StrangeSights

Further to last week’s look at some of the oddest competitions we’ve come across, we add:

• A team of four Australian women, known as the Pinkettes, have set a new world record for the fastest relay race run while wearing stiletto heels after completing an 80 metre course near Sydney’s Opera House. About 100 women and a single man competed in the event which was held to raise money for breast cancer;

• Although the official event was cancelled this year, the annual cheese-rolling contest at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire, UK, is usually a highlight of the culinary competitions worldwide. The competition simply involves a round of cheese - Double Gloucestershire - down the hill while competitors chase after it, hoping to catch the cheese (apparently no-one ever does). The first contestant over the finish line after the cheese is the winner. The tradition is said to be at least 200 years old;

And from last week…

• First up, the second annual Surf City Surf Dog Tournament which last weekend saw a host of dogs on boards take to the water at California’s Huntington Beach. As well as dogs ‘hanging paw’ on the waves - with competitions based on such criteria as the longest ride and size of wave surfed - there were a range of dog-related events, even including a fashion show, the ‘Cowabunga Costume Contest’. It was all for a good cause - some of the entry fees went to various dog-related charities.

• Sure, we’ve all heard of the annual hot dog eating competition in New York but what of a contest for eating nettles. Held every year at the Bottle Inn in Dorset, England, the Stinging Nettle Eating Competition - which draws competitors from across the globe including Australia - involves eating as many nettles as you can with only beer to quell the pain from the stinging (no other mouth numbing substances allowed).

• When not determining who can eat the most of something, odd competitions often involve throwing them. The World Blackpudding Throwing Championship is a case in point. Held earlier this month (13th September) at Ramsbottom in England, the competition involves throwing a black pudding (each contestant gets three) with aim of knocking a pile of Yorkshire puddings off a six metre high plinth.

• And no list would be complete without mentioning the Finnish ‘wife carrying championships’ in which husbands must complete an obstacle course which carrying their wives using one of a number of specialist holds. The sport was first undertaken at Sonkajarvi in Finland in the 19th century (the town is still the location of the annual world championships each July and the winner apparently still receives his wife’s weight in beer) but contests are now also held at several locations in the US.

Some of the others we’re aware of:
• the World Air Guitar Championships;
• the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

We’ll be adding to this list as we become aware of other competitions. We’re keen to hear of more weird and wonderful contests so let us know…

• Bats have “accents” which vary depending on where they live, according to scientists at the Forest Science Centre, part of Industry & Investment NSW. The research, which involved recording 4000 calls from 30 different species, reportedly found that while the same species of bat may live on the north and south coast, they had distinctive dialects.

• Heading for a night out and want to stay in touch but don’t want to carry a phone? Help is at hand. British fashion company CuteCircuit has developed a little black dress - the M-Dress or Mobile Phone Dress - which comes with a built-in mobile phone. The SIM card goes under the label and the phone using gesture recognition software, so that calls are answered when the wearer raises their hand to their ear and hung up when they let their arm drop. The dress will be released next year.

• It’s more than even the greatest sweet tooth could eat. A chocolate bar weighing 4,410 kilograms has reportedly broken the world record for the biggest chocolate bar. Made in Armenia by the Grand Candy Factory using cocoa beans from Ghana, the result was apparently officially recorded for Guinness World Records. Lucky members of the public will be eating it next month.

• Those badly spelt signs annoying you? Take heart. Two Americans have just released a book about a journey they made travelling across the US correcting spelling and punctuation. Jeff Deck, a write and editor, created the Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL), and in early 2008 set off on a 73 day journey in which he and several companions targeted signs outside shops, public buildings and parks, rounding up stray apostrophes and fixing wayward spelling (and learning a lesson about always asking for permission to fix a sign along the way). Together with one of his companions - Benjamin D. Herson - he has subsequently written the book about the experience The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World. Bad spellers be warned!

• A month long water pistol tournament has just come to an end in the UK. Known as StreetWars, the “water pistol assassination” tournament kicked off in New York in 2004, and has since visited numerous cities including, during August, London (which also played host to the tournament in 2006). As many as 300 players were expected to take part. Concerns have reportedly previously been expressed over the appropriateness of such a game.

• It’s the ultimate in train sets. A house has gone on the market in Lincolnshire that comes complete with a more than 300 metre long model railway, complete with scale trains, castle, fairground and a full-size fish pond. The owner reportedly spent years creating the backyard playground.