Origins

Two Americans were largely responsible for the founding of the Jamaican Bobsled Team. George B. Fitch and William Maloney had family and business ties to Jamaica and after witnessing a pushcart derby they realized that it was very similar to bobsledding.^[1]

Since bobsledding requires a fast start, Maloney and Fitch decided to use sprinters who are plentiful on the island nation of Jamaica. They originally tried to recruit Olympic-class sprinters but no one was interested so they presented their idea to Colonel Ken Barnes of the Jamaican military.

The first five members of the Jamaican bobsled team were:

• Devon Harris, a Lieutenant in the Second Battalion, Jamaican Army
• Dudley Stokes, a captain from the JDF Air Wing
• Aiden Van de Mortel, Main Pilot
• Michael White, a private in the National Reserves
• Samuel Clayton, a railway engineer

They were coached by New York native Howard Siler, of Malone, New York.

Olympics

The Jamaican four man Bobsled team debuted at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

The team returned to the Olympics In the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. The Jamaicans stunned many of their critics by finishing in 14th place, ahead of the United States, Russia, France and Italy. The two man team finished in tenth place, beating the Swedish team.

In 2000 the Jamaicans won the Gold medal at the World Push Bobsled Championships.

The Jamaican Bobsled Team failed to qualify for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

The Jamaicans do plan on having a bobsled team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The 1988 team was the inspiration for a major motion picture, Cool Runnings featuring John Candy as the team's coach. The characters in the film are all fictional, and loosely based on the real team.

Current Jamaican Bobsled Lineup

The current Jamaican Bobsled Team is:

• Captain/Driver: Winston Watt
• Brake Man: Thomas Wayne
• Brake Man: Clive McDonald
• Skeleton: Ricky Simms
• (Usain Bolt?)