Jamaica, they have a bobsleigh team, and for the first time in twelve years, they’ve qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. But those shiny, sleek, high-speed frozen death machines (remember your bones won’t break in a bobsled. They’ll shatter) and the associated skin-tight lycra suits don’t come cheap, and due to their country not exactly being a world leader in ice and snow-based sports, the Jamaican bobsled team needs to come up with a bunch of money, ($80,000 USD of it, to be precise) and fast.
Here is the tweet from the official page of Sochi 2014 Winter Games with the announcement via @Sochi2014 pic.twitter.com/mzXW8Lh0rU
— Team Jamaica (@JamaicaOlympics) January 18, 2014
Sanka tried busking, and that didn’t work, so instead the team have turned to crowdfunding to try and raise the cash they need for equipment and transport to Russia, and, demonstrating the awesome power of uplifting 90’s Disney movies to bring people together, inspired individuals have also launched their own campaigns, pulling together tens of thousands of dollars for the ultimate tropical underdogs.
The Jamaican bobsleigh team’s official Indiegogo campaign has raised over $25,000 USD, a CrowdTilt campaign has hit $50,000 USD and a funding initiative through meta online currency platform (that I still can’t quite believe is a real thing) Dogecoin called Dogesled has raised and converted over a million Dogecoins into $35,000 USD worth of real money. So long as someone doesn’t take that money and sled run, it looks like the Jamaican team will definitely being competing in Sochi.
A message on the team’s official Indiegogo Campaign reads:
“The Jamaican Bobsleigh Team has triumphantly qualified for the” Sochi Winter Olympics 2014″ in Russia after a 12 years absence, and we need your support to get there. Embrace the Jamaican spirit of out of many one people and lets do this together. The games will not be the same without the trill and the passion of the Jamaican bobsleigh team.”
Sadly no longer coached by John Candy (RIP big guy), the sleigh driver Winston Watts and brakeman Marvin Dixon make up the two-man team that will compete in Sochi. Devon Harris, one of the original bobsledders who inspired Cool Runnings, is administering the CrowdTilt campaign. Stay tuned for the inevitable movie adaptation.
Image via Indiegogo
