Ssireum

A few weeks ago I tried out ssireum, a traditional Korean type of wrestling. I was at a Special Olympics-esque event on my campus, and the organizers asked me if I would be willing to do an exhibition match with a student from the physical education school. So that afternoon, I and another French exchange student tied on a sapa, (the cloth around your waist) and set about learning how wrestle.

Ssireum has more in common with Greco-Roman style wrestling than with sumo, requiring a lot of heaving and lifting of the other guy. I had a great time, but as you might guess from the pictures, my opponent had about eighty pounds on me and quickly ended my wrestling career. The crowd of children and their parents loved it though.

There was also a tournament for the fathers, which they took very seriously.

The goal of ssireum is to have the other person's back touch the san, while not removing your hands from the cloth tied around his waist. Essentially, you try to knock him off balance or hurl him over one shoulder.

One other picture is of the mothers in their arm-wrestling tournament, which was definitely the most competitive event of the day. Picture dozens of middle-aged Korean women, screaming at each other and shouting in unison for their champion. The students who had organized the event just stood around during the final round, shocked by the competitive spirit that had come out in women who would otherwise have been sitting in the shade, sharing lunch and watching their children play.


And then there is me, that incredulous look started when I first saw my opponent and didn't end until I was on my back in the sand. haha


Once again, I had to rely on my friends for these pictures. Some come from Sophie Corlay, and my picture comes from Nathanael Francisco, both of them exchange students.