Web site we like

By TOM ZUCCO

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2000

http://www.wifecarrying.com

You've undoubtedly had this marked on your calendar for months, so this is just a reminder. The North American Wife Carrying Championships are July 15 in Bethel, Maine.

For those of you unfamiliar with this test of strength, endurance and the ability to cling to someone like an octopus, here's a little history:

The practice of carrying women apparently began in Finland in the 19th century. A notorious highwayman named Rankainen the Robber (with a name like that, who needs prosecutors?) would only accept men into his gang who could carry a heavy sack over a difficult course. This was because women were often kidnapped during raids on neighboring villages. Since most of the women Rankainen knew declined to be used as test victims, sacks were substituted.

When Rankainen and others realized that even a large stack of paper money weighed considerably less than a woman -- and didn't fight back when stolen -- the practice of carrying women died out.

In 1992, the Fins revived the wife-carrying tradition, and for reasons still unclear, the Mahoosuc Arts Council in Bethel followed suit. The Council sponsors the NAWCC, in which actual wives will be carried by their husbands over a 278-yard obstacle course that includes two log obstacles, a small pond and a hairpin turn. (The world record, held by a Finnish couple, is one minute, 9.2 seconds.)

If a contestant drops his wife, he is penalized 15 seconds. Among the more popular carrying techniques are piggy-back, fireman's carry and something called Estonian carry, but any technique that keeps the wife from touching the ground is permissible.

Of course it pays to be married to someone like, say, Cathy Rigby or Calista Flockhart, but couples don't have to be married to enter. As long as the carrier is a man, the carryee is a woman, and you've got the $35 entry fee, you're in.

First prize: a trip (for two) to the World Wife Carrying Championships in Sankajarva, Finland, in July 2001, the wife's weight in CDs, and the wife's weight in beer. That last prize alone should bring contestants from across the country.

The best part of all this: watching couples practice.

Contest rules and registration are available online at wifecarrying.com.

If you'd like to nominate a site, drop me an e-mail at zucco@sptimes.com