 Worms ... easy.
June 29, 2009 7:03 AM
Worm Charming Champion
It's one of the only world championships where mud-slinging is just the starting point.
Dirty tricks are allowed, even encouraged.
And if you think you're being undermined, you're well ahead of your opponents.
Welcome to the grubby world of worm charming, in particular, the World Worm Charming Championships in Cheshire, UK.
It's an ancient art, that much is clear. Worm charming, worm grunting (don't ask) and worm fiddling (really, don't ask) are the techniques that have connected farmers and fishermen to the Annelid underground for centuries.
The rudest form is about shoving a stick in the ground and banging it, with the vibrations causing worms to come to the surface.
Grunters refine the art by using a bit of iron to rub the stick, while fiddlers drag a handsaw across the top of the stick.
At the first Worm Charming World CHampionships in Cheshire in 1980, teenager Tom Shufflebotham coaxed no less than 511 to the surface in in 30 minutes.
That effort landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records and stood right up until Sunday, when it was smashed by Sophie Smith, 10, from Willaston after a mammoth 567-worm haul.
This year's event saw loons tap-dancing to the theme from Star Wars and banging away on xylophones in a bid to refine the art, although all were careful to adhere to the code of conduct set down by The International Federation for Charming Worms and Allied Pastimes (IFCWAP).
Apparently, even worms have limited endurance and can only be charmed so far.
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