One of the most popular disciplines among spectators at the Winter Olympics is bobsleigh. This sport is downhill along an artificially created icy chute on a special controlled sleigh - boba - teams of two or four people. Bobsleigh is one of the fastest, most spectacular and at the same time traumatic sports in the program Winter Games. How does the pilot control the bean while going through the turns of the track at great speed?
How does a bob work in a bobsleigh and what are the responsibilities of the crew members?
At the dawn of its development as an independent sport, sleds were made of wood. Subsequently, aluminum and fiberglass were used to construct the bean body. The modern bob has a body made of Kevlar, a heavy-duty material that has proven itself in the design of body armor. The bob chassis is made of particularly strong steel. The weight of an empty two-seater sled is about 165 kg with a length of just under 3 meters, and the weight of a four-seater sled is already about 230 kg with a length of 3.8 m.The team captain is the pilot-helmsman, whose clear actions ensure the safety of all team members. Pushers-accelerators - athletically built heavyweight athletes - are responsible for good set speed bean when accelerating at the top of the track. Finally, the braker is located at the tail of the sled body and is responsible for stopping it in a timely manner.
How is a bobsled sled controlled?
The design of the bob implies that it has a steerable front axle while the rear axle is stationary. The front skids are connected using heavy-duty flexible rods to special rings, which the bob pilot holds in his hands. By applying certain efforts, through these rings he activates the steering mechanism of the sled, which allows them to fit into turns as accurately as possible and pass them at high speed.Accelerators practically do not take part in the process of controlling the bob during movement - they only perform the function of weighing the sled, grouping as much as possible in order to reduce air resistance and deviating in the right side during turns. Braking at the right moment activates the brake mechanism, which is located between the front and rear axles and resembles a huge metal comb. Of course, athletes have honed their bob control skills to the point of automaticity, which allows them to demonstrate such impressive results in competitions.
(speech at the pedagogical council)
Barannik Dmitry Nikolaevich
Trainer-teacher
MBOUDOD YOUTH
Awkward movements on the beans
Bobsleigh is one of the Olympic sports, which is a downhill race on special, controlled bolide sleighs, called “bobs,” along ice tracks specially equipped for this purpose.
The name bobsleigh itself comes from the English verb bob - strange, awkward to move and sleigh - sled, ride on a sled.
Story
Like many winter views sport, bobsleigh originates from Switzerland, where wealthy guests of mountain resorts constantly came up with all sorts of funny things for their own entertainment.
Sleighs, of course, have been known to people for a long time, but the construction of such a device as a bob only occurred at the end of the 19th century. True, the versions of the appearance of this device are different.
According to one of them, the English tourist Wilson Smith connected two sleighs with a board and, with the help of such a structure, traveled from the Swiss resort town of St. Moritz to the village of Chilerina located below, apparently due to laziness, not wanting to get there like all normal people. on skis or something else.
There, in St. Moritz, at the end of the 19th century. The world's first bobsleigh was organized sports club, where the basic rules of competition in this sport were developed, and the sleigh crew then consisted of five people - three men and two women. Subsequently, the number of bobsleigh crew members varied - two, four, five, and sometimes eight people.
According to another version, the lazy Englishman has nothing to do with it - it’s all about the Swiss themselves, who came up with the idea of attaching a turning mechanism to the toboggan, that is, to such Indian wooden sleds without runners...
Be that as it may, bobsleigh soon became very fashionable in equally fashionable European resorts. The first bobsleigh club was founded in 1897 in St. Moritz. The world's first special sled, the “bob,” was designed in 1904.
According to this fascinating and dangerous species Sports competitions and national championships even began to be held. The pioneers in this were Austria and Germany, where bobsledders from all over the country could compete with each other already in 1908 and 1010. respectively. By 1914, competitions were held on a variety of ice tracks and athletes never tired of experimenting.
However, bobsleigh remained amateur and semi-professional until 1922. And in 1923, a significant event occurred for bobsledders around the world - their favorite sport was recognized as professional.
