Yvonne Visser's Travel Diary
November 18, 2005
Safety a priority when sliding down ice face first
I hear the sounds of airport speakers above me, and I realize it signals
the start of the World Cup Skeleton Tour 2005/2006.
'The Tour', as it's called, takes in seven tracks in seven countries in 3
months.
With all of the moving, loading, preparation and racing, the team is constantly
on the move and the athletes, coaches and medical staff will be working together
to implement the optimal travel, training, racing and resting conditions.
On arrival, the team will start with unloading the gear and sleds at international
shipping, moving thousands of kilograms into vans, checking into the hotel
and finding food to comfort the stomach and combat jet lag.
Each athlete must quickly check over their gear to make sure there is no
damage, and get all of the equipment ready for the next day's training.
There are only a few training runs per athlete from each nation before each
race, so each run has a specific goal of either mental or physical nature.
Finally, last words from the coaching staff about the next day's arrangements
are next, including times of sliding, travel and security concerns.
The next step is much-needed rest.
The sport of skeleton involves placing the body face-first on the sled, which
looks something like the super sliders of today's children, and hanging on
with your hands beside your body at the hips.
The athlete slides down the same ice track as bobsleigh, reaching speeds
of up to 130 km/h. The sled is driven using the shoulders and knees to apply
pressure to the sled underneath them.
Each corner and curve of the course requires quick thinking, decision making,
and ultimate concentration to adjust to the G- forces and ice.
Gear, you ask? How do you protect yourself against the ice, G- forces, and
weather?
The helmet fits snuggly, and is placed on at the last seconds before the
start in order to not fog up the lens. The outfit is one of simplicity, designed
for the fastest way down the hill with minimal wind drag or resistance.
It is specially designed, fit and tailored, and absolutely skin tight, complete
with a stylish hoody.
Now that you are dressed for action, it's time to let the sled run. These
sleds weigh "a ton" with each sled and driver reaching a max of
29 kg for women and 35 kg for men.
Athletes can add weights to their sled to keep it as close as possible to
the maximum weight.
This supports the physical principle of something heavy going downhill fast.
The psychological component of any game is immense and any break in concentration
could mean bumps and bruises for these athletes, not to mention the loss of
precious 100ths of a second.
Hours are spent getting to "know" the track, memorizing every detail
of the track surface, the G-forces, and the entry and exits from the curves.
Video analysis of every run of each athlete, plus any fast runs from competitors,
is broken down into tiny slices of time -- we are talking 100th of a second.
The Canadian athletes are the best in the world in this sport, and therefore,
everyone watches their moves, on and off the track.
For each athlete, the safety and security of all of the equipment is paramount,
as any one piece can't be replaced as it is custom fit.
The runners are sanded for hours to a "baby-bum smooth" surface,
free of any imperfections or scratches.
Runners are also changed easily and often to adjust the "rock",
which is equivalent to the rounding of a hockey skate blade compared to the
straight figure skate blade.
The less surface touching the ice the better but the cost is high in the
loss of steering ability.
Now that your knowledge of the sport is much more than the average Canadian,
watch the sport results in the Daily News and follow along.
Yvonne Visser is a Nanaimo massage therapist and former Olympian who
is part of the health care team with the Canadian Olympic Committee. Her column
appears monthly in the Daily News and will continue until she leaves for the
2006 Winter Olympic in Turin, Italy.
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