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Puddle Pull
2004 Greek Week Puddle Pull at Miami University
First ContestedMay 22, 1949; 75 years ago (1949-05-22)
ClubsAll Fraternities & Sororities
Characteristics
ContactNo
Team members
  • Greek Week: 10 per side
  • Spring/New Participates: 8 per side
Mixed-sexNo
TypeOutdoor
EquipmentRope (at least 50 ft long x 2 inch diameter)
Presence
Country or regionMiami University

Puddle Pull is a bi-annual tug-of-war contest held at Miami University. The current event is a timed, seated variation of tug-of-war in which Fraternities & Sororities compete.

History

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The first record of modern Puddle Pull is its appearances as a tug-of-war even in Miami's newspaper, The Miami Student, in May 1949.[1] The fraternity event was created by Frank Dodd of the Miami Chapter of Delta Upsilon. Originally, the event was held as a standing tug of war over the Tallawanda stream near the Oxford waterworks bridge in which the losers were pulled into the water.[2] This first event was later seen as a driving force for creating interfraternity competative actviites (Greek Week) at Miami University.[3] Prior to World War II, a tug-of-war competion was occasionally held during Miami University's "Class Contests".[4]

In 1955, the decision was made to add Puddle Pull to the annual Greek Week events.[5] The event was scheduled to be the last event and would remain on the last day of Greek Week for decades. At this point, the event was only open to fraternities.

It is unknown exactly what year the event was changed to a seated pull, however for Greek Week 1966, a new rule was created to prohibit locks and created the event that is seen today with the exception of a large pit that was still being dug in between the two teams. [6][7] In 1968, the first documented faculty team competed in Puddle Pull when then President Phillip Shriver challenged the third-place team from that year's event. [8] This was shortly followed by the first co-ed event in 1969, when Delta Upsilon hosted an event for new students during "Freshmen Weekend".[9]

It would not be until the mid-90's that sororities would regularly participate in Puddle Pull when Delta Upsilon began co-hosting the event with Gamma Phi Beta.[10][11][12] The sorority co-host would change throughout the years, however Delta Upsilon continues to host the event.[13] With the addition of sororities, Puddle Pull has also been used as a philanthropy event targeted at new members and new participants.[14][15]

Rules

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Note: A number of events have been recorded and are available on YouTube.

Setup and Equipment

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The event should be held in a level grass field in which pits will be dug. A 2-inch diameter rope that is at least 50 feet long is used for the event. Footholes or "pits" are dug for each participant at set intervals, see below. The pits are dug with a flat front and an angled back.

Dimensions for Puddle Pull Pits at Miami University
2001 Greek Week - Alpha Chi Omega vs Kappa Alpha Theta

Playing Rules

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  1. All pulls will be for 2 minutes except for the championship pull, which is 3 minutes in duration.
    • In the result of a tie, both teams involved will have a minimum break of 5 minutes. After the break, the two teams will pull for 1 minute.
  2. The rope must be on the same side of all members of a team at all times during the pull
  3. The team that has the flag on the rope on their side of the center marker at the final whistle is the winner.

Locks and Hits

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  1. The basic lock form in Puddle Pull is having your legs extended, back arched, head up, and hands close to your body.
    • A disqualifying lock is an attempt, exceeding thirty seconds, to stop the motion of the rope to gain an advantage over the other team.
  2. When the team is called to hit, each participant on the rope fires back and extends their legs to take rope onto their side. After being in the air, the team settles back down into their starting lock position.[16]
    • Every person on the team must move and hit every 30 seconds from the beginning of the pull. If a team fails to hit, they are disqualified.

Judging

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  1. There are four judges for each match.
    • A starter, whose job is to begin each match and monitor the overall time.
    • A rope judge, who, in conjunction with the starter, shall ensure a fair and impartial start and shall determine the winner of the match.
    • Two timers for each team observe and time locks.
  2. All judging will be done by the host of the opposite sex. i.e. Fraternities provide judges for sororities and vice versa.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Delta Chis Win Tug-O-War As Large Crowd Watches". The Miami Student. Vol. 074, no. 55. May 24, 1949. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "Fraternity Tug-O-War Teams Begin Practice For Struggle". The Miami Student. Vol. 074, no. 56. May 20, 1949. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  3. ^ "Greek Week Has Brief, Busy Past". The Miami Student. Vol. 088, no. 44. April 20, 1965. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  4. ^ "Welcoming The New Guys--Old School! Part 2". October 16, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "DU's to Introduce Puddle Pull at Annual Greek Week Event". The Miami Student. Vol. 080, no. 49. April 19, 1955. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  6. ^ "Greeks Set Theme Of 'Athenian Antics'". The Miami Student. Vol. 088, no. 42. April 13, 1965. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  7. ^ "Greek Week Scheduled". The Journal News. April 29, 1971. p. 62. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "Administration Competes For Puddle Pull Prize". The Miami Student. Vol. 092, no. 10. October 11, 1968. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "Pull, Darn It!". The Miami Student. Vol. 093, no. 03. September 30, 1969. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  10. ^ "Delta Upsilon and Gamma Phi Beta Puddle Pull Ad". The Miami Student. Vol. 122, no. 40. March 31, 1995. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  11. ^ "Gettin down and dirty". The Miami Student. Vol. 126, no. 44. April 13, 1999. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  12. ^ "Sigma Kappa Triangle" (PDF) (Autumn 1999 ed.). Sigma Kappa. Retrieved March 21, 2018. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  13. ^ Smith, Taylor (March 31, 2009). "PUDDLE PULL CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY". The Miami Student. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "Service". Kappa Alpha Theta - Gamma Upsilon. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  15. ^ Linehan, Mary Kate (March 1, 2010). "PUDDLE PULL OPENS TO NON-GREEK STUDENT". The Miami Student. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  16. ^ "Puddle Pull". Delta Upsilon Miami University Chapter. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Greek Week Rules". Retrieved March 20, 2018.


Category:Miami University Category:Delta Upsilon Category:Miami University traditions Category:Tug of war

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