Community Spotlight_Tug of War!

Late night, a packed arena, teams with boots laced up, suede coats on and adrenaline running high,
the announcers calling up the first teams to flip for a side, teams taking positions, holes being dug, the announcer saying pick up the rope, team members on each side taking up pressure, all eyes on their coach, and with one drop of the hat the pull starts! The arena comes alive with cheers for both sides, John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”
blasting on the speakers, coaches watching for the perfect moment to give the heave signal, the announcer saying 2 minutes have passed, the rope tightening and pulling back and forth, finally teams switching into the backlock and giving every last surge of energy they have. The crowd erupting in cheers, And all at once the pull is over! Anyone that has watched Tug of War before can go right back to those moments whether they pulled or were cheering from the side lines. Tug of war was popular in our community back in the 1960s – 1980s and is finally regaining popularity again.

This year we have a new youth team of children that will be able to compete against 4H teams throughout the Province. As well we have 2 new women’s tug of war teams and a men’s team that will be representing New Ross starting at the first pull on June 8th in Eldridge Park, Falmouth. Pulls start at 2pm.

“Back in the day it was not uncommon, at the New Ross Fair, to see hundreds of people lined up to watch the tug-of-war pulls. Participants in competitive Tug-of-War train rigorously and compete fiercely. It’s a demanding sport; it’s not for the faint of heart. It requires you to expend all your energy and muscle in the span of 15 minutes and leaves you as a strengthless, quivering mass of jelly.” – George Broome

“Who makes a good tug-of-war team member? Typically, a good tug-of-war team member is a person who has the will to win and the will to never give up. A person who has ‘heart’. He doesn’t necessarily have to be the strongest person around. I have seen some of the best school athletes and strongest men not make it on the team. They simply did not want to put forward the effort. Or, as Al Pacino said in the movie ‘The Scent of A Woman’: “It’s too damn hard!” They did not have the ‘heart’. In a difficult pull, one has to dig down deep and persevere, even if there is nothing left in the tank. It hurts; and trust me, it hurts BAD.’ – George Broome

Rich in tradition and a Community built on heart New Ross will continue to be represented in the world of tug of war. There is an old saying: ‘Once it gets in your blood, it never leaves you’. Everyone is encouraged to come out and support our New Ross teams on June 8th in Falmouth!