Flavor Flav's New Gig Is 'Cooler Than Cool Runnings'

At 66 years old, Flavor Flav went 67 mph. That was all it took to get him hooked on sliding. Meet the newest fan of the US bobsled and skeleton program: a Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer, a founding member of Public Enemy, a reality show star, and now, an aspiring slider. USA Bobsled and Skeleton announced Flav as its new official hype man Monday, not long after he spent a couple of days around the team at the 2002 Olympic track in Utah, the AP reports. He plans to be with the team at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.

"The partnership is a blessing," Flav says. "It's cooler than Cool Runnings. It's Coolest Runnings." Visiting the bobsled and skeleton teams, he went down the Park City track in a bobsled, then also wanted to try out skeleton, the headfirst sliding sport in which elite athletes can reach speeds exceeding 80 mph. Team officials wanted Flav to start from a low spot on the track, as is the case with all first-timers for safety reasons. Flav didn't necessarily like that; he wanted to start from higher up, significantly raising the level of difficulty. Eventually, he got his chance and he hit 67 mph on his second run. For a regular person just trying the sport, that's exceptional. No word on whether he used his catch phrase, "Yeah, boyeeeee."

"Oh my gosh, he's one of the coolest, most adventurous men that I've ever met," US skeleton athlete Dan Barefoot tells the AP, adding, "I was kind of upset at how good he was. It's a sport that takes a lot of skill, but he made it look straightforward."

• Flav and sports often go hand-in-hand. He was a celebrity mayo-pourer—yes, there is such a job—at the Duke's Mayo Bowl last year, helping to douse Minnesota coach PJ.Fleck with 5 gallons of celebratory condiment after the Golden Gophers won that game. He can be found performing during Super Bowl weeks. He was there to show support when Billie Jean King got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He's been a big supporter of Olympians in the past, including discus thrower Veronica Fraley. And at the Paris Olympics, Flav was the official hype man for the US women's water polo team.

story continues below

"We have all been so hyped to have him with us," Barefoot says. "Put aside the fact that Flav is one of the greatest hype men of all time, the energy in the room ... you had people who often aren't talking to each other high-fiving and hugging because of the experience of being around him. There's a lot of energy and a lot of confidence around us right now."