The Cellar  

Go Back   The Cellar > Images > Image of the Day

Image of the Day Images that will blow your mind - every day. [Blog] [RSS] [XML]

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 2 votes, 5.00 average. Display Modes
Old 05-28-2009, 11:32 PM   #1
Undertoad
Radical Centrist
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cottage of Prussia
Posts: 31,423
May 29, 2009: Gloucester Cheese Rolling 2009

My favorite IotDs, if I may say so m'self, are the ones that capture some weird festival, like the Spanish Tomatino or Delaware's Punkin Chunkin. Of course these festivals may suffer from success, and so it may be a mixed blessing to publicize them. The best answer is to start more such festivals.

Well here is an awesome one I hadn't heard of: the Gloucester Cheese Rolling.

Apparently it's an old tradition.

You start with an extremely steep hill.



It's very steep. View from the top:



Spectators line the sides of the hill. (image courtesy flickr user acechick)



Then you take a round of Double Gloucester cheese...



On a count of three, an official rolls it down the steep hill... (image courtesy flickr user urgent_98)



And when the count reaches four, a set of racers run down the hill chasing the cheese! (image courtesy flickr user Dave Withnall)



They're off! (thx acechick) (notice the rolling cheese in the middle there)



The first to reach the cheese will win the race.

But there's a catch.

You see, the hill is so extremely steep, the cheese goes very fast, and there's simply no way a person running down the steep hill can win the race and stay on their feet.

So everybody in the race starts to tumble. (image courtesy flickr user Nick 8890)



In fact, the hill is so steep that you can't help but tumble if you are running down it. So within seconds, everybody is tumbling! (thx acechick)



And they all tumble down to the bottom, spending most of their time upside-down, hand-standing, rolling, running into other racers... it's hilarious!

The women's race. Notice that NOBODY is on their feet. Most runners spend more than half the race tumbling. (urgent_98)



And tumbling HARD. There are faceplants a-plenty. The wipeouts can be really stunning, and are the whole point of it all. (Nick 8890)



In fact you can't imagine it happening without people getting really hurt. And so, yes there are casualties, and a set of emergency staff to cart off the injured. (urgent_98)



A set of human tacklers will stop you once you reach the bottom, if you haven't stopped yourself by then.



Winner winner cheesy dinner! (Nick 8890)



Oh but you MUST see the video. Required viewing:



Official cheese rolling website.

Many thanks to the Flickr folks who agreed to share their shots with us!
Undertoad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2009, 11:45 PM   #2
Aliantha
trying hard to be a better person
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 16,493
I want to know why anyone would do it naked except for shoes and undies...and I'd then like to know if anyone would want to tackle him when he gets to the bottom. lol
__________________
Kind words are the music of the world. F. W. Faber
Aliantha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2009, 11:52 PM   #3
zippyt
LONG LIVE KING ZIPPY! per Feetz
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 7,661
That Looks Like Fun !!

Mad Dogs and English men in the Noon day sun !!!!!
__________________
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. "
Brother Dave Gardner
zippyt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2009, 11:58 PM   #4
xoxoxoBruce
The future is unwritten
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
If they stop you at the bottom how do you get to the cheese?
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
xoxoxoBruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 12:18 AM   #5
Undertoad
Radical Centrist
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Cottage of Prussia
Posts: 31,423
They say the cheese rolls at 70 mph (or maybe kph?) so there is really no chance at catching it. I think you just cross the finish line.
Undertoad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 12:55 AM   #6
xoxoxoBruce
The future is unwritten
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
More at Boston.com.
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
xoxoxoBruce is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 02:13 AM   #7
Kolbenfresser
Wiseacre Emeritus
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Good old Germany
Posts: 35
Joy!

Its not about the cheese - even if you get it in the end.
Its more about human nature - doing crazy stuff and enjoying it!
__________________
In cauda venenum.
Kolbenfresser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 02:29 AM   #8
TheMercenary
“Hypocrisy: prejudice with a halo”
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Savannah, Georgia
Posts: 21,393
Note: "set of human tacklers" are from a local rugby club. Their jerseys are clearly marked. I never knew my skills from rugby may one day land me a prestigious job tackling on a hillside rife with tumbling women. No poofta's need apply.
__________________
Anyone but the this most fuked up President in History in 2012!
TheMercenary is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 05:03 AM   #9
SPUCK
Professor
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,911
The lady in the wheel chair?
Yes, she's paralyzed.
She steers it by blowing on a little pipe.
It happens as she ran down a hill chasing uncatchable cheese...
Yes dear, it's very good cheese.
SPUCK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 05:16 AM   #10
ZenGum
Doctor Wtf
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Badelaide, Baustralia
Posts: 12,861
fetta-l attraction?

Well, everyone else had a gouda time.
__________________
Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008.
Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.
ZenGum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 07:18 AM   #11
capnhowdy
Blatantly Homosapien
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,200
They should release a couple dozen angry bulls when the count hits seven. Now that WOULD be interesting. Not that this isn't.
__________________
Please type slowly. I can't read very fast............... and no holy water, please.
capnhowdy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 07:43 AM   #12
spudcon
Beware of potatoes
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Upstate NY, USA
Posts: 2,078
How do they stop a rolling cheese even if they catch it? And who gets to cut the cheese?
__________________
"I believe that being despised by the despicable is as good as being admired by the admirable."
spudcon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 08:14 AM   #13
nil_orally
Larger than average member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Melbourne, Oz.
Posts: 72
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary View Post
Note: "set of human tacklers" are from a local rugby club. Their jerseys are clearly marked. I never knew my skills from rugby may one day land me a prestigious job tackling on a hillside rife with tumbling women. No poofta's need apply.
Yes, they must use the Union blokes for the girls race, and prise the League guys off each other to work on the boys race.
__________________
Waiting for inspiration.....
nil_orally is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 09:38 AM   #14
dar512
dar512 is now Pete Zicato
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chicago suburb
Posts: 4,968
And did anyone think to yell "As you wish" whilst rolling down the hill?
__________________
"Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain."
-- Friedrich Schiller
dar512 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-29-2009, 09:39 AM   #15
glatt
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Arlington, VA
Posts: 27,717
What an excellent group of pictures!
glatt is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:24 AM.


Powered by: vBulletin Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.