Gimme a hand
February 2, 2015 6:46 PM Subscribe
Have you ever played tug-of-war? Did you survive?
Figure out the strength of the rope beforehand, and never put your hand in a loop of rope.
Physics from xkcd, images verified by snopes.
“There was like a lot of people screaming and just all blood flying everywhere and just people running out of the room."
Figure out the strength of the rope beforehand, and never put your hand in a loop of rope.
Physics from xkcd, images verified by snopes.
"Images", you say? Nope, don't see any links, no sir.
--maxwelton's self-preserving eyeballs
posted by maxwelton at 6:59 PM on February 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
--maxwelton's self-preserving eyeballs
posted by maxwelton at 6:59 PM on February 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
We used to play tug of war in Scouts. Think I'll stick to whittling.
posted by arcticseal at 7:00 PM on February 2, 2015
posted by arcticseal at 7:00 PM on February 2, 2015
I wish we had played more tug-of-war as a kid. It was the one chance for us fat kids to be picked first in P.E.!
posted by CarolynG at 7:01 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by CarolynG at 7:01 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I found the main article to be pretty funny (no gruesome images in that article), but at this time of day I'm a big jerk.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:09 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 7:09 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Not a tug of war story but snapped rope story...worked on a natural gas drilling rig on Lake Erie in the early 80s and on one relocation they decided to try towing the anchor buoys (big 6 foot steel spheres) instead of stowing them on deck. I was watching from the drilling floor when a 2" thick poly rope snapped and "bungied" about 150 feet directly at me. It whip cracked just short of my face, nicking my eyebrow. If I'd been standing any closer, I think it would have taken my head off.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:34 PM on February 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:34 PM on February 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
This reminds me of the girl who's feet were severed by a rope that snapped on an amusement park ride.
posted by rancher at 7:57 PM on February 2, 2015
posted by rancher at 7:57 PM on February 2, 2015
I am honestly shocked by how many people are willing to put their hands in loops of rope that is going to move or be yanked on. They tell you not to do that with your dog's leash, for God's sake. Have these people never seen an episode of Mythbusters where they're decapitating Buster with rope accidents?
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:58 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 7:58 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
jeather, I'm giving you a favorite for this on the presumption that you will NEVER DO THIS AGAIN.
posted by Etrigan at 8:08 PM on February 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 8:08 PM on February 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
I thought I was going to snap with all that pulling on my heart strings.
posted by Chuffy at 9:19 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Chuffy at 9:19 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
There is an old Navy training film about line handling that's shown to new sailors. They lined up a bunch of dummies in the same position a real line handling crew would be in when securing a ship to a pier. The line they're handling is probably 4" in cross section, a typical commercially available nylon braided line like you'd see holding any ship to a pier.
The film shows what happens when the line lets go. It goes through the line crew like a knife through butter. Legs flying everywhere, bodies still in the air with no legs under them. The film explains, much like the article here does, that it's the tension and the snap back that does it. The line is stretched, over its length, more than ten feet than when it's not under tension.
Nasty stuff.
posted by disclaimer at 9:20 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The film shows what happens when the line lets go. It goes through the line crew like a knife through butter. Legs flying everywhere, bodies still in the air with no legs under them. The film explains, much like the article here does, that it's the tension and the snap back that does it. The line is stretched, over its length, more than ten feet than when it's not under tension.
Nasty stuff.
posted by disclaimer at 9:20 PM on February 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
old Navy training film
...
Legs flying everywhere, bodies still in the air
Huh. That's the weirdest Old Navy training video I've certainly ever heard of.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:36 PM on February 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
...
Legs flying everywhere, bodies still in the air
Huh. That's the weirdest Old Navy training video I've certainly ever heard of.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:36 PM on February 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
old Navy training film
...
Legs flying everywhere, bodies still in the air
Do you mean this video? That snapback is pretty bananas.
posted by hoboscratch at 9:42 PM on February 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
...
