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London to host 2012 Olympics
POCKET PROFILE
IT is perhaps only proper that the Olympic Games should come to Britain in 2012 for it marks the 400th anniversary of the first revival of the ancient Olympics – the Cotswold Olimpick Games held in Weston sub Edge in 1612. Never heard of them? Find out more at www.olimpickgames. co.uk Whilst there have been changes over the years, the sportsmanship, the fair play and the sheer enjoyment of these games is still closely linked to those established by Robert Dover back in 1612. It’s a great spectacle. Maintaining any semblance of the traditional games is becoming increasingly difficult. You can just imagine the reaction to Shin-Kicking! However this ancient sport continues in the modern Games. Their present form takes much from the records of the Games in the early 17th century. Prominent is the picture of the Games published in 1636 depicting Robert Dover presiding over his Games. On the summit of the hill a castle structure has guns firing to start events, and there are representations of the different activities – dancing, backswords, coursing, throwing the sledge hammer, spurning the barre, pike drill tumbling and…. shin-kicking. The Games were continued long after Dover’s death in 1652. They were revived in 1660 and there are impressions of them in the literature of the 18th century. Backswords and wrestling were ever popular as was jingling. Spectators particularly enjoyed the Smock Race for women in which a Holland Shift was a favoured prize. The Games eventually came to their first end in 1852 with the enclosure of Dover’s Hill. In 1951 they were revived for the Festival of Britain, and in 1965 the Society was established which has the annual responsibility for organising them. Some events are: The Championship of the Hill. Teams of five athletic young people test their skills in a range of rural sports, including the traditional sack race where the sack is tied round the neck. Straw bales provide handicaps and water is spread liberally. The Champion of the Hill is the athlete who succeeds best at the four activities depicted taking place on the hill in 1636, namely the Standing Jump, Putting the Shot, Throwing the Sledge-hammer, and Spurning the Barre, a form of tossing the caber. Tugs of War by stalwarts from local hostelries. Shin-kicking. Contestants hold each other by the shoulder and try to kick shins and bring opponents to the ground. A Stickler, the ancient name for judge, makes sure that shins are hit before a fall can count. Kickers wear the traditional white smocks associated with shepherds. They are allowed to protect their shins with straw. The sport dates back to the original Games. The 1636 picture shows shin-kicking taking place, probably as the underplay of Cotswold Wrestling. The activity continued through to the 18th century. In the early 19th century the activity was more brutal, with villages challenging each other, contestants hardening shins with coal hammers and wearing boots tipped with iron. Many a leg was broken!
Simon Mee – M16A, Toohey Forest Orienteering Club, Queensland
Photo: Ian Holmes
Simon started orienteering as a 12 year old at Street-O events in early 2002 after being introduced to the sport by his uncles. He then went along to bush events and competed in his first Queensland Championships later that year where he gained a fourth placing in M14A. He proved to be a very quick learner as the following year he won the M14 class at the Queensland School Orienteering Championships and also at the Queensland Championships. Later, Simon also gained 3rd place in this class at the 2003 Australian Championships held in the granite of Barambogie in Victoria. Last year, he continued his strong performances with a win in the Queensland School Championships, a 3rd at the Australian Schools Championships and was part of the winning team in the M16 class at the Australian Relay Championships. He was selected in the Australian Schools Honour team and was subsequently included in the Australian Schools team that competed in New Zealand in January this year. His latest achievement at the national level saw him gain a 2nd placing in the M16A class at the Australian 3-Days at Jindabyne, following consistent performances every day. Simon, who is a student at St Laurence’s College in Brisbane, also competes in crosscountry running and enjoys bodyboarding and playing his guitar. He’d like to win an Australian Schools Championships and make at least one JWOC team, with his eyes firmly set on 2007 in Dubbo. Beyond that, “Making WOC would be awesome!!! Everyone can dream,” he says.
8 THE AUSTRALIAN ORIENTEER SEPTEMBER 2005
