Elements of Sport

1. The Start- The majority of all non mental off season training spent by skeleton athletes is spent on the running track. The correlation being that skeleton athletes start their sleds by running next to them bent over, holding on to the sled with either one or two hands. The start is very important as hundredths of a second of an advantage at the top of the hill equals 2.5 to 3 times that amount at the bottom. We train generally below 100 meters focusing on explosive power and speed. Olympic lifting is a very big part of our training as well.

2.The Sliding- The most important part of the sport is the part that is often difficult to discern on TV. Driving the sled down the hill takes YEARS of experience. It involves a very large knowledge base that comes from thousands of runs involving trial and error and often pain as well. To steer the sled athletes are working to counter the natural oscillation in a corner casued by centrifugal force, to provide the optimal line. The sleds are steered by opposing pressures applied to the rear and the front of the sled. If a slider wants to drive down in a left hand corner, the slider would press his right shoulder and left knee into the sled, in essence torquing the sled and digging the lower runner into the ice, preventing it from rising. Experience is everything in the sport as small mistakes are often the difference between good and bad results.Skeleton sleds can reach speeds up to 85 miles per hour racing down iced tracks a mile long.

3. The Science- Technology in skeleton is fairly simple but strangely complex all at once. The sleds are simple in design, but a little more complicated when it comes down to making them go fast. The builders must have incredible precision. Runners are selected based on differences in spine and groove width and rock (bow). Different runners work well in different ice conditions.

Interested? Check out these links..
Slider Guide Online Community, News and More
US Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
Skeleton Sport Online Community, News and More
International Bobsled and Skeleton federation