The worst ski jumper in the world is back and this time...well, he's just carrying the Olympic torch. Children of the 80s will recall the non-exploits of Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards at the 1988 Calgary games. Back then Eddie was a ginger-mopped, ice cube glasses-wearing ski jumper from Great Britain. And he was terrible, finishing last in both the 70m and 90m competitions. He was so bad, in fact, the Olympic committee toughened the entry requirements for the event to prevent further embarrassment to their sport. This rule change was dubbed, "The Eddie Rule."
It's tough to win when you're not a good athlete, heavier than everyone else in the competition and so near-sighted that you have to wear glasses...glasses that inevitably fog up and render you blind during jumps.
Naturally, everyone loved him.
The Eagle parlayed his failure into great gain, booking endorsement deals left and right. The Buffalo Bills could have learned something from this guy if they were paying attention.
Now, the Eagle is back! Eddie will carry the Olympic torch in Winnipeg as it makes its way across Canada toward Vancouver. He won't look quite the same, however. Eddie's ginger is thinner on top and the glasses are long gone. He had lens implants placed in his eyes four years ago. He also had his jaw reduced. Not sure what the deal is with that one. Anyhow, Eddie is doing alright. His story is being made into a movie due to start production in 2010. It is sure to be a reverent retelling of the Eagle saga with zero sarcasm.
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