User:Yhaelleinad/Sandbox

The Pull is an epic tug-of-war between the freshman and sophomore classes at Hope College. The Pull takes place across the Black River in Holland, Michigan, and now takes place on the first Saturday of October every year ( Prior to 1993 it was held on a Friday). The Pull is the oldest college tradition in the U.S., dating back to 1898. During the Pull, each team has 18 students on the rope as "pullers," and another 18 acting as guides and morale boosters, or "moralers." The freshmen are coached by the junior class, and the sophomores by the seniors. This arrangement has led to the rivalry between even and odd year classes. The competition is now limited to three hours, however it previously had no time limit. The winner is decided by a measure of which team has taken the most rope.

Beginnings
There is a general consensus that the pull was first held in 1898. Hope College’s own newspaper The Anchor mentions the pull in the November, 1898 issue. This makes the pull a 114 year tradition at Hope College, while also making it the longest standing college tradition in the United States. Due to the events informality, the results and details from the pre-1909 years is unknown. It is known that there were at least four years that the Pull was not held: 1918, 1943 and 1944 due to WWI and WWII, and 1957 because of a flu epidemic on campus.

Rules and Guidelines
During the Pull, each team has 18 male or female students on the rope as "pullers," and another 18 female students acting as guides and morale boosters, or "moralers." In 1995 the first woman was chosen to be a puller (Keri Law '99 of Niles, Mich., who was also a puller during the 99th pull as a sophomore). It is believed that 1994 was the first year that a woman tried out as a puller (Nina Bieliauskas '97 of Ann Arbor, Mich., who in the end was a moraler). The term "moralers," as opposed to "morale girls," was adopted in 1992.

Pull History
The pull was moved to a Saturday for the first time in 1993 (Sept. 25) to allow more to attend and to avoid conflicts with the college's academic schedule. The event had previously been held on Friday afternoons. The longest Pull, held in 1977, was 3 hours and 51 minutes long, and was called a draw. The event is now limited to three hours maximum, rule change implemented in 1978; at the end of the three hours, the judges may declare a winner by measuring gain. At the beginning of pull day, judges on both sides mark the rope in front of the first pit. As the competition progresses, a visual observation can determine the amount of rope that has been taken. The shortest Pull, held in 1956, was 2 minutes and 40 seconds. The shortest Pull under the rules implemented in 1978 occurred in 2008 when the Class of 2011 defeated the Class of 2012 in 67 minutes after gaining 71 feet or rope. There have been four draws since 1909: 1916, 1926, 1952 and 1977. The 1926 competitors later held a basketball game as a tie-breaker (which the sophomores won). The 1977 event was called a tie after running 3 hours and 51 minutes. Since 1909, the even-year class has won 54 times to the odd-year classes' 41. The last even-year victory was in 2009. The last odd-year victory was in 2011. Also since 1909, the sophomores have won 64 times to the freshman class's 31. The last sophomore win was in 2010. The last freshman victory was in 2011.

The Rope
However the rope stretches during the pull and in some cases it can appear that each side has finished with gained rope. This has happened as recently as the 102nd pull (the sophomore Class of '02 won having gained 6 feet, 1 inch more than the freshman Class of '03). Every inch counts in pull and the margin of victory can sometimes be painstakingly small. In 1995, for example, the sophomore Class of '98 won by only 2 feet, 10 inches. It is possible for the rope to break, which happened in 1974. A new rope was obtained and the pull was held the following Monday. A brand new rope was bought in 2006.

Pull Facts ( Including 2011 )
First held: 1898 First reported outcome: 1909 (the frosh Class of '13 won) Number of frosh wins since 1909: 31 Number of soph wins since 1909: 64 Number of odd-year wins since 1909: 41 Number of even-year wins since 1909: 54 Number of cancellations: 4 Number of draws: 4 Longest Pull: 3 hours, 51 minutes (1977) Shortest Pull: 2 minutes, 40 seconds (1956) Team size: 18 pullers, 18 moralers Only three buildings on campus are older than the Pull: Van Vleck Hall (1857) Graves Hall (dedicated 1894) President's Home (completed 1896)
 * Bulleted list item