Chasing The Cheese Roll

Description

This annual event held in Gloucestershire in England is considered as one of the world's most dangerous
sporting event.

Considered as one of the world’s craziest competitions, this annual event involving capturing a downhill
rolling cheese wheel has now graduated from a local English event to a global one. The event usually
takes place on the Late Spring Bank Holiday Monday at Cooper’s Hill near Brockworth parish of
Gloucester in south-west England (United Kingdom).

Although the origin of the competition – Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll and Wake – is not established, it is
believed that it may have started 600 years back; the first written record goes back to 1826. Gloucester
is well known for its traditional semi-hard cheese which is being made here since the 16th century. The
eponymous cheese is of two varieties – single and double. The cheese is traditionally made from
Gloucester cattle (now an endangered breed, with UK-based Rare Breeds Survival Trust listing its
conservation as a ‘priority’).

Simply speaking, the competition involves a bunch of participants racing down a steep incline after a
cheese wheel. But it is easier said than done.

Rules

The nine-pound double cheese wheel is released by the master of ceremonies from the top of the
incline of Cooper’s Hill at the count of three, giving it a one second head start over the participants who
hurl themselves downhill at the call of four. The steep gradient of Cooper Hill makes it a dangerous
sport. Many cannot keep their balance and either roll down sideways or tumble head over heels, across
a distance of measuring about 200 yards (almost 183 metre); accidents are known to happen. But that
has not deterred the participants or the spectators. In fact, the number of participants kept increasing in
the years prior to the pandemic, with participants coming from across the globe. Local rugby club
players and farmers groups volunteer to catch the players at the bottom, even helping them to get
medical assistance.

Over the years, some of the rules have changed. It was even cancelled in 2009 over safety concerns as
huge crowd – more than what the hill could accommodate – turned up. But it was renewed the
following year. Earlier, whoever caught the cheese was declared the winner. But now the person who
crosses the finish line is declared the winner and gets to keep the cheese wheel.

History

The exact origin of the holiday is unknown, although there are two theories. The first is about
maintaining the grazing right on Cooper's Hill, while the second concerns an ancient pagan holiday. The
event became famous throughout the 20th century, first among the British themselves and later
internationally, due to falls caused when trying to catch the cheese. In the 1993 edition, four people
were seriously injured during the races, but over time a regulation and a calendar of competitions have
been standardized to prevent damage.6

In the 2009 edition there were more than 15,000 attendees for a capacity of 5,000 people, so it ran the
risk of being canceled the following year for security reasons.7 Since then the organization has taken
measures to preserve the tradition, including a control of access.