Is this the celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County?
© iStock/Stevelenzphoto

Five of the Most Fascinating Competitions in the World

Grab your frog, your worm, your spouse, your crying baby, your cheese-chasing outfit, your cherry pits, your cockroaches, and your mustache wax.

Let the games begin.

From Calaveras frog jumping, to British cheese chasing, to Japanese baby crying, to Finnish wife carrying, to Indian mustache competitions, it’s time for some competitive cultural encounters.

What is it that drives us to compete . . . besides that thrill of victory? And, more to the point, what is it that drives us to compete in competitions unique to our cultures?

Most competitors in these kinds of contests say the same thing: it’s just fun.

But it may also be the cultural connection. Often, the competition is part of a country’s traditions and customs, shared with pride.

We will leave cherry pit spitting, worm charming, and cockroach racing for another day and focus here on an OIC Moments introduction to five of the world’s most fascinating competitions.

Hip hop at its best
Courtesy of Frogtown

A Hip Hop Dream: The Calaveras Frog Jumping Competition

Mark Twain made this competition famous in his first well-known short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” based on a tale he heard in a bar in Angel’s Camp, California during the gold rush.

A bar bet was offered that the jumping frog “Dan’l Webster” could outjump any frog around. A city slicker visitor took the bet and, while Dan’l Webster’s owner went to get the city slicker a frog to compete, the visitor filled Dan’l Webster with buckshot.

When the race started, Dan’l Webster was, as Mark Twain described, “planted like a building.” He was so heavy he could not jump. So the city slicker’s frog won the race and the $40 bet.

Fast forward to the present, where, each May in Angel’s Camp (since 1928), the frog jumping competition continues (minus the buckshot).

Frogs, like current champion Rosie the Ribeter (holding the world record since 1986 of nearly 22 inches), Jumping Jack Flash, E. Davey Croakett, Springs, You Can Croak, San Francisco Warty Niners, and Will B Happening, compete to jump the farthest, cheered on and guided by their frog jockeys.

Slum Frog Millionaire may hold the record for the worst jump, says his frog jockey.
© Merita Callaway

The frogs rest at the “frog spa” until it’s their turn to race. Then they are placed on a small green faux lily pad. They must start with all four feet (including toes) on this “launch” pad.

The next three hops are what count, and must be completed within one minute.

The frog jockeys, naturally, want their frogs to jump in a straight line. However, frogs have their own idea about how, where, and when to hop, making the competition a bit unpredictable.

Some frogs just sit (an homage to Dan’l Webster?), even though their jockeys are yelling, pounding on the stage, and doing anything they can think of to motivate their frog.

How do you motivate a frog?
Courtesy of Frogtown

Some frogs place height rather than distance as a priority, and some make a good first jump but then zig zag or U-turn resulting in a short measurement or even a negative distance.

If a frog breaks Rosie the Ribeter’s world record, an additional $5,000 is part of the prize. However, no recent frog has come close to the 1986 record.

So . . .  search for that perfect frog from that secret place for the 2020 competition and begin the training regime. And don’t worry . . . be hoppy.

Don’t worry . . . be hoppy.
© Merita Callaway

Extreme Cheese

What better way to welcome spring than to tumble down a steep hill in pursuit of a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese?

The annual Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in the Gloucestershire, England countryside attracts locals as well as daredevils (or cheeselovers?) from around the world.

The competition, which is thought to have begun long ago as a pagan rite of spring, has been popular since the 1800s and was first mentioned in writing in 1826.

The thrill must be in the “journey,” not the “destination,” since no one ever catches the cheese. The Double Gloucester gets a head start and is heavy enough to reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour.

Chasing the cheese on Cooper’s Hill
© iStock/Raylipscombe

The contestants, on the other hand, slide, stumble, dive, somersault, flip, fly, and bounce like rubber balls down Cooper’s Hill—like toy humans whose owners should know better than to hurl their breakable bodies down such a steep slope.

Every year, there are injuries such as fractured bones, bruises, sprains, dislocations, and torn muscles. But everyone seems to have a good time, in spite of the inherent danger. If it’s misty or raining (as it often is in the Cotswolds), the steep hill becomes even more challenging.

Not only do the competitors have to scramble down the hill in pursuit of the cheese, they have to claw their way up the hill to position themselves for the start of the race.

The competition is so wrought with injuries that the official competition was closed in 2010. The rogue competition continues.

