The Joys of Tug of war - How Jiasian Elementary School upended tradition

　"Time to practice!" Every day at 12:30, Jiasian Elementary School's tug-of-war team gathers on the basketball court to practice. They work in pairs or teams of three or five. Sometimes they joke around while competing against one another, and usually they are merry while learning and growing up, because here the goal of learning is happiness!

　The school's tug-of-war team was established in February 2011. Since then, it has won 20 trophies, including the National Cup, etc. "We are very happy yet very surprised that we have attained these achievements!" says Principal Lin Hua-cyu. "At first, we joined competitions so the children could see the world, and we let sixth-graders join if they were interested. The important thing was that the children were happy." The school's buildings were still being rebuilt, so to make up for a lack of equipment, the school made the most of its situation and available materials by practicing with ropes tied to tree or basketball poles.

　What adults see as hardships, children see as a source of happiness. Without training equipment, a daily four-part training program was devised. In the morning, the children train for running and physcial exercises; at noon, they watch films about tug-of-war competitions; in the afternoon, they do rope-skills training and compete as teams; finally, after school, they go back to the mountain to run and do physical training. Why take part in the tug-of-war? "Because we like it!" the children reply happily.

　"God works in mysterious ways. When He wants to send us a gift, He doesn't do it directly, but makes it so that we have to travel on long roads, take many turns and see a great deal of landscape," says coach Jhang Yong-hao. Apart from the children gaining a sense of accomplishment, the tug-of-war team has given Jiasian residents real encouragement. The youngsters' happiness and strength to move forward has been uplifting for locals still coping with the aftermath of 2009's Typhoon Morakot.

　This miracle of transformation touched Yang Li-chou, a Golden Horse Award-winning filmmaker, whose 2012 documentary "The River" features Jiasian, the school and the tug-of-war team. Kaohsiung City Government's Education Bureau of Kaohsiung City has provided NT$180,000 to purchase a dedicated tug-of-war lane, protective straps and other equipment, so we can expect great things from the team as the miracle continues!

樂在拔河 甲仙國小顛覆傳統的奇蹟

　　「練習囉！」每到中午12點半，甲仙國小拔河隊同學自動到籃球場練習，他們或兩兩並肩、或三五成群，也許嬉鬧，卻也彼此較量；也許歡樂，卻也教學相長；因為這裡的學習宗旨，是快樂！

　　拔河隊於2011年2月成立以來勇奪全國盃等20座獎杯。「能有這些成績，很高興、也很意外！」校長林華曲說。「 一開始是藉由比賽讓孩子見見世面，也讓六年級同學自由參加練習，只要孩子快樂就好。」由於當時校舍尚在整建，為了克服練習設備不足，校方想出「因地制宜、就地取材」的方式，把繩子綁在樹或籃球架上，當成拔河機來練習。

　　大人眼中的辛苦，卻是孩子快樂的泉源。在設備不足的環境下，每天訓練四個時段：早上是跑步和體能訓練，中午觀看拔河比賽的影片，下午做拉繩技巧訓練和分組對抗，放學後再做跑步和體能訓練。為什麼要拔河？「就是喜歡！」孩子興高采烈地回答 。

　　「上帝的旨意很神秘，當祂要送一樣禮物，往往不是直接給，而是要多走一些路、多轉一些彎、多看一點風景。」教練張永豪說。除了獲得成就感，拔河隊更鼓勵甲仙鄉親，讓遭受莫拉克風災重創的心靈，因為孩子的樂觀，而獲得安慰與奮發向上的能量。

　　這段顛覆傳統的奇蹟，讓金馬獎導演楊力州深受感動，拍攝紀錄片《拔一條河》；市府教育局也適時補助18萬經費 ，購置拔河道及後衛護具背帶等設備。

　　奇蹟仍在進行中，讓我們拭目以待。