Cheeseroll aftermath

Pub landlord Craig Brown needed hospital treatment after somersaulting down Cooper's Hill while chasing a double gloucester cheese.

Mr Brown had previously won a race in the event which is believed to have first been held in Roman times.

But after BBC's Midlands Today programme showed him a video of his fall, he decided that he'd chased his last cheese.

He said: "It started off good and we won the first race which I was delighted about.

"But the ground was really hard and was going very fast - the fastest I've seen it.

"In the second race I was taken out by another member which I'm not happy about."

Paramedics took Mr Brown to hospital where he needed 20 stitches in a head wound.

He also injured his leg and received a black eye from the fall.

Despite the evidence that Mr Brown's fall was caused deliberately, all is deemed fair in cheese rolling.

Simon Beetson, who was a catcher at the event, said: "It wasn't an accident but there's no rules so what can you do?"

There have been attempts to ban cheese rolling because of the number of injuries caused each year.
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Have you heard...

...of the Cooper Hill Cheese Roll?

Contestants in the Cooper's Hill event (between Gloucester, Stroud and Cheltenham in the Cotswolds) on the last Monday in May, stand precipitously at the top of a 300 yard hill, that maintains a gradient of two in one for the most part whilst a Master of Ceremonies counts them down.

'One to be ready
Two to be steady
Three to prepare', at which time an invited guest launches the chunk of cheese on its downward pilgrimage, then
'Four to be off.'

What follows can only be described as dairy based carnage. Broken bones are a given and sprains and bruises are numerous, as up to twenty contestants in any given race tumble and roll their way headlong down the slope in pursuit of the elusive chunk of Double Gloucester. Keeping your feet is rarely an option, contestants just seem to go with the flow, tumbling out of control like rag dolls with a death wish. Inevitably the cheese wins.
http://www.2camels.com/cheese-rolling.php










Three hurt in cheese rolling race
Three people have been hurt chasing a giant cheese down a steep slope in Gloucestershire.
The annual event on Cooper's Hill involves competitors hurling themselves 200 metres down the steep hill.

The winner, window fitter Chris Anderson, received his 9lb Double Gloucester as he was taken away on a stretcher with a sprained ankle.

Organisers said two other people were taken to hospital and may have suffered spinal injuries.

Chris, 17, from nearby Brockworth, said: "The pain was worth it. I went over on my ankle right at the top of the hill.

"This cheese is going straight in a cupboard when I get home. It's definitely not for eating."

New Zealander Dione Carter won the woman's event for the second year running.

"This was a lot tougher than last year. I had a few nasty tumbles."
http://news.bbc.co.uk

armor controversey

If you are unaware check it out.I got interested in this because families are trying to mail these devices to their sons and daughters in Iraq and the army won't let them....this has to be about some sort of contract and in the meantime lives are being sacrificed. What a fucked up war this is!

www.sftt.org

Believe It Or Not

In life it's all about timing.

This afternoon I decided to leave work a bit early....I had earned it and everyone knew it. Isn't that a great thing to leave work early, guilt free? I told Marci I was ready to hit the course.

This weekend is the Steady Ed Cup...a world class disc event and I knew a lot of folks would be arriving today to get in some practice rounds. I felt what was to happen next as I left the office.

The usual slow grind to the course....red lights, stop signs, dumb ass drivers everywhere. Why we all going so slow? Are we all going anywhere?

Get to Dela, in the lot and I look across and there he is....12X World Champion, Ken Climo in the flesh. Scurried for my discs, remembered to lock the car and decided, fuck tossing the plastic (even though I needed to) I'm gonna follow this cat around and see how disc golf really works. Ken jumps to 7 with his buddy and I follow. They stretch out a bit. Ken talks about being on a plane all day. Started in Clearwater, FL at 8AM and finally made it to Dela after a cancelled flight from LA to San Jo....somehow after a long ass day of work that started for me in the stables and after a long ass day of flight for him that started 4,000 miles away we converged at Hole 7 on Dela. at 5PM on a sweet clear day...magic.

Well Ken and his buddy Randy (from Miami) toss off and they look at me. Ken asks, "What are you doin?" I replied, "I'm watchin you guys." Then he asks if I want to throw with them and I just dropped my bag right there and ripped my beast down the fairway with a hyzer kick at the end.

For all you ball golfers this would be like Tiger asking if you we're gonna play or not. I'm on the bus.

The next hour of my life I played disc golf. I played with two pros who have it all and then some but also two pros who make mistakes and hit trees. On many holes I met them shot for shot....and then as usual I also boged and even double boged but you know what? It was like playing with anyone. Never did I feel nervous or embarrased and that surprised the heck out of me. I was playing with normal guys with strong skills and good wisdom and I had fun. Nothing to prove...just another day on the course.

I had many good pars and they blew many close birds and I was kind of surprised but that's disc golf.....(and also Ken had been on a plane all day and the airline also lost his luggage...he was playing in sandals! He only had his discs cuz he "always carries" his discs.)


I loved how when they got to the pin they always looked behind them. They look for the obvious routes but in reverse....from pin to pad. They talk about every route possible and what it would take. Ken has been playing Dela a couple times a year since '93 but his knowledge of the course is phenomenal. He explained routes and strategies I had never contemplated in the two years I've been tossing.

After hole 19 and only his second bird Ken was done playing, "sandal golf". I said my goodbye's , wished them good times in SC and great luck in the tourney but they didn't need that....they'll be just fine.

After I left I thought I should have had him sign a disc or something just to prove it had really happened but you know....that thought just hadn't even crossed my mind till my time with them was over. While I was playing golf with Ken Climo it was just a good time....a good time within the moment. That's how I'll remeber it.

I only asked him a couple of questions...one was really a comment. I said how silly it is you could carry a bag full of discs on a plane but not a jackknife or pair of scissors. The question....I asked him where he would rank Dela. After thinking about it and considering the challenges he concluded that it was in his top 5 favorite courses. I thought that was special.

Haven't been on my course for well over a week cuz I've been way too busy with work but someday this war will end.

The Gremlin is an out of production disc that can only increase in value but chances are I will use this mint edition....one throw....it's value diminishes....but if the disc works magic for you....it is somehow priceless. There is a lesson sandwiched somewhere in there.

this calls....

.....for an el camino montage!

Only two days left.....

The General Lee is up for sale on ebay. Current bidding price.....$2,302,100.00

....for a Dodge?!?....I'ld still go El Camino!

If I suddenly became wealthy.....

.....I would selfishly:
- purchase an el camino

- commission a song writing/recording competition for my friends upon the theme, "The Value of Paper and Plastic"

- engineer a tank that blows great bubbles


- captain a dirigible

- commission a homemade instrument orchestra

- build a utopian retirement settlement

- commission a naked ballet

- Holy City baby!