Eddie the Eagle

What better way is there to bring attention to the Adirondack Park, and specifically Lake Placid, than through a major motion picture? Recent motion picture release, “Eddie the Eagle,” is the story of Michael (Eddie) Edwards’ Olympic journey in ski jumping. He got the idea to begin ski jumping during a trip to the Adirondacks. He later came to Lake Placid to train on real Olympic ski jumps with local coaches. Edwards ended up competing in the 1988 Olympics in Calgary and finished in last place. Despite his horrific performance at the games, he is well remembered for his determination and passion for the sport. Although Edwards’ coach was never contacted to help with the movie, it portrays a pretty accurate account of Edwards’ training for the Olympics and depicts Lake Placid in a rather positive light. 

Chuck Beghorn, Edwards’ coach, revealed very interesting information about Edwards’ training days in an interview about the movie. Although he was not aware that a movie was being made, he was happy to see that Edwards’ story was being told. He recalled thinking how unlikely it was that Edwards would succeed at ski jumping because “he was old, never jumped before, was wearing the thickest glasses [he] had ever seen and was chunky” (dailymail.co.uk). Beghorn also revealed that Edwards was an accident waiting to happen, but he “knew how to fall acrobatically,” which saved him from many injuries (dailymail.co.uk). The majority of the time that Beghorn was training Edwards, he was convinced that there was no chance Edwards would ever make it to the Olympics. However, Edwards did make it to the Olympics, and Beghorn was thrilled that Edwards received so much attention and glory.

The set of “Eddie the Eagle” is the Hollywood version of the ski jumps in Lake Placid. Because of this, it makes the Lake Placid facilities seem much nicer than they really are. Despite the inaccuracy of this detail, it certainly helps to put a positive image of the Adirondacks into the minds of viewers worldwide. Considering the push to move the Olympic Training Center from Lake Placid to Park City, Utah (like we heard from Anthony, the luge athlete at the training center), this movie could help discourage the move due to its history and the glory Edwards’ brought to Lake Placid.

Even though Edwards’ story is not really a success story, it is certainly a riveting account of how important determination and passion can be. Despite his last place finish (by quite a big margin) at the Olympics, Edwards received tons of attention and praise. The positive light that Lake Placid is portrayed in can only help the town in its effort to keep the Olympic Training Center and to boost morale. Beghorn always said “he never called Eddie ‘the eagle’, because he was more like an ‘albatross’ (dailymail.co.uk). This story reminds me of the importance of staying positive and sticking with things I enjoy, even if I am more like an albatross than an eagle.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/31204/20160304/the-lake-placid-roots-of-the-new-film-eddie-the-eagle

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3464726/I-trained-hapless-ski-Olympics-ski-jumper-Hollywood-turned-movie-Eddie-Eagle-Hugh-Jackman-plays-don-t-know-is.html