Jamaica Ice Hockey Team???

[Stonigut]

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/...m_jamaica.html

[Historian]

Usual Misplaced Priority?

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/...m_jamaica.html

Stoni, in the late 1980s, Jamaica’s first bobsled team made a surprising entrance to the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. The team was not successful; however, a Disney movie on the ill-fated Jamaican venture became a hit.

The rest is history (of sorts), despite the fact that successive ventures by Jamaican bobsledders were much less successful.

I have always argued here on the forum for greater diversity in Jamaica’s sports program, and so I note with some muted happiness that this really unusual, somewhat incoherent venture is not a product of Jamaica’s sports program, but something from outside. (I also note Coach Townshend’s ingenious plan to initially include anyone with Caribbean roots, with his objective being to “increase awareness of Jamaica’s plan to enter the Olympics and to shake out sponsorship money to help fund the program. The eventual Olympic team must be composed of Jamaican citizens.”)

An ingenious rip-off? I don’t know.

What I do know is that, as far as the Olympic Games is concerned, I would a thousand times more rather see increased emphasis, training and sponsorship money being placed on events such as swimming (my pet peeve), diving, volleyball, boxing, cycling, and middle distance running! In so doing, maybe we will unearth more Jaheel Hydes, Javon Francis’s and Martin Manley’s in these other events -- events that would be open to majority participation by Jamaicans!!

[Don1]

What di Puck!!!

[Mosiah]

Mi nuh undastan. Ice hackee? Why dem nuh thaw out di hackee before dem cook it?!!?

[Stonigut]

Sounds like an old 90's joke!

[Peter R]

Historian, This would be one team that would definitely be made up of 90% plus Jamaicans of the diaspora, Canada to be specific and to be precise maybe Scarborough, Ontario. Setting up the rink in JA would only be to fulfill the IOC requirement; otherwise I don't see many, if any at all, home-grown Jamaicans on such a team... that is if it ever comes to pass.

On another trivial note, I remember as a little boy back in the 60s, the year might have been 1964 when I was 7 yrs old, (yea, a suh mi 'owl ) my grandparents took us to see an ice skating show at the National Stadium. It was called "Holiday on Ice". It wasn't until later I began to wonder how they set up the ice rink that the perofrmers used... point is, having an ice-skating rink in JA, albeit a temporary one, is not novelty!

[Mosiah]

On another trivial note, I remember as a little boy back in the 60s, the year might have been 1964 when I was 7 yrs old, (yea, a suh mi 'owl ) my grandparents took us to see an ice skating show at the National Stadium. It was called "Holiday on Ice". It wasn't until later I began to wonder how they set up the ice rink that the perofrmers used... point is, having an ice-skating rink in JA, albeit a temporary one, is not novelty!

Interesting! Didn't know that was done in Jamaica before.

[Peter R]

I looked up Holiday on Ice , they are similar to Ice Capades, and saw this (they obviously paid a visit to JA in the 60s):

"HOLIDAY ON ICE INT'L. - Ambassadors On Ice
The "Holiday On Ice" portable ice rinks passed their rigorous tests of outdoor dates in the heat of Mexico and Cuba in 1947 and '48. Next came South and Central America. The year-long 1951 show tour itinerary involved many border crossings and some gorgeous but formidable geography. It included Bogota, Medillin, Barranquilla, and Cali, Columbia; Bahia and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Montevideo, Uruguay; Valpariso and Santiago, Chile; Panama City, Panama; and Guatamala City, Guatamala. The great Sonja Henie starred in the 1956 South American tour and was its co-producer. After encountering difficulties Henie left in the middle of what proved to be the final tour of her unparalled career."
http://www.icestagearchive.com/hoiintl.html

[Jangle]

We eat hackee, we don't play hackee

[Stonigut]

Jangle, mi ah wondah bout yuh, yuh noh, I think you older than yuh saying. Yuh Nuh supposed to know demde joke dey.