12 votes

Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news

Posted by mycketforvirrad
Tags: ask.discussion, recurring.weekly, offbeat fridays, offbeat

Tildes is a very serious site, where we discuss very serious matters like discord, mastercard and captcha. Tags culled from the highest voted topics from the last seven days, if anyone was scratching their noggin.

But one of my favourite tags happens to be offbeat! Taking its original inspiration from Sir Nils Olav III, this thread is looking for any far-fetched offbeat stories lurking in the newspapers. It may not deserve its own post, but it deserves a wider audience!

12 comments

  1. [5]
    mycketforvirrad
    Link
    The German Olympic ski jump winner with a fear of heights DW – Stefan Nestler – 10th February 2026

    The German Olympic ski jump winner with a fear of heights

    German ski jumper Philipp Raimund hasn't won a single World Cup event. That's just part of what makes his Olympic gold medal performance so incredible.

    DW – Stefan Nestler – 10th February 2026

    11 votes
    1. [4]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      Well deserved, not only did he conquer his phobia, he got the gold medal. Two in one. Well done.

      Well deserved, not only did he conquer his phobia, he got the gold medal. Two in one. Well done.

      2 votes
      1. [3]
        fefellama
        Link Parent
        Now I'm trying to imagine other medalists competing against their own phobias. Like a swimmer with a fear of water. Or an equestrian with a fear of horses. Maybe a bobsledder with a fear of...

        Now I'm trying to imagine other medalists competing against their own phobias.

        Like a swimmer with a fear of water. Or an equestrian with a fear of horses. Maybe a bobsledder with a fear of confined spaces. Would make for a much more entertaining Olympics if you ask me.

        3 votes
        2. chocobean
          Link Parent
          I'm still waiting for Olympian vs Ordinary Guys: Drawn from a pool of average to sedentary citizens, how many of us need to combine our times/score to beat one of them? What about a sport the...

          I'm still waiting for Olympian vs Ordinary Guys:

          Drawn from a pool of average to sedentary citizens, how many of us need to combine our times/score to beat one of them? What about a sport the Olympian doesn't even play?

          Kinda like, NHL Player Tries Figure Skating but way more amateur hour.

          3 votes
  2. [3]
    chocobean
    Link
    Sask. man fights off starving moose with fists, shovel and bullets to save his mother Note: Humans fortunately alive and recovering, but sadly the moose has died.

    Sask. man fights off starving moose with fists, shovel and bullets to save his mother

    Note: Humans fortunately alive and recovering, but sadly the moose has died.

    Angie Tuffnell stepped outside to start her car when a moose, huddled next to a dryer vent, attacked her

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      jredd23
      Link Parent
      W0w!!@ Florida's man step brother. Unbelievable! I've been watching on and off HBO's "It's Florida, Man" show. I think we have found a follow-up to it.

      W0w!!@ Florida's man step brother. Unbelievable!

      "...Shawn grabbed it by the ears and nostrils. He wrestled the animal into a headlock, pinning its jaw against his stomach to avoid being bitten, using the doorframe as a shield against its hooves."

      I've been watching on and off HBO's "It's Florida, Man" show. I think we have found a follow-up to it.

      3 votes
      1. chocobean
        Link Parent
        I've never seen a moose up close, only once on a roadside lake, opposite shore. We were driving back home from the forest and saw a few cars parked to the side and people standing around so we...

        I've never seen a moose up close, only once on a roadside lake, opposite shore. We were driving back home from the forest and saw a few cars parked to the side and people standing around so we stopped too. It was a mom and her calf, waaaaay way away. But I guess it would not have been safe to stop and watch if they were any closer.

        The ordeal ended only after his mother’s boyfriend finally brought a .22-calibre rifle. Shawn took the gun and fired multiple shots to take down the animal.

        He first shot the moose in the eye to stop it from targeting his mother. Then he reloaded.

        "I think give or take 15 bullets. I finally dropped him," Shawn said.

        How big is an animal that it takes 15 shotgun rounds to down?

        Poor thing, though ;_; just wanted to be warm, so hungry, and then spooked by humans, reacted as a spooked animal and died. I am, again, very happy the humans lived but we're taking up so much of the planet for exclusive use....

        1 vote
  3. [2]
    jredd23
    Link
    Given that love is in the air, I present to you all: vinegar Valentine

    Given that love is in the air, I present to you all: vinegar Valentine

    What may be weirder still is the Maryland Zoo’s take on how to tell an ex he or she stinks: a “Dollars for Dung” fundraiser that lets people name a pile of poop in honor of someone they’d like to tell to, well, eat it.

    3 votes
    1. DefinitelyNotAFae
      Link Parent
      A number of cat shelters will write someone's name on a sticky note and put it under the cat litter this time of year for you. I think it's a brilliant fundraiser

      A number of cat shelters will write someone's name on a sticky note and put it under the cat litter this time of year for you.

      I think it's a brilliant fundraiser

      4 votes
  4. [2]
    Fal
    Link
    The Guardian: Winter Olympic village runs out of condoms after three days

    The Guardian: Winter Olympic village runs out of condoms after three days

    Athletes in Italy have been ‘promised more will arrive’

    3 votes
    1. chocobean
      Link Parent
      Well it's probably not (as much) the men from the Canadian hockey team, they're at a five star hotel: Sportsnet

      Well it's probably not (as much) the men from the Canadian hockey team, they're at a five star hotel:

      “I don’t think we’re doing it as an insult or anything like that,” Canadian goaltender Logan Thompson said Monday morning. “We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so.”

      “I’m still gonna be going to the village as well, going back and forth. You definitely want to get that experience. And it’s cool to meet other athletes, and I want to be able to do that as well as see other Olympic events.”

      The six-foot-four, 207-pound goaltender admits his bed is a little smaller than the one he’s used to.

      Sportsnet

      3 votes