This
article highlights the efforts of the Jamaican bobsleigh team, which is
presently in Canada for several competitions, as they prepare for the
2018 Winter Olympics. On a shoestring budget, the team has opened a GoFundMe page to fundraise for their Olympic dreams.
The Jamaican bobsleigh team was rescued by a good Samaritan after their van broke down in Calgary, Alberta, over the weekend.
The
perennial underdogs caught a lucky break in the same city where they
made their Olympic debut in 1988. (The debut became the subject of the
1993 film Cool Runnings, starring John Candy.)
The 12-person team was in town for a competition on Sunday. Kathleen Pulito, the team's social media director, told the Calgary Herald the
team is on a shoestring budget and the van was supposed to take them
across the country as they set their sights on the 2018 Winter
Olympics. "We're just trying to do what we can, get one place to the
next and hoping we don't run out of money," she said.
Shortly
after the team tweeted about their predicament, a GoFundMe page had
sprouted up to try and raise enough money for repairs.
David Schnerch was out doing some errands on Saturday
when he passed by the van, and saw team members trying to fiddle with
the vehicle's battery. Being in possession of a booster cable himself,
Schnerch pulled over and tried to give them a jump. When that didn't
work he drove the team to Canada Olympic Park himself so that they could
make their race. "Just focus on the race," he said. "We'll get you what
you need."
After
their race in Calgary, the team needed to make it to Whistler, British
Columbia, for another competition. So Schnerch gave them the key to his
truck. "If they still need it, once they're done they'll get it back to
me," he told the BBC.
Pulito
told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation a local car rental agency
has donated a van so they can get to Whistler, and some much-needed
cash. The team continues to fundraise on online to help fuel their Olympic dreams
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