To commemorate this, the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation was even founded. And soon preparations began for the inclusion of bobsleigh (namely, a variety with four athletes) in the winter sports program. Olympic Games 1924 in Chamonix. The pairs event was officially introduced at the Olympic Games in Lake Placid in 1932.
For a long time, bobsleigh remained a sport for the elite - that is, for young and rich lovers of adventure and thrills. The cream of society, vacationing on various ski resorts, they didn’t even really train - they simply bought or rented a sled (which, of course, was hard for the average citizen with an average salary to do), went down the track a couple of times as a co-pilot, and then, having understood the principle of control, took it upon themselves .
Only in the 50s did this sport begin to acquire modern features. Bobsledders realized the importance of the run-up before the start, and therefore began to attract representatives of other sports to their teams who could provide a powerful push. Soon many handball players, track and field athletes and gymnasts became interested in bobsleigh.
And in 1952, a rule was introduced limiting the weight of participants, and thus for fat people, due to their mass alone giving greater acceleration to the bob, this sport was closed. But it is open to athletes who brought the necessary professionalism to bobsleigh.
Since then, bobsled has continued to develop, keeping pace with scientific and technological progress, improving tracks and equipment, as will be discussed below.
The International Federation of Bobsleigh and Toboggan - FIBT was founded in 1923. Unites more than 50 national federations. Word toboggan, mentioned in the name of the Federation - a tribute to tradition, describes the useless wooden sleds common among the Indians of Canada, which, in a slightly modified form, began to be used as sports equipment.
At the beginning of the 20th century, official competitions were held in tobogganing. Then this word was traditionally preserved in the name of the International Federation of FIBT, which is still in charge of the development of bobsleigh in the world, although at present this sport has replaced skeleton.
The World Bobsleigh Championships have been held since 1924. Bobsleigh has been included in the Winter Olympics program since 1924.
Then the competitions were held on four-seater sleds, in 1928 - on five-seater sleds, and since 1932, competitions have been held on two- and four-seater sleds.
Until 2002, competitions were held only among men. But at the Salt Lake City Olympics (2002 Winter Olympics), women took part in the double bob race.
In each issue of the Olympic program, a country is represented by no more than three crews. Places are determined by the sum of the times of two races.
At the World Championships and Olympic Games there are 4 races, and places are determined by their sum. The starting order in the first heat is determined by the current FIBT ranking.
In the third heat, they start from the best crew to the worst, and in the fourth, from the worst (over three heats) to the best, with only the 20 best crews participating in the last heat. Thus, the main contenders for victory will start last.
Until the mid-80s, the largest competitions for bobsledders were the European and World Championships, and, of course, the Olympic Games. However, from that time on, the World Cup began, the numerous stages of which added intensity to the rivalry between bobsledders.
Well, to conclude our not very brief historical excursion On a happy note, we would like to inform you that in the early 90s, a significant omission was corrected in bobsleigh - for the first time, female bobsledders began to participate in the competition.
Equipment
It is not difficult to guess that for bobsleigh, first of all, you need a bob, that is, a specially designed device that gave the name to the sport. The world's first bean appeared in 1904, and it was made of wood. More than a hundred years have passed since then, and the appearance of the bean has changed radically.
Modern bobsleigh sleds are made of an all-metal body with a streamlined shape (to ensure the aerodynamics of the projectile), to which two pairs of skate runners are attached. The front pair of skates is movable and connected to the steering wheel, while the rear pair, equipped with a brake, is stationary. Although throughout the history of bobsleigh, the number of athletes in one bob varied from 2 to 5 (some teams even consisted of three men and two women - “a crazy situation,” as they said in one American youth movie).
