The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake was held yesterday in the British village of Brockworth. The event has been held almost every year for at least 200 years, and may be more than 600 years old. The origins and meaning of the event are obscured by time, but must have been a good story. A wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is tossed down the notoriously steep Cooper's Hill, and competitors race to catch it. No one ever catches it, so the first person to the bottom wins the cheese. You might think that a downhill race would be easy, but it also involves falling and rolling, so much that no organization will sanction the race anymore, therefore it is an informal competition where injuries are common. Yet thousands of spectators show up. There were seven races this year, with one reserved for women only. Winners included German YouTuber Tom Kopke, and Luke Preece, who wore a Superman costume. One person was sent to a hospital by ambulance.
Maybe we can understand a little better by seeing a race from yesterday in slow motion, with a glimpse at what really happens at the bottom of the hill.
And if that's not enough, here's the women's division race, won by Ava Sender Logan.
A good time was had by (almost) all.