The Olympic sport of tug-of-war
Ready, set, heave!” And the tug-of-war battle begins. For many years tug-ofwar was a popular event at schools’ sports days and family gatherings.
Okanagan towns and community groups had their own teams, vying for physical superiority and bragging rights over their vanquished competitors, as those on the sideline cheered and offered their words of advice and encouragement.
In the early twentieth century, tug-of-war was a hotly-contested event at five Olympic games: 1900 (Paris),
1904 (St. Louis), 1908 (London),
1912 (Stockholm) and 1920 (Antwerp). The 1916 Olympics, scheduled to be hosted by
Berlin, were cancelled because of World War I (1914-18). England and the
United States heavily dominated the Olympic Games tugof-war, sharing the majority of the medals awarded at those five Olympics.
Canada did not send tug-ofwar teams to any of the Olympics. Despite that, tug-ofwar was popular in this country. It had a large following in Kelowna, perhaps a reflection of the community’s “Englishness,” as some of its British-born citizens eagerly emulated what was popular in “Mother England,” including the tug-of-war.
In the early years of the twentieth century and extending well into that century, tug-of-war was a familiar event, conducted at the “fun” level and extending into what might be deemed as “semi-professional.” This is evidenced by the two photographs, provided by the Kelowna Public Archives which accompany this article.
The first photograph shows three well-dressed Edwardian era women and a man, holding a tug-of-war rope. This image, dating from about 1910, was taken at Cadder House, the Kelowna residence of the Thomas Willing “T.W.” Stirling family. Although the names of the three women and man are not definitely known, it is probable that they were members of the Stirlings or friends of that family. The photographer was George Henry Ernest “Huddy” Hudson, who left us a treasure trove of photographs of Okanagan Valley vistas and life and culture in the early twentieth century.
The second image, also dating from about 1910, presents the sport of tug-ofwar at a more serious level, showing five men with a small trophy awarded to them in recognition of their success in their chosen sport. The three men in the back row were Archie Edwards (1884-1961), Ian McCrae (1888?-1951?) and Archie Johnson (1889-1977); the men in the front row were Maxwell “Max” Jenkins (1881-1972) and Simon Tackett “Sam” Elliott (1864-1931).
Tug-of-war matches attracted the attention of the Okanagan Valley print media. Kelowna’s two weekly newspapers often included tug-of-war results in their coverage of local sporting and social activities. Tug-of-war was a mainstay of many local sports days, including Victoria Day (May 24).
The May 27, 1909 (page one) edition of “The Orchard City Record” reported about that year’s Victoria Day celebrations, held in Kelowna City Park:
“…The tug of war contest was the next (event) held between the fire brigade team and police team. The fire brigade won but however had to contest the football team for a decisive win. The result was in favour of the fire brigade who carried the honours before them…”
The Thursday, Aug. 3, 1911 (page one) edition of “The Orchard City Record” reported the tug-of-war results of a recently-held regatta and sports day held at Naramata:
“A tug-o’-war was arranged, and some good sport was provided here (Naramata) of an impromptu nature, but none the less thoroughly enjoyed by all. The competing teams were Naramata Sawmill, Penticton, Kelowna and Naramata. The mill and Kelowna won their heats, and ultimately the Kelowna boys were out altogether, and were presented with a very pretty cup for their staunch pulling.”
It is tempting to speculate that the photograph of the five Kelowna men and their tug-ofwar trophy might be the event held at Naramata in the summer of 1911. The description of their winning trophy as “a very pretty cup” makes this possibility all the more tempting but needing further research.
Men – usually five or 10 in number – selected for the tug-ofwar teams were naturally amongst the most fit and thus best suited to take on the challenge of that sport. Local lawyer, John Ford Burne (18671938) was a perennial favourite as a member of Kelowna’s tugof-war team. Known to friends as “Fat” – a reference to his size – John Burne was often called upon to be the Kelowna team’s anchor man, it being concluded that it was very difficult to defeat any team that was anchored by a man of his impressive stature.
Max Jenkins, shown in one of the photographs accompanying this article was, for many years, a member of Kelowna’s fire brigade. He was in very fit condition and widely considered to be Kelowna’s strongest man.
This claim is given credence when Max Jenkins was called upon to move a heavy upright piano up a flight of stairs.
Jenkins surveyed the situation and realized that moving a heavy piano up the steep stairs required an extrahuman effort. His solution to the problem was to get down on his hands and knees at the base of the stairs. Calling upon the assistance of some of his friends, Max Jenkins ascended the stairs, crawling on his hands and knees, with the piano firmly strapped to his back.
The piano reached its second-floor destination and Max Jenkins added another arrow to his quiver of stories celebrating his incredible strength.
“WorkSafeBC” would definitely not have been impressed.
The author thanks Tara Hurley, Kelowna ;ublic archivist, for her kind assistance in locating photographs for this article.
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This article is part of a series, submitted by the Kelowna Branch, Okanagan Historical Society.
Additional information would be welcome at P.O. Box 22105, Capri P.O., Kelowna, B.C., V1Y 9N9.