For those of us that don't speak Spanish, here is an attempt at a translation into English. Translations were done by Comprendium (
http://www.comprendium.es) and BabelFish (
http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr), and then compared, combined, and perhaps ruined, by me.
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Sixth MONTE AVENTURA Slinging Competition
Sunday, the second of October 2005, at the Istan Fair in Malaga, Andalucia, Spain
Due to interest drawn by the prior competitions, and in agreement with the Fair and Celebrations of Istán, the Sixth MOUNT ADVENTURE Slinging Competition will be held on Sunday, the 5th of October at 5:00 in the afternoon, at the "Edge Flags"(?) Viewpoint.
MONTE AVENTURA, your best nature guide, is a company dedicated to offering guided tours through the Sierra de las Nieves Nature Park, where you can partake of the environment and the traditions of the mountain towns (not real sure about this sentence...). Tourists frequently encounter shepherds and goatherds, and can learn about their customs, including the sling, their traditional and continuing tool for herding.
This tool is a long handmade braid of fiber (esparto or pita), used for casting stones, both to herd sheep or goats and to defend them from wild animals.
This Competition is designed to promote the native sport of slinging, and also to promote the local customs and culture, and pay tribute to the authentic protagonists of the mountain ranges, the goatherds and shepherds. In their quiet work, they maintain an ancestral way of life in close communion with nature, and they preserve traditions and crafts that have become lost to our modern world.
Sometimes underestimated, these countrymen are connoisseurs of the hidden reaches of the mountains, and are their most faithful protectors. They are always willing to assist in protecting the environment (in case of fire or other natural disaster) and hospitable toward other people (giving directions, assisting with rescues, and so on).
The Sixth Slinging Competition presages a high expectation, due to the large participation and the great skill demonstrated in previous competitions. Goatherds and aficianados of the Sierra de las Nieves, as wel as visitors from the Coast, will demonstrate their skills and accuracy.
The inscription(?) is public and free, and so is open to all who are interested and wish to participate. There will be demonstrations of long-distance slinging, but the competition proper will consist of demonstrating accuracy with the sling at 30 metres from the target.
Slings will be provided by the organizers, for those participants who choose not to use their own slings.
The contest will have two categories, for youth and for adults, and will be divided into two phases, qualification(?) and the finals(?). Prizes to be distributed include trophies for the champions, secondary trophies, books for the youth and a leg of ham and bottle of wine for the adults. Special recognition will be given to the oldest(?) slinger present. There will also be a special prize for the goatherd who best shows the traditional attire.
During the celebration of this tournament, a craft workshop will take place, where one may learn how to make slings from esparto. Other traditional products will also be exhibited for sale.
This Sixth Slinging Competition of the Teria de Istan is organized by MONTE AVENTURA. The organizers wish to epxress their sincere gratitude to the town council of Istan, the Trojan Bar, Proinsermant, Curzcamp, Coca-Cola, the regional government of Malaga and the Association of the Sierra de las Nieves, organizations that have collaborated and have very generously contributed to preserving the traditions, culture and identity of the towns of the Sierra.
MONTE AVENTURA wishes to invite panochos(?) and visitors, slinger/goatherds and aficianados of the sling, to compete and to enjoy this excellent competition, and to share in the festive atmosphere of the Fair of Istan.
We hope we can count on your presence at this interesting event. Please confirm your attendance, to facilitate our work(? -- registration, etc?).
I take my leave, with warm greetings,
Antonio Calvo Aguilar,
MONTE AVENTURA.
info@monteaventura.com
Cell phone: 00 34 656 96 04 78
Telephone: 00 34 952 88 15 19