Jamaican Bobsleigh Team Turns to Crowd Funding for Sochi

SCRIPT: We're a long way from Jamaica here in Evanston, Wyoming...but since 1997 this has been the official training base of the Jamaican bobsleigh team… they share an office with a local lawyer, who first invited them to train in Evanston after he saw the movie Cool Runnings. SOUNDBITE 1 Paul Skog (man), North American Director, Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (English, 14 sec) “Their name is synonymous with underdog. Evanston Wyoming is an underdog. // People come through here and they go on in to Utah, to Salt Lake City // and I just felt that we could show them a good time.” Despite the local support, the last time Jamaica qualified was for the 2002 Salt Lake City games. At least, that was until the team qualified for Sochi - a great achievement... but along with the excitement, there was bad news from the Jamaican Bobsleigh Federation, as driver Winston Watt explains. SOUNDBITE 2 Winston Watt (man), Driver, Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (English, 15 sec) “I was told that, ‘Look, the Federation doesn’t have any money and this is our problem over the period of years,’ and I’m on my own. So, first thing I said, ‘Lord have mercy. What am I going to do?’” What Winston did was get word out that the team needed money… but what happened next surprised everyone... the news went viral, and several crowdfunding websites started receiving thousands of dollars in donations. UPSOUND Paul Skog (man), North American Director, Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (English, 2 sec) “Unbelievable.” The two man team now hope they can focus on what brought Winston out of retirement. SOUNDBITE 3 Winston Watt (man), Driver, Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (English, 21 sec) “I really do have a passion for bobsledding… and all those past years, I didn’t think that I did get the chance to achieve what I was in the sport for. // And this is my chance. And hopefully I achieve what I’m out of retirement for.” As the team make their final preparations before flying out to Sochi, challenges remain. Most of the donations have yet to transfer into their bank account, and Winston has already contributed thousands of dollars of his own… while their bobsleigh has already been sent to Russia, leaving them to train in the gym rather than on the track. SOUNDBITE 4 Wayne Thomas (man), Coach, Jamaican Bobsleigh Team (English, 15 sec) “Bobsledding is not only about sliding down the track. You have to push the start, you have to be in good physical condition to bear the pressure down the track. // But it would be better if we...