Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! … or not?
The Jamaican bobsled team has qualified to compete in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi next month. Unfortunately, they may not be able to afford the trip.
The two-man team of veteran Winston Watts and brakeman Marvin Dixon are looking to raise $80,000 within the next couple of weeks for traveling and equipment expenses. Funding is a major problem as the team is currently accepting PayPal donations to make up for the lack of financial support from the Jamaican Olympic Association.
“In truth, we still don’t really know at the moment if we’d even have enough funds or sponsorship to fly to Sochi itself for the Games itself,” Watson tells The Telegraph.
Jamaica made their first Olympic bobsledding appearance during the Calgary Games in 1988, the story that inspired the classic “Cool Runnings” film. Jamaica has not participated in bobsledding since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games (28th place finish) and while they qualified for the 2010 Vancouver Games, funding barred them from making the trip.
A passionate fan, Lincoln Wheeler, has created a fundraising campaign via the platform Crowdtilt to lend a helping hand to the Jamaican team. Just recently Twitter and Crowdtilt have both verified the account.
We wouldn’t mind seeing another Cool Runnings story, so here’s to hoping they can make the trip to Sochi!
-Patrick Hazel (@pattywack25)
