Sports: "Where Are They Now?" NBC Aims to Find Out from "Cool Runnings" Pioneering Bobsledders

It was 30 years ago that four Jamaicans and their American coach applied themselves to the then

Devon Harris

unthinkable notion that a country with no winter and no ice could produce an Olympic bobsled team.

That team, Dudley Stokes, Michael White, Devon Harris and Caswell Allen (who was injured and later replaced by Dudley's brother, Christian) made history in 1988 by becoming the first tropical country to compete in a Winter Olympics, unfortunately crashing out out of contention in Calgary. The team, in various iterations would establish themselves as contenders in subsequent Games and, in 1994, stunned the sporting world by finishing 14th, ahead of winter powerhouses the U.S. Russia and France.

Fast forward three decades and the "Cool Runnings" (the title of the 1993 feature film loosely based on the experience) saga is renewed with the again historic qualification - this time of a women's team, who will be heading to South Korea for the upcoming Winter Olympics, where they will no doubt b one of the stories of that competition, no matter where they finish

In the interim, the original "Cool Runnngs" crew have gotten on with their lives, staying with the sport administratively, while also writing books Harris - see below; and Christian Stokes)

This writer met Devon Harris in the lobby of Kingston's Pegasus hotel, just as a crew form NBC were entering with their myriad cameras and equipment. Curious, I introduced myself and inquired about their presence, whereupon he told me that the NBC team was shooting a "Where Are They Now?" -style retrospective of the history-making team.

No air date was given, but I expect it would form part of NBC's Winter Olympics coverage, which should give Jamaicans - and the rest of the world - extra reason to watch.

Devon Harris grew up in the Kingston ghetto of Sunrise Drive in Olympic Gardens  A graduate of Drews Ave Primary School, Ardenne High School, and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Harris had been an avid athlete (football and track and field )with his dream being to represent Jamaica in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics in the 800m and 1500m events. Since the idea for a Jamaican Bobsled Team was pitched to the Jamaica Defence Force, Harris, as a Lieutenant in the Second Battalion, first came across the proposal in a weekly army publication called "Force Orders" in September 1987.

Harris initially thought the idea was ridiculous, but was eventually convinced to participate by his colonel, Lt. Col Alan Douglas. At the team selections, Harris ended up with the fastest push time.

Harris wrote the 2008 children's book, Yes, I can! : the story of the Jamaican bobsled team, illustrated by Ricardo Cortes and in 2010 published his semi-autobiographical motivational book; Keep On Pushing: Hot Lessons From Cool Runnings

In 2006, Harris founded the Keep On Pushing Foundation which supports the education of kids in disadvantaged communities, and is presently building at paediatric mini-station at Drews AvenuePrimary