This retired DJ is Jamaica's 1st Olympic alpine skier — and he got his start in Canada

CBC Radio

· Posted: Jan 17, 2022 6:25 PM EST | Last Updated: January 18, 2022

Story Transcript

The archetypal clip Benjamin Alexander went to a skis resort, helium was conscionable determination to enactment and play tunes. Now he's heading to the Winter Olympics successful Beijing to correspond Jamaica connected the slopes.

The 38-year-old — who strapped connected his archetypal brace of skis six years agone successful British Columbia — has go the archetypal Jamaican to suffice for alpine skiing astatine the Winter Olympics.

"I beryllium a batch to Canada for my skiing experience," Alexander told As It Happens host Carol Off. 

Alexander, who was raised successful the U.K. and is of Jamaican heritage, volition vie successful the elephantine slalom lawsuit at in Beijing successful February. 

Learning however to fall, and get backmost up 

He got his archetypal sensation of skis civilization during a Christmas travel to a edifice successful Revelstoke, B.C., successful 2015 with his buddies. He was there, helium says, to DJ and to party. 

"I was conscionable determination arsenic you know, a location cat, making definite the brew was cold, making definite the Jacuzzi was lukewarm and, you know, eating excessively much," helium said.

Then 1 day, helium and his friends took a chopper to the apical of the upland to person luncheon with the skiers.

"And astatine the extremity of that lunch, I saw my friends popular connected the 130-millimetre pulverization skis and conscionable vanish implicit the ridge line," helium said. "I thought that turned them into superheroes."

He decided past that his days of watching from the sidelines were over. Just 2 months later, helium took his archetypal skis lessons successful Whistler, B.C. He was 32 years old.

"I fell 27 times connected that archetypal run, and I deliberation astir sane radical would person said, that's OK. That's not for me," helium said. 

"I saw 27 arsenic a baseline fig to amended upon, and conscionable spent the remainder of the time connected that precise aforesaid tally … and I got it down to 7 [falls] by the extremity of the day."

Inspired by Cool Runnings

Within a period of skiing, Alexander was plotting his way to the Olympics. He says helium was inspired by the 1993 movie Cool Runnings, based connected a existent communicative astir Jamaica's archetypal bobsled squad astatine the Winter Olympics successful Calgary successful 1988.

"Growing up successful England and that movie coming retired erstwhile I was 10 years aged was 1 of the biggest senses of pridefulness of being Jamaican that I'd had arsenic a young kid," helium said. 

Dudley Stokes, the aviator from from that historical team, has since go 1 of Alexander's mentors.

Stokes says helium archetypal became alert of Alexander successful 2020 during a virtual livestream of Cool Runnings, where the Olympic hopeful commented repeatedly astir his diversion goals, and his tendency to interaction basal with Stokes. 

At first, Stokes says helium was wary. But Alexander was persistent, and yet Stokes's daughter convinced him to person a speech with this young antheral who idolized him. 

"And successful a fewer minutes, I realized that helium was the existent deal," Stokes said. 

The brace person since been successful interaction regularly, with the four-time Olympian offering his champion guidance and advice. 

"Having him connected my squad has not lone fixed my travel validation to those looking astatine what I'm doing from the outside, but helium has been specified a assets of information," Alexander said.

"After all, helium wrote the publication connected doing outlandish things arsenic a Caribbean idiosyncratic successful the Winter Games."

Stokes is 1 of respective radical who has helped Alexander connected his journey, helium said. Another is Mike Schneider, an Ontario skis manager helium met connected Reddit, who has helped him navigate the analyzable web of Olympics qualifications. 

"Benjamin has reminded maine that with a batch of enthusiasm and hard work, thing is imaginable successful skis racing. As brainsick arsenic his thought was 2 years ago, his enthusiasm had maine hooked and I knew I had to assistance nevertheless I could," Scheider said successful an email.

"I can't hold to spot him successful the opening ceremonial and unrecorded connected TV connected the large contention day. It's specified an inspiring story."

His different mentor is U.S. skier Gordon Gray, who helium met successful 2019.

"I said to Gordon, 'I person this brainsick imagination of possibly going to the Olympics, but I don't cognize what that means oregon what that entails. Can you spot maine skis and archer maine what you think?' A fewer hours later, astatine lunchtime, helium says to me, 'Benji, you person the worst skiing method I person ever seen. It is atrocious. It's an abomination to watch,'" Alexander said.

But helium besides saw that Alexander was fearless.

"He paused and said, 'I deliberation you person much than fractional the conflict won. We tin thatch you technique, but if you're afraid, it doesn't substance however bully your method is, you're ne'er going to beryllium bully successful this sport.'"

As It Happens has reached retired to Gray for comment.

Asked what proposal helium has for Alexander, Stokes said helium hopes helium honours Jamaica by giving it his best. But, helium says he shouldn't absorption excessively overmuch connected medals. It's much important to retrieve the acquisition and the radical helium meets on the way.

That should beryllium nary occupation for Alexander. 

"I would accidental [my chances of winning a medal are] slim to none, but that would beryllium optimistic. I'm competing with radical that person been skiing since they were two, person been racing for 20 years and person had their nationalist skis federations pull hundreds of thousands of dollars into their development. My archetypal contention was conscionable 2 years ago," helium said.

"My communicative is truly astir information and helping the adjacent procreation of Jamaicans bash overmuch amended than I volition do."

Written by Sheena Goodyear. Interview with Benjamin Alexander produced by Chris Trowbridge.