Why skeleton is the most dangerous look sports
Russian skeleton athletes will risk themselves to win the World Cup in Switzerland, and Match TV will explain why this is really dangerous and will broadcast at 14:25.
Up to 20 steep turns on the track
Skeleton competitions are usually held on bobsleigh and luge tracks. There can be 20 of them in total.
The most dangerous route is in Whistler, Canada. It was built specifically for the 2010 Olympic Games. The first international training sessions took place back in 2008. Then they made 2,000 descents, 73 of them ended in a visit to the doctor.
Already during the Olympics, a Georgian athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, died on the track. He accelerated to 140 km/h, was late exiting the bend, flew off the road and hit an iron pole.
In total, more than 20 accidents occurred in Whistler during the Games.
“The most difficult section is from turns 11 to 13,” says Albert Demchenko, who has started in Whistler more than once. - Turn 11 has two vectors: the initial one goes down, and after the middle it abruptly changes direction and rushes up. Then - a very short 12th turn. It throws the projectile strongly. If you don’t take this into account, then by turn 13 you may not have time to return to the track.”
Acceleration up to 150 km/h
In the first section (approximately 250 m), each route has a slight slope. This is necessary so that athletes can gain a good starting speed - from 100 km/h. As you progress along the route, it only increases and rarely drops below 140 km/h. And all this in a head down position.
The track in Whistler is not only the most dangerous, but also the fastest. It was here that Alexander Tretyakov set an absolute world speed record of 146.4 km/h. Alexander showed this result at the 2010 Olympics. But in one of his four attempts, he only took bronze from Canada. This was the first Olympic medal in the history of Russian skeleton.
Overload 5 G
During turns, the athlete is so pressed into the skeleton that he experiences an overload of up to 5 G. Cosmonauts face the same loads when the Soyuz capsule enters the dense layers of the atmosphere. It feels like five people are standing on their backs at the same time.
“During such overloads, the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. An unprepared person can easily lose consciousness. In addition, due to the outflow of blood from the retina, short-term loss of vision may occur,” says Irina Konovalova, functional diagnostics doctor at the Cosmonaut Training Center.
Only one security element
If the same astronauts can afford special compensating suits that help them endure overloads more easily, then skeletonists make do with simple aerodynamic suits. Moreover, the only protective element they have is a helmet.
“Our overalls do not provide protection. It is important for us that they are as light and streamlined as possible,” says Sochi 2014 bronze medalist Elena Nikitina. - The most unpleasant thing about such a suit is braking on the track while falling. Burns are inevitable. After the first training, my whole body was in them.”
1 cm above the ice surface
High-carbon steel runners are attached to the base of the sled, which the skeleton riders use to descend the ice chute. They help set the direction when the projectile moves and lift it above the ice surface. According to the rules, their height can vary from 1 to 4 cm. The higher the runners are set, the steeper the skeleton turns. And here you have to choose: either raise the skids higher and get a less controllable projectile, or keep your face just a couple of centimeters from the ice surface.
Descent from a 40-story building
All tracks are designed in such a way that the height difference from the start line to the finish line is about 110 m. This is the height of a 40-story building. And if skeletonists had the opportunity to go down in a straight line, without bends or turns, their speed at the finish line would reach 250 km/h. This is how a Boeing 737 accelerates at takeoff.
No steering components
The function of the steering wheel is performed by the athlete's shoulders. By shifting the center of gravity to the left or right, it changes the trajectory of descent.
“If you need to turn left, we press on the projectile with your right shoulder and left knee. If we want to turn right, do the opposite,” says Sochi 2014 Olympic champion Alexander Tretyakov.
To make the task a little easier, before the start of the competition, each athlete is allowed to walk the entire route.
“When we walk along the track, we try to learn the length of the turns. Before the start, there is always a plan in your head where to turn, where to speed up, and where, on the contrary, to slow down a little so as not to fly out,” says Elena Nikitina.
Watch bobsleigh and skeleton on Match TV
Text: Marina Krylova
There are only a few days left until the opening of the Sochi Olympics. I'm going to watch as many broadcasts as possible, but I have a fairly vague idea about most Olympic disciplines. Therefore, I decided to write several articles, and at the same time figure out various types sports. I'll start, perhaps, with the skeleton.
Warning!
