North American Wife Carrying Championship
The North American Wife Carrying Championship is a fun sport
in which male competitors race while carrying a female teammate on their
backs. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a
special obstacle track in the fastest time. Several types of carry may
be practiced such as piggyback, fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or
Estonian-style which has the woman upside down with arms wrapped around
the man's waist and her legs draped over his shoulders. Teams are also
encouraged to create their own style. The sport was first introduced at
Sonkajärvi, Finland. From there it spread to other parts of the world
such as the United States and Hong Kong.
Although called, ‘Wife Carrying’, the female does not need to be the legal wife of the male. She must however be over 17 years of age and must weight at least 49 Kg. If the female weighs less than 49 kg, she is usually burdened with a rucksack containing additional weight to make the competition fare.
The origin of North American Wife Carrying Championship is based in Finnish history.
The
North American Wife Carrying Championship is held every year at Sunday
River Ski Resort in Newry, Maine. The 2011 edition of the sport was held
on Saturday, October 8. Rocco Andreozzi from Bethel, Maine, and Kim
Wasco from Farmington, Maine won this year’s championship.
