Jamaican Bobsled Team

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The first Jamaican Bobsled team made history when they entered the sport in dramatic fashion in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. It inspired the popular 1993 Walt Disney movie, Cool Runnings. Other tropical countries, such as Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Netherlands Antilles and Brazil have also formed their own bobsled teams.

On the creation of the team, Devon Harris, one of the original bobsledders, says:

"The idea for the team was that of two Americans, George Fitch and William Maloney, who had business and family connections in Jamaica. They saw the pushcart derby and thought it looked like bobsledding except for the ice. Because the start is such an important part of the race and Jamaica had so many sprinters, they thought they would recruit some of the summer Olympic athletes but those guys weren't biting on the idea. They then came to the army and pitched the idea to Col Ken Barnes."[1]

The original four members were:

Devon Harris (had been a Lieutenant in the Second Battalion, Jamaican Army)
Dudley Stokes (had been a captain from the JDF Air Wing)
Michael White (had been a private in the National Reserves)
Samuel Clayton (had been a railway engineer)

Although their 1988 appearance was plagued by crashes and technical difficulties, the Jamaican team improved drastically by the 1992 Winter Olympics and came in 14th, ahead of teams from the United States, France, Russia, and Italy. Their two-man team beat the Swedish team and came in tenth place.

The team has continued to improve, taking home various medals, including gold at the 2000 World Push Championships in Monte Carlo and firsts in 2-man sledding and 4-woman sledding in the Olympic trials.

As of 2002, the Jamaican team consisted of Mark Hill, Lascelles Brown, Garnett Jones, Stewart Maxwell, Clive McDonald, Wayne Thomas, Dudley Stokes, and team captain Winston Watt. The women's team is Porscha Morgan, Winsome Cole, Taniesha LcLean and Dukelyn Barrett.

The Jamaican Bobsled Team currently trains in Evanston, Wyoming. Their slogan is "The Hottest Thing on Ice".

In 2001 for "Celebrate Humanity" campaign for the 2002 Winter Olympics the International Olympic Committee launched a TV spot with real scenes of their participation in 1988 Winter Olympics called "Bobsleigh".

Jamaica had competed in every Winter Olympics since 1988, but failed to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. However, Jamaican born Lascelles Brown, who had been in the Jamaican bobsled team from 1999 to 2004, competed for Canada with driver Pierre Lueders and won a silver medal in the two-man bobsleigh competition. [2] [3]