Legs flying everywhere, bodies still in the air
Do you mean this video? That snapback is pretty bananas.
posted by hoboscratch at 9:42 PM on February 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
Figure out the strength of the rope beforehand, and never put your hand in a loop of rope.
I think I will just come to terms with a life without tug of war, somehow...
posted by ill3 at 9:43 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think I will just come to terms with a life without tug of war, somehow...
posted by ill3 at 9:43 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've still got a scar from a tug-of-war game more than 25 years ago, and will probably have it for life. Didn't put my hand in a loop, but got too close to where the rope twisted, and ow.
Still, fun game. Could probably have used a short safety lecture first.
posted by asperity at 9:51 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Still, fun game. Could probably have used a short safety lecture first.
posted by asperity at 9:51 PM on February 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Something similar I think happened to that poor girl at Six Flags.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:54 PM on February 2, 2015
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:54 PM on February 2, 2015
Phew that picture of a guy lying next to his dismembered arm lands exactly halfway between disgusting and hilarious for me. I am feeling such a weird emotion of horror and glee. I wonder if there is a word for that.
posted by Literaryhero at 12:59 AM on February 3, 2015
posted by Literaryhero at 12:59 AM on February 3, 2015
Before I get judged, in my defense they did sew it back on.
posted by Literaryhero at 1:00 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Literaryhero at 1:00 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wonder if there is a word for that.
Schadenhorror ?
posted by Pendragon at 1:57 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Schadenhorror ?
posted by Pendragon at 1:57 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I remember the Taipei tug-o-war accident, along with the reports of severed arms. At the time I thought it was on account of the anchor of the opposing team going full turbo and ripping arms off people with the sheer force of his last-ditch effort. Like some inspiring afterschool special gone horribly wrong.
This thread has been very educational.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 2:37 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
This thread has been very educational.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 2:37 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
wait. shouldn't it be "war of tug" or "war of tugging" or maybe "tugging war"? "Tug of war" makes no sense, unless referring to the appeal of warfare to boys and young men.
On the other hand, I have shingles and am on drugs right now.
posted by Zerowensboring at 4:26 AM on February 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
On the other hand, I have shingles and am on drugs right now.
posted by Zerowensboring at 4:26 AM on February 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
bonobothegreat: It whip cracked just short of my face, nicking my eyebrow.If it makes you feel any better, it was probably the sonic wave that nicked your eyebrow. Moving at that speed, that wave would have felt like a solid object - and your eye rate isn't fast enough to determine how close it came.
The physical end of that rope would have acted more like a hammer than a knife edge, had it glanced off your brow.
On second thought... that probably doesn't make you feel any better.
posted by IAmBroom at 6:47 AM on February 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
wait. shouldn't it be "war of tug" or "war of tugging" or maybe "tugging war"? "Tug of war" makes no sense, unless referring to the appeal of warfare to boys and young men.
I believe it's "tug of war" in the same sense as "dogs of war" or "godfather of punk rock".
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:17 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I believe it's "tug of war" in the same sense as "dogs of war" or "godfather of punk rock".
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:17 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
IAmBroom, you're probably correct. The rope was tied off at the far corner of the barge and covered the combined distance in literally the blink of an eye. I only remember seeing it go all "crinkly" for an instant. Everyone was astounded to see that I'd survived yet another mishap. I never got hurt that summer but I had a reputation for being a klutz and it made my coworkers nervous.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:34 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:34 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
bonobothegreat, you're making me nervous just hearing your story!
posted by IAmBroom at 9:18 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by IAmBroom at 9:18 AM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Whenever tooth losing age(s) was I was a genius....I put the dumb rope in my mouth during a tug of war game.
And out went a tooth.
I was not a smart woman, mamma....
posted by stormpooper at 1:03 PM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
And out went a tooth.
I was not a smart woman, mamma....
posted by stormpooper at 1:03 PM on February 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by wats at 6:58 PM on February 2, 2015 [6 favorites]