The Strays of York is a collective name for four areas of open land, comprising in all over 800 acres (3.2 km²), within the City of York. Their individual names are Bootham Stray, Micklegate Stray (which includes the Knavesmire and Hob Moor), Monk Stray and Walmgate Stray.

The Strays are the remains of much greater areas of common land on which the hereditary Freemen of the City had, since time immemorial, the right to graze cattle.

After the Parliamentary Enclosures of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, whereby commons were enclosed and rights of pasturage extinguished, areas of grazing land were allotted to the Freemen in lieu of their existing rights. Together with the Knavesmire and Hob Moor, land already used by the City for pasturage, these areas became the Strays, land vested in the Corporation to be held in trust for the Freemen of each of the original four Wards of the City.

York (local ⁱ/ˈjɔːk/) is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city offers a wealth of historic attractions, of which York Minster is the most prominent, and a variety of cultural and sporting activities.

The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD, under the name of Eboracum. It became in turn the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior, and of the kingdoms of Northumbria and Jorvik. In the Middle Ages, York grew as a major wool trading centre and became the capital of the northern ecclesiastical province of the Church of England, a role it has retained.

In the 19th century York became a hub of the railway network and a confectionery manufacturing centre. In recent decades, the economy of York has moved from being dominated by its confectionery and railway-related industries to one that provides services. The University of York and health services have become major employers, whilst tourism has become an important element of the local economy.

Sarah Burke (September 3, 1982 – January 19, 2012) was a Canadian freestyle skier who was a pioneer of the superpipe event. She was a four-time Winter X Games gold medalist, and won the world championship in the halfpipe in 2005. She successfully lobbied the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to have the event added to the Olympic program for the 2014 Winter Olympics. She was considered a medal favourite in the event. Burke died following a training accident in Utah.

As a teenage moguls skier, Burke would often sneak onto the Snowboard halfpipe at the end of the day. She was considered a pioneer in the sport of superpipe skiing, along with American Kristi Leskinen. The pair were frequent competitors, and often against male skiers.

Burke won first place in the 2001 US Freeskiing Open in the half-pipe event and finished second in slopestyle. When half-pipe made its debut at the 2005 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, she emerged as the first world champion. Burke is also a four-time Winter X Games gold medalist in freestyle skiing. She was the first woman ever to land a jump with 1080-degree rotation in competition.