Jamaican Bobsled Team

Sochi, Jamaican Bobsled Team is coming to the 2014 Olympics.

 

Look out world, the Jamaican Bobsled team is at it again. It has been 16 years since the Calgary games in Canada, back in 1988 when the Jamaican Bobsled team took the world by storm; when they qualified and competed in the Olympics but now it’s not surprising just amazing. It was funny to the world and rightly so, Jamaica is sunshine blue skies 84 degrees. The idea of Jamaica competing in a winter event was so far fetch that it inspired the movie “Cool Runnings.”

The small island of Jamaica has a long history of competing well on the international stage. So what may have initially started as we can do this, turned out to be, we can win this… Well at the age of 46, the driving force behind the bobsled team 2014 Olympics ambition in Sochi was 1988 team member Winston Watts. Watts says he is “retired” but has high hopes of one last hurray and why not, just thinks of Sylvester Stallone and his Rocky characters, “dreams of the impossible dreams.” Well Mr. Watts, the forces are with all the members of the team (You, Marvin Dixon, Lascelles Brown and all the coaches and staff).

Now in 2014 after qualifying for the Sochi Olympics games in Russia, the bobsled team faced a financial reality check. The team needed US $80,000 to get to Sochi, after qualifying for the two man competition. No problems-Mon, in two days they raised $120,000 through several internet fund raising campaigns. Also, The Jamaican Olympic Association announced that they will cover the travel cost of the five member bobsled team. The team would be the first to say that if it was not for some great folks in Evanston, Wyo. The road would have been far greater. Lawyer Paul Skog inspired by the movie “Cool Runnings” along with some local businesses made their town in Evanton, Wyo home and practice facility to the Jamaican bobsled team.

The Sochi Olympics committee officially offered the Jamaican Bobsled Team one of 30 spots in the two-man event, which they accepted.

The world has always have this love affair with the under dogs, I’m not saying this team don’t have a shot at winning, What I’m saying is, when you think of the island in the sun, you think of sprinters in the summer not bobsleigh in the winter. The Jamaican Bobsled team is waiting for their first medal, maybe this is their year.

Winston Watts – Driver @WWatt4 – 46 year old.

Marvin Dixon – Crew – 31 years old

Wayne Blackwood – Reserved Crew – 42 year old.

Thomas Samuel – Coach

Nelson Christian Stokes – Chef de Mission

www.jamaicabobsleighteam.com