New tug o’war team is pulling together
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CAITHNESS is looking to pull its weight on the national tug o’war scene as the first county team has been established.
Caithness Tug O’War might be the new kids on the block but they are looking to make a real impact at the national championships next month.
However, they first need to prove they are good enough to make the national finals at the Royal Highland Show in Ingliston by getting through the north qualifiers at Cornhill in Aberdeenshire on Saturday, June 4.
Caithness puller Hamish Coghill said they’ve no intention of just making up the numbers in their first season of competition.
“It might sound ambitious to qualify for the Royal Highland Show national finals in our first year,” he said.
“But you’ve got to set high standards from the very beginning. We don’t want to go down and just make up the numbers at the qualifiers.
“We want to make a real impact on the tug o’war scene in Scotland."
Mr Coghill (25), from Halkirk, and his friend Mark Mackay have helped to re-establish tug o’war in Caithness after the sport was mainly confined to young farmers’ events in recent years.
Members of young farmers’ clubs in Bower, Forss and Halkirk have supported the resurgence of the sport, with the club having 20 members who train twice a week at Gerston Farm on the outskirts of Halkirk.
Mr Coghill, a firefighter at Dounreay, said the club is quite keen to shake off the young farmers’ image of the sport and welcome new athletes from a variety of backgrounds. “Even though the club has been established by young farmers, it is open to anyone in the county,” he said.
“In part of our drive to boost the sport, we have made it one of our aims to make it clear that it is not exclusive to young farmers – it is open to anyone.”
Tug o’war teams can have up to six men pulling, although in amateur contests the number of athletes can be reduced to meet certain weight regulations.
There are two main positions in each side, the front man and the anchor, with four pullers in between who have to pull the other team over the line.
Athletes also wear specialist boots to protect their feet and Mr Coghill said they are a vital part of competition.
“The boots are like ski boots and have a steel plate on the bottom and a hard plastic with a rubber designed to keep ankles rigid so they are not under too much strain,” he said.
“In the past athletes used to wear tackety army boots, but the sport has moved on.
“When you pull the rope you do feel a good burn on the hands and the forearms really tense up.
“But the key is to keep yourself tight during the pull and drop your knees because it is a constant pressure.”
Mr Coghill represented Scotland three years ago at the UK championships with the Halkirk tug o’war team which formed Scotland A and came a respectable fourth out of eighth.
In amateur competitions, teams can involve men and women but Mr Coghill hopes Caithness will be in a position eventually to field individual men’s and women’s teams at the Royal Highland Show qualifiers at Cornhill.
“We are heading down to Stonehaven on Sunday to take part in an amateur competition which we will treat as a warm-up to the Royal Highland Show qualifiers,” he said.
“We need to finish in the top three to represent the north of Scotland at the national championships.
“I think we can do it – the ball is rolling and we have got off to a good start with having a strong squad.”
Caithness Tug O’War train on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm at Gerston Farm. For more information visit the team’s Facebook page.