Skeleton as a sport appeared relatively recently. Its ancestor is considered to be the descent from snowy slopes on wooden sleds without runners - tobogtans. They were invented by Canadian Indians.
Sports competitions in sledding were first held in the middle of the 19th century. In 1892, the Englishman Child designed a metal sled. Skeleton sleds actually look like a skeleton. The first ride on a skeleton sleigh took place in a bobsleigh competition in 1905. In 1926, skeleton and bobsled became Olympic sports.
A small sleigh rushes along the track at a speed of 120-130 kilometers per hour. The athlete runs up and lies down on a piece of metal the size of a washboard, but such a “board” costs about 7-10 thousand dollars. For each athlete it is made individually by a team of engineers. A skate holder is attached to a special frame from below, and a saddle from above. The saddle is the metal ribs that hold the rider. The width and length of the saddle depends on the length of the shoulders and arms of the person who will lie in it. There are small bumpers on the sides of the frame that protect the athlete from impacts against the walls of the chute. The main thing in the design of the sled is the heavy-duty carbon fairing. Usually the sled weighs about 40 kilograms. At the start (about 30-40 meters), the athlete must run up and quickly push the sled in front of him. To prevent your feet from slipping, you wear special shoes with hundreds of tiny spikes that cut into the ice. At the end of the acceleration, you need to jump into the sled and lie down.
However, you won’t be able to relax and have fun. On some turns, athletes experience overloads of up to 5G. Cosmonauts also experience similar overloads when a rocket takes off from a cosmodrome or when entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. Sometimes the blood supply to the brain may be disrupted, and then the athlete will simply lose consciousness. There is a possibility of falling face-first onto the ice, which is only a few centimeters away during the descent. Skeletonists train and perform in special helmets that cover the chin. Steering a skeleton is not easy. The athlete controls the sled using own body, leaning and shifting the center of gravity.
There are few professional skeleton tracks in the world - only 16. One of them is in Sochi. She is regularly looked after by specialists from a team of ice-masters. They literally fall onto the ice and probe every centimeter with their hands. Frost and uneven surfaces are cut off so that athletes do not lose speed.
Warning!
In Krasnaya Polyana the skeleton track is 1814 meters long. It has as many as 17 turns, and the height difference is more than 100 meters.
Each athlete participates in 4 races. The speeds in skeleton are so high that the fate of the winner is decided by hundredths of a second. Some athletes add plates to sleds to increase speed or improve agility. However, the judges strictly ensure that the weight of the skeleton rider along with the sled does not exceed 115 kilograms (men) and 92 kilograms (women). Before the performance, athletes independently adjust the bend of the ridge of the sled. The greater the bend, the higher the speed, but it becomes more difficult to control such a skeleton.
Surely, while watching the announcement of the Olympic Games, you have heard more than once about the sport of skeleton. Indeed, the name sounds a little strange and even funny.
Skeleton translated from English language means frame, skeleton. This is one of the most dangerous Olympic winter species sports. The skeleton is a descent on a two-runner sled with a weighted frame. On it, athletes descend down an ice chute upside down at a speed of over 100 km/h! That's why this type The sport requires strict adherence to all rules, otherwise the race may result in serious injury or even death. Let's find out the rules of skeleton and what skeleton is.
Skeleton rules
Skeleton and its rules. Before training, athletes pay special attention to a high-quality and long warm-up. It is necessary to warm up the leg muscles well, since half the success is a bright start, or rather, fast acceleration.
There is a certain strict rule regarding weight: the total weight of the athlete and sled in women's competitions should not exceed 92 kg, and in men's competitions - 115 kg. In case the skeletonist still has " free weight", he can fill it with additional weights, we'll talk about weights a little later.
Each athlete has the right to two races, the winner is determined by the sum of the times of these two attempts. The trainers sitting in the control room watch the skeleton athlete complete the distance. Video cameras are placed along the entire length of the chute, allowing you to track every second of movement. By the way, these same pictures are broadcast for both ordinary observers and opponents on large screens outside. True, the quality of recording for fans is a little worse, because the control room receives results from 16 built-in cameras, and for rivals and fans - from only 4. As in any other sport, the race is recorded and, as a result, the coach can indicate to the athlete what he should change in his tactics and what mistakes he should pay attention to.