If video does not display, watch it here.

The winner is awarded the wheel of Double Gloucester cheese—made by the same cheesemaker for the past 30+ years). (It is interesting to note that during WW II rationing, the competition used a wooden cheese with a tiny bit of real cheese in the center.)

What is the secret to success? As one of the past winners offered, “If you go fast from the beginning, the hill will do the rest.”

What seems to work best is a basic philosophy of reckless abandon.

The baby crying brings good health, according to Japanese tradition.
© iStock/Masaru123

Why Would You Want To Make a Baby Cry?

The Naki Sumo baby crying competition has the answer to why it’s not cruel to make a baby cry—and why a parent pays $150 to enter a baby in this competition.

In the case of this 400-year-old Japanese tradition, the baby’s cries ward off evil spirits as well as portending good health for the baby who breaks into tears first. (A rare instance where being good natured doesn’t count for much.)

The calm before the crying storm at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo
© iStock/Nanostockk

The April competition takes place at several Japanese shrines, but the most famous event is at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo.

Babies compete in pairs and are held by sumo wrestlers who are, on their own, some might say a bit scary. But it is up to the sumo referee to incorporate clever scare tactics to get the babies to cry.

The referee can wear a mask (often the bird demon tengu), can shout, or can just yell Nake Nake (Cry! Cry!).

The first baby to cry is the winner. If the babies cry at the same time, the loudest crier is the winner.

If video does not display, watch it here.

Strength and Endurance in Wife Carrying

Some competitors in the Wife-Carrying Competition seem to think its Finnish origin is because, after a long dark winter, people just want to go a bit crazy.

Wife Carrying gains popularity.
© Nick Lambert/Sunday River Resort

Others believe the tradition of Wife Carrying has deep roots in local history. In the Finnish legend, “Ronkainen the Robber,” a gang of men pillage villages and carry the women off on their backs to marry them.

Today, in Sonkajärvi, Finland, the Wife-Carrying Competition takes place on a 278-yard obstacle course that is said to be the distance needed to be safe from these pursuers of yore.

The man carries the woman through the course on a sand track with several obstacles, including waist-high water.

A challenging obstacle course makes wife carrying more difficult than you might think.
© Nick Lambert/Sunday River Resort

The woman doesn’t have to be the wife of the man. The man can convince his wife, “steal a wife” (or so say the organizers), or select any woman who is willing to be carried through an obstacle course on his back.

The woman must be at least 18 years of age and weigh at least 108 pounds (although these rules may differ depending on the country of the competition). Some competitions require helmets for the women; some do not.

The winner receives the trophy, as well as the “wife’s” weight in beer. Awards are also given to the most entertaining couple, the best costume, and the strongest carrier.

Wife Carrying is gaining popularity around the world. Competitions are also held in North America, Poland, Australia, China, and England.

Mustache competition contenders
© Meredith Mullins

Mustache Magnificence

There are mustache and beard competitions around the world, where categories like most creative beard, most realistic mustache, most Dali-esque mustache, best Fu Manchu, best sideburns, and fullest beard are in the spotlight. Countries vie to be the next facial hair leader.

For a different kind of contest, we travel to India and the mustache competition at the Pushkar Camel Fair, where length, creativity, and volume are the focus of attention.

Men grow their mustaches for years in anticipation of entering the competition. They arrive with their mustaches tightly coiled or carefully woven, so that they can unfurl them dramatically for the crowds.

A winner
© Meredith Mullins

Some swing their mustaches like lassos. Some raise their arms triumphantly, mustache ends in each hand. Some just strut and smile because they know their mustaches are enviable. They don’t need to win a prize to tell them that.

Each year that these unique competitions occur, they become more embedded in the culture’s customs and traditions. Yes, everyone is there to have fun, but they’re also part of a cultural encounter, which gives them further insight into the country’s traditions. And that makes the competitions even more meaningful.

To prepare for next year’s fascinating competitions:

Calaveras Frog Jumping at Frogtown in Angel’s Camp: May 14-17, 2020

Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake in Gloucestershire, England: May 25, 2020

Baby Crying Competition in Tokyo, Japan: April 26, 2020 (Of course to enter this one, you have to have a baby born in 2019.)

Wife Carrying Competition in Finland: July 2020

Wife Carrying Competition in North America: October 12, 2019, Sunday River Resort

Pushkar Camel Fair in India: November 4-12, 2019

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