Cheese Rolling – This Sport is All About Cheese!
The south-west English region of Gloucester hosts a unique event each year during springtime which involves cheese rolling! It attracts people from all corners of England as well as abroad who come to watch the competitors launching themselves downhill, chasing a ball of cheese!
In fact, if you try hard you might even find some local sports-books offering odds on the different outcomes of this event! Other than that, if you’re a sports bettor in general, you can find many reliable sports betting options at Canadasportsbetting.ca. Although cheese rolling might sound pretty strange, let’s tell you that it’s a pretty popular event in this part of the world?! Let’s learn how it came into being and what all it involves.
What is cheese rolling?
It’s a sport wherein a 9 pound heavy round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled from the topmost point of a hill and the competitors change this ball down to the bottom. The first person to cross the finish line is declared the winner and gets to take home this cheese. While originally the aim of this race was to chase the cheese, the one-second head start given to the cheese and the quickness with which it gathers speed makes it a very difficult, as well as dangerous affair for the participants. People have got injured in the past and the cheese had to be replaced with a replica made of foam, for safety reasons, in 2013. Here on bbc.com you can find more details on who was crowned champion in the 2019 race!
Where it happens?
This cheese rolling contest happens in Brockworth, Gloucester, atop the Cooper’s Hill. The people taking part in the race are mainly the village locals, but you’ll find spectators from all corners of the world who arrive here to witness this unusual spot. You’ll even find a pub in the neighbouring Shurdington village called The Cheese Rollers, named appropriately after the event. It’s the ideal place for contestants to get their dose of courage before participating in the event, as well as celebrate after it.
The rules
The event involves 4 downhill races, 1 for women and 3 for men, with a maximum of 14 people taking part in each race, although there are always more number of people who take part, up to 40 in some years! The event is kicked off by the masters of the ceremony who shouts: ‘One to be ready, two to be steady, three to prepare (point when the cheese gets released) and four to be off’.
Thereafter the racers launch themselves downhill in the chase of this cheese, with the person crossing the finish line first crowned as the winner. The race takes place each year, starting at 12 PM on the Spring Bank Holiday Monday.
How to take part in it?
You don’t necessarily need to pass any criteria to enter this race, or fill out any form. Just arrive at the venue on the day of the race and present yourself in front of the organisers. However, please remember that this is not the ideal sport for the fainthearted. Whatever you do, avoid wearing that favourite pair of jeans!