Skeleton history
The first sleigh rides were organized, oddly enough, for tourists who came to have fun in Switzerland. The fun began in 1883 in the Alpine mountains; in the second half of the 19th century, such entertainment was incredibly popular. And this is not strange, because sledding down a mountain has not lost its relevance to this day. True, the downhill equipment had to be slightly modified over so many years.
But back in 1887, an amateur athlete whose name was Mark Cormick decided to experiment and sled down a snowy track upside down. No accident happened to him. It was with him that the history of skeleton began.
In 1892, the Englishman Child decided that for such a “successful experiment” it was vital to invent new look a sled that would be more practical when going downside down, and built a metal sled that looked like a skeleton. This is where the name "skeleton" comes from.
The first competition was held in 1905, however, no one had given it a name yet, so the competition was not in skeleton, but in bobsleigh. But in 1906, this sport finally had its own name and a separate category. In Austria there is already a competition taking place not in bobsleigh, but in skeleton. Of course, it is not at all difficult to guess that at first only men took part in such competitions. Popularity is starting to grow. Included Olympic Games A new sport that was accidentally invented only came into use in 1928, and even then, not for long. Just 10 years later, skeleton disappears from the list of Olympic competitions and is revived many years later, in 2002!
Skeleton sled
Oddly enough, the sled has an identical name to the sport itself and is called “skeleton”. They consist of:
1. Polozev. Before a race, the first thing a skeleton rider must do is remove the protective covers from the skates on the runners and sharpen them, or, more precisely, polish them. The runners are made from high carbon steel, just like the highest quality knives in the world. This material is used in production, as it does not become dull for a very long time. However, it makes no sense to sharpen the runners in the same way as the knives; they need to be polished exactly until the skeletonist sees his reflection.
2. Housings. In order for the skeleton to have good streamlining, the athlete smears it with a special wax product, which levels the surface, forms a film and fills even the smallest cracks. Naturally, it is not difficult to guess that due to this, the already considerable speed increases (but the main thing for an athlete is victory!). After which, the remaining product is simply removed from the surface.
These are, perhaps, all the main components of a skeleton sled.
However, before preparing for the race, this is not all that a skeleton rider does.
After completing all the above steps, the athlete needs to adjust the arc (from 1 to 4 cm), that is, set the optimal height of the runners. Speed and sensitivity to control also depend on this. Accordingly, the higher the skids, the higher the sensitivity, but at the same time, the control becomes more dangerous and the risk of not being able to cope with it increases.
There is no steering control on the skeleton sled. It is controlled by the athlete with the help of his own body, or, to be more precise, with the help of his shoulders. By placing emphasis on the right shoulder, he turns the sled to the left; by placing emphasis on the left shoulder, he turns accordingly to the right.
Now a little more about the above-mentioned sled weights. The heavier the projectile, the higher the speed. To increase the weight, special lead plates are used, which are simply screwed to the skeleton with ordinary bolts or screws. After that, the balancing is checked using a special method in front of a qualified specialist. This is the last stage when preparing the skeleton for the race. After which, for safety reasons, protective covers are put on the skates and the sled is moved to the designated place.
Skeleton track
A whole team of workers is responsible for making the track ready for competitions. And this is not strange, because sometimes the most important thing - the safety of the race and the results of the athletes - depends on the quality of the track.
Preparation takes quite a lot of time, because good processing is necessary for a high-quality track. The incredibly sharp runners of the sled very easily deform the ice and pits appear on the track. Workers put patches on them, like on ordinary asphalt, only as a building materials they use regular snow and water. And instead of an asphalt paver, a spatula is enough for such repairs. On good tracks, the ice temperature is also maintained by a special cooling system built into the bottom. This allows athletes not to wait for winter and frost, losing their skills, but to train, even if there is scorching sun and unbearable heat outside.
It is worth noting that depending on the age category of the participants, the length of the race may vary; for younger “juniors” the route is several hundred meters shorter than for older athletes.
After processing the ice, it is necessary to make two tracks; workers also do this. What is this for? At the start, the skeleton rider accelerates his sled in order to gain the necessary speed in the future. But in addition to speed, this section of the path allows you to set the necessary direction. This point is especially important, since the right direction plays a huge role in safety. If they are really correct, the athlete does not have to worry about being thrown off the track. This is why it is necessary that there are so-called “rails” at the beginning of the route. In order for them to be pressed exactly two centimeters, there is special equipment that allows everything to be done according to the rules.
