Dashwood, Ont. tug of war team heading to overseas tournament
With each practice, the Bluewater Youth Tug of War, based out of Dashwood, Ont., is getting themselves ready to take on some of the best tug of war teams in the world.
'It's a huge deal for us. We're going to the Netherlands. It's a different country,' said 16-year-old Brock Hoffman.
'So, we know that the competition is going to be really high over there.'
Hoffman is one of 10 members of the Bluewater Youth Tug of War team heading to the International Tug of War Tournament in the Netherlands on Aug. 30. Very few North American teams ever get to participate, but this group of 10- to 17-year-olds, who train bi-weekly near Dashwood, have won the last three U23 North American Tug of War Championships, so they're eager to take on stiffer competition overseas.
Bluewater Tug of War youth team
Members of the Bluewater Youth Tug of War team practice for an International Tug of War tournament in the Netherlands, seen near Dashwood, Ont. on July 28, 2025. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
'It's the future of tug of war in Canada,' said Coach Ted Hoffman.
'Hopefully we can get it to grow to what some of the countries like Switzerland and the Netherlands have, with memberships in the thousands. But you've got to start here.'
Bluewater has always had a strong senior tug of war team, but building up a junior squad has been a slow and steady process, convincing kids they don't need to be 250 pounds of pure muscle in order to participate.
Bluewater Tug of War youth team
Members of the Bluewater Youth Tug of War team practice for an International Tug of War tournament in the Netherlands, seen near Dashwood, Ont. on July 28, 2025. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
'It's more about technique and having multiple people on the rope. More people on the rope that you can fit underneath the weight limit, the better you are,' said 16-year-old Bryce Jeffrey.
'It's really all in the legs. You just have to pull what you can,' said 14-year-old Kinley Skinner.
Coach Hoffman added that the sport is completely inclusive.
'You just have to be strong for your weight, whether it's 100 pounds or 300 pounds, you're accountable for every pound of that on the rope,' he said.
'And that goes towards your team weight. It's all relative, right?'
Bluewater's youth tug of war team leaves for the Netherlands in a couple of weeks, as they ready to represent Canada at the world's biggest tug of war competition for kids.
Bluewater Tug of War youth team
Members of the Bluewater Youth Tug of War team practice for an International Tug of War tournament in the Netherlands, seen near Dashwood, Ont. on July 28, 2025. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
'Being able to tell people that you're going to represent our country is the coolest thing. Feels so awesome,' said 14-year-old Grayson Soudant.
'I'm really excited. I feel like it's a good opportunity for teamwork, and just to represent Canada,' said 13-year-old Danica Jeffrey.
Brock Hoffman said the team is very excited to show what they've got.
'We're going up on like, the world stage and against a whole bunch of other countries around the world, so it's just a bigger deal,' he said.
You can follow the team's journey and see the numerous local businesses that have supported the squad on Facebook.
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