In exciting news, today marked the annual cheese-rolling event in Gloucestershire, England, a 200-year-old race where a wheel of Double Gloucester is flung down a perilously steep hill and people run as fast as they can, often falling end-over-end in an attempt to be the first one to catch it and claim eternal fame.
This year’s contest looked particularly hazardous, as it had rained continuously the night before. It appeared nearly impossible for contestants to stay on their feet down the 200 meter slope — go here to watch the video, courtesy of the BBC.
The winner of the first race at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, a 19- year-old local man, was carried off wearing a neck brace. In all, ambulance volunteers treated 19 injuries.
You can’t say these people aren’t dedicated to their cheese.
I think Wisconsin should piggyback on this famous cheese rolling event and stage a celebration of our own. God knows we’ve got the hills to conduct such a test — just take a drive in southwest Wisconsin and you’ll have no problem finding a 200 meter slope with a 1:1 gradient.
Since we’re not overly known for making a double gloucester, we could a roll a different cheese instead — there are several Wisconsin cheesemakers crafting artisan cheeses modeled after English traditional bandaged cheddar, including Brunkow Cheeses’ Fayette Creamery Avondale Truckle or Willi Lehner’s Bandaged Cheddar — both of these cheeses have taken the spotlight recently in the national media and would be a worthy opponent of any cheese chaser.
Besides, how better to celebrate the end to a very long winter than chasing a wheel of cheese down a grassy slope? Bring it on!
I just had to pass this on! It looks like the Canadians have jumped on the cheese chasing bandwagon…http://www.canadiancheeserolling.ca/Maybe from there it will roll south to the U.S.