Calendar
2012
Aug. 26 Grasmere Sports and Show, Grasmere, Cumbria
Aug. 27 World Gravy Wrestling Championships, Rose N Bowl pub in Stacksteads, Lancashire
2013
Jan. 5 Haxey Hood race, Haxey, North Lincolnshire
Feb. 12 Olney Pancake Race, Olney, Buckinghamshire
May 27 Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, Brockworth, Gloucestershire
May 31 Shin Kicking World Championships, Cotswold Olimpicks, Chipping Camden, Cotswold
ing.” However, most contestants groan in pain after they stuff their pants legs with straw, grab each other’s shoulders, then give their opponent the boot until one hits the ground. A “Stickler” judges the 400-year-old event, making sure nei- ther kicker hits above the knee or forces their opponent down with anything but a punt.
The normally buttoned-down Brits also let loose in unexpected ways—especially when it comes to unusual competitions.
‘Doan’t ‘ot ‘im’
Haxey Hood holds the distinction of being the oldest surviving tradition in England. The 700-year-old race in Haxey, North Lincolnshire, takes place on the 12th day of Christmas, Jan. 5, 2013. The games reenact a 14th-century chase, with modern players in extravagant costumes dressed as a Lord, a fool and 11 “Boggins.” First everyone participates in a pub crawl, singing tra- ditional songs. This is followed by the fool lead- ing a procession where he is allowed to kiss any woman along the way. After making a speech and being “smoked” with a fi re lit behind him in damp straw, he proclaims, “Hoose agen hoose, (house against house), toon agen toon (town against town), if a man meets a man knock ‘im doon (down), but doan’t ‘ot ‘im (hurt him)”—and the mayhem begins.
London in Olympic history
London hosted two previous Olympics, one in 1908, another in 1948. The length of the modern-day marathon changed during the 1908 games when organiz- ers extended the race from 24.2 to 26.2 miles
so runners would cross the fi nish line in front of the Royal Family’s viewing box. Dr. William Penny Brookes staged the Much Wenlock Olympian Games in 1850, in the Shropshire hamlet where he lived.
Offi ciates toss a two-foot leather “hood,” then
teams push or “sway” crowds toward participat- ing pubs. A judge declares the winner when a landlord on the stoop of the “fi nish line” pub touches the hood. He then serves a round of drinks, pours beer over the hood and hangs it in his bar until New Year’s.
Late for church
During the Olney Pancake Race, women dressed in skirts, aprons and head covers sprint with a frying pan fi lled with a pancake. They run 416 yards from Market Place to the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and must fl ip the cake while crossing the fi nish line. Local lore says it recre- ates an incident in 1445 when the Shriving Bell rang to call congregants to confession. A neigh- borhood housewife was so anxious to get to church, she ran from home still clutching a hot fry pan fi lled with an overcooked pancake.
Cheese rolling
Storytellers claim the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, on May 27, 2013, is based on a pagan festival that celebrated the return of spring. Participants chase an eight-pound round of Double Gloucester cheese down a hill with a 1:2 gradient. The cheese is served with rolls—but not the bread variety—as contestants tumble head- over-heels. There is no hope of actually catching the cheese, which reaches speeds of 70 miles per hour. However, judges do award the big curd to the fi rst person who crosses the fi nish line.
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