Bobsleigh and Skeleton
Before we start, I thought you might like to see what it looks like to be in a Bobsleigh race…..
With thanks to IBSF for the use of this video.
…and a Skeleton race….
With thanks to IBSF for the use of this video.
Bobsleigh and skeleton both feature at the Youth Olympic Games this month and GB have competitors in Bobsleigh.
We are going to focus on skeleton for this article because that is how you can start this sport with junior taster sessions in Bath.
With thanks to IBSF for the use of this video.
Skeleton facts:
Skeleton racers are subjected to 5G’s of force which is the same as a fighter jet pilot!
They reach speeds of 90 mph.
The average track length is 1 mile and a run takes 1 minute!
Winners are decided by 100th’s of a second.
Skeleton racers do NOT wear any padding or protection! They wear a lycra race suit, helmet and spikes like a runner (but with more spikes).
There isn’t an ice track in the UK but there are 4 in Germany! However, GB is the most successful nation in skeleton history despite the athletes only having 2.5 hrs ice time every 12 months. In the last Olympics, 3 out of the 4 GB Gold medals were for Skeleton!
We spoke to GB number 1 Marcus Wyatt, who is also Number 6 in the World, about how he moved from playing American Football to Skeleton!
Watch Marcus in action….
With thanks to IBSF for the use of this video.
Hi Marcus, I hear you used to be an American Footballer, was the strength you learnt an important factor for skeleton?
Yeah definitely, when I applied for Skeleton they were looking for strong and fast people and I knew those were two of the things I had that had really helped me in American Football and that I had worked hard on whilst training for American Football.
What appealed about the sport to make you change?
There are two main reasons Skeleton appealed to me, firstly, I have always been a bit of a daredevil so when I had a chance to slide headfirst down an icy track I was really excited to try it and see if I was any good! Secondly, I had always wanted to represent my country at sport, as a kid I had wanted to be a professional footballer but I wasn’t quite good enough. So when the opportunity came to try Skeleton and one day hopefully represent Great Britain in races and at the Olympics I was really thrilled to give it a shot.
You have to lie on your front and go down the ice head first – isn’t it terrifying?
Yes! Absolutely! When you first start it is really terrifying, but as you practice more and more you get much better at controlling the sled and it becomes less scary. Some tracks can still be slightly scary but you spend so much time focusing on steering the sled and the corners that you don’t really have time to be scared.
What speeds can you reach?
My fastest ever speed was 88mph. Much faster than most cars on a motorway is the best way to imagine it.
How do you hold on?
You hold on to a part of the sled called ‘the saddle’. When you lie on your front the saddle hugs you tightly between your arms and ribs down to your hips to keep you in place. Then your hands go underneath your thighs and you hold onto a thin bar that goes across them.
You’re GB number 1 and number 6 in the world – how often have you had to train to reach those positions?
In the summer when we can’t slide on tracks we train five or six days a week. We do a lot of training you would expect like lifting weights in the gym, sprinting and stretching to stay flexible. But also, we do more Skeleton specific training like balance training, eyesight training and neck muscle training. Then in winter we still use the gym three days a week as well as sliding training or competitions four or five days a week.
When’s your next big race?
I am currently on the world cup tour which is where the best sliders in the world compete each week around the world. The next race is 5th January in Germany. After that we have five more of those before the World Championships which is the biggest race of the year in March. You can watch all our races live on IBSF Youtube page!
What’s your ambition?
My ambition is to win a medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (hopefully gold!)
Who is your sporting idol?
I have lots of sporting idols I look up to from all sports of sports. One of my favourites at the moment is British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith because she’s worked really hard to become one of the best sprinters in the world and is a great role model as well which is really important.
What do you do to prepare yourself just before a race?
Before a race we spend a lot of time warming up and preparing our bodies to push the sled at the start as fast as we can. We also prepare our minds by doing visualisation where we imagine sliding down the track in our head on the perfect line. The last thing I do is take a few deep breaths to try and stay as calm as possible.
Extra bits – When we slide the G-force is so high that the chin of your helmets rubs along the ice in some corners at those speeds of over 80mph. It makes quite a loud noise you can hear on TV and some people have to get their helmets re-painted each year because it causes so much damage.
When we slide we have no protection, bumping into icy walls at 80mph hurts a lot with only a lycra suit on and especially as a beginner you spend a lot of time with bruised arms.
With thanks to IBSF for the use of this video.
Want to try Skeleton?
Two taster sessions are to be held at the University of Bath for 12-15 year olds in 2020. Saturday May 16th and Saturday August 22nd between 12-2 p.m. Visit http://www.thebbsa.co.uk/get-involved/give-it-a-go/ for all the details on how to apply for a place – there are only 15 on offer!
With thanks to IBSF for the use of this video.
