The nature of man is to compete and gain for himself all the glory and adulation of throngs of people watching. Now competitions come in all varieties, some in the team variant and some individual, but the competitions that are detailed below are some of the world’s most dangerous, and arguably stupidest. Then again who is it for us to say, defying death brings the adulation of the crowd and for the men that take part that is enough to motivate them.
Gloucester Cheese Roll
Every few years crowds gather at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester England to watch grown men hurl themselves down the hill in pursuit of a giant spinning wheel of cheese. The essence of the competition is to catch the cheese before it reaches the bottom, which due to the fact it reaches speeds of 130 kmph is impossible, while hopefully not killing them self. As one can imagine injuries happen each year; even unexpected injuries such as the cheese veering off course into the crowd of spectators at enough speed to injure whatever is in its way.
World Sauna Championships
In 1999 the great Saunaing nation of Finland began the World Sauna Championships. The idea of the competition was to discover which man could take the ultimate in Sauna tremendous heat. With the temperature beginning at more than 100 degree Celsius, and still rising, the winner is the contestant that can stay in the longest and walk out unassisted. Routinely the competition saw contestants suffer severe dehydration and often third degree burns. The competition was finally stopped for good in 2010 after one competitor died during the final round.
Angola Prison Rodeo’s
The Louisiana State Penitentiary, often referred to as Angola, is no stranger to brutality. Since 1964 each year an inmate rodeo is held. Competing for reduced sentences and some cases pardons the inmates are coaxed to risk life and live in the name of freedom. The signature event is called Convict Poker which convicts sit at a table while an enraged Bull is released. The last man to remain sitting at the table wins the competition. Other competitions include Guts & Glory – in which inmates try to grab a poker chip from an enraged bull – and Wild Cow Milking, which is self explanatory!
Free Style Alligator Wrestling Competition
Since 2010 James Holt has come up with the first ever Freestyle Alligator Wrestling Competition. Participants jump into a pool and go head to head with a wild alligator for 10 minutes with the goal being to wrestle the gator out of the water. Bonus points are given for any stunts the participant wishes to perform with the alligator.
What do you think?