DOLLAR’S Gemma Ryde could well be starring in her very own sequel to the Hollywood film Cool Runnings.

The smash hit movie charted the rise of a Jamaican bobsleigh team and Gemma appears to be living the story for real after making it on to the Australian Women’s World Championship team in the same alpine sport.

The 27-year-old is currently studying for a Phd in Physical Activity at the University of Brisbane and whilst working out in the gym she was approached and asked if she fancied trying out for the bobsleigh team.

Gemma told the Advertiser, “It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard, I thought the guy was chatting me up or was joking.

“You are in Australia and someone is asking you to be in a bobsleigh team, it sounds like a joke. But I went down to the trial and it has gone from there.” The team is led by pilot Astrid Loch-Wilkinson and Gemma performs the role of brakewoman.

After training on the sun-kissed Australian east coast Gemma is delighted to have been confirmed in the squad for the World Championships in Switzerland and Germany during January and February 2011.

She said, “I came over here for the weather and now I’m doing a winter sport and will miss all the fun of the Australian summer but it will be great to be involved.” Gemma added, “The pilot is at the front and does the steering. I am at the back and push at the start, my job is to give her as much power and speed as possible at the beginning and then I jump in and sit still. I then apply the brakes at the finish.” With bobsleigh being an expensive sport to compete in the team rely on sponsorship to compete and they are funded by Avante IT.

Only two people from the team of three sit in the bobsleigh at a time and it will be down to Astrid, the only team member with competition experience, which colleague joins her for the runs. And how did Gemma feel the first time she was whizzing down a bobsleigh run at top speed?

“This is the thing,” she said. “I haven’t been on a bobsleigh run, there isn’t one in Australia - we train on the track.

“In bobsleigh you push for 20 to 30 metres so we have been doing lots of sprint work. We wear spikes on the track and that is similar to the grip we get with the shoes we wear on the ice.

“Hopefully I won’t be scared when we are on the run for the first time.

“We have been joking about going on a roller coaster as a team and seeing how we get on with that.” She added, “To get experience we have been watching videos on the website YouTube to look at the technique. I watched the winter Olympics before but never thought I would be there so had not watched the bobsleigh all that closely. My boyfriend has also been threatening to buy Cool Runnings too.” The former Dollar Academy pupil says she is keen on all forms of sport and is also involved with the university rugby team.

As with all athletes, the Olympic Games is the dream event for Gemma but she will have to wait until 2014 for the next Winter Olympics which will take place in Russia.

She went on, “Hopefully this might be the chance to get the Olympic gold I have always wanted. The Australian team has invested so much in me my loyalty will be with them but to represent them at the Olympics it will all depend on my visa.

“For the Olympics you have to be a permanent resident, I’m on a student one, so I would have to convince the Government to make me a resident.”