Today, beans come in double and quadruple sizes. Each sled must meet very strict standards. Thus, a double bob should not be longer than 2.7 m and not exceed 165 kg, and a four-seat bob should not exceed 3.8 m and 230 kg. The rear pair is stationary with a brake. Two-seater (“deuce”) and four-seater (“four”) bobsleds are used. The length of the pair is no more than 2.7 m, the weight is no more than 165 kg, and the weight of the crew is no more than 200 kg. The length of the four is no more than 3.8 m, the weight is no more than 230 kg, and the weight of the crew is no more than 400 kg.
There are an unimaginable number of other rules, including the chemical composition of the runners (for example, they should not contain radium), their temperature, the use of lubricants (which is prohibited), special parameters and weighing procedures, and much, much more, to list It would take a lot of time.
Today, the IBSF federation strictly regulates the technical support capabilities of teams. The rules for the 2011-2012 season, for example, state that bob runners must be made from specially licensed materials at specially licensed enterprises, each pair of runners must have a serial number, which is checked before each official start.
In addition, the federation limits the number of runners used by one rider per season. All this is done with the aim of ensuring equal basic opportunities for all participants in official competitions
The bobsleigh track is an ice trench on a reinforced concrete base, with turns and turns of varying steepness. The length of the route is 1500-2000 m with 15 turns of a minimum radius of 8 m, and the elevation difference is from 130 to 150 m.
The length of bobsleigh tracks, the difference in elevation between start and finish, and the number of turns and bends are not constant. For example, in Lake Placid in 1932, the length of the track was 2366 m, the vertical difference was 228 meters, and there were 26 turns and turns on the track.
In Lillehammer, in 1994, bobsledders competed on a 1,365-meter track with a 107-meter vertical drop and 16 turns and bankings.
Technical improvement of bobsleigh sleds is carried out taking into account the latest achievements scientific and technological progress. However, for obvious reasons, it is limited by the weight and size restrictions established by international rules for two-seater and four-seater sleds.
Still final results in bobsleigh competitions, they are determined by the speed gained by the crew at the starting acceleration section - before boarding the sled; at a distance, the result depends primarily on the skill of the pilot - helmsman, on his ability to optimal trajectory pass the route, overcoming turns and bends with the least loss of speed.
Naturally, you can’t make porridge with beans alone. The second main element of this sport is the downhill track. It is nothing more than an ice trench fixed on a reinforced concrete base, consisting of turns and bends varying in steepness.
Today, strict compliance standards for the bobsleigh track have been developed. Its length is 1500-2000 meters, which includes 15 turns with a minimum 8-meter radius.
By the way, during the descent, the bob can reach a speed of about 135 km/h in just 60 seconds, while the athletes have a very hard time - during this they experience four times the force of gravity.
A bobsleigh team consists of a pilot, that is, the person directly controlling the bob, and a brakeman, that is, the athlete sitting behind and responsible for braking.
The team of four, in addition to the indicated characters, includes two so-called pushers, who, in fact, are engaged in pushing the bob, and during the race they maintain the balance of the projectile (they shift the mass back and forth, that is, as yachtsmen would say, they tilt).
In addition to the basic elements, bobsledders need special suits that at the same time must protect athletes from the cold, but not cause overheating, allow enough air to pass through and at the same time be lightweight.
Today, such suits use specially developed material designed for active pastime in extreme temperature and atmospheric conditions. bobsleigh sport olympic
And, of course, we must not forget about helmets, especially considering that not very lucky athletes sometimes have to do part of the descent literally on their heads. Now they are also made from a special material, which, thanks to a unique technology, absorbs shock as much as possible and does not weigh very much
The shoes worn by bobsledders are also not simple - the soles have spikes for better repulsion from the ice, however, they should not be thicker than 1 mm, longer than 4 mm and located no closer than 3 mm from each other (yes, in bobsleigh, nothing is really simple) .
Rules
At the Olympics, each team must complete 4 races. To keep everything fair, the order of starts in each race is determined by a simple draw. After the end of the races, the results are summed up and the winners are those with the shortest total race time.
By the way, no more than two crews can compete from each country. In terms of rules, everything is quite simple.
