Boerne’s defending “Tug The Truck” champions were dethroned by less than a second Saturday, handing the trophy to a fellow law enforcement entrant.
The fourth annual Tug the Truck event took place on East San Antonio Avenue, outside the Black Rifle Coffee on the Hill Country Mile.
Organized by the 100 Club of Kendall County, a charity geared towards helping first responders manage their mental health, this event brought together 18 teams from all around on Sept. 7 for a chance to tug a 30,000-pound fire truck across the finish line 40 feet away.
Every team received two chances to pull, with each pull timed to determine the winner.
The Boerne YMCA team strains to pull a 30,000-pound Boerne fire truck across the finish line during Saturday’s fourth annual “Tug The Truck” fundraising event for the 100 Club of Kendall County.
Star photo by Veronica Rector While the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office has been the reigning champion for the past two years, the San Antonio Police Department snagged the win this round, with a 14.09 second pull time — just 0.63 seconds faster than the sheriff’s office effort.
Kendall County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Klaerner said in the past, the department had been able to perform the tug in approximately 13 seconds.
First-time attendee Adam Taft with the Boerne YMCA pulled alongside many other first-timers, without performing any practice drills beforehand.
“My father-in-law and my good friend are on the team.” Taft said, “We just wanted to come out and show our support.”
Their team wasn’t the only one not to practice beforehand. Walter Ball, in his second year as assistant Boerne fire chief, said his team relies on their everyday physical training, circuit training, search drills and stair climbers to be in shape for the big event.
The winning SAPD team will be invited back next year to defend its trophy against all comers.
Though the event is all in good fun, President of the 100 Club Laura Andersen said all proceeds go to helping serious cases. Just recently, the organization helped send a local first responder to a rehabilitation center to get the needed care, all expenses paid.
Along with handling cases from first responders that struggle with PTSD, suicide ideation and the need for rehabilitation, the 100 Club of Kendall County offers classes that help responders understand that it is perfectly OK to ask for help.
“First responders are so often the heroes that they struggle to admit when they need help themselves,” Andersen said, “We teach them that it is OK to not be OK.”
These services are an expansion from the establishment of the 100 Club in 1983, but the original mission is not forgotten. Those killed or hurt in the line of duty will also receive assistance from this charity.
Individuals who would like to be among teams competing in next year’s event can expect updates to be posted on the 100 Club of Kendall County’s Facebook page. You do not need to be a local business or organization in Boerne to attend and participate; all are welcome to come out and show their support for the worthy charity.
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