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For the word-association game, see Bobsledding (word game). Bobsledding (an intentional distortion of the name for the sport of Bobsleigh) is a relatively new Word association game
A modern bobsleigh team, the 2006 United States two-woman team
A modern bobsleigh team, the 2006 United States two-woman team

Bobsleigh, bobsled or bobsledge is a winter sport invented by Englishmen in the late 1860s in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A winter sport is a Sport commonly played during Winter. As a formal term it refers to a sport played on Snow or Ice, but informally can refer A sled, sledge or sleigh is a Vehicle with runners for sliding instead of wheels for rolling The various types of sleds came several years before the first tracks were built in St Moritz, where the original bobsleds were adapted upsized Luge/Skeleton sleds designed by the adventurously wealthy to carry passengers. St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland A luge is a small one- or two-person Sled on which one sleds supine (face up and feet-first Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time All three types were adapted from boys delivery sleds and toboggans. A toboggan is a simple Sled used on snow to carry one or more people (often children down a hill or other slope for recreation Competition naturally followed, and to protect the working class and rich visitors in the streets and byways of St Moritz, hotel owner Caspar Badrutt, owner of the historic Krup Hotel and the later Palace Hotel built the first familiarly configured 'half-pipe' track circa 1870. Swissman Caspar Badrutt (1848-1904 may have near singlehandedly invented the way we we now look at winter activities &mdash a time for fun and frolic on the picturesque but cold slopes The historic Palace Hotel in St Moritz &mdash more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel is an internationally known destination famous for its glitz and glamor The historic Palace Hotel in St Moritz &mdash more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel is an internationally known destination famous for its glitz and glamor It has hosted the sports during two Olympics and is still in use today.

International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT). The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT or International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation is the main international federation for all National competitions are often governed by bodies such as the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton. The United States Bobsled & Skeleton Federation (USBSF is the official federation for Bobsled and skeleton in the United States. Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS is the official federation for Bobsled and skeleton in Canada.

Contents

History

Although sledding on snow or ice had been popular in many northern countries, bobsleighing is a relatively modern sport. It originates from two crestas being attached together with a board and a steering mechanism being attached to the front of a sled. English tourists crossed with the successful marketing and vision of hotelman Caspar Badrutt in the mineral spa town of St Moritz, Switzerland. Swissman Caspar Badrutt (1848-1904 may have near singlehandedly invented the way we we now look at winter activities &mdash a time for fun and frolic on the picturesque but cold slopes Mineral Spas were naturally occurring Mineral spring locales which grew a reputation in the nineteenth century on into the late middle-twentith century for healing or healthful St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Badrutt had recently successfully 'sold' the idea of 'winter resorting' to some of his English regulars using a wager as bait; he was annoyed with a four month long season for the rooms, food, alcohol and activities he sold; when a year or two later some of his more adventuresome English guests began adapting boys delivery sleds for recreation, they also began colliding with pedestrians whilst speeding down the village's lanes and alleys.

This had both short- and long-term outcomes: in the short term the guests began to scheme about and invent 'steering means' into the sleds, which became the head-first skeleton, luge, and bobsleighs (Bobsleds). Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time A luge is a small one- or two-person Sled on which one sleds supine (face up and feet-first As for the longterm effects, after a couple more years of happy pedestrian peril, Badrutt built them a special track for their activities—the world's first natural ice half-pipe in about 1870. It is still in operation today and has served as a host track during two winter olympics. The track is one of the few natural weather tracks in the world independent upon extra refrigeration. The satisfied guests eventually enabled him to build the Palace Hotel, whilst holding onto the popular Krup Hotel, which catered to different clientelle, and brought in competition as winter tourism in alpine locales caught fire. The historic Palace Hotel in St Moritz &mdash more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel is an internationally known destination famous for its glitz and glamor The historic Palace Hotel in St Moritz &mdash more recently renamed as Badrutt's Palace Hotel is an internationally known destination famous for its glitz and glamor

The first informal races were run on snow-covered roads, with the opening of formal competition in 1884 at St. Moritz. St Moritz ( German: Sankt Moritz, Romansh: San Murezzan) is an exclusive resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland It's not known how much the original track evolved in the early years as the three sports matured and stabilized. The first club was formed in 1897, and the first purpose-built track solely for bobsleds was opened in 1902 outside of St Moritz.