World leaders
At the dawn of bobsleigh, the leading positions in it were occupied by the British, and then by the Americans. However, when bobsleigh became truly professional sports, the situation has changed somewhat. Dominance has been consolidated in those countries in which the conditions for
training and development of bobsleigh were the best, because it is logical that representatives of, say, Cameroon or Kenya will achieve excellent results in this sport.
In addition, representatives North America, that is, residents of the United States and Canadians maintain and strengthen their achievements. True, Swiss athletes were especially successful in their business - in the entire history of bobsleigh they won greatest number medals.
Today, new players are also entering the scene, for example, Russia has broken into the top three, whose men's four is in second place this season, and their men's two is in third place.
In addition, Russian bobsledder Alexander Zubkov takes third place in the individual competition (American Todd Hayes and German Andre Lange are ahead of the Russian). This is in the twos competition, and in the fours the second and third places are the same, and the Austrian bobsledder Martin Annen sits in first.
Well, the first places are occupied by the USA, Germany and Switzerland, replacing each other in this honorable position. In doubles, the German team is in the lead with 365 points, the Yankees are second (350), and the Russian duo has 279 points.
And among the fours the leader is Germany (360 points), then Russia is coming(330 - I would like to add, everyone...), and third place is taken by four guys from Switzerland (325 points).
For women, the situation is approximately the same, although there are no rich bobsleigh traditions, because ladies began performing only in the 90s, and in Olympic program Women's doubles were included altogether in 2002.
In first place in the individual competition is German Sandra Kiriasis (400), second is Shauna Robock from the States (330), and third is yet another fearless American Jane Prum (285). As for the national teams, Germany has 400, the USA 350, and Canada 305 points. All these figures are based on the results of 4 of the 7 stages of the World Cup.
Bobsleigh in Russia
In Russia, the beginning of the development of bobsleigh is considered to be 1980, when the Committee for physical culture and sports, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a Resolution on the creation of the USSR national bobsleigh team. Simultaneously with the creation of the country's national team, the development of bobsleigh in sports societies began.
Five seconds acceleration
Russian athletes Dmitry Abramovich, Alexey Pushkarev, Dmitry Stepushkin and Alexey Voevoda in the four-seater crew race at the Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Alexey Voevoda, accelerating Russian team on bobsleigh: “The acceleration phase is one of the most important in bobsleigh. A good acceleration does not mean victory, but a bad one almost guarantees defeat.”
Several years ago I had the opportunity to go to the Olympic bobsleigh track in Turin. Colleagues from television needed to film from several angles how the bob-four was flying along the track, and I volunteered to help “hold the camera.” And here I am sitting on the concrete side, pointing the camera lens higher up the slope, to where I can hear the rapidly growing distant rumble of an approaching sports equipment.
The head of the track operation, sitting next to him, extends his hand and points the camera higher, even higher - at top part outer wall of the ice trough. And just in time: a few seconds later, just a meter away from us, something red roars past at crazy speed, resembling a train, but only running along a vertical wall.
Projectile
The bob is a frame structure closed with a carbon fiber fairing and consisting of two hinged halves. The articulated joint allows the bob to take turns while pressing all four skates to the ice. The bob does not have a steering linkage, like in a car, and the entire front part is rotary. The pilot controls using steering rods, and this must be done very accurately and smoothly - otherwise there is a risk of losing control.
Selecting skates for specific weather conditions, temperature, configuration and condition of the track is a whole science: there are skates for ice, for snow, for more or less sharp turns and even for different bean weight distribution or center of gravity position. The profile and geometry of the skates, the hardness of the alloys, the methods of hardening and surface treatment are important. Even little things like keeping your skates warm during the descent can play a role. This is the cutting edge sports technologies, and some teams pay great attention to them: for example, in a German team the scientific group consists of forty people!