The quality of the ice itself also plays a huge role, because it determines how fast the race participants will be. In the final process of preparing the ice, one of the workers waters it cold water from the hose. The main thing in safety precautions for this person is not to forget about special shoes that allow him to stand firmly on his feet. In preparing the track for competitions, this point is the final one.
By the way, after the finish the track does not end, but continues for several hundred meters, but upward so that the skeleton rider can stop. This rise is called a “counter-slope”. Also, in order to simplify the task of braking for the athlete, his shoes, like the waterer’s shoes, are equipped with special spikes that prevent slipping.
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Skeleton is a winter Olympic sport and involves riding down a chute on a sled consisting of a frame and two runners. The name of this sport comes from the English word “skeleton”, meaning “skeleton” or “frame”. It is believed that this sport originated from an activity that was enjoyed by Canadian Indians. We are talking about going down the mountains on a toboggan - a useless wooden sled. The first mention of such descents was found in the literature of the 16th century. As for luge competitions, such events began to be held around the 19th century. British tourists came to the Swiss Alps and raced along the snowy slopes of the Alpine mountains.
As already mentioned, a skeleton sled consists of a weighted frame and steel runners, without any semblance of steering. An athlete, descending from a mountain, lies on his stomach with his head in the direction of movement. How to drive a sleigh? It's simple: the shoes, which are necessarily included in a skeletonist's equipment, have special spikes - they help the athlete correct the direction of movement.
The first skeleton sleigh was made in St. Moritz (Switzerland) in 1882. And the first competitions in this sport were held not far from the city of St. Moritz - in Cresta Run. I would like to note that initially only men were allowed to participate in the competition.
The skeleton developed and gradually gained universal recognition. In 1913, an organization was created to popularize sledding down the mountains, but it was called the International Toboggan Association, since the name “skeleton” was still alien to everyone. In 1923, the International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation was organized.
And finally, in 1928 at the Olympic Games in St. Moritz, skeleton was included in the general program. The name of the American athlete Jennison Heaton should have been remembered by all luge fans, because it was this person who became the first Olympic champion on skeleton.
And now, a little about the rules.
Skeleton competitions typically use the same track as bobsleigh or luge. The main conditions are that the route should not be shorter than 1200 meters, and the degree of elevation of some sections should not be more than 12%.
Skeleton sleds should not weigh more than 43 kilograms for men and 35 kilograms for women. Total weight athlete and skeleton should be no more than 115 kilograms for men, and no more than 92 kilograms for women. As we all know, the heavier the projectile, the faster it picks up speed when falling and, logically, the faster the skeleton sled with its “rider” will reach the finish line. This is why athletes try to increase the weight of the sled as much as possible in order to go faster. The weight can be attached to the skeleton, but cannot be hung on the athlete.
Before the start, the athlete waits for a signal, after it is given, the athlete runs up (25-40 meters), places the sled on the track, then takes the correct position and rushes down the hill.
Thus, the skeleton rider reaches speeds of up to 140 km/h, which is very unsafe. Since stopping at such a speed is simply not possible, after the finish line, the track goes uphill and the movement of the sled slows down. An athlete can control his sled only by shifting the center of gravity of his body and the spikes with which his boots are equipped.
All requirements for skeleton athletes and their equipment are presented in the Rules of the International Bobsleigh and Tboggan Federation.
19.02.2014SKELETON: LUGE DIVERSITY
Still, some part of a person’s soul, apparently, remains childish forever. Otherwise, how can we explain the fact that so many ball games have turned into super popular sports, in which athletes from all over the world fight for the title of the strongest? Or a sled? Winter children's fun for many remains a lifelong passion, and they have plenty of room to explore - sports competitions involving a sleigh is also enough. Among them is a species with a surprising and strange name for the Russian ear - skeleton.
Skeleton - what it is
The primary association with skeleton is, of course, very clear - skeleton. And there is some truth in this. Skeleton from English skeleton is translated as “skeleton, frame”. They called it that because of the special design of the sled on which athletes descend the mountain. Officially speaking, skeleton is a winter sport included in the Olympic program. It is a downhill race down a special ice chute. Skeleton sleds use two runners, their frame is well reinforced. The winner is the athlete who becomes the leader based on the results of two races.
Sled for adults
A surge of attention to competitive sledding downhill came at the beginning of the 19th century, and since then the degree of interest in them has not waned. On the world sports arena There are enough varieties of luge sports, and the White Olympics includes the three most popular of them - sleigh, bobsleigh and, in fact, skeleton.
