjer. He admits having been what you can call a “shut-in, quiet country boy”. At upper secondary school he studied music, and learned to play the piano. When I ask if he considers himself to be musically talented, he responds «my musicality consists of reading notes and learning them by heart”. Choirs were never really great either, as it felt forced and mandatory. Ironic, considering what lied ahead. After finishing school, he spent a year guarding the Royal Residence in the Royal Guard, pointing to the shoes he wore back then, admittedly having seen better days. They tell the tale of a lifetime of commitment, squeezed into five years in a small town just south of Oslo.
Ås
When Erik was to decide his studies, the plan was do livestock-studies and find a girl with “odel” (heir of a farm). Anyways, he ended up prioritizing geomatics. When he arrived in Ås the fall of 2016 he, like many others, decided to get involved. Having been in the Royal Guard, he was a natural guard-volunteer in UKA 2016. Shortly after, he joined TF, an amusing group of people, which seemed like a fun way to pass the time. Note that TF is not really a place-union, but a “social union for fans of the Trønder ways”. He quickly got aquainted with people in the boys’ choir “Over Rævne”. After just one semester the seeds were planted for what kind of a man Erik would become in Ås.
The connection to Ås is not entirely random. As an anecdote I learn that his parents were in Ås at UKA 1994. The idea of Erik was born in Ås, the UKA Halvors Hybel was opened. The fact that he was ”intended” in Ås was accepted nonetheless, as the idea was fulfilled back in Trøndelag. To be a member of TF, you according to karsken.no must prove that you are “intended, done and born in Trøndelag”. Doubtedly approved?
"Gregers"
Despite the distaste for choirs he gained in high school, he quickly decided to become a “Rævnekar”. The tryouts were already done for the fall, but he reached out when spring arrived. Erik cannot go into details, but remembers the ice-cold spring tryouts well. He forgot to remove his sports watch, and when you run 30 kms in deep snow your pulse rises, a lot. Erik was named a star by the app (see picture). After joining as 2nd tenor, he was given the name Gregers by the “BEstyrer” (leader) at the time, to distinguish from the other Eriks: Rullestad and Ødegård. The name was used actively from the next choir weekend in Krakow 2017, and there were lots of fun connected do this during the choir weekend in Trondheim the same year. So, what exactly does the name Gregers mean? Nothing at all.
Maintaining the Physique
Physical activity was not a one-off. Gregers lived with leader of Samfunnet at the time, Oskar Aalde. He encouraged him to join a marathon. Since then there’s been a lot of running. Gregers has also done the Birkebeiner ski race twice, and the Birkebeiner Triple once. The triple is to complete the ski race, the run, and the bike ride, all in the same year. Gregers himself does not claim that there is any prestige in this, but he is still a rightful bearer of the title “Birkebeiner of the year 2019”. This physical activity was a good preparation for his world record in 3000m combined: drinking a beer and a karsk each lap.
Microbrewer
“But, you certainly can’t be active all the time?”, I think out loud. What does a Gregers do to unwind? The answer is that brewing beer is a dear hobby. He started doing this the spring of 2017 and peaked when he became “BEruser” (Brewer) for Rævne. An interesting fact is that he mass ordered and brewed just as much during the first corona period as he did for Rævne during Uka 2018, about 200L. Lately he has been appreciating the Coffee Stout, which in my notes is a “Beer with Coffee (yuck)”. I am reassured though, that it is a tasty winter beer, but maybe not as great in the summer.
Crown Princes and Revues
After being part of the anniversary revue of IVAR and Rævne, in addition to a TF-revue two months later, both as actor and musician, any and all stage fright was long gone. Singing for the Crown Prince at both the front and the middle after no more than a week in Rævne was an equally sizable cause. Being part of TF also aided him in cultivating his speaking skills. “You’ll get a long way by speaking your voice sometimes!”. In particular, when he was anointed general of the karskrenn, with a megaphone (and good aid of some moonshine), it became evident that speaking isn’t really all that bad.
Further Involvement
When 2018 arrived, Gregers applied his piano skills as a UKE-musician. With a lot of initial encouragement from established Ås-personalities, this was his own idea. This proved itself to be fun, and Gregers amplified his involvement at Samfunnet by becoming a security guard-responsible from January 2019. In addition, he was both a student council leader for REALTEK and student representative in the research committee. He has also been a guard responsible for alcohol consumption for SiÅs, and thus, he has worked for all the three forces that shape the life of students.
BEstyrer and the Election Committee
And the commitment grew. Together with Johan Maagard, Gregers decided to apply for both BEstyrer and Vice President of Samfunnet. When he was elected BEstyrer, he applied for the election committee instead of Vice President. As “BEboer” (resident) of the “BEdehus” (house of Over Rævne) he has gotten to know the other unions well. With, in general, a large involvement with the unions, the election committee was a natural choice for Gregers, to encourage these people. Being part of a union makes him familiar to the other unions, both the sororities and historical unions, equally interesting, as Gregers describes them. When I asked what he got out of the election committee, he says that it was generally amusing to make people apply, especially for the UKE-board, which was a fair amount of work.
The Eternal Vice President
Gregers is the last Vice President of Samfunnet in Ås. He admits that even if he wasn’t particularly nervous about applying for the election committee, he was quite nervous about being Vice President, even without competition. “Can I really be here anymore if I don’t gain the trust”, Gregers tells he had thought as the laughter fills the room. The change from Vice President to Bodega Chief, and from Deputy for the Leader to Head of Administration, is something he was really somewhat rooting for. The Vice President was essentially responsible for what happens on the house, in regards to hosting parties and other internal affairs, and not so much the Samfunnet externally. Unfortunately, these affairs would prove less exciting than we all hoped for. Gregers is part of the exclusive group that were anointed for positions at Samfunnet as Corona struck Norway.
