Cheerful Challengers ◆ Taking Hardship in Stride

Chunichi Shimbun, Morning Edition, August 11, 2006

Patients often recommend movies to me. One day, Mr. A, who has lived with schizophrenia for many years, suggested that I watch Cool Runnings (1993, USA), a film about the Jamaican bobsled team.

When people think of Jamaica, they picture a tropical island famous for reggae music. It seems to have little connection with an icy sport like bobsledding. Yet Jamaica actually made its first appearance in the bobsled competition at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, and later attracted attention by finishing fourteenth at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics. The film turns their challenge toward Calgary into an entertaining and uplifting drama.

Derice, a sprinter, is considered a favorite in the Olympic trials. However, his dream is shattered when he becomes caught up in a fall caused by another runner, Junior, in the neighboring lane. Still, he quickly finds a new goal: bobsledding, a sport that also demands powerful leg strength. Learning that Irv, a former gold medalist, is living a broken-down life in Jamaica, Derice persistently persuades him to become the team’s coach.

Joining the team are Derice’s best friend Sanka, his former track rival Yul, and Junior, whose fall destroyed both his own and Derice’s Olympic dreams. They are complete amateurs, but their natural talent begins to blossom through intense training. Somehow, they even manage to solve the problem of funding their trip.

When the athletes arrive in the bitter cold of Calgary, they are mocked by competitors from powerhouse nations. Their first race ends disastrously. But instead of imitating the traditional strong teams, they decide to compete in their own style. With renewed confidence, they achieve surprisingly strong results and advance through the qualifying rounds. Through the competition, the young men mature. Junior, who had always obeyed his domineering father, finally refuses his father’s orders and continues competing. What the team gains in the final race is something far greater than a medal: pride.

This film gives viewers energy through its portrayal of young people who accept hardship lightly and continue challenging themselves with cheerful determination. Incidentally, Jamaica’s suicide rate (the number of suicides per 100,000 people) is 0.3 — about one-eightieth of Japan’s. Their boundless optimism and indomitable spirit of challenge remind us of something important that we ourselves may be lacking.