Who is Mike?
�I�m the kind of guy who just stays in the background,� said Mike Zegil, the World�s Most Average Canadian.
Zegil received the title after winning a contest run by Definitely Not the Opera on CBC Radio One. This magazine-style radio program aired the contest nationally and accepted entries by e-mail.
�I don�t really know why,� said Zegil when asked what prompted him to enter the contest. �I�m not really an attention seeker.�
Averageness is a difficult thing to measure. And so many people are, at best, average.
But of all the entries DNTO received, Zegil was the winner.
�I am an average-looking 27 year old who is of average height with brown hair and eyes (the most average colour),� Zegil wrote in his e-mail to DNTO. �I have performed no great feats or have tried to distinguish myself in any way, shape or form�.I am the Common people, I am Every man.�
Zegil is attending Laurentian University as a Biology Masters student. Perhaps studying for a Masters degree is not particularly average, but Zegil has always achieved average grades.
�Never lower than 70,� said Zegil, �But never higher than 80.�
One of the best indicators of a person�s uniqueness, or averageness in this case, is the kind of impression they leave on people they meet.
�I just don�t make an impression,� said Zegil. For instance, Zegil has been friends with Peter Shivkumar since they were in grade eight. He has met Peter�s parents on several occasions.
� �Oh, who are you? Are you one of Peter�s friends?� � said Zegil, mimicking his friend�s parents reaction to seeing him again.
Even his friends tend to forget him. After high school graduation, Zegil and some friends sat around a table reminiscing about days past. Zegil brought up a brawl the boys had been in when they were in grade three.
� �That was you?� � said his friends. � �You were there?� �
Apparently Zegil could be substituted by just about anyone in most situations, and no one would notice the difference.
Average is never memorable.
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