Cool Runnings Page #7

No, child.

You didn't miss a thing.

...ofJamaica made it

all the way here to Calgary...

to compete

in the bobsled event.

Their flag bearer is

the sled captain Derice Bannock.

Derice's father, Ben Bannock, was

a gold medalist in the 200 meters...

at the Summer Olympic games

over 20 years ago.

And perhaps there's gold in

two generations of this family.

That's quite a story.

TheJamaican bobsled team.

It's a beautiful afternoon in Calgary,

and there is a lot more coming up.

So stay tuned for

more exciting coverage...

of the opening ceremonies

of the 15th Winter Olympiad...

from Calgary,

Alberta, Canada.

Gentlemen, let's go

check into our new home.

Come on, Junior.

Junior! Hey!

Junior.

Now a lot of coaches would be

giving you one of those, uh...

"Win one for the Gipper"

speeches.

I'm not good at that stuff.

Instead, I thought I'd, uh...

lead you in a psalm

of inspiration.

Let's bow our heads.

Who's the "Gipper"?

Our Father who art in Calgary,

bobsled be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

gold medals won...

on Earth as it is

in turn seven.

With liberty and justice

forJamaica and Haile Selassie.

- Amen.

- All right!

- Yes!

- Respect.

- All right.

- Jah Rastafari.

Junior.

Now you listen to me, boy.

You might not have done

what you were asked...

but you will do

what you're told.

- You're coming home.

- Yeah, but, Father,

you know I just want...

But nothing.

I didn't send you

to the finest school...

for you to go around

sliding on your backside.

- You must be mad.

- Yeah, but the team needs me.

I don't want to hear

any more of it.

Go and get your things.

I'll wait in the lobby.

Pride. Power.

Father, when you look

at me, what do you see?

I don't have time

for games, Junior.

Tell me what ya see!

Please.

All right, I'll tell you

what I see.

I see a lost little boy...

who's lucky to have a father

who knows what's best for him.

No, no, no, no. You don't know

what's best for me, Father.

I am not a lost

little boy, Father.

I am a man.

And I'm an Olympian.

I'm stayin' right here.

Hey, Junior Bevil.

You're a badass mother.

- Here, l-I got a couple.

- I like this one. Yes.

O Canada, indeed. This is Al Trautwig

along with John Morgan.

We're live at Olympic Park,

the brand-new bobsledding venue...

just a few miles outside

of downtown Calgary.

Everybody, shut up.

It's starting.

...extremely intense, exciting

competition for the next three days.

I am feeling very Olympic

today. How about you?

Uh, this sport, as we well know,

us made up of athletes...

who go to the edge and sometimes

beyond, and it is why we believe...

the next three days is going to be

extremely competitive and exciting.

And already, John, on day one,

we're starting things off

with a gold medal favorite.

Well, the Swiss were fortunate enough

to draw number one in the competition.

We gotta make them the odds-on

favorite to win the gold.

But the East Germans, they're comin'

off the gold medal win in 1984.

The Canadians, it's their home track.

You gotta favor them too.

And they've been doin'

very well in practice all week.

Eins, zwei, drei.

One! Two! Three! Go!

- Eighty miles an hour or close to it.

- You know, Al,

I'm lookin'at the times here, and

the course is gettin'extremely fast.

And I was worried about that Austrian

team's safety in that last big...

four G's of force on the athletes.

Well, if you were worried about

them, what are you thinking

about our last and next team?

Yes, it certainly seems

strange that surrounded by

the ice and snow of Calgary,

we are about to watch a team

from the tiny island ofJamaica.

- From Jamaica!

- Quite a story for them

to even get here.

They came out of nowhere. And

you know, there's a lot of teams

up here on top of the hill...

that sort of feel theJamaicans

don't belong here.

- Hey! Hey!

- Hey, what are you doin', man?

- What are you doing?

- That's what the Swiss do

to psych themselves up.

They also make them little pocketknives,

too, but I don't see you doin' that.

All right, guys, we're up. Come on. Hey,

knock it off. Knock it off, will ya?

Okay. Let's go.

Come on.

Take your start positions.

Remember, we don't have to win

the gold in the first day.

- It's just like any other run.

- Except this time...

Derice, did you forget

something? Thank you.

- Ready.

- Ready.

- Ready.

- Ready.

Eins, zwei, drei.

Go! Go, go, go, go! Go!

- Get in! Get in!

- As theJamaican team attempts

its first ever...

winter Olympic event,

and look at this.

They've gotta get into that sled.

I've never seen anything like this.

I know it's not funny,

but how embarrassing.

Now, thank goodness. For

a minute, I didn't think they'd

ever get all four of them in.

And that could've been

a disaster.

C-Come on!

Well, most importantly here,

when you do get in the sled...

you have to get in with catlike

movements, get in, get relaxed.

Ooh, look at that high line at

Omega.! He bounces off the wall,

ricochets like a pinball.

You know, the driver here,

Derice Bannock, looks like

the sled's really drivin'him.

- That fool better watch his mouth.

- He better watch more than that.

This is the time when this team

may be thinking, "This may not

have been such a great idea. "

Their heads are bouncing around.

This is amazing.

Like rag dolls as they come

through the finish...

at a time of 58.04...

which will be good enough

for last place.

You choked. It was yours for

the taking, and you choked.

You were ready,

and ya choked.

Well, maybe we should

go over the turns again?

You know the turns.

You know everything there is

to know about this sport.

I'll tell you somethin'.

You had all better figure out...

how to stay loose out there.

That's somethin'

I can't help you with.

I'll see you tomorrow

on the hill.

You know, when the Swiss

want to get relaxed...

Will you shut up

about the damn Swiss?

I mean, it was all that "eins,

zwei, drei" nonsense that got us

all nervous in the first place.

Hey, man, look here. I'm just tryin'

to get us off on the right foot.

Well, the right foot for us

is not the Swiss foot.

I mean, come on, Derice.

We can't be copyin' nobody else's style.

We have our own style.

Kissin' an egg

is no kind of style.

It's the Olympics here.

It's no stupid pushcart derby.

Let me tell ya

somethin', Rasta.

I didn't come up here to forget

who I am and where I come from.

And neither did I. I'm just

tryin' to be the best I can be.

So am I. And the best

I can be is Jamaican.

Look. Derice, I've known you sinceJulie

Jeffries asked to see your ding-a-ling.

And I'm telling you

as a friend...

if we lookJamaican,

walkJamaican...

talkJamaican

and is Jamaican...

then we sure as hell

better bobsled Jamaican.

Greetings from Jamaica

'Nuff people will say

you know they can't believe

Jamaica we have

a bobsled team

'Nuff people say

you know they can't believe

Jamaica we have

a bobsled team

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