Legs win tug of wars, not backs, or brute strength.
House of Breakthrough tug of war team captain Damien Goodsir said "good technique will beat brute strength any time".
Nevertheless, matching up against their arch-rivals Fat Sally’s in the first round made for some nervous moments for his team at the start of Christmas in the Park Oamaru’s premier event.
"If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best," Mr Goodsir said.
House of Breakthrough beat Fat Sally’s, then Snap Fitness and then Meadowbank United Football Club in the finals to take the title in the tug of war for the second year in a row. Mr Goodsir’s team put their legs — more so than their backs — into their winning pulls.
The drama unfolded in front of the largest crowd Christmas in the Park Oamaru had drawn since starting in 2010.
Organising team member Jacinda Goodsir said the first Christmas in the Park in Oamaru drew 168 people, but it had "doubled in size", and then had seen "exponential" growth to this year when up to 2000 people filled Takaro Park.
The event was designed to be a place where families felt "no pressure, no stress" and could make memories spending time as a family, she said. And as there could be a lot of financial pressure on families at the holidays, it was important the event remained free. Only bottled water came at a price — a donation towards next year’s Christmas in the Park.
"The whole philosophy around Christmas in the Park is just taking pressure off families, providing a place to for families to, actually, just relax," Mrs Goodsir said.
"I have a personal goal that Oamaru, North Otago, will become the happiest place at Christmas time in the nation."