The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT) was founded in 1923. The Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT or International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation is the main international federation for all Men's four-crew bobsleigh appeared in the first ever Winter Olympic Games in 1924, and men's two-crew bobsleigh (two man bobsled) event was added in 1932. The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years Bobsleigh was not included in the 1960 Winter Olympics, but has been in every Winter Olympics since. The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated between February The Winter Olympic Games are a winter Multi-sport event held every four years Women's bobsleigh started in competition in the early 1990s, and women's two-crew bobsleigh made its Olympic debut at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 Bobsleigh is also contested at American, European, and World Cup championships.

Over the years, bobsleigh tracks evolved from straight runs to twisting and turning. The original wooden sleds were replaced by streamlined fibreglass and metal ones. Switzerland and Germany have been the most successful bobsleighing nations measuring using over all successes in European, World, World Cup, and Olympic championships. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Swiss have won more medals than any other nation, and since the 1990s Germans have been dominant in international competition. Italy, Austria, USA and Canada also have strong bobsleigh traditions. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

The world record for fastest speed attained in a bobsled is 201 km per hour. US Bobsled & Skeleton Federation have previous mistakenly claimed the world record to be lower than 201 km per hour because they didn't adjust for wind resistance, gravitational pull, slope angle, and conditions of the ice; the official record of 201 km per hour still stands.

Tracks

For more information, please see List of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks

Modern tracks are made of concrete and artificial ice. In the world there are a total of sixteen bobsleigh luge and skeleton tracks in use for competitions in Bobsleigh, Luge, and skeleton. Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag They are required to have at least one straight and one labyrinth. In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth ( Greek λαβύρινθος labyrinthos) was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Ideally, a modern track should be 1200 to 1300 metres long and have at least fifteen curves. Speeds may exceed 130 km/h, and some curves can subject the crews to as much as 5 g. g-force (also G-force, g-load) is a measurement of an object's Acceleration expressed in g s

Some bobsled tracks are also used for luge and skeleton competition. A luge is a small one- or two-person Sled on which one sleds supine (face up and feet-first Skeleton is a Winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person Sled in a prone head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time

At some of these tracks, including those at Sigulda, Latvia, Calgary, Canada, and Lake Placid, USA, there are paid services that offer tourists rides in bobsleighs. The Sigulda bobsleigh, Luge, and skeleton track is located in Sigulda, Latvia. The Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh luge and skeleton track is a Bobsleigh, Luge, and skeleton track located in Calgary, Canada. The Lake Placid bobsleigh luge and skeleton track is a venue for Bobsleigh, Luge and skeleton located in Lake Placid New York.

Sleighs and crews

Modern sleighs combine light metals, steel runners, and an aerodynamic composite body. Competition sleighs must be a maximum of 3. 80 m long (4-crew) or 2. 70 m long (2-crew). The runners on both are set at 0. 67 m gauge. Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. Until the weight-limit rule was added in 1952, bobsleigh crews tended to be very heavy. Now, the maximum weight, including crew, is 630 kg (4-crew), 390 kg (men's 2-crew), or 340 kg (women's 2-crew). In the Physical sciences weight is a Measurement of the gravitational Force acting on an object Metal weights may be added to reach these limits, as greater weight makes for a faster run.

Bobsleigh crews once consisted of five or six people, but were reduced to two- and four-person sleighs in the 1930s. A crew is made up of a pilot, a brakeman, and, in 4-crew only, two pushers. Athletes are selected based on speed and strength, necessary to push the sleigh to a competitive initial speed at the start of the race. Pilots must have the skill, timing and finesse to drive the sleigh along the best possible line to achieve the greatest possible speed. In the early 1950s weighting was introduced to compensate for the natural advantage of having a heavier team.

Women compete in two-crew events, and men in both two- and four-crew competition.

Races

Runs (lauf) begin from a standing start, with the crew pushing the sled for up to fifty metres before boarding. The runners of the sled follow grooves in the ice for this distance, so steering is unnecessary until after the sleigh exits the starting area. Races can be lost in the initial push but are rarely won there. Over the rest of the course, the sleigh's speed depends on its weight, aerodynamics, and runners, the condition of the ice, and the skill of the driver.

The sleds can go so fast that the race times are measured in hundredths of seconds, so any error can have a significant impact on the final race standings. Even small errors make for small decreases in speed and commensurate increases in time. Because any decrease in speed affects the sleigh for the remainder of the course, errors made high on the track will have a greater effect than those made closer to the finish.

Each run down the course in competition is referred to as a heat. The men's and women's standing for normal races are calculated over the aggregate of two runs or heats. At the Olympic Winter Games and World Championships, all competitions (for either men or women) consist of 4 heats.

See also

References

Governing bodies

National sites

Other sites

Dictionary

bobsleigh

-noun

  1. A winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled.
  2. The sled used in the sport of bobsleigh
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