Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: News

Sigma Phi Epslion tugs during the first round during Greek week in April 2007. (File Photo / The Daily Eastern News)

Micah Tanner is careful about the types of food he puts into his body.

If he eats too much of the wrong foods, he could be in trouble for Greek Week. Although the week does not begin until April, participants have already begun preparing.

Tanner, a member of Sigma Pi, is training for tugs.

"Watching everything you put into your body is different than not doing so," said Tanner, a senior management major. "We eat less fast food or none at all, and then we eat low-calorie foods."

Diet is a crucial part of preparing for tugs.

Whether or not the tuggers have to lose or gain weight depends on if they are a "big" or "small" man. Big men and small men are the two different categories for tugs.

"It depends on the person; some of the tuggers need to gain weight, and others need to begin a low carb diet to lose those last few pounds," said Sig Pi member Jason Abbate.

Tanner said each participant follows different dietary guidelines.

"I am a big man, so we vary the diet from weight gaining or loss. If you're too small, you gain, and vice versa if you are too heavy. It's the typical diet if you are too heavy; you lower your calorie intake and increase your workout regiment," Tanner said.

Some of the tuggers don't mind the diet.

"In my opinion, the cleaner diet actually helps our team overall, and we can perform better because we are fueling our bodies with the essential foods it needs for this type of training," Abbate said

Tanner said Sig Pi starts training about two and half months before Greek Week.

"Tug practices are very intense and straining on the body. We stress the fundamentals," Abbate said.

As Greek Week increases, so do the practices in preparation for tugs.

"Our intensity increases as tugs gets closer; as for length of practice, that is determined on a day-by-day basis," Abbate said.

"For the first month or so, we train about four to five days a week, and then when we near Greek Week, we bump it up to five to six days a week," Tanner said.

Practices can last anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes, Tanner said.

"A typical practice for running is: We will run stairs for about 30-45 minutes, then run sprints, then we usually have relays against each other on the stairs again," said Sig Pi member Kris Caldwell. "When we practice on the rope, we will run a couple laps around the field we practice on. Then we do what's called an 'A-Phi drill.' One guy will tug and lean against two guys, and they will hold him back until he gets real low and pulls himself back."

Sig Pi puts in hours of practice each week to win - not just for them, but for Sig Pi as a whole.

"It's about the brotherhood and the spirit of the fraternity. It brings us all together and it lets our alumni know that we are still as strong of a fraternity now as we were when they were here," Caldwell said.



Ashley Mefford can be reached at 581-7942 or almefford@eiu.edu.

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