Bob is a gravity projectile, so its mass is very important - the heavier it is, the faster it will be on the descent. However, according to the regulations, the weight of the bob together with the team is limited to 630 kg for “fours”, 340 kg for women’s “twos” and 390 kg for men. But at the same time, it is advantageous to make the bob itself as light as possible, increasing mass precisely at the expense of athletes.
This “active mass” allows for more efficient control of the bob during descent - athletes can shift the center of gravity to the desired direction on turns, keeping the bob on the track and forcing it to go faster. If necessary, you can use a small ballast to improve weight distribution and driving performance, but the empty bean should not weigh less than 170 kg - otherwise disqualification is inevitable.
There are also anecdotal cases. “When pilot Alexander Zubkov and I performed in Vancouver in 2010, we weighed the bean on the eve of the start: 171 kg. Everything seemed to be in order, but we decided to play it safe - we added another 700 g. At the finish we weighed ourselves - 170.5! What if we drove without ballast? The next day we perform again, it seems like we already have a reserve, and then intuition prompted us: let’s add another 600 grams. At the finish we weigh ourselves - again 170.5! In general, either the scales didn’t like our bean, or he lost weight as a sign of solidarity with us!” - Alexey Voevoda laughs.
From the pusher
Although the bob moves downward under the influence of gravity, it must first be properly accelerated. The acceleration phase is one of the most important in bobsleigh. As Alexey Voevoda says, good acceleration does not mean victory, but bad acceleration almost guarantees defeat. The acceleration part lasts less than five seconds, and every hundredth of a second makes a big difference. At a distance of 50 m, the team must accelerate the bob to a speed of about 50 km/h, and even sit in it. The pilot jumps in first, then (in the case of a four-wheeler), the sidemen take turns, and the last is the rear accelerator, or breakman, from the English word brake, since it is the rear accelerator who pulls the brake comb after crossing the finish line in order to reduce speed and stop.
The breakman must jump at the very last moment and in such a way as not to slow down the bob in any way: this will lead to a loss of exit speed. The task is quite complicated: it happens that the bob “drives away” without a gaping rear accelerator (which leads to the disqualification of the team). “There are no clear criteria for when exactly the moment comes when there is nowhere to accelerate further and you need to jump in,” says Alexey Voevoda. “Intuition should tell you this in each specific race.”
On the descent, the bob is controlled by the pilot, but this does not mean that the rest of the crew are just passengers. Their task is, by agreement with the pilot, to move the center of gravity in difficult turns, keeping the bob on the ice, preventing it from turning over (a rollover not only automatically leads to defeat, but is also fraught with serious injuries - all protective equipment The bobsledder consists of a helmet and thin overalls). Moreover, this has to be done almost blindly, counting turns (only the pilot can see the track), in cramped conditions, focusing on one’s own experience and vestibular apparatus, and at accelerations reaching 6 g.
Strength and speed
There are sports where strength plays a decisive role, and others where speed is at the forefront. Bobsleigh requires both: acceleration must be fast and strong. Among bobsledders there are many representatives power types sports - wrestlers and weightlifters. Before starting his bobsled career, Alexey Voevoda was multiple champion world and winner of the World Arm Wrestling Cup.
In his own words, first he had to learn to run correctly. But strength and muscle mass(about 111 kg) helped him accelerate the bob. However, among bobsledders there are no less athletes, because accelerating a bob is nothing more than a sprint. “And a power sprint, and with a constant increase in pace,” Alexey clarifies. — Professional sprinters are used to accelerating quickly and maintaining a constant pace, this is good for “siders.”
And the rear accelerator must run with constant acceleration, although at short distance. He needs to accelerate the bob to a very high speed - at the end of the acceleration ramp he is moving faster than the famous sprinter Usain Bolt!” In addition, not only speed is important, but also step length: if athletes run “out of step,” this can also affect the efficiency of acceleration.
