Devon Harris was one of the founding members of the Jamaican national bobsled team that competed in the Winter Olympics at Calgary, Canada, in 1988, inspiring the movie “Cool Runnings.”
Harris grew up in extreme poverty in an area that was plagued with violence and unrest, playing football (soccer) and participating in track and field. As a lieutenant in the Jamaica Defense Force, he was invited to “undergo rigorous and dangerous training” to represent his country in the Winter Olympics.
Harris spoke to the Daviess County High School student body Tuesday morning, showing them photos of his bobsled journey and Olympic success. Harris said his path to the Jamaican national bobsled team was loosely portrayed in the 1993 movie, and he was not represented by any particular character.
Harris described the makeshift bobsled weighed down with rocks that he and his teammates used to practice prior to their first Olympic run. He showed the students a photo, which he said proved that he and his teammates were practicing all wrong. Harris turned this into a motivational message for the full DCHS gym.
“You should never, ever, ever wait until everything is perfect to go pursue your dreams,” Harris said. “That’s because it will never be perfect. Yes, there is something to be said about doing your homework, doing your research, trying to get the plan good, but if you sit back waiting, man, that’s all you’ll do — wait.”
Harris’ visit to DCHS was sponsored by Tommy and Dr. Janet Rowland. He is an agency sales leader and recruiter for State Farm Insurance and she is a dentist with the Rowland Family Dentistry practice. Their daughter is a freshman at DCHS.
Tommy Rowland said he saw Devon Harris speak about a year ago and was impressed with the message.
“His story is one of overcoming obstacles, dreaming big and not giving up on those dreams, even something as crazy as a Jamaican bobsled team,” Tommy said. “But it’s really more about his life story: Overcoming obstacles, staying positive and believing you can do anything. It’s a great message for DCHS students and is something we all need to be reminded of. We live in a great country where we can achieve anything. His story still resonates.”
DCHS principal Matt Mason said the message Devon Harris shared with students is both timely and important.
“I want students to walk away from this presentation knowing that anything is possible when running after their dreams,” Mason said. “It is important that students understand that they can achieve success no matter what their circumstances are in life.”
