Bobsleigh association partnership leads to new training headquarters

THE JAMAICA Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (JBSF) has inked a partnership with the North Country Sports Council (NCSC) which will see the Hotel Saranac in New York serving as the new training headquarters for the national team.

Chris Stokes, chairman and CEO of the JBSF, said the historic partnership will prove to be a major boost to the team’s Olympic aspirations.

The partnership was created based on the training model used by several of the world’s best bobsled teams.

“We have taken a long, hard look at the programme and the next two or three Olympic Games, and established some very ambitious goals to deliver, at the first instance, very competitive teams and, ultimately, medal-contending teams for 2030 and 2034.

“Part of the model is to establish a home base where we can spend quite a bit of time, three or four months at a time, to get as much time as we can while we’re competing on different tracks. This is a model that has been used by the leading countries in the world.”

With this partnership, the JBSF will also benefit from financial aid. Through the NCSC, the association will gain access to equipment and facilities at little to no cost. This comes as a massive benefit for JBSF as, according to Stokes, the cost of operations per year is expensive.

Stokes explained this deal came about through aligning Brand Jamaica with the NCSC’s brand.

Leveraging our brand

“This is quite expensive, we have to raise anywhere from a quarter million to half a million every year to run the programme, and the main way we’re able to do that is through leveraging our brand and monetising Brand Jamaica, which remains one of the most powerful brands.

“We have decided to align our brand with North Country Sports Council and then, in the first instance, they’re covering what it would cost to live there, accommodation, meals, transportation, that sort of thing. It is a huge cost in and of itself, so we’re very glad for that. We’re also getting low-cost to free access to equipment and time on the ice, so it’s a very big deal for us.”

The partnership, according to Stokes, will bring about sustained success for Jamaica Bobsled, with the partnership expected to be a long-term commitment for both parties.

“It is not a one-year thing altogether, it is a system and process of improving talent identification. So we have set up a system of recruitment and development that is sustainable. We’re going quadrennial by quadrennial and see how it works. We have to deliver value, so there are certain things that we will have to do, but they have stepped forward and delivered in a material way.”