GlosRFC
25th May 2005, 13:32
It's nearly that time of year when the locals around Gloucester participate in perhaps the most dangerous sport in the world. That's right, it's the annual Coopers Hill Cheese-rolling which takes place on Whit Monday. As far as anyone knows it's been taking place for hundreds of years with only two brief stoppages - once in 2001 because of foot-and-mouth and again in 2003 because of an earthquake!!
Dangerous, I hear you say, but that can't be so? Ordinarily I'd have to agree with you but, in this case, the chasers pursue a 7lb lump of Double Gloucester cheese down the side of a vertiginuous hill with a mostly 2-in-1 gradient, but elsewhere 1-in-1, that is officially only one degree short of being classified as a cliff-face! Other hazards include rabbit-holes lurking amongst the ankle-deep grass, gravel outcrops, decomposing leaves, and colonies of slippery Roman snails. To cap it all, there is a wire fence at the bottom of the hill, so battalions of local rugby players are employed to try to stop the runners before they cannon into it.
The format is ridiculously simple - a cheese is rolled from the summit of the hill and the first person to reach the bottom of the slope gets to keep it. There are three downhill races for men, one downhill race for women, and an uphill race for the kids. A variety of techniques are employed from the comparitively safe sliding-on-your-rear approach to the flap-your-arms-and-hope-you-can-fly method. The fastest technique is to remain as upright as possible and leg it down the hill while being prepared to bounce around like a rag-doll. Winners can usually complete the 400 yd course in about 10 seconds!!
Every year the competitors suffer a wide variety of injuries, usually broken arms and legs, and there's usually a fleet of ambulances to cart the wounded off to hospital after each race. Even the spectators aren't safe. The cheese can reach speeds in excess of 70 mph and, if it hits a divot, can alter course quite rapidly. In previous years, innocent spectators standing halfway up the hill have been poleaxed by a 7lb fromage crashing into their skull and rain does little to damp their enthusiasm - in 1982, 8 people were struck by lightning as the heavens opened - and in 1997, 30 competitors and 7 spectators required first aid or hospitalisation. New safety measures introduced in recent years, such as starting the races at noon rather than 6pm to cut down on the alcoholic intake that fortifies many runners, has done little to cut down on the mayhem.
It's something that has to be witnessed to really appreciate the spectacle and it's very much a passage of rite in this part of the world from the time when the local youths would attempt to attract the attentions of the local womenfolk. In recent years a host of international challengers have taken part so that, last year one race was won by a Ghurka (presumably experienced in racing full-tilt down mountains pursuing yaks) and the other by legendary All Black Marc Ellis (presumably experienced in racing full-tilt down mountains pursuing sheep).
Further details can be found across the web but some of the better ones for giving you a flavour of the event are here:
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9705/27/fringe/cheese.rolling/index.html (the Quicktime movies are well worth a view)
http://www.truebrits.tv/movies/cheese_rolling.wmv
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/focus/2004/05/cheese_rolling.shtml some humorous video clips and also details of last years event
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/focus/2004/05/cheese_rolling_2004.shtml for those with slower download speeds, links to various photo's of the event.
Dangerous, I hear you say, but that can't be so? Ordinarily I'd have to agree with you but, in this case, the chasers pursue a 7lb lump of Double Gloucester cheese down the side of a vertiginuous hill with a mostly 2-in-1 gradient, but elsewhere 1-in-1, that is officially only one degree short of being classified as a cliff-face! Other hazards include rabbit-holes lurking amongst the ankle-deep grass, gravel outcrops, decomposing leaves, and colonies of slippery Roman snails. To cap it all, there is a wire fence at the bottom of the hill, so battalions of local rugby players are employed to try to stop the runners before they cannon into it.
The format is ridiculously simple - a cheese is rolled from the summit of the hill and the first person to reach the bottom of the slope gets to keep it. There are three downhill races for men, one downhill race for women, and an uphill race for the kids. A variety of techniques are employed from the comparitively safe sliding-on-your-rear approach to the flap-your-arms-and-hope-you-can-fly method. The fastest technique is to remain as upright as possible and leg it down the hill while being prepared to bounce around like a rag-doll. Winners can usually complete the 400 yd course in about 10 seconds!!
Every year the competitors suffer a wide variety of injuries, usually broken arms and legs, and there's usually a fleet of ambulances to cart the wounded off to hospital after each race. Even the spectators aren't safe. The cheese can reach speeds in excess of 70 mph and, if it hits a divot, can alter course quite rapidly. In previous years, innocent spectators standing halfway up the hill have been poleaxed by a 7lb fromage crashing into their skull and rain does little to damp their enthusiasm - in 1982, 8 people were struck by lightning as the heavens opened - and in 1997, 30 competitors and 7 spectators required first aid or hospitalisation. New safety measures introduced in recent years, such as starting the races at noon rather than 6pm to cut down on the alcoholic intake that fortifies many runners, has done little to cut down on the mayhem.
It's something that has to be witnessed to really appreciate the spectacle and it's very much a passage of rite in this part of the world from the time when the local youths would attempt to attract the attentions of the local womenfolk. In recent years a host of international challengers have taken part so that, last year one race was won by a Ghurka (presumably experienced in racing full-tilt down mountains pursuing yaks) and the other by legendary All Black Marc Ellis (presumably experienced in racing full-tilt down mountains pursuing sheep).
Further details can be found across the web but some of the better ones for giving you a flavour of the event are here:
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/9705/27/fringe/cheese.rolling/index.html (the Quicktime movies are well worth a view)
http://www.truebrits.tv/movies/cheese_rolling.wmv
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/focus/2004/05/cheese_rolling.shtml some humorous video clips and also details of last years event
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/focus/2004/05/cheese_rolling_2004.shtml for those with slower download speeds, links to various photo's of the event.