Wolrd Championships underway - How Will the USA Fare?

[neonlyte]

It's a big week-end at Ashton near Oundle with the 43rd World Championships and 350 competitors from many nations, including the 3 member USA team. I'm intrigued as to how they will do, will it be fair play or will the weaker nations be pushed aside in order to gain world domination. This years Championship is being promoted by the UK Health and Safety Administration.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/7043184.stm

 

[keeblercrumb]

It's a big week-end at Ashton near Oundle with the 43rd World Championships and 350 competitors from many nations, including the 3 member USA team. I'm intrigued as to how they will do, will it be fair play or will the weaker nations be pushed aside in order to gain world domination. This years Championship is being promoted by the UK Health and Safety Administration.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/northamptonshire/7043184.stm

Okay.... I'll bite..... Despite living in the land of perpetual rain for several years I have not a clue what the hell "Conkers" is..... Please explain.

-KC

 

[matriarch]

Okay.... I'll bite..... Despite living in the land of perpetual rain for several years I have not a clue what the hell "Conkers" is..... Please explain.

-KC

A 'conker' is the fruit of the Horse Chestnut.
Traditionally, the fruit/seed, whatever (which are beautifully shiny and glossy when released from their shells), are drilled and threaded on a string. Playing conkers consists of one playing holding out their strung conker, while their opponent takes a swing at it with theirs. Whichever conker remains intact moves on to the next round and opponent.

This has been a traditional pursuit of British kids for eons.

Many of us found ways of hardening our conkers by soaking in vinegar, baking them slowly in the oven.

For every conker that you destroyed with yours, it became like a notch on a gun....a oner, a two-er, a three-er....etc.

This competition, though, is the big time. Grown ups.

Conkers

 

[R. Richard]

Ummm, not of course that the USA would resort to such tactics, but what is to prevent someone from crreating a 'conker' out of plastic and running the table?

 

[matriarch]

Ummm, not of course that the USA would resort to such tactics, but what is to prevent someone from crreating a 'conker' out of plastic and running the table?

If you've ever felt, stroked, touched, blinked at, smelled, and gasped at the beauty of a fresh conker, you'd know the answer to that.

There is no way you could replicate one and fool us, who have spent our childhood collecting them, and watching them shrivel and shrink away as they age.