“Other bobsled teams would say to me, 'Why are you making the Jamaican team die like that? ’You are in such good shape,’” Watts said.

In 2012, he decided that if no other Jamaicans would race, he would come out of retirement.

“We sat down and gave him our blessing,” said the team’s traveling manager, Wayne Thomas.

At 46, Watts would be one of the oldest Olympic bobsledders. He knew he would need to train harder, run more, watch videos.

The Jamaican team gathered in Evanston to train with Watts.

It’s the team’s cold home away from home, Thomas said. A place with training facilities and no distractions.

The recreation center let the team return for free. The Best Western gave them rooms. Acupuncturist Rhonda Lewis treated their muscles.

“It’s just a little town, and everyone supports each other in this town,” she said.

After a race at Lake Placid in mid-January, the team heard the news. They had qualified as the 30th of 30 teams. They would go to Sochi.