There’s a whole lot of weird sports being played across the pond in Great Britain. While the nation is passionate about internationally recognized sports like soccer, rugby, cricket and tennis, there exist many British sports and athletic traditions that have stood the test of time, despite appearing primitive or just downright stupid by contemporary standards for competitive sports. One example that is fairly well known is the practice of shin-kicking, in which two men grab each other by the shoulders and attempt to kick one another’s shins until someone either gives up or collapses in pain.
But in this article, I will be focusing on a slightly more civilized tradition (compared to shin-kicking, the bar is set pretty low) with an oral history that has been passed down through generations maintaining its quirky amusing nature: cheese rolling. It is an annual tradition that is believed to have existed for over 200 years, taking place on Cooper’s Hill in the village of Brookworth near Gloucester, about 100 miles east of London. In recent years, controversy and legal issues have nearly caused the tradition to be entirely cancelled, but not for the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling Committee and a group of staunchly defiant cheese rolling supporters — both participants and spectators alike.
The annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Race and Wake is held at noon on the last Monday in May, a public holiday throughout England and Wales. While the event actually features several different races and activities, the main draw is the downhill races where seven or eight pound wheels of Double Gloucester cheese are rolled down the hill as a wave of competitors chase after it with the ultimate goal being to catch the cheese while avoiding any serious injury.
While the race itself seems like a fun and somewhat silly way to spend a day off in the English countryside, once you come to realize how insanely steep the 200-yard “race track” at Cooper’s Hill is, it becomes clear just how dangerous the event can be. The cheese itself, given a one-second head start on the other competitors, can reach speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour, which is more than enough momentum for an eight pound wheel of cheese to knock someone over, or cause a nasty injury to an unsuspecting spectator. But the most imminent danger faces the racers themselves. Due to the steep and very uneven nature of the descent, few racers are able to keep their footing the entire way down and often finish the race tumbling and crashing uncontrollably to the bottom of the hill. Local rugby players volunteer as “catchers” and act as a human crash pad for the racers who cross the finish line.
The first to make it down the hill wins the cheese, but just making it down the hill unharmed is the greater reward. Injuries are all too common, as paramedics and ambulances wait at the bottom of the hill to assist the injured and drive the more serious cases to a nearby hospital. The most common injuries are rolled or sprained ankles and bruises, but broken bones and concussions are just as frequent.
Despite the absurd nature of the cheese-rolling festival, international fascination with the bizarre ritual has grown over the years. References to cheese rolling have popped up in different television shows, and thanks to the advent of YouTube, anyone in the world can check out what the sport is all about.
Due to mounting difficulties gaining the appropriate insurance coverage — which must be hard when you’re organizing an annual event in which hundreds of spectators show up to watch crazed individuals hurl themselves down a steep, dangerous hill to chase a wheel of cheese — the 2010 Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Race and Wake was officially cancelled by the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling Committee. Despite the cancellation, the lack of safety measures (including the hill being “cleared of obstacles which may pose a danger of injury” according to the official cancellation announcement) and the lack of any medical or rescue personnel on site, a brave group of intrepid cheese-rollers staged the first un-official cheese-rolling event at the same time on the same date as per tradition. At this time, there has been no official announcement regarding the 2011 event.
While the uncertainty surrounding the official event, and its proud 200 or more years of tradition, the cheese-rolling ritual appears to have found a home on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. Heading into its fourth year in 2011, the Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival in Whistler, B.C. is sponsored by the Dairy Farmers of Canada and is the all-Canadian equivalent of the Cooper’s Hill event. Although the occasion seems to place more emphasis on advertising and promoting Canadian dairy products, the cheese rolling is the real crowd pleaser. Winners of the Canadian races win not only the cheese, but also a pair of free ski-season passes for Whistler Blackcomb.
