If you’ve ever seen an ungainly off-white ocean bird snatch a whole sandwich out of the hands of a startled tourist, you already appreciate the noble nature of the seagull. The premier seagull-appreciation sport, however, does not honor its clumsy landings or pugnacious, bully-stealing-your-lunch-money personality.
The European Screeching Championship, as the name suggests, revolves around the iconic call of the herring gull. This week, over 70 competitors from 15 countries descended on the Belgian beachfront town of De Panne. For the sixth year running, seagull imitators in junior, adult, and group categories competed before a panel of judges. The quality of acting accounted for 25% of the final score. The rest relied on a would-be champion’s ability to perfectly mimic that high, atonal shriek.
Seagull-costumed competitors throw their heads back and shriek wildly, while at right, event organizer Claude Willaert shows off the medals the best screechers will win. Photo: Instagram
An exercise in seagull appreciation
It’s a fairly sophisticated, scientific operation. The competitors get one shot on stage to flap around and show off their vocalizations. Judges then assign a score out of 100 for their performance. The prize? Eternal kleos. And maybe a medal.
The 16-and-under category winner was Arne Nayaert of Belgium. With 94 points, Arne got the best score in the entire championship. The adult winner, 41-year-old Carine Gronholz of Norway, scored 90 points. In all the clips, interviews, and posts that document the event, it’s clear that win or lose, participants enjoyed coming together to celebrate the much-maligned bird.
Many people, sadly misguided, do not like seagulls. It’s true that they’re loud, defecate on boardwalks and bayside benches, steal chips, and dig up trash. But they’re only adapting to an environment we created around them. It’s ironic that humans almost inevitably dislike the animals that are best able to survive us.
The European Screeching Championships attempt to reform the seagull’s image. The event’s organizer, Claude Willaert, a comedian and coastal educator in Flanders, created the competition with this in mind. He runs it in collaboration with organizations like the Flanders Marine Institute and the Wildlife Rescue Center Oostende.
By challenging people to imitate the animals, the event forces competitors to actually pay attention to and study creatures that are otherwise dismissed as background noise.
“If you take the time to observe them well,” the event’s website explains, “you will start caring for them.”
