HOLLAND, MI (WHTC) – The Hope College Pull is tomorrow on the Black River.
In a Hope College tradition that began in 1898, freshman and sophomore teams face one another across the water on a crisp fall day, tethered together by a rope that each intends to claim. Each team has 36 members: 18 “pullers” on the rope, and 18 “moralers” who relay directions and help keep the pullers focused.
If you’re a puller, you wait for the signal from the moraler–your eyes, since you can’t see the signals while lying in the pit–and then heave for all you’re worth, willing the rope home. Then you lock in and try to keep the other side from doing the same.
In three hours, maybe less, the contest will be over. The memories, though, will last a lifetime.
The students won’t leave their dirty laundry for Mom to clean up. They say they just toss the clothes they wear in the competition in the garbage.
– Mary Ellen Murphy
