And so I saw the bobsled team going and I thought, well, that looks amazing. Bobsled looks intense. Like, I'm in the gym all day.I could push heavy things.
So that's amazing. And so Jazz, you made her story when you helped form the first ever Women's Olympic Jamaican bobsled team to compete in the games. You are the actual female version of "Cool Runnings." I'm sure that's not the first time you've heard it.
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. Mono bobsled is just a single person that sits in the sled.
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. And bobsled tracks are only built in places that have hosted the Olympics before, because nobody wants to build this $300 million
We often say, in a way it's like a roller coaster, but I hate to give people that idea because those who love roller coasters usually don't like bobsled rides. And then you have people who are motion sickness, and they're like, I don't get it.
Sure. So many people have seen the movie "Cool Runnings." Skeleton athletes, we kind of have a bit of a complex, because everybody knows bobsled , and everybody knows "Cool Runnings." So we usually start out our conversation with, oh, do you guys know "Cool Runnings?" And everybody will nod their head yes.
So as I mentioned, bobsled was really the passion sport of mine that I saw. And I saw bobsled . I said, I want to do bobsled .
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. If mono bobsled had been around when I was starting this sport, I definitely would have done mono bob.
Thank you. So speaking of magic moments, I feel like the '88 Olympics were just this sort of-- it was Eddie's story. It was the Jamaican bobsled team. And I'm curious if you guys think-- we live in this age of viralness.
So let's get to the most top of mind question a lot of folks must have because I remember the day I found out you were training for the Olympic bobsled team and said, how does a Jersey girl-- someone I grew up dancing competitively with from tutus to hip hop, or anyone-- get into bobsledding, especially if you don't live in the snow year round?
So he actually received information from a peer of his offering some information on me trying out for the bobsled team. They've been watching me at track and field meets.
So my choice started when, in December of 2016, a friend of mine sent me a link to an article about the Nigerian women's bobsled team. And like most people, I probably had only heard of bobsled through what?
These three women who said they wanted to make history. They wanted to become the first African bobsled team to go to the Olympics. And I immediately was hooked.
Would I be good enough? Do I know anything about bobsled ? What does this mean?
On that news segment was the US team trials for Sochi. And so I saw the bobsled team going and I thought, well, that looks amazing. Bobsled looks intense. Like, I'm in the gym all day.
I'm in Boston. I'm about to graduate from MIT. I really want to do bobsled for Israel. I really want to start an Israeli bobsled team.
I really want to do bobsled for Israel. I really want to start an Israeli bobsled team. And so they messaged back, and they said, listen, nobody wants to do this sport from Israel, and you have to get multiple people to do it with you.
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. I'm going to do bobsled .
So luge is the fastest of all of the sledding sports. So it's faster than bobsled . It's faster than skeleton.
Oh, my gosh. I love this question because if you've seen "Cool Runnings," the movie, it paints this picture for you. But there's really nothing that simulates a bobsled . We often say, in a way it's like a roller coaster, but I hate to give people that idea because those who love roller coasters usually
Well, hello, Suzie, if you're watching. "Jazz, what bobsled city on tour is the most fun to go to?" The most fun to go to and travel to St. Moritz.
Are you looking for team members? Because in my mind, bobsled is a four person sport, and there were only three of them. So they quickly corrected me and let me know that actually, for women, it's still only a two women sport.
And that opportunity and that choice to shift the narrative was reborn. So this was the post that was posted by the Nigerian Bobsled and Skeleton Federation. It was for a tryout in Houston, Texas.
And they say, well, do you know there's another sport called skeleton? They say no. So bobsled is where the vehicle being driven down the track is the bullet. They said, let's take a vehicle, let's drive it as quick as possible down a mile long track, reach speeds of 90 miles an hour,
How did you decide that this was going to be the one that you were going to be an Olympian in? So as I mentioned, bobsled was really the passion sport of mine that I saw. And I saw bobsled .
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. And what's the outlook for the Israeli bobsled team in 2022?
