As the weather becomes cooler and the leaves start to change, an annual Hope tradition gets into full swing: the Pull! For those of you who don’t know, the Pull is giant game of tug-of-war between the freshman and sophomore classes, or Even Year and Odd Year as they are called here. Each team has 18 pullers and 18 moralers—people who motivate and give direction to the pullers. It may sound simple, but there is so much more to it than pulling on a rope over the Black River for 3 hours. The Pull creates a strong sense of unity between each class and fosters a lot of school spirit.
Being a part of The Pull is not for everyone. I tried out to be a moraler last year, and I can say from personal experience that it is not only time-consuming (three-hour practices Monday through Friday and a long Saturday practice), but also really intense. The coaches, who are upperclassmen students, are so passionate about the Pull and do their best to convey that to everyone. I ended up not making the team, but I wasn’t very upset about it, because I know that the coaches want the team to be successful and win, so they put together the team they think will do the best job. And the Odd Year team did win last year! I have no doubt in my mind that the team will do it again this year (sorry Even Year!)
Here are some pictures I took of even year and odd year pride being displayed on campus:
If you live in the Holland area, I really encourage you to check out the Pull this year. It will be happening September 29 at 3 PM at the Black River. I’ll see you there!