The Sant Antoni Agricultural Cooperative celebrates, after a three-year hiatus, the 16th edition of Sant Antoni Rural, with sports activities, machinery exhibition and toast in order to bring the rural world closer in a fun and participatory way.< /p>
Football players, singers, Vikings, sailors and even Spiderman with pig ears and tail were some of the characters who, at 4 p.m. and under an unusual sun on a Sunday in the middle of winter, and terribly common in recent weeks, were ready to start the tenth edition of the Verro Olímpic, an adaptation of the purest pagès style of obstacle racing, Spartan Race.
Bypassing the gap with the American competition, in the Sant Antoni initiative, which welcomed dozens of people from the public, skill, ability and laughter prevail. Especially, the art of laughing at oneself, without any sense of ridicule.
The Verro Olímpic, which was held within the framework of the Sant Antoni Rural festival and took place at the Agricultural Cooperative of Portmany Bay strong>, had 26 participating couples, who left their skin, and some their shoes, to complete the route marked by the organization and which began with the participants showing off the use of the pochard. Inside they could choose: soft drink or pagès wine.
The tests
Carrying bags of carob, climbing on large bales of straw, overcoming a pit full of mud, moving one of the members of the couple in a wheelbarrow and blindly or exploding three balloons in the kama-sutra pagès were some of the tests that the most daring faced.
In total 14 stations, or tests, which put some couples such as mother and daughter to the limit, who called themselves Spartan Sisters, who began the test by filling the jug with wine. From then on, it was all laughter, fruitless jumps to overcome the bales of straw, and landings in the mud-filled pit. "Oh my God. Oh, God,” repeated Juanjo Serra, from Blue Challenge, who acted as speaker, microphone in hand. Among the audience, laughter, cheers and applause at the spectacle that was happening before his eyes.
Shakira and Piqué slid through the tests quickly and agilely, although the singer's wig was left halfway, while the so-called 'The Twins' chose to do the Verro Olímpic barefoot, without take into account the rough terrain in which the test took place. 'The Barbies' had difficulty overcoming the straw bales and driving the wheelbarrow blindly, but they showed skill at the carob sack loading station. "These 'barbies' make a movie for you, they make a move for you," Serra snapped.
The public, meanwhile, was appalled at the lack of skill of the Spartan Sisters when the mother ended up falling to the ground and throwing a barrel of water on herself. And not just once, several times. Shakira also had some trouble regaining her balance after doing the test in which she had to turn up to ten times on herself and partially crouched, while 'Las bichotas', like many others, had to face the test of Atino that translated into throwing like a hoop and fitting it into a cone.
While the test progressed, which was carried out in order of number, those who had not yet started were waiting their turn trying to agree on where to scratch a second to improve the time spent. And there, dressed as Vikings, was the couple formed by Tur and Tor: "Tur from here, from all his life, Tor from a cousin who went to Norway," they say with a laugh.
A complete day
The day, in addition to the Verro Olímpic, also celebrated in the morning the second edition of the Verro Kids, a sports event for the little ones that had 120 participants between 3 and 14 years old. A test that, unlike the adults, they had to complete individually and without much difficulty.
The XVI edition of Sant Antoni Rural returned yesterday to the Sant Antoni Agricultural Cooperative with strength and with great participation success after three years without being organized. In fact, the Verro Olímpic competition had a record participation, filling all the places that had been made available by the organization, according to sources from the Sant Antoni City Council.
The party started at 11 in the morning with an exhibition of ball pages, in the same place where tractors and farm implements made up an exhibition of machinery, as well as a sample of the images participating in the IV edition of the Rural Photography Contest.
The lot attached to the facilities of the Agricultural Cooperative also hosted a demonstration of peasant farming, with horses, as was used to be done long ago.
The little ones, in addition to participating in the Verro Kids test, also organized by Blue Challenge, were able to ride in a car and participate in activities with the handcrafted and large-sized games from Jugueroix. These are games made with wood, handcrafted by Alfredo Marí, and with which they are intended to revive the entertainment of past generations.
The facilities of the Agricultural Cooperative also hosted a large roast of meat for the attendees, who waited their turn to pick up their plate. Meanwhile, the group La Calle provided music and rhythm to the festive day that lasted until late in the afternoon.
The aim of this event, which had to be suspended due to the health pandemic and had not been held since then, is to bring the rural and agricultural world closer to all citizens in a relaxed and participatory way. And given the success of the public, this was achieved.
Source: Diario de Ibiza
