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Get on up, It's Bobsled time!!
The Club has donated to support the Jamaican bobsled team! We just thought it would be cool to be a part of such a feel good cause and community spirit!
Feel good factor of donating to something so iconic
Jamaica's bobsleigh team will end their 12-year absence from the Winter Olympics next month after being awarded a place at the Sochi Games.
Thanks to an outpouring of support for its online crowdfunding campaign, the Jamaican bobsled team is heading to Sochi with over $120,000 — and a dream 12 years in the making.
On Monday, the members of the underdog team from the island nation learned they had qualified for the two-man bobsled competition for their first appearance in the Winter Olympics since 2002. That elation has been followed by overwhelming gratitude from the team toward its fans, after a crowdfunding campaign exceeded their target goal of $100,000 in a matter of days.
“It’s so overwhelming that we have so many fans out there,’’ team member Winston Watts told TODAY.com. “The whole nation has come together and donated the funds to us. This shows us that people still love the Jamaican bobsled team. I just want to give thanks to all of our fans out there.”
Qualifying was the culmination of a four-year push spearheaded by Watts, 47, to put the Jamaican bobsledders back in the Olympics after a 12-year drought. While the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation is paying for the travel costs for the team to get to Russia, Watts and his teammates appealed to the public for extra funds to help cover their training costs and upgrade their equipment.
Jamaican bobsled team members Wayne Blackwood, Marvin Dixon and coach Wayne Thomas attended the Sundance Film Festival on Monday along with teammate Winston Watts to help spread the word about their fund-raising effort.
The money will be wired directly to the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation and go toward the cost of shipping their sled to Russia and upgrading the runners, which are the round, beveled blades that help send the bobsled down the icy track. Watts said a good set of runners can cost between $15,000 and $20,000, and the team needs multiple sets for Sochi. "The ones that I used to qualify are almost not legal because they are so old,'' Watts said.
Just over 20 years since the release of the 1993 hit film "Cool Runnings" detailed the journey of the first Jamaican bobsled team to reach the Olympics in 1988, the next generation has struck a chord with fans. Watts and his teammates were a hit when they attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, near their home in Evanston, Wyo., on Monday. While getting the word out about their fund-raising effort, Watts said he met actor Kurt Russell and other celebrities. It continued the good vibe that has followed the team at every venue during their qualifying competitions.
So go on, what is your favourite scene from the film good film that has spurred on the support for the team in 2014?
The Club has donated to support the Jamaican bobsled team! We just thought it would be cool to be a part of such a feel good cause and community spirit!
Feel good factor of donating to something so iconic
Jamaica's bobsleigh team will end their 12-year absence from the Winter Olympics next month after being awarded a place at the Sochi Games.
Thanks to an outpouring of support for its online crowdfunding campaign, the Jamaican bobsled team is heading to Sochi with over $120,000 — and a dream 12 years in the making.
On Monday, the members of the underdog team from the island nation learned they had qualified for the two-man bobsled competition for their first appearance in the Winter Olympics since 2002. That elation has been followed by overwhelming gratitude from the team toward its fans, after a crowdfunding campaign exceeded their target goal of $100,000 in a matter of days.
“It’s so overwhelming that we have so many fans out there,’’ team member Winston Watts told TODAY.com. “The whole nation has come together and donated the funds to us. This shows us that people still love the Jamaican bobsled team. I just want to give thanks to all of our fans out there.”
Qualifying was the culmination of a four-year push spearheaded by Watts, 47, to put the Jamaican bobsledders back in the Olympics after a 12-year drought. While the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation is paying for the travel costs for the team to get to Russia, Watts and his teammates appealed to the public for extra funds to help cover their training costs and upgrade their equipment.
Jamaican bobsled team members Wayne Blackwood, Marvin Dixon and coach Wayne Thomas attended the Sundance Film Festival on Monday along with teammate Winston Watts to help spread the word about their fund-raising effort.
The money will be wired directly to the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation and go toward the cost of shipping their sled to Russia and upgrading the runners, which are the round, beveled blades that help send the bobsled down the icy track. Watts said a good set of runners can cost between $15,000 and $20,000, and the team needs multiple sets for Sochi. "The ones that I used to qualify are almost not legal because they are so old,'' Watts said.
Just over 20 years since the release of the 1993 hit film "Cool Runnings" detailed the journey of the first Jamaican bobsled team to reach the Olympics in 1988, the next generation has struck a chord with fans. Watts and his teammates were a hit when they attended the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, near their home in Evanston, Wyo., on Monday. While getting the word out about their fund-raising effort, Watts said he met actor Kurt Russell and other celebrities. It continued the good vibe that has followed the team at every venue during their qualifying competitions.
So go on, what is your favourite scene from the film good film that has spurred on the support for the team in 2014?
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