This is something Gregers experienced brutally in the period prior to March 12th. Lots of phone calls from people who didn’t want to work. This caused a lot of changes to the schedules, and they ended up having to close earlier, and host fewer events. In the end, it was out of his control: Samfunnet was closed down.
Gregers admits that these were hard times, and that lasted throughout the spring. It all got better when the board were able plan the Buddy Week. Some things had to be scaled down, but it is still an accomplishment to be proud of. Especially when UKA has been brought up so much, even though it was Samfunnet that proved it was possible.
Dear to family
Gregers has always held a close relation to his grandparents, and after he moved they have spoken at least once a week. They are the ones who let him know of the olden days, something he has brought with him as an interest here in Ås. Gregers has, apart from foraging the archive for his own enjoyment, also uncovered a lot of medals that hang proudly below the Uggenspranget. When I ask him if he thinks his grandparents are proud of him, I receive a mumbling “tja” (“I guess…”). I choose to interpret this as a yes, cause with everything he has accomplished, there isn’t a whole lot more he could have done. He is one of the few who, in my opinion, have “100%-ed” Ås.
Greetings for Gregers
The spring of 2017, like every year, Rævne had tryouts for new members. The spring is a symbol of growth and a new beginning, and this trial is no exception. One gentleman in particular, stood out from the group. This man, with his peculiar demeanor, came from Trøndelag, sung well and could drink more than what one would expect from an unrefined Rævnekar. Still, something was missing from this figure. He was both square and shy in his manners, a bit like Bambi’s first steps on the ice. We saw the potential in this creature, and decided to give him a name, a symbol of his great future. The choice fell quickly, on Gregers, who fought a hopeless but vital battle against the Germans. Not unlike Rævne’s eternal battle against the harsh tones. A new man was born, the gestalt with the name Erik Gregers Sand. With a stamina like Martin Johnsrud Sundby with a triple dose of asthma medicine, and the liver of Andrew the giant, you were bound to go far.
Gregers bloomed like every spring before him, and he soon became one of the important faces in Rævne, not to mention, a great friend. Few regular mortals carry the same ability to make those around him feel both valued and respected, as Gregers. But then again, Gregers is neither regular nor mortal.
Many would claim that the BEst there is, is chocolate, laughing children, fireworks in the starry sky, symbolizing the passing from an old eroded year to a new year, full of opportunity. We, on the other hand, would argue that the BEst there is, is Erik Gregers Sand.
Best regards, your sammBEboers og x-BEboers,
Johan Stener Maagaard, Hans-Kristian Hartvig, Ulrik Melhuus og Erik Rullestad.
Erik “Gregers” Sand is a man without training wheels.
Despite this, the three of us have been able to observe this boulder of an Ogndaling together.
In good times and bad times, mostly drunk times, we lived together under the stained roof of BEdehuset.
There, we observed Greger’s good and bad, habits, and his random input, with respectively none, some, and great, enthusiasm.
With a voice that carries across Dovre, and a thirst that would have Loke of Utgard offer him a bed.
These qualities make him someone to look up to, follow, and support, something all three of us have done.
Gregers’ best qualities though, are in his kind heart.
He’s a closet snuggly-bear, a confession usually found in the bottom of a glass.
The good-boy is a kind, generous and considerate man who always offers all he has, of food, drinks, and insults.
A man with a capital M, he keeps his feelings hidden inside, but they are plentiful and strong. There’s lots of joy, love and excitement over all that crawls and moves in Ås.
When we at first met Gregers, we didn’t catch whether or not he liked us, and even today we’re still not quite sure. All we know is that we like him.
During our time together, he has managed to spill plenty of stains on our hearts.
A short story:
Gregers asked Anders if he could have a tomato; which he then grabbed between his teeth and chomped down, splashing all over the white shirt; “fuckin’ pointless”, Anders had said.
Your friends,
Anders Christopher, Mattias og Harald
Our dear Vice President, Gregers Sand.
No human on this globe fit the expression “Work hard, play hard” better than you. A fateful evening in October 2019 the General Assembly elected a hardworking, wholehearted and involved man for the board of Samfunnet, to the great excitement for everyone who were lucky enough to sit at the table of the Board, with you.
You put down an unearthly amount of effort so that the doors of Samfunnet could reopen after the Corona lockdown March 12th, so that Thorvald and Tora could maintain their beer consumption. It is safe to say that never before has anyone worked so hard, so that so few people could have a drink, and it must be said that the well known cohort-system we all grew to love during UKA was greatly based on your efforts through the summer and fall before UKA.
In the board you were a man with an enlightened and clear voice, a forward-looking gaze, and your own opinions. Your efforts and eagerness for work has truly been to everyone’s joy and inspiration, and the dedication never ended at the end of the workhours. Not one of us drinks beer faster, knows more trinklieders, or master the hip-dance as well as you do. Not only have you been a wholehearted Vice President and a solid member of the board; to us, you’re first and foremost a great friend. Your humor, honesty, not to mention kindness, has undoubtedly carried over to us, and contributed to an unforgettable year for all of us.
We wish you the all the best for the future!
See you in the Bodega
The Board of Samfunnet 2020