Is cheese rolling a sport? Technically, no. But it is in fact an exciting event that takes place annually in England. After being cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake competition returned this year – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Abby Lampe – a North Carolina native – recorded an impressive win, and she joined The Marty Smith Podcast to talk about it.
Lampe, a recent graduate of NC State University, is the world champion in the 2022 Cheese Rolling Competition in Gloucestershire, England. She – along with the other participants – raced down a 200-yard hill chasing after an eight-pound round of Double Gloucester cheese. It’s certainly a unique event, and it sure is exciting to see. But the main question is this: Why in the world did Lampe want to do it?
“I’ve seen this competition for a while,” Lampe told Marty Smith. “On Youtube, there are a lot of compilations of people falling down hills. I’ve known about this for a long time. I wanted to do this two years ago, but COVID hit when I was studying abroad in England. So, I wasn’t able to do it then.
“I am on a victory lap after graduating from NC State and traveling around Europe, and I booked this trip just to do this cheese race. So, I specifically wanted to do this, this year. I’m very competitive, so I really wanted to participate in this event.”
While Lampe became the first-ever American woman to win the competition, she did so in an unreal fashion. With the hill so steep as it is, the participants are constantly taking big hits to the ground – but that didn’t stop Lampe from continuing to battle. She even went as far as to taking five or six straight bounces off the hard ground to come out on top with the round of cheese. Take a look for yourself at how determined Lampe was to win.
Lampe said after the race that she is spending the summer in Spain and had to participate in the competition. Props to her for fulfilling her dream – and for claiming the victory.
Lampe Practiced by Rolling Down Hills in North Carolina – Seriously
During her segment on The Marty Smith Podcast, Lampe provided the answer everyone wanted to know: How exactly did she prepare for the event? Furthermore, how can you even get yourself to just roll down a hill for fun?
“So, Raleigh – they have Dorothea Dix Park, which it has very small hills,” Lampe said. “So, before I left, I rolled down a few of those hills. … My boss may actually have a video of me rolling down a hill there, but not a very good video. I did that and then on Friday when I came here, we went up to the hill to check it out – and it was a lot steeper in person. Pictures and videos do not do it justice.”
After seeing the location in person, Lampe didn’t back out. She instead climbed up the hill and ended up going through a test run. She said she “didn’t do it full speed, but I did go down it and slid about halfway through.” Even though she went through a basic practice, Lampe’s plan of attack worked – and now she’s the cheese rolling champion.
Although there were some serious injuries reported, Lampe came out just fine. She didn’t even lose any teeth. Just what an impressive – and unreal – victory for the young cheese rolling star. And, get this: Abby said she felt better after the race than she did following a half-marathon ran a few years ago. Again, unreal.
You can listen to The Marty Smith Podcast‘s entire conversation with Abby Lampe below.