CALGARY, Canada — Ever since "Cool Runnings," Hollywood's version of the Jamaican bobsled team's exploits during the 1988 Olympics, the world has chuckled over the notion of tropical countries fielding somewhat daffy winter sports crews.
But during the just-completed world championships for bobsled and skeleton, held here, a disciplined and determined set of athletes competed on behalf of the balmy tropical paradise American Samoa. The most unusual twist is that they live in Utah.
Standing near the bobsled starting line at Canada Olympic Park as snow gently falling around her, Kassie T. Afo explained that her father grew up in American Samoa. Even though she now lives in South Jordan, she is qualified to race as a representative of that U.S. territory.
"As far as bobsled, there has to be a Polynesian in the sled," she said. The same requirement does not apply to skeleton racing, which has only one member. The American Samoa skeleton representative is Felicia Canfield of Kaysville, a second-year law student at the University of Utah.
Afo was a speedskater for five years before a representative of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee and another sports supporter from Texas tried to interest her in bobsled racing.
"They kept calling me to come try this sport, and I'm like, 'No way,' " she said. But the Olympic boosters pleaded, "Please come just try it once," she related.
"So I went and tried, liked it . . . So I'm here," Afo beamed.
Her driver is Jennifer Watt, who is from Florida but graduated from Brigham Young University and lives in Provo, she said. Another brakeman also lives in Utah.
"We've been able to race in the world championships," Afo said. "That was real exciting, because we could slide with . . . the best athletes in the world."
The team is pleased with its performance, but she added, "we know that we can do better." As beginners, they feel they've learned a great deal from the best women's bobsledders "and hopefully one day can be up there also."
She calls bobsled racing the biggest adrenaline rush. When she is not racing, she is usually busy playing volleyball. But racing and training has required that her university studies be pushed aside.
"I had to put school on hold because we're gone so much" in bobsled competitions, she said.
Afo would like to compete in the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games. "Of course, that's every athlete's dream."
At that point, she was joined by Canfield. Afo introduced her to the Deseret News, throwing an arm around the skeleton slider. "She just raced," Afo said. "She did awesome."
Joining them was Brady Canfield, Felicia's husband. A member of the U.S. men's bobsled team, he was serving last week as Felicia's coach.
"Turn around," Felicia commanded, grabbing Brady by the arms and turning him. "See — ASA."
On the back of his parka were the block letters ASA, for American Samoa. The first A was a recent taped-on addition, temporarily covering a big U.
"This is my first season doing skeleton," said Canfield, who lived in American Samoa for several years with her grandparents, who were building contractors. "I love it."
She began skeleton racing after watching Brady compete while the family lived in New York. "I decided I'd give it a try" after they moved to Utah, she said.
Her first exposure to winter sliding came at the Utah Olympic Park bobsled/luge/skeleton track at Bear Hollow, near Park City. Passenger rides were going down the track, she said.
"One of our friends said, 'Hey Felicia, come on, get in!' " she recalled. "So I signed a waiver and in I went.
"And that was my first time down the track. . . . And I thought, 'Hey, this is pretty cool. I think I'll take a skeleton class. ' "
Following the class, she began competing and turned out to be a natural skeleton athlete. Although this is her first season, she has competed in three America's Cup races.
The first time she went up against such competition, "I had only 18 runs total. I was pretty darn nervous. But I finished out 12th."
From that race, held at Calgary, she went to Lake Placid, N.Y. In that World Cup race, she was 12th. Next stop was Park City, where she was 10th. "So I'm improving," she said.
"So I came out here (Calgary) and did a Challenge Cup and got two bronze medals."
Her goal is to qualify for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games.
Felicia was quick to thank the professors who teach her law.
"The school has done so much to help me. . . . They've taped my classes for me when I've had to miss for competitions, so I've had a lot of friends and support in the faculty."
How is Felicia doing?
"Fantastic," said coach Brady. "She's just phenomenal. She hasn't even been sliding a year — here she is at world championships."
E-mail: bau@desnews.com