The skeleton differs from its relatives in the special position of the sled racer: he lies on his stomach, head forward and face down, with his arms extended along his body. This is how children sometimes like to ride on sleds. However, I don’t recommend joking with skeletons - speeds there reach 130 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the athlete is not protected by anything other than a helmet, and his chin is only a few centimeters from the ice.
The creators of skeleton did not rack their brains over what to call the main apparatus; in this sport, the sled is called skeleton. It is made of fiberglass, with two steel skates attached to the bottom of the sled, and handles on top. Some skeletons do not have specially made handles; they are the sides of the body, which is molded personally to the rider’s body. There are protective bumpers on the front and back of the sled. The size of the skeleton is usually from 80 to 120 centimeters in length, from 34 to 38 centimeters in width. At the same time Weight Limit steel sled should not exceed 115 kilograms for men and 92 for women.
Skeleton history
Back in 1882, Europe still didn’t know about skiing. But it was at this time, as we remember, that the first toboggan run was built in Switzerland by English soldiers. It connected the villages of Davos and Klosters. We went down the track on sleds, which were divided into Canadian, American and Swiss. The ancestors of the skeleton are considered to be Canadian, or more precisely, Indian sleighs - toboggans. At the end of the 19th century they were very popular in the Alpine countries. However, the ake, the Norwegian sled used by fishermen, can also be called a relative of the skeleton.
In the same 1882, the Englishman Child created his famous metal sleigh, after examining which his contemporaries found it to look like a skeleton (hence the name). However, there is a version that “skele” comes from an incorrect pronunciation of the Norwegian word for Norwegian sled.
Skeleton entered the world in 1905. Austria was the first to submit to him, where skeleton athletes first showed what they were capable of in competitions with bobsledders. Already in 1926, the International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation decided to officially recognize the skeleton rules formed by the Swiss. And in 1928, in the Olympic St. Moritz, the American Jenisson Heaton won gold in the skeleton discipline. However, after 1948 this sport was Olympic program was no longer there.
In 1969, the world's first artificial bobsleigh track was created in Königssee, Germany, and athletes had the opportunity to train regardless of the season or weather.
Since 1986, the world began to form international schools skeleton In 1994, teams from 25 countries competed in a series of World Cup games. In 1998, for the first time in the history of the sport, the World Championships were broadcast in live on the Eurosport channel.
And on October 2, 1999, skeleton was finally included in the program of the Olympic Games again, where it remains to this day.
We have a skeleton
Paradoxical fact: skeleton is a sport new Russia. In the Soviet Union they were completely indifferent to it; few people had even heard of this sport. To be fair, I will say that at the beginning of the 20th century they did compete in skeleton in Russia - not far from Riga, but the First World War destroyed these initiatives in the bud.
How skeleton riders ride
Skeleton - for everyone extreme extreme view sports. Even its closest relatives are bobsled and luge- are considered less risky. The rules in skeleton are very strict and require strict adherence.
The laws of physics say: than more weight, the faster the speed increases when moving down. Therefore, skeletonists try to make the shells as heavy as possible. However, as I said, the upper weight limit is limited. Athletes ride on the same tracks as bobsledders and lugeers - if they are not shorter than 1.2 kilometers, and the ascent sections in total do not exceed 12% of the total distance.
During the competition, the skeletonist is given a signal indicating that the track is clear and he can begin the descent. 30 seconds are given to start: the racer runs up, pushing the sled, jumps into the skeleton and takes the correct position. The athlete does not have any special devices for controlling the skeleton; balance and turns are maintained through body movements and boots with special spikes. By the way, so that the skeleton rider, having accelerated to 130-140 kilometers per hour, can then slow down, after the finish the climb on the track must begin.
I will add that at the competitions, men and women compete in two descents per day. At the Olympics and World Championships - in four descents, over the course of two days. The results are summed up and the fastest ones win.
Well, a few words about the equipment of skeletonists. Athletes wear super-tight aerodynamic suits for speed, and helmets with a visor and chin guard for safety. The feet are usually wearing heavy studded boots - for steering and braking heavy sleds. That's basically all. The rest is the athlete's experience, luck and willingness to take risks.
This is what it is, a sport with the funny name skeleton.
Dmitry Long-awaited
