Free Republic

GLOUCESTER, England, - Organizers of an annual Cheese Rolling event in Gloucester, England, say this year's competition has been canceled because of health and safety concerns. Richard Jeffries of the event's organizing committee, said local officials were concerned overcrowding at the May 31 event could cause problems, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday. "Last year, 15,000 spectators came to the event, by far the most we have ever seen, and we just could not cope," Jefferfies said. "As well as concerns about the safety of the crowd and the competitors, local landowners were also worried by the amount of damage done...

LONDON (AP) - Contestants in a traditional British cheese rolling competition broke bones and took skin off knees and elbows Monday in their pursuit of a giant piece of cheese down a steep hill. The competition, in which participants hurl themselves 640 feet down a hill after an eight-pound piece of cheese, has been celebrated for centuries in Gloucestershire, northwest of London. The race is thought to originate from a heathen festival to welcome the spring. The first person to follow the cheese across the line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese and a small cash prize....