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Glossary
Articulation: A term meaning that the front of the sled
can rotate independently from the rear.
Bobsled: The two man sled weighs 860 pounds, while the four man sled has
a maximum weight of 1388 pounds. (For more limitations on bobsled design see the Equipment.)The U.S. sleds are made of a kevlar/carbon composite
weave, aerodynamic shape wind tunnel tested and designed by Boeing engineers. The front of
the sled can rotate independently from the rear of the sled (called articulation). The
front axle pivots longitudinally. The shoes (which hold runners) can twist over bumps
while allowing small vertical movement. The bobsled is steered by two handles connected to
steering system through bungee cord and cable network. The U.S. uses a sled designed by
NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine, called the Bo-Dyn Bobsled.
Driver: The driver is responsible for guiding the sled down the track. He
pulls on two rings that are attached to the front runners to turn the sled. Drivers try to
keep the sleds from rocking side to side when exiting curves, maintaining the straightest
possible line down the course.
National Team: Three teams of sleds travel around the world during the
year to compete at different World Cup events. These athletes are part of the National
Team. From November to February, these athletes travel to Canada, Germany, France, Italy,
Austria, Switzerland and Japan to compete against the best bobsledders in the world. The
U.S. enters three sleds in each two-man and four-man event.
Push Athlete: A push athlete's main job is to help push the sled at the
start of the race. The start is the most critical time of the race. An explosive start can
result in fast finish times. In a two-man sled, there is only one push athlete. He pushes
from the back. In a four man sled, there are three push athletes. Two athletes push on the
side, and the brakeman, pushes from the back. The brakeman is also responsible for
applying the brake at the end of a run, which forces a grooved piece of metal into the ice
to stop the sled.
Push Bar: A push bar sticks off the side of a sled. The driver and side
pushers each push a bar at the start of the race. The force applied to the push bars by
the athletes correlates with the speed of the sled at the start.
Runners: Runners are the four ice skates upon which the bobsled rides.
Minute variations in forging, alloy composition and shape make for huge performance
differences and a mind-boggling number of possible combinations. Each athlete on a
four-man bobsled is responsible for preparing one of the four runners for race day, a
process which can take three hours of sanding alone. An athlete starts sanding out the
largest scratches with 50 grit. He moves to 100 grit to sand out all of the 50 grit marks
and keeps progressing until he is working with 3000 grit, and finally, diamond paste. This
large hunk of metal stores the heat of all the continuous rubbing. The challenge, then, is
to cool the runner enough to where it is within set bounds of the legal temperature.
Skeleton: Head first, face down and hands back, approaching speeds of 80
mph, a skeleton slider races down the icy bobsled tracks of the world. Skeleton was
organized in the late 1800's in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and appeared in the 1928 and 1948
Winter Olympics. The sport faded from popularity until the late 1970s when a resurgence
started in Europe to bring the sport back to the public eye. Since then, over 20 nations
have joined the ranks of skeleton sliding nations, with World Cup and World Championships
held annually. The Skeleton sled itself measures three feet in length and 16 inches wide,
weighing from 70-115 pounds depending on the sliders body weight. The sleds are made of
steel and fiberglass. The slider wears a helmet with a chin guard. A skintight rubber suit
is used to increase aerodynamics, and sprinter's spikes are worn for the quick 50-meter
start.
USBSF: The United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, the governing
body for the sports of Bobsledding and Skeleton. Contact Info.
Equipment | Glossary | History | Olympic Rules | Sledder Bios