COOL RUNNINGS
COOL RUNNINGS’ CAPTURES THE INDOMITABLE SPIRIT OF THE JAMAICA OLYMPIC BOBSLEIGH TEAM. THEIR INSPIRATIONAL STORY ALSO HOLDS INVALUABLE LESSONS FOR ANYONE WORKING WITH A TEAM.
Your achievements don’t define you, they are things you have done, not who you are.
Learn to assert yourself and your right to be where you are and to pursue your goals.
As teammates, friends, colleagues, we must encourage each other in our dreams.
If the fire is in our eyes, and the opportunity is big enough, we will be encouraged to compete.
We’ll only get where we want to be by trying, failing and trying again until we reach our goal.
In our lives, there are people who have their own ambitions for us. Yet, to find our own destiny, we must have the courage to follow our hearts. In time, others will share in, celebrate, and be inspired by the path you have chosen.
Building a successful team is about understanding what is required to be successful, matching skills with needs, playing your role, and creating synergies; it’s about the willingness to follow and the courage to lead.
Despite past failings, life offers opportunities, be ready. There will always be realistic reasons why they can’t be achieved; recognize these but don’t empower them. Hear the ‘No’ and persist, hear the ‘You can’t’ and persist.
One of the keys to extraordinary success is the ability to see opportunity in the midst of disaster. Disaster travels always with its hidden companion, opportunity. Wherever you see disaster, look for opportunity.
Despite fear, believe in yourself, believe in your abilities, and believe that your dreams can come true.
When all you have worked for is taken away in life’s seeming tragedies, and you watch your dreams run away from you – have faith, know that your own destiny will come to you in ways you do not expect.
COOL RUNNINGS VS THE HOTTEST THING ON ICE
From the JBF’s perspective, the movie Cool Runnings was well done and entertaining. The rating and content are consistent with values the JBF wishes to promote. While some may see parts of the movie as disrespectful to the team and/or the athletes, we believe the objective of the filmmakers was to build up, not break down, and to acknowledge the humour in the story without being farcical.
Cool Runnings is a movie about real events, not a documentary on the events themselves, so there was no direct portrayal of any athlete, coach, administrator etc. However, the movie represented aspects of events and various individuals well. While the movie does not depict exact history, it certainly captures the spirit of Jamaica Bobsleigh. The JBF gives this movie two thumbs up!
Here are a few comparisons between the Movie and the Real Team:
movie
- The bobsleigh team included a local champ from the traditional push-cart derby.
- After viewing a film of violent bobsleigh crashes, team participants vacated the room.
- The ’88 team was coached by an ex-USA Olympic Bobsledder.
- Olympic teams complained bitterly about the Jamaicans’ participation.
- After the crash, the Jamaicans carried their sled across the finish line.
real team
- All the characters were entirely fictional and there is no athletic transferability of push cart skills to bobsleighing.
- In the movie, the room emptied. In fact, perhaps five of the 40 applicants bid polite adieus, while most others simply did not return.
- The real coach, Howard Siler, was a five time US champion, not the race throwing remorseful character portrayed by John Candy.
- Virtually every team was supportive, particularly the British which had several team members with Caribbean heritage. Some of the traditional teams such as the East Germans, posed some resistance based on the fear that an inexperienced team would tear up the ice.
- After the crash, the Jamaicans carried their sled across the finish line.
Special Book Offer
Get your copy of ‘Cool Runnings and Beyond’, the inspirational true story of four Jamaican bobsleighers and their dream of competing in the Winter Olympics.
