When you think of the bright blue skies, brilliant sunshine and sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the sports that leap to mind are most likely sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving.

However, the pretty British Virgin Islands are now setting their sights on a distinctly chillier sport.   When the world’s athletes march in the Parade of Nations in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympics, the British Virgin Islands are planning to have representation in that parade, waving their flag high and proud.

Eighteen-year-old BVI citizen Adam Crook placed in the top three in a number of half pipe ski competitions over the past season.   Now that half pipe skiing has been added to the 2014 roster of Olympic sports, Crook feels he has a good chance at becoming a Caribbean Olympian.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Virgin Islands produced a winter Olympian.  In the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, Errol Fraser competed in several speed skating events, finishing 40th and 42nd in his races.  He made history as the first black speed skater to compete in the Winter Olympic Games.

Crook was born and raised in the British Virgin Islands, but he has called Wisconsin home since 2001, and has trained extensively in Colorado.

He has maintained his BVI citizenship, and with Sochi in mind, he has been working with the BVI Olympic Committee to form the BVI Ski Association.

Crook has the full support of BVI’s sporting community, and with a few more years of hard-core training far away from the sun, sand and surf, he could very well be making these islands very proud on the snow in 2014.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the joys of a Caribbean winter.  Come to the British Virgin Islands for the swimming, sailing, surf and sun, and you can support BVI’s own Adam Crook, at least in spirit.