Towing the Line

[Chickenshack]

Intro

The competitive sport of tug-of-war was still a fresh one, only about fifteen years old, and had only started being taken seriously in the past eight or so. What had started out as a group of coeds from neighboring universities looking for a low-risk, low-effort way to add "college athlete" to their job resumes had quickly picked up steam as viewership and participation began to surge in the early 2010's. As participation began to increase, naturally the stronger, heavier actual athletes began to stand out amongst competitors. As they began slowly dominating the sport, those who had begun the sport as a leisurely "cheat" began being phased out of the very teams they started, being given a choice: actually take the physical demands of the sport seriously or find solace in something else. Most of them did, a fair few reluctantly stuck it out before quietly falling to the wayside. They were small fry even in the local college communities where the sport had gotten it's start, and now there were State Tournaments to worry about. And regionals. And you'd better have your shit together before even thinking about Nationals.

Now, in 2019, on the international level of competition, athletes did whatever it took to win. Whatever it took. Only the strongest, most physically muscular and imposing of men had any hope of being considered for a spot on even their respective state team, let alone the American team. Young men would hold themselves to rigorous routines, pushing their strength and their endurance to the absolute limit in order to maximize their sheer upper body strength and leverage. The female competitors, however, took their "training" in an entirely different direction...

[John Smith]

I'm "listening" ...