Eddie the Eagle: a
man who never gave up his dream to be in the Olympics
Pre
discussion questions
What do
you think is important to be successful?
What
does successful mean to you?
Michael Edwards is more famous as Eddie the
Eagle. He finished last in both ski jumping events at the Calgary Winter
Olympics in 1988. But his attitude made him famous. And it also made him very
rich. But it was not money and fame that Eddie wanted. Eddie’s dream was to
represent England at the Olympics.
A dream that came true. But it didn’t come
easy.
Eddie grew up in a poor working class
family in Cheltenham, England. He didn’t even try his hand at skiing until he was a teenager. His first skied on
the synthetic ski slopes in
Gloucester. By the age of 17, he was an elite
downhill racer. He competed in many European events. He almost qualified for
Britain’s downhill racing team for the 1984 Winter Olympics.
He decided that for the ‘88 Games, he could
qualify as a ski jumper. He thought this would be the best chance to get into
the Olympics because Britain did not have a team. But because there was no
team, it meant there were no coaches, equipment or money for training. And
there were no ski-jumps in Britain.
So Eddie saved his money, borrowed his mom’s car and drove around Europe to
train. He hoped to be the first British person to qualify for ski jumping in
the Olympics. He got old jumping skis and boots. The boots were too big so he
had to wear six pairs of socks to make them fit!
He trained and competed in jumping events
across Europe. And he paid for this it with money he earned as a construction
worker in Cheltenham England. But it wasn’t enough. So he had to work other
small jobs like in restaurants, cleaning floors, babysitting, cutting grass and
cooking. Sometimes he had to eat out of garbage cans and sleep in the car. He
once stayed overnight in a Finnish mental hospital because it was so cold
outside. He had a bad fall in Italy and broke his jaw. He couldn’t pay for
medical treatment, so he tied up his jaw with a pillowcase and kept training.
His poor eyesight required glasses that
often fogged up inside his goggles. “Sometimes I take off, and I can’t see
where I’m going,” said Eddie. The thick lenses in his glasses made his eyes
look huge. And this made him look foolish. He was also about 8 kilograms
heavier than his competitors making him fall more like a rock rather than
flying further down the hill. In jumping, style is important for winning and
making the longest jump.
Despite the problems he had, Eddie was determined
to get better and slowly his distances improved. In 1987, he represented Great
Britain in the World Championships in Germany. He finished last, but he was starting
to become famous.
When Eddie arrived in Calgary for the 1988 Calgary
Olympics, a Canadian TV crew and a fan club greeted him with a banner that said:
“Welcome to Calgary, Eddie The Eagle”. Eddie was easy to see because he wore
pink googles over his thick glasses. But he did not crash on any of his jumps
in Calgary and even achieved a personal best on one of them.
Being famous caused him to soon make a lot
of money. The most famous American T.V. show presenter, Johnny Carson invited
him to be on his show before the Games had even finished. After the Games, he
traveled all over the world and was seen and heard on TV and radio. Eddie was used to open shopping malls, ski
shops, and sell his own T-shirts – earning him over a million dollars in the
1980s. Because Eddie was an amateur he had to have all of his money put in a
trust. Unfortunately the trustees lost most of the money. Eddie sued them in
1992, recovering some of it.
Eddie stole
the show in Calgary. Many other competitors did not like this because he was
more famous than the elite athletes.
But his story has endured and he has used his fame to keep earning money over the
years.
“I have never thought I am a failure at
all. I qualified for the Olympic Games in Calgary. I went there and I did the
best I could with what I had. I did not have a lot of ability. I knew I was going to come last, as I’d only
been doing it for two years and everyone else had been jumping for 20 years.
But for me, getting there was my gold medal. I was a true amateur and was what
the Olympic idea is all about. The failures are the people who never try
anything. Anyone who has a go is a
success.” –
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
try … hand at |
A |
1 |
Not real but looks like the real material
or fabric |
synthetic |
B |
2 |
Desire or energy to try very hard and
never give up |
Despite |
C |
3 |
To keep going even though difficult |
determined |
D |
4 |
To attempt something new |
stole the show |
E |
5 |
The very best |
endured |
F |
6 |
To try |
has a go |
G |
7 |
To be the most popular |
elite |
H |
8 |
Even though, to do something without
being qualified or good at something |
A=4, B=1, C=8, D=2, E=7,
F=3, G=6, H=5
Some
example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they
are used in the reading to help you understand better.
1.
You should try your hand at
tennis, it is a fun sport.
2.
Korean makes the best synthetic leathers, they feel real.
3.
Despite doing badly on the test, he
still got an A for the course.
4.
She practiced English 2 hours
each night because she was determined
to get more opportunities.
5.
That performance stole the show and the judges decided
it was the best tonight.
6.
During August you have to endure a lot of rain.
7.
I had a go at a lot of sports, but I was never good at them.
8.
To be an elite athlete you must eat very well and train your body everyday.
Some
questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your
answer.
Why did Eddie the Eagle steal the show despite being the worst.
1.
Have you ever tried your hand at something new even though
you were not good at it?
2.
Can synthetic sometimes be better than real things? Describe.
3.
Despite failing, have you still tried to
do something.
4.
What do you think is more
important, determination or talent
(a natural ability to do something).
5.
How do you feel about people
who endure to be successful? Have
you ever endured at something?
6.
What would you like to have a go at?
7.
What make the Korean skater Kim
YuNa elite?