Wednesday, July 13, 2005

On The Mark -- Ain't Nobody Gonna Steal My Next Wife

Did you happen to catch the World Wife-Carrying Championships last weekend? No. Ah, you missed a great sporting event. I wish I would have known about this event before some clown came in and (temporarily) stole my ex-wife.

This from “The Australian”:

THE "Estonian carry" has once again triumphed in the world wife-carrying championships, held last weekend in the remote Finnish village of Sonkajarvi. Margo Uusorg and friend Egle Soll (the carried do not necessarily have to be the carrier's wife) were first over the 253.5m-long obstacle course beating 40 couples from 10 countries. They completed the course in 59 seconds using the "trademark" Estonian Carry, with Egle "hanging upside down with her legs clenched around his neck", to win the eighth straight title for the country.

"Like so many of the world's more bizarre events, wife carrying has its origins buried deep in the bosom of an age old local tradition -- in this case, the 19th century practice of wife stealing," said Send2Press.com noting former US basketball player Dennis Rodman was among the competitors, although not a contender. Uusorg's prizes included "his partner's weight in beer and a high-tech mobile phone", reported Reuters. "It was his fourth victory, and the third in a row for his family. Brother Madis won in 2004."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know where it was held this year, but several years ago it was held in Bethel, ME. I begged my wife to compete with me. No go. I begged friends (good friends, but that's it. The fact is, the woman doesn't have to be your wife). They all said no. Finally, my wife said "Ask your sister, she'll do it."

I about threw up, and quit searching. Seems my wife wasn't aware of the preferred carrying technique.

Jack Steiner said...

I am in training for next years contest.

Chandira said...

Yeah, what's with this legs around the neck thing?? YOu'd have to be on pretty good terms at least, if not married.. lol

I hate bieng carried. I have a mortal fear of being dropped after a schoolyard incident when I was 9. I landed on my nose. I play the 'go limp and sit of the floor' technique if Robert ever tries to unseat me.