psychocat
05-30-2005, 11:53 AM
And Englishmen !
Dozens of daredevils will chase a giant cheese down a steep slope today as part of a bizarre traditional contest.
The cheese-rolling competition, held every year on Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, involves competitors hurling themselves 200 metres down a one-in-two hill after the round cheese.
The winner of the chase gets the prize of a 7-9 lb double Gloucester cheese. Thousands of spectators are expected at the event, which dates back at least 200 years.
The event is not without its risks, and last year 21 people needed treatment for injuries including a broken ankle and a dislocated shoulder.
St John's Ambulance will be on hand to treat the injured, and a team from Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID) will rescue casualties from the slope.
Organiser Richard Jeffries said the origins of the event are unclear, but the first written record dates from the 1850s and describes the writer's grandfather taking part in the event in the late 1700s.
He said: "It is a good part of the local heritage and a tradition we would like to keep going.
"There may be some day in the future where demands are made on us in terms of health and safety that mean we can't continue, but until then we will carry on."
The event consists of four downhill races, with the winner of each receiving a cheese. Runners-up get £10 and there is a £5 prize for third.
Dozens of daredevils will chase a giant cheese down a steep slope today as part of a bizarre traditional contest.
The cheese-rolling competition, held every year on Cooper's Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, involves competitors hurling themselves 200 metres down a one-in-two hill after the round cheese.
The winner of the chase gets the prize of a 7-9 lb double Gloucester cheese. Thousands of spectators are expected at the event, which dates back at least 200 years.
The event is not without its risks, and last year 21 people needed treatment for injuries including a broken ankle and a dislocated shoulder.
St John's Ambulance will be on hand to treat the injured, and a team from Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID) will rescue casualties from the slope.
Organiser Richard Jeffries said the origins of the event are unclear, but the first written record dates from the 1850s and describes the writer's grandfather taking part in the event in the late 1700s.
He said: "It is a good part of the local heritage and a tradition we would like to keep going.
"There may be some day in the future where demands are made on us in terms of health and safety that mean we can't continue, but until then we will carry on."
The event consists of four downhill races, with the winner of each receiving a cheese. Runners-up get £10 and there is a £5 prize for third.