The indigenous people of Australia have such a rich and interesting history. This though is one of the most interesting traditions of all. In fact, the popularity of this meant it spread to parts of America too, with cockroach races being played for prizes, money, or just for the entertainment value itself.
We attribute the background to the starting of this race in Australia in 1982 to two bar buffs who boasted that the cockroaches of their area were the fastest in Brisbane. They tested the validity of their claims in a parking lot. Cockroach racing is a club gambling activity that started in 1982 at the Story Bridge Hotel in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
The event is held on 26 January, Australia Day, and is given the title “Australia Day Cockroach Races”. This racing has spread to many parts of the world, including the United States. In North America, cockroach racing has recently become a popular feature for money prizes, or just for its entertainment value.
It is held in exhibitions promoting entomology where the public and entomologists participate. In the first-ever event held in 1982, they called the winning cockroach ‘Soft Cocky’. Cockroaches are brought to the races by the participants but the roach could also be bought at the venue of the races. The preferred option is, however, to bring one’s own cockroaches from the stable.
The proceeds from the event are given away to charity. The racing of cockroaches as a club gambling activity started in Australia in 1982. However, at the Loyola University of Maryland, the event cockroach racing is called “Madagascar Madness: The Running of the Roaches.” The students of the General Entomology wing of the university train Madagascar Cockroaches for short sprints as also for marathon racing. The race generates a lot of interest, and many people gather to witness the event.
The 1995 film Race the Sun, which dramatized the international competition of a solar-powered race car event, it had an entry from Hawaii, which was named “Cockroach”; it is said that the cockroach inspired the design of the race car running across the room. The boy who designed the race car modeled it to resemble a cockroach with intent to “capture the organic, aerodynamic shape that first inspired cockroach racing.
This eventually resulted in the creation of robo-roaches. In June 2012, in New Jersey, the namesake cockroaches of Barack Obama and John McCain were raced to find the winner in the race held at the Toms River Rotary Club. It was held under the auspices of the Rotary Club of Central Ocean Tom River’s Bug fest. The event generated US$1500, which was donated towards providing scholarships to local students.