An indispensable attribute of bobsleigh are special spikes, “bobsleds,” with three hundred short thin needles in the front part of the sole. This stud configuration causes less damage to the ice. Although the track is inspected and cleaned after each race, ice damage can be an unpleasant surprise for athletes when accelerating in the next race. The presence of snow on the starting overpass is also undesirable - to make the spikes easier to clean from snow and ice, athletes even treat them with a lubricant like WD40. The ideal ice temperature is just below zero (-3°C); colder ice is difficult to pierce with spikes.
For a fair fight
And of course, a lot depends on the bobsleigh track. Just a few years ago, they simply did not exist in Russia, and athletes had to travel abroad for training - to Austria or Switzerland. Now the situation has changed - we have two tracks, in Paramonovo near Moscow and in Sochi. “Moreover, the Sochi one today is, if not the best in the world, then one of the best,” says Alexey Voevoda. “It was designed with the active participation of Canadian Terry Gudzovsky, who is considered the world’s most experienced specialist in the construction of luge and bobsleigh tracks. As a result, it turned out to be very safe and comfortable - with a starting overpass protected from precipitation and an arena for warming up athletes above the track. On this track, everything will be determined by the experience and skill of the athletes - it will be a fair, but tough fight.”
Bobsled- winter olympic event a sport, the essence of which is a high-speed descent on a controlled sled (bobs) along an ice chute. Bobsleigh is popular among both men and women.
The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the organization that regulates bobsleigh and organizes international competitions.
The Russian Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation is an organization that promotes the development, popularization and promotion of bobsleigh and skeleton as a sport.
History of the origin and development of bobsleigh
Bobsleigh appeared thanks to the English tourist Wilson Smith, who in 1888 connected two sleighs and a board, and on the resulting sleigh he descended from St. Moritz to the commune of Celerina. By the end of the century, the first bobsled club was created and the first rules were developed.
In 1903, the world's first bobsleigh track, about 1,500 km long, was built in St. Moritz and a special sled was designed, which was called “bob”.
In 1923, the International Federation of Bobsleigh and Skeleton (FIBT) was formed, which continues to develop the sport to this day.
The World Bobsleigh Championships have been held since 1924; in the same year, bobsleigh was included in the Olympic Games program.
Bobsleigh rules
At the beginning of the track, the team must accelerate the bob as much as possible, holding on to it with their hand. When the maximum acceleration speed is reached, the entire team must quickly jump into the bob and take their places in it. It is allowed to change places in the bob while moving. The countdown begins from the moment the sled crosses the chronometer beam. The pusher and braker are usually chosen from physically strong, powerful athletes. In bobsleigh competitions, each team makes 4 descents, the team with the minimum time based on the results of four races wins.
The following is prohibited in bobsleigh:
- perform without helmets;
- have inconsistent advertising on helmets;
- heat the runners in the bean.
Ice bobsleigh track
The track for bobsleigh competitions is an ice trench with a reinforced concrete base, which has turns and turns of varying steepness. The length of the route usually ranges from 1500-2000 m, the route must have 15 turns with a minimum radius of 8 m, and the elevation difference must be from 130 to 150 m.
Bobsleigh sled
The bob (as bobsleigh sleds are called) is a cigar-shaped crew body that is mounted on a steel chassis. Inside the bobsleigh there are seating areas for the crew, as well as a steering wheel and brake lever. The bob has two pairs of runners. Fixed rear and movable front, with its help maneuvers are carried out. Between the axles there is a brake rack. Based on the number of seats, beans are divided into double and quadruple.
- The length of a double bob is 2.7 meters, a four-seat one is 3.8 meters
- The weight of a double bob is no more than 165 kg, a four-seat one 230 kg.
- The total weight of a crew of 2 people is no more than 200 kg, of 4 people no more than 400 kg.
- The width of the bean is 0.67 meters.
- The average speed of a bobsled is 135 km/h.
