Cherry pits fly again: Who spits the stone the furthest?

Witzenhausen, Germany, is known for its unique sporting event: the German championships for spitting cherry pits the furthest. Hundreds of participants, including children, women, and men, gathered for this quirky competition, aiming to achieve the longest distance with a single spit.

The rules are strict: spitting must be done "exclusively with the bare mouth," and "any aids or modifications to the cherry pit are not permitted." The cherry pit must come from the provided cherries, and each participant gets three attempts. The final measurement is taken from where the pit comes to rest, not its initial landing spot.

This tradition has been part of the annual Kesperkirmes festival in Witzenhausen since 1985. The region is a significant cherry-growing area in Hesse. For the competition, a special "spit track" about 30 meters long and one meter wide has been constructed on stilts.

Impressive distances have been achieved over the years. The men's record is a remarkable 24.3 meters, set in 2003 and still unbeaten. The women's record was set last year at 18.7 meters, and the children's record of 17.8 meters dates back to 2006.

While many participants are locals for whom the event is a "must-do," others travel from distant cities like Leipzig and Cologne specifically for the championship. Beyond the official competition, there's also a "just for fun" spitting session for those who want to practice or simply enjoy the activity without measurement. The championship even experienced a scandal in 2009 when observers noticed lacquered pits, suspected of being manipulated for greater distance. The organizing committee annulled all individual competitions that year due to the discovery of tampered pits, though the alleged fraud was never definitively solved.