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. I'm also trying to put together a female bobsled team and a female mono bobsled team, which is a very brand new sport.
And it makes sense how this led to something bigger. And for those who may not understand how bobsledding works-- I mean, I'm certainly not a pro. Can you tell us what your position, piloting, means?
Well, hello, Suzie, if you're watching. It's beautiful. It's where bobsled was started slash created.
Well, hello, Suzie, if you're watching. Get on up. It's bobsled time.
I felt like a fish out of water. And that's when I actually made the transition from a focus to bobsled to now a focus to skeleton. One, because at that camp it was confirmed that hey, the team is already in place for bobsled .
And I saw bobsled . I said, I want to do bobsled . So I messaged, I googled, is there an Israeli bobsled team?
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. And you can only train in skeleton on a skeleton on ice at a bobsled track.
And so, I'm probably the only one in that stadium who wasn't videoing walking into the stadium. Right? So I hooked up with my Jamaican bobsled friends.
you were training for the Olympic bobsled team and said, how does a Jersey girl-- someone I grew up dancing competitively with from tutus to hip hop, or anyone-- get into bobsledding, especially if you don't live in the snow year round? How did this all begin for you?
And it's something that I still get the chills about today. So I'd love to show everyone this clip of you walking out with the Jamaican bobsled team for the opening ceremony. Let's roll the video.
Well, hello, Suzie, if you're watching. By the way, I'm wearing the pin that I got months ago from you-- Jamaican bobsled pin.
about the Nigerian women's bobsled team. And like most people, I probably had only heard of bobsled through what? The movie "Cool Runnings." Exactly.
and the reality of what I was living, I knew instinctively, immediately that this was my opportunity and my way to play a part in shifting the narrative. But-- big problem-- I know nothing about bobsled . What's going to happen?
But after I made my choice, and said, I'm interested, my choice was really about shifting the narrative. So whether the vehicle-- literally, the vehicle was a bobsled or a skeleton sled, I stayed focused on that choice that I made. And that was to shift the narrative.
I said, I want to do bobsled . So I messaged, I googled, is there an Israeli bobsled team? It turned out that there had been, but they had kind of hung up their spikes, so to speak, after trying to qualify for the 2006 games.
On March 14, it was two years after I'd made the 2,884 day commitment. But that day, I spent it alone at the bobsled track. Nobody was there, but I was working out late at night.
So we ended up getting, like, not great training times. And with the luge track it's about-- so luge, bobsled , and skeleton all go on the same track. From the top of the course some tracks are nearly a mile long.
And I got into track and field. And that kicked off, really, my athletic career that led me to bobsled . My college coach-- I thought that was a joke because he loves "Cool Runnings" and knew that I was part Jamaican as well.
You are the actual female version of "Cool Runnings." I'm sure that's not the first time you've heard it. And for those who don't know, "Cool Runnings" is a Disney movie based on the true story of the first male Jamaican bobsled team who competed in the Olympics in 1988.
Well, hello, Suzie, if you're watching. I'm super pumped we were finally able to purchase a push track, which is a wheeled bobsled on basically train tracks.
And that's when I actually made the transition from a focus to bobsled to now a focus to skeleton. One, because at that camp it was confirmed that hey, the team is already in place for bobsled . And somebody actually suggested, hey, would you be interested in skeleton?
I saw it. It looked pretty intense, and I went to try it in Lake Placid, New York. And when I tried it in Lake Placid, New York, there's a bobsled track that was used in the Olympics back in the '80s.
The Indiegogo rules were, anything goes as long as it's legal. You want to fund your European vacation, your dental work, your startup, your movie, your Jamaican bobsled team, whatever you want to fund, as long as it's legal, you can give it a try at Indiegogo.
burning, so I was wondering if you had any suggestions there. They have -- same way Jamaicans are very good at sprinting, and guys from Lake Placid are very good at bobsledding -- Kenyans have taken certain natural and geographical advantages