Weird champs
I went to a fairly big school (around 200 per year level), where the classes were labelled in academic order 7A1, 7A2, 7B1 etc for each year. The odd class out was 8R for "special needs" kids, who seemed to stay in that class for a few years and then vanish, probably to some other special school.

One of the kids in that class was ok and developed a "friendship" with us where we'd let him hang around from time to time, and wouldn't pick on him much (except in a friendly way). He told us he had water on the brain, and we could tell he was a bit slow.

Anyway, one day at the school assembly he won an award for something. This is with over 1000 kids watching. He jumps up, runs to to the end of his row and runs down to the dais (about 1 foot high, and about 3 x 3 metres) with his arms in the air (classic champ pose). The clapping started half heartedly, but built and built when everyone saw how excited he was. It was reaching the crescendo when he ploughed into the dais with his legs and crashed to the ground. Much mirth was had.

We still gave him backslaps afterwards - he was pleased as punch anyway.

Oh, and another person in that class was also in scouts with me. He was mentally disabled (nothing wrong physically) and only learnt to swim at a scout camp in his late teens. Move on a few years, and he got 6 gold medals for Australia in the disabled Olympics in Sydney in 2000. A real champ! I reckon he turned into a training machine and nothing was going to stop him. And the chicks probably digged his toned body too. Some guys are just born lucky.
(Skippyfillet, Tue 23 Jan 2007, 14:28, Reply)