Bobsleigh Championships
- The Olympic Games are the most prestigious international bobsleigh competitions, held once every four years;
- Bobsleigh World Championships;
- European Bobsleigh Championships;
- Bobsleigh World Cup - a series of international bobsleigh competitions, based on the results of which athletes are ranked;
Definition of sport
Bobsleigh is a winter sport that is part of the Olympic Games; it is a high-speed descent from a mountain along special ice tracks on a controlled sleigh - “bobs”.
Modern bobsleigh is called winter “Formula 1” - having accelerated, the bob gains enough high speed, and the athlete on turns experiences overloads comparable to the overloads of pilots.
Brief description history of origin.
The birthplace of bobsleigh is considered to be Switzerland, where in 1888 an English tourist connected two sleds and used them during his journey from St. Moritz to Celerina, located below. Here, in San Moritz, at the end of the 19th century, the first bobsleigh sports club was organized.
Special sleds - “bobs” - were designed in 1904. , when the USSR Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation was created (later Russian Federation), which in the same year joined the International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation (FIBT).
Description of the varieties of sports discipline.
Modern sleds are presented in two types - double and four-seater. The length of a double bob is 2.7 m and its weight should not be more than 165 kg, and the weight of the team should not be more than 200 kg. The four-seater sled is 3.8 meters long, weighing up to 230 kg, and the total weight of the crew should not exceed 400 kg. The bob body is made of fiberglass, aluminum or a special durable material - Kevlar, from which body armor is made.
The head of the team is considered to be the helmsman; he is equal to the captain of the crew and independently selects the rest of the team members - the pushers and the brakeman. The steering wheel is located in front of the bob and controls the front axle using two rings connected by flexible rods to the front skids. The brakeman, who sits at the tail of the body, is responsible for stopping the bob and actuates the brake rod in time. In the middle of the four-seater bob there are two pushers who accelerate the bob at the start. But during the descent itself, they serve only as a “reasonable” load, sitting inside the bean, and shift in the right direction on the next turn, bending as low as possible and hiding their heads in order to reduce drag as much as possible.
The maximum speed of a four-seater bob on the highway can exceed 160 km/h. Maximum speed the lighter bob-two is about 140 km/h. The length of the chute along which the bob descends is from 1500 to 2000 m, and its slope is 8-15 degrees. The route usually has up to 20 profiled turns of varying degrees of difficulty. The walls of the gutter are covered with a layer natural ice or artificially frozen. The height difference of the chute from the starting point to the finish must be at least 100 m.
Rules
Before the start, the sled is accelerated by the team, who jump on board and take their assigned places after the bob picks up speed. The countdown begins after the sleigh crosses the starting line. All crew members must wear special equipment (which is checked by the judges before the start) - helmets and uniforms are made of special fabric that reduces the force of air when moving, as well as knee pads and goggles. There are about a hundred microspikes on the soles of the shoes that help with acceleration.
A team may be disqualified if its members are not wearing protective helmets, or if they are caught heating the runners of the sled for a better subsequent descent.
Each crew makes four descents. The winner is the team that spends the least amount of time on this.
Competitions
The following types of official bobsleigh competitions are held:
- downhill on an ice track in double bobs;
- downhill on an ice track in four-seater bobs;
- bob-starts - two-seater crews;
- bob-starts - four-seater crews.
Existing international, European and state (Russian) federations, and other large (state) associations related to the described sport.
FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL DE BOBSLEIGH ET DE TOBOGGANING/FIBT, International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (http://www.fibt.com/)
Federation of Bobsleigh and Skeleton of Russia (http://www.rusbob.ru/)
Main competitions this species sports
International competitions World Cup, European Cup, America's Cup, International Cup, results and upcoming events can be found here (http://www.fibt.com/)
Russian Championship, Russian Cup, Russian Championship, competition schedule here (http://www.rusbob.ru/ru/events.html)
Faces and personalities of the sport
Nikita Igorevich Muzyrya – Head of the Bobsleigh Federation;
Count Renaud de la Fregolière - First President of the International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation (FIBT).
Sources
http://www.rusbob.ru/
