Skeleton sports

SKELETON SPORTS

How do you do it?To ride a Skeleton, you will lie belly down, with your head out in front of the sled and your legs and feet dangling behind. Your arms are at your sides.

historyThe first Skeleton race competition was held in the ski resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1884. Back then, it was really a singles toboggan race, and riders sat erect while they slid. By 1887, racers were lying in the prone, headfirst position used today, as they raced down the road from St. Moritz to a neighboring town, vying for first prize – a bottle of champagne. Five years later, a new sled was developed, made mostly of metal and vaguely resembling a human Skeleton. Skeleton racing was declared an Olympic sport in 1926.

equipmentBrakes, Bumpers, Frame, Gloves, Handles, Helmet, Racing suit, Shoes, Sled

Importan people (man)

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 United States 2 2 1 5

2 Canada 2 1 0 3

3 Russia 1 0 1 2

4 Italy 1 0 0 1

5 Latvia 0 2 0 2

6 Austria 0 1 0 1

=7 Great Britain 0 0 2 2

=7 Switzerland 0 0 2 2

Total 6 6 6 18

Importan people (women)

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total

1 Great Britain

2 1 1 4

2 United States

1 2 0 3

3 Switzerland

1 0 0 1

4 Germany

0 1 1 2

=5 Canada 0 0 1 1=5 Russia 0 0 1 1

Total 4 4 4 12

International expansionUntil 1905, skeleton was practiced mainly in Switzerland; however, in 1905, Styria held its first skeleton competition in Mürzzuschlag, Austria. This opened the door to other national skeleton competitions including the Austrian championship held the following year. In 1908 and 1910, skeleton competitions were held in the Semmering Pass.[3] As the popularity of the sport grew, skeleton evolved into the sport recognized today.

SportThe accessibility of skeleton to amateurs may have been the catalyst for its upswing in popularity. Most notably, Nino Bibbia, a fruit and vegetable merchant from St. Moritz, took Olympic gold at the 1948 event.[4] With the advent of the first artificially refrigerated track in 1969 at Königssee/Berchtesgaden, Germany, athletes are currently able to practice the sport regardless of weather conditions.[3][6] The sport is also promoted by skeleton officials as a gateway sport to “train young, aspiring athletes…for their future career in bobsleigh.

Sled“The ‘toboggans’ used in Alpine countries at the end of the 19th century were inspired by Canadian/Indian sleds used for transport”.[3] Various additions and redesigning efforts by athletes have led to the skeleton sleds used today. In 1892, L. P. Child introduced the “America”, a new metal sled that revolutionized skeleton as a sport. The stripped-down design provided a compact sled with metal runners, and the design caught on quickly. In 1902, Arden Bott added a sliding seat to help athletes shift their weight forward and backward, a feature that is no longer included on modern sleds.