Category:
Sports

Gloucester Cheese Roll Winner

The annual Gloucester Cheese Roll contest involves chasing a wheel of cheese down Cooper's Hill. The winner of this year's women's race was Delaney Irving of Canada. She won despite getting knocked unconscious while running (falling) down the hill.

I had the chance to visit Cooper's Hill about ten years ago (not during the cheese roll, unfortunately), and I can attest that it's very steep — much steeper than it appears on videos such as the one below. The idea of trying to run down it seems suicidal to me.

More info: The Guardian

(Thanks to Gerald Sacks!)

Posted By: Alex - Wed May 31, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Sports

People Hunting

A version of 'the most dangerous game' that ends with licks and cuddles rather than death.

Montreal Star - Feb 2, 1976



Some searching turned up Walter Gilbey's old webpage on the Internet Archive, where he discussed what he called the "Isle of Man Bloodhounds Drag Hunt." A drag hunt (so I learned) is the term for a hunt in which bloodhounds chase after a person who is carrying something aromatic, such as aniseed. However, their noses are so good that they can (and often do) simply follow the scent of the person.

As of 2015, this Isle of Man Bloodhounds Drag Hunt was still taking place. See the March 2015 issue of the Isle of Man magazine (pgs 108-109).

Posted By: Alex - Tue May 16, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Sports, 1970s

Lying Start

I've never seen a race start like this. I'm assuming the "lying start" must no longer be practiced.

This is a racing start in Germany. The German enthusiasm for things military is even in evidence at a sports meet held in the Berlin Tiergarten Stadium recently by the Sport-Union of the German Officers Union. Competitors in the 100-meter dash are seen at the start of the race as they made a "lying-start," in accordance to the military form of field service. 7/10/33


Posted By: Alex - Wed May 10, 2023 - Comments (5)
Category: Sports, 1930s

Milk-Drinking Contest

1928: Manly competition at the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner Company's employee picnic

A milk drinking contest, conducted in the good old fashioned way, right out of a nursing bottle with a rubber nipple


Omaha Evening Bee-News - May 28, 1928

Posted By: Alex - Tue May 09, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Sports, 1920s

Mystery Illustration 110

Why is this lad soaking his feet?

The answer is here.

Or after the jump.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Fri May 05, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Sports, 1950s

The boxer who knocked himself out

According to boxing lore, back in the 1930s C.D. "Bigboy" Blalock of Louisiana State University managed to accidentally knock himself out, with his own punch.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Feb 12, 1973



I've managed to confirm that C.D. Blalock was, in fact, a boxer on the LSU team (see clipping below). Apparently he was the heavyweight champion of the southeastern conference in 1934. But I can't find any contemporary coverage of his self-knockout. Which seems odd. I would have thought the press would have given something like that plenty of coverage.

Alexandria Daily Town Talk - Apr 2, 1932

Posted By: Alex - Wed Apr 26, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Sports, 1930s

Sydna Yokley, Rodeo Prodigy

Sydna--seen here in a 1939 LIFE magazine feature--debuted on the rodeo circuit at age 12. She had an outstanding career (see her FIND A GRAVE obit) but died young--under the hooves of her favorite horse.






A nice write-up of her life here.

A 1977 retrospective feature here.





Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 13, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Regionalism, Sports, North America, Twentieth Century

Egg Blowing

According to Life magazine (Dec 15, 1952), in the early 1950s the sport of egg blowing (Eieren Blazen) was all the rage in Holland.



The rules of the game:

The game is played with an empty eggshell, windpower and a billiard table with two goal nets at each end. Each team has five players, one of whom acts as goalkeeper. Other team members sit along the sides. The referee places the eggshell in the center of the table and after that it is a blowing free-for-all to get it into the opposing team's net. Players must sit on their hands throughout the game and must keep from touching the egg with their lips. Breaking these rules gives the opposing team a free blow at the goal.



I can't find any references to the game beyond this one article in Life.

I can see why it would be an amusing game at parties. But probably not appropriate for the age of Covid.

"Players and spectators go into convulsions of laughter as a woman blows so hard at egg that she blows out her false teeth on the table"

Posted By: Alex - Mon Apr 03, 2023 - Comments (1)
Category: Sports, Eggs, 1950s

Chess Football

Patent No. 5558335. Pretty much like regular chess, but inside a simulated football stadium.

Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 12, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Sports, Patents

Rollerskate Polo



This is a Roller Polo team in the 1890s. Roller skating was big in 1870s USA, and when polo was brought in by James Gordon Bennett in 1876, the two sports quickly blended. Roller polo was played with a ball. Roller rinks were converted to 40 by 80-foot courts with a chicken-wire goal cage at each end. The one-handed sticks were 1 inch in diameter and they played 3 15-minute periods. Players wore team uniforms and goalies wore more pads. Everybody wore Roller Skates.The man at right has a skate key hanging from his belt.


Posted By: Paul - Fri Feb 03, 2023 - Comments (2)
Category: Sports, Nineteenth Century

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