h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

No question about Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards qualifications - from Plasterer to Britain's first (and only) Olympic Ski jumper. True he was comically inept and didn't come close to winning any medals. True he did finished last (by a long way) in both the 70- and 90-meter jumps in the 1988 Calgary Games.

His complete lack of skill led to him becoming easily the most popular athlete of his time.

After Calgary the International Olympic Committee subsequently instituted what is known as the Eddie the Eagle Rule, which requires Olympic hopefuls to finish in the top half of an international competition. This effectively eliminated our Hero from future Games and denied him the opportunity to contend for medals

To be brutally honest, it was his complete lack of talent that denied him the opportunity to compete for medals.

I can't fault his courage: jumping off the side of a mountain without a parachute goes against every instinct of self-preservation there is. It's just a pity he was never any good at it.

It is odd though, that the Summer Olympic organisers seem to be taking the opposite approach to their Winter counterparts. In the Summer Games, places in certain events are reserved for representatives of smaller countries without regard for qualifying times, to uphold the ideal that "It's not the winning, but the taking part." That's how Eric the Eel got in.

A1038674

Sez it all

My all time best sporting achievement was the goalie that came all the way down the pitch brushing midfielders strikers and defenders away like flies and scored a goal.A lot of the players stood around with a kind of 'Why hasn't anybody done that before'kind of look to them. I like to think he was nigerian but I could do easily be wrong.

Normally that's the job of Ramon 'El Loco' Quiroga the Peruvian goalie ... one of the worlds great random goalkeeepers. He was once booked for fouling an opposition player in their half

If you like that check out F77750?thread=159479

Could well have been him ,Chien Rouge. I thought you were in Oaklahoma how comes youre on -line so early or is it the stage play.snigger.

*starts his best Howard Keil impression*

It's pronounced Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoklahoma

I've been globetrotting a lot in the last year. Moved from Australia to Oklahoma last April, then to Houston in June and then Aberdeen last October.

It's a long story

They had to drag me out of Oz shouting and screaming

Jimmy Glass (Carlisle goalie). 1999. 7th minute of extra time in the final match of the season, needing a win to stay in the Football League...

"And I hope this is accurate news for Carlisle fans' sake... [takes a breath] ... Carlisle have scored in the last minute of their game against Plymouth. Unconfirmed. We hear that Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper, has scored for Carlisle.' - Jeff Stelling, Sky's Soccer Saturday 8 May 1999

Red dog,aint you being just a lil' modest there? You're an international firefighter specialising in blazin' oil wells.Red Dog nephew of the mighty Red Adair.
I was dragged out of Australia kicking and screaming as a child.

Struggled with the old modesty Lowers old gel. Thought for a long time about {Very Red with a hint of Dog} and {Bit Red certainly Doggish} before settling on the above.

Can't entirely reveal details of what I do ..... it'd spoil the fantsay about being an International Man of Mystery

Where abouts in the Lucky country did they drag you licking and screaming out of ?

that was bad typing not a freudian slip btw !