Words by Natalie Weiner—
Jamaica’s bobsled team may not have won on the track (in fact, they’ve already been eliminated from competition), but they’re Sochi crowd-pleasers regardless. “All the people here like us,” veteran driver Winston Watts told the LA Times. “No, that’s not correct. I should say all the people here love us.” Watts (who says he still gets inspired by Cool Runnings) and his teammates have even managed to charm the competition:
It seems so far that not many Olympians use tinder… Just wanna match with the Jamaican bobsled team
— Rebecca Possum Torr (@PossumTorr) February 2, 2014
They’re bringing island culture to the games – here’s Watts bubbling with Jamaican-American bobsledder Jazmine Fenlator:
Jamaican Bobsled Team vs USA Bobsled in a #danceoff ft. @jazminefenlator. https://t.co/XSGgzbmFh7
— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) February 12, 2014
Just when you thought the team couldn’t get any more endearing, The Jamaica Tourism Board released a poppy, reggae-inspired track to hype everyone for their races. Specially designed to sync up with the twists and turns of the bobsled track, “It’s Bobsled Time” was co-written and produced by Sidney “Predator” Mills, founder of New York’s Living Room Records and longtime keyboard player for Steel Pulse, and Jon Notar.
The tune is definitely getting people’s attention (just try getting it out of your head…), rallying support for arguably the most universally loved team at the Games. NBC synced the song with footage of the Jamaican team’s most recent run, which you can watch here — in the meantime, check out the retro, 8-bit video game-style music video below: