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Caption: SSIREUM
씨름
Caption: Ssireum, which is written in Hangul as씨름, is a form of wrestling and a national sport in South Korea.
Opponents wear a cloth belt that twines around the waist and one thigh and serves as a mechanism by which the wrestler looks to throw the other competitor. The objective is to bring any part of the opponent's body above the knee to the ground, in a series of throws or takedowns.
#Chicago has a sizable Korean population and each year features a ssireum competition at the annual Korean Street Festival. Competitors of all ages sign up for the chance to win a modest prize in the youth categories, and bigger prizes in the adult competition.
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Caption: RESPECT Competitions begin and end with respectful bows to your opponent, even if you are just a small fry.
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Caption: The victor takes home a medal and a bag of rice.
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Caption: "Are you gonna try it?"
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Caption: Takedown The competition arena is a large pile of sand. Not pillow soft, but the wrestlers pick themselves up and dust off for the next round with minimal damage (but to their pride, perhaps).
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Caption: Competitors size up their opponents
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Caption: Sport's allure draws a diverse crowd.
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Caption: As the afternoon grows longer, the competitors are older and more experienced.
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Caption: Sand flies, limbs stretch and strain
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Caption: Generations Older wrestlers come to see if they can still compete against the young bucks.
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Caption: But this is a competition for the fit and the wiliest of wrestlers after all.
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Caption: The finalist opponents struggle for dominance and the prize.
Caption: If you are in town come mid-August, make plans to visit the #Chicago Korean Street Festival.
In addition to the #ssireum tournament, you can sample traditional #Korean foods, take in a #K-pop concert (or two), and celebrate the cultural diversity a city like Chicago offers.
#sport #travel #stellerverse #places