MUSWELLBROOK’S Ben Hoffman believes the recent Tug of War World Championships will hold the Australian team in good stead when it next competes on the international stage.
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The local solicitor was a member of the Maitland Club, which flew the national flag at Malmo, Sweden, earlier this month.
While the outfit did not win, they gained some valuable insight which will aid them in future events.
“The championship was broken into a couple of competitions,” Mr Hoffman said.
“The first two days feature the open division, which is a club/regional section with 80 organisations vying for the title of world champion.
“Maitland contested the 580kg (lightweight) category.
“The final two days were closed, with 26 international teams participating.
“The Australian line-up, which included five Maitland pullers, three from Brisbane and two from Victoria, took part in the 580kg (lightweight) and 640kg (middleweight) classes.”
The national lightweight team placed 15 out of 17, beating France and Wales in a tough encounter that went to a tiebreaker.
The middleweight squad finished 17th out of 21, defeating France and Serbia.
Mr Hoffman said the pullers’ preparation was good.
“I’ve competed at one prior World Championships – in 2000 at Blackpool, England – but nine of our 13-person squad made their debut at Malmo,” he explained.
“We flew out on August 29, had a training camp with the Swiss national team and defending world champions for one week, before travelling to Sweden.
“The guys were also coached by an experienced Swiss mentor Peter Odermatt, who during the training camp in Switzerland, provided us with insights and experience of the ‘Swiss’ method of pulling tug of war.
“Switzerland has dominated the World Championships for a decade.
“And, now, on our return, we’ll adapt our training and technique to accommodate these insights.
“The closed results were Australia’s best placings since the 1980s.
“So, it bodes well for our assault on the 2018 World Championships in Cape Town, South Africa.”
Mr Hoffman admitted the Upper Hunter would play a major role in that campaign.
“The Aberdeen Highland Games in July will host the 2017 Australian Championships,” he said.
“When training resumes in January, I will be looking to recruit Upper Hunter locals for a new team to contest the event.
“Tug of war competition is divided into weight classes and, with the oldest national squad puller 61 and the youngest 19, it is a sport open to all ages and fitness/strength levels.
“We are particularly looking for lightweight and female pullers interested in being part of a mixed side.
“I, personally, love the camaraderie among the team members and the personal challenge of getting physically and mentally ready for what is an exhausting and often brutal sporting endeavour.”