{"id":5664,"date":"2008-08-18T19:51:01","date_gmt":"2008-08-18T19:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/sports\/plane-pull-draws-big-crowd-to-benefit-special-olympics\/"},"modified":"2008-08-18T19:51:01","modified_gmt":"2008-08-18T19:51:01","slug":"plane-pull-draws-big-crowd-to-benefit-special-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/sports\/plane-pull-draws-big-crowd-to-benefit-special-olympics","title":{"rendered":"Plane Pull Draws Big Crowd To Benefit Special Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/object><\/span> <\/p>\n

Video by J.J. Fiddler<\/span><\/p>\n

20 teams of 20 gathered early last Saturday morning, all with one goal: to pull a 158,000 pound plane faster than it had ever been pulled before…without the benefit of an engine, of course.  <\/span>Okay, actually there was <\/i>another goal, to raise as much money as possible for Special Olympics Southern California.  <\/span>The latter went pretty well—the former, well, not so much.  <\/span>Did I mention the plane weighed 158,000 pounds?<\/span><\/p>\n

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I arrived expecting some friendly competition between the numerous police teams, and the fire teams, especially after I saw a half dozen cop cars getting waxed and polished at a car wash about three blocks from the event.  <\/span>But the fiercest rivalry of the day ended up being between the defending champion Fedex team, and the newcomers from UPS.  <\/span>There was some pretty hilarious jawing going on, including the Fedex guys making fun of long lines at UPS, and UPS boasting a better on-time rate.  <\/span>Believe me, it was much funnier in person.<\/p>\n

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The Fedex team managed to shoulder the expectations that come with being reigning champ, and crushed the field with a blistering time of 7.49 seconds.  <\/span>The award for slowest time went to Cathy’s Team, who took over 17 seconds.  <\/span>On a personal note, I was honored to be asked to compete with the Special Olympics Southern California pull team, which was shorthanded.  <\/span>I’m not going to say too much more, but I urge you—watch the video JJ put together; unless the idea of a sweaty sportswriter yanking a plane by a rope doesn’t appeal to you.<\/p>\n

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After the dust had settled, Special Olympics had raised around $25,000, almost $10,000 more than the event raised last year.  <\/span>If you’ve never been to a plane pull—and I assume you haven’t—you’d probably be surprised at what a fun spectator event it is.  <\/span>From the shelter of a shaded tent, you can watch teams of police officers, fire fighters, and delivery men (as well as the stray sportswriter) grunt and sweat for your entertainment.  <\/span>Some teams just went out and tried to yank it, and others (like Corporate Division The Gas Company) employed an enormous amount of strategy, lining up before the pull so their team leader could space his team according to weight and pulling power.  <\/span>It would have had a great day even if it weren’t raising money for one of the worthiest causes in this city—the fact that it was just made it that much better.<\/p>\n

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