The Nike Field Reporter

I recently found myself in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

When I travel abroad, I always make an effort to completely submerse myself into the culture in all ways: food, etiquette, dress and of course, sport. I often find that the popular sport of the culture is an affect of the type of terrain that covers the majority of the land. For instance, Australians are known for excelling in surf and swimming—which is most likely because the majority of the Australian population lives on either the east or west coast, both of which are home to beautiful sand beaches, monstrous waves, and warm to sweltering weather for the majority of the year.

I found this hypothesis to ring true in my travels to Jamaica, as well. The locals who I spoke to explained that the primary sports were: Golf, Dominos (yes, Dominos are a sport), Cricket, Football (which is American soccer), Net Ball and Tennis. All of these sports are in line with the dry land and unpaved streets that comprises the majority of the tiny, flavorful island. However, there was one sport I took a particular liking to—Cliff Jumping—and I found it by surprise. Keeping in mind that Jamaica is an island, it is surrounded entirely by the crystal blue Caribbean Sea. This allows for water itself to also be an integral part of the sport Jamaicans choose to engage in. However, they have taken a different approach on things versus the surf hungry Australians. Specifically, Jamaicans love the sport of “cliff diving.” As a result of the sometimes wicked storms brought in by the sea, various cliffs have formed around the island over the years. The Jamaicans have used these cliffs to their advantage—treating them as diving boards to practice twists, turns and various other body contortions before plunging into the glass like seawater of the Caribbean.

While I don’t recommend jumping off just any cliff you come across, there are many safe and established cliffs that you can locate in tour books when you make your next trip to Montego. My latest mission: find some killer cliffs in the states...

-Lana Donahue