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For the past nine years, Ginny Nyhus has collected calluses on her hands and spent hundreds of hours lifting and pushing giant tires, running up hills and doing planks. Shes also gained a new appreciation for lower-back pain.The reason? Tug-of-war. Its a sport she first thought of as weird, but its now become her passion. The sport tapped into her competitive spirit, fed her desire to be fit and has taken her around the world as a member of DJs Tug of War club, one of the countrys most successful programs.By day, Nyhus, 38, is a director of special education for Minneapolis public schools. On nights and weekends, she trains, competes and escapes into a different world. The work that I do in education, it can be intense. Some people go to an elliptical [machine] and put headphones on. Some people read books. I go pull tug-of-war. ... Thats my outlet.The strenuous workouts and matches clear her mind and allow her to be more present as an educator and as a mother to her 5-year-old son, Shea.Nyhus grew up in Prior Lake, Minnesota, where she still lives. In her home, her parents had three expectations: She had to take music lessons, have a sport and be involved in a community-based activity. For her, the sport was swimming from about the age of 7. In high school, she also dabbled in gymnastics, cross-country skiing and track.But after graduating from college and starting her career, Nyhus couldnt find an activity she liked. She was out of shape and eager to get fit. Thats when she found tug-of-war, a stroke of serendipity she owes to her reluctance to pay for a professional trainer. I started looking into personal trainers and found out how much they cost monthly, and I was like, This is crazy! she says.Thats when she remembered a friend -- who had tried to entice her to join her tug-of-war club -- had mentioned they worked out three nights a week with a trainer. Im like, Brilliant idea! I should go to tug-of-war, she recalls. I can get three nights a week of a workout and get into a routine that Im looking for. So, I kind of stumbled into tug-of-war.The history of tug-of-war goes back centuries, to ancient Greece and Asia. The sport was part of the Summer Olympics from 1900 through 1920, and today, tug-of-war is still aligned with the Olympic movement. The governing body of the sport is the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF), which received recognition from the International Olympic Committee in 2002. More than 50 countries have organizations (here its the U.S. Tug-of-War Association) that stage national championships and send teams to the world championships. Nyhus has become so involved that shes on the executive board of the U.S. Tug-of-War Association as its treasurer.During Nyhus time with DJs Tug of War, the women have won multiple national championships and a bronze medal at the 2014 world championships in Madison, Wisconsin. Shes also traveled to Ireland, Switzerland and South Africa to compete in world championships.Its a year-round sport, with indoor and outdoor workouts. When Nyhus first attended workouts nine years ago, she liked the exercise and the friendships. But when she took part in her first competition a few months later, she was truly hooked. All the teams, the energy, the camaraderie and the physical demands of pulling opened her eyes. I was like, This is all right. This is cool, she says.In competition, each team has eight pullers, and teams compete in a best-of-three match. There is a spot marked on the rope, aligned in the middle between the two teams. The goal for each team is to pull that spot on the rope past a line on the ground 4 meters (13.1 feet) away. Each round (called an end) can be as quick as 30 seconds -- or last as long as several minutes.When good teams are evenly matched, a three-end competition can be grueling. Nyhus says her teams bronze-medal match in the club competition at the 2014 world championships was tough. I think our first end of the match was just shy of five minutes, the second over three minutes and the last one was right around two because we were all burned out, she says. Thats five minutes [where its like doing] a full-body plank with your arms, your legs, your core. Mentally you have to be in it to win it. That was more than nine minutes of pulling.But, she says, it was worth every second. After winning their medals, Nyhus took a selfie of the grinning team. It ranks as her tug-of-war career highlight. Having everyone come to our home turf, she says. American pride, representing your country in your country just provides for a significant amount of spirit. Youre feeling like a host and a competitor and you dont want to disappoint. Plus, you have way more people cheering. It was fantastic.To be part of a pulling machine takes some serious training -- just the kind Nyhus was looking for nine years ago. She works out five times a week on her own, 30 to 45 minutes at a time lifting weights. She also attends team workouts and practices three times per week. Each session is two and a half to three hours, with extra time added ahead of national or world championships.Those workouts include hill sprints for endurance, box jumps for explosiveness and a variety of cardio exercises. Tractor-tire flips, four-minute planks, swimming scissor kicks and pushups are part of the routine. Rope climbs strengthen shoulders, the upper body, core and hands.Then, theres the pulling. Teams can pull at three to four stations in the gym, including some where pulleys, poles and weights create tremendous resistance. Because of the physical nature of the training and competition, there can be injuries. But so far, Nyhus hasnt had to deal with anything major. The most time shes missed was when she was pregnant with her son. For me, I typically have some lower-back issues, she says. Theres a lot of pressure on the rope; your bodys in funky positions. A really common injury is popping ribs out. Several of us have chiropractors that we visit frequently.Nyhus laughs at her aches and pains, but she plans to keep on pulling. The sport is a big part of her life. The exercise is great, but the social aspect is just as important. Shes proud to be part of a team.When her friend took her to that first club practice nine years ago, Nyhus had no idea what she was in for. What our coach has said is, if you come back a second time [to practice] well know well keep seeing you, she says. Because the first time its awkward. It puts weird pressure on your body in weird places and you just feel out of sorts because it doesnt feel natural. And I kept going.But, she adds, laughing, I think part of that was because my girlfriend kept taking me. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Wholesale Jerseys China . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. http://www.jerseysnfl.net/ . 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I just hope we can come up with a solution." Cueto returned to Cincinnati on Saturday to be examined by Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Cincinnati recalled right-hander Logan Ondrusek from Triple-A Louisville. Cueto (4-2, 3.33 ERA) was on the DL from April 15 to May 19 with a strained right lat. He missed the first half of June with what was called a strained right shoulder, though it was related to the lat problem. "I dont know how to explain what is happening," Cueto said through a translator after Friday nights game. "Its the third time its happened. I just want to keep working and hope it will get better." Baker said left-hander Tony Cingrani (3-0, 3.42), who took over for Cueto and went four innings Friday night, will again fill Cuetos rotation spot. That next comes up Wednesday against San Francisco. In Game 1 of the National League division series last season against San Francisco, Cueto left after only eight pitches because of a strained right oblique and ddidnt pitch again in the post-season.dddddddddddd. But he was healthy throughout spring training. Cueto, a 19-game winner last season, made three starts in April before going on the DL for the first time. He came back to make three more starts before another DL stint, and was making his third start since returning again when came out Friday night. On at least one pitch in the first inning to Adrian Beltre, who had an RBI single to put the Rangers ahead to stay in a 4-0 victory, Cueto clearly grimaced. Though he wasnt feeling right, Cueto spoke to pitching coach Bryan Price after the first inning and said he wanted to keep pitching. Cueto thought maybe hed loosen up and the discomfort would go away. But after Cueto threw a 1-2 fastball that Mitch Moreland fouled off leading off the second, he was done for the night. "Your heart sort of sinks when you go out there and you know the news youre about to get. See the look on his face," Baker said Saturday. "Especially a guy that loves to pitch like that. ... He lives for it." Even before Baker got to the mound Friday night, Cueto had already put the ball in catcher Devin Mesoracos mitt. Asked if his twisting motion has contributed to the issues with his lat muscle, Cueto said he didnt think his mechanics had anything to do with it. "I always discuss it with the pitching coach, and he said I dont have to change," Cueto said. "If its anything that would hurt with my mechanics it would be my oblique area." ' ' '