BOBSLEIGH: Getting Off on the Right Foot Whether It’S the Four-Man Event, Or the Two-Man Competition, It All Starts with a Good Start
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
BOBSLEIGH SCHEDULE » Day 9 » Day 12 » Day 15 » Day 16 Saturday, Feb. 20 Tuesday, Feb. 23 Friday, Feb. 26 Saturday, Feb. 27 Men’s two-man Women’s two-man Men’s four-man Men’s four-man 5-7:40 p.m. 5-7 p.m. 1-3:45 p.m. *1-3:25 p.m. *Indicates medal event » Day 10 » Day 13 Sunday, Feb. 21 Wednesday, Feb. 24 Men’s two-man Women’s two-man *1:30-3:50 p.m. *5-7 p.m. The Whistler Sliding Centre DECONSTRUCTING THE GAMES BOBSLEIGH: Getting off on the right foot Whether it’s the four-man event, or the two-man competition, it all starts with a good start. Or it ends with a bad one. Canwest News Service writer Bob Duff explains: 1.GETTING SET 2.THE START Let’s get started From a standing start,the crew pushes the sled in unison. Explosiveness is key. Speed and strength are key. An Olympic bobsledder must Like runners in starting blocks awaiting the be able to run like the wind,but also be equipped with the gun,the four pushers grab hold of the sled strength to turn a 630-kg sled into a self-propelled rocket. handles and brace themselves for the ride of their lives.It’s why track athletes make such good bobsledders:if they get out 3. FILING IN 4.ON THE MOVE 5.STEADY ON of the gate slowly,the race is already over. The pilot is first to load,grab- Nearing the end of It’s all in the driver’s bing the rope in both hands to the start,loading the hands now.If they steer the sled.He’s followed in sled commences as haven’t reached this by the two pushers,while the the pilot takes the point within at least brakeman continues his run reins.Already,their 1/10th of a second of the from the back of the sled, speed is nearing 40 fastest start — which loading last. km/h. generally times in at less Distance:50 metres than six seconds — forget about it.The race is already over.As a rule, a lead of 1/10th of a second at the start equals an advantage of 3/10ths of a second over the course of the run. Distance:65 metres BOBSLEIGH START Distance:50 metres Speed:0 to 40 km/h THE ATHLETES SMART THE TRACK FACTS The modern bobsleigh athlete is a mix of Usain Bolt It’s the Talladega Speedway of bobsleigh,with enough speed and terror to scare the pants off and Brandon Jacobs. 1.THE SLIDING even the most experienced sledder. CENTRE Strength:They require the Start upper-body strength to This $105-million, move the heavy sled and get “elevator with ice” Elevation: 938 metres it up to speed,making foot- is expected to be Switzerland’s Beat Hefti and Thomas Lamparter ball players ideal pushers. the fastest bobsleigh posted a record 4.70-second start during the course in Olympic World Cup two-man event in February. Start area Speed: Track stars also make history.Construction great bobsledders,since they required 350 metric must possess explosive,power- tonnes of reinforced Corner 2 2 1 ful legs.Getting the sled moving concrete and 100 km Maximum track slope here of 20 per cent. from a standing start resembles the beginning of a of piping (to lay down the Sledders can expect G forces to be as high as 5.02. Corner 4 track race,only this one's on ice. ammonia for refrigeration 3 4 purposes).Ice thickness on Legend has it that 5 Russia’s Alexsandr MEDAL FAVOURITES the course,which will seat Access roadways 11,650 during the Games, 6 Zoubkov bolted WOMEN MEN’S TWO MAN varies from 2-5 cm. town after suffering a concussion in a crash Sandra Kiriasis, Germany Andre Lange, Germany 2.TOO MANY MEN 7 here during his first run The Good: The Good: 8 on the course. Won 2006 Three-time The bobsleigh competition at 9 Olympic gold Olympic the 1928 Games in St.Moritz, medal in champ took Switzerland was expanded Corner 7 to five-man sleds.American Turin,silver at both the two 10 Lueder’s Loop.The sled of Canadian pilot Salt Lake City and four- Billy Fiske drove the winner and, Pierre Lueders went airborne here on his in 2002. man events four years later,was golden in inaugural run,the first time he’d crashed in 2006. the four-man event at Lake in eight years. The Bad: Lost world title Placid,where he carried the U.S. she’d held since 2005 to The Bad: Earned podium 11 flag in the opening ceremony. Take-out area Great Britain’s Nicole status in just one of his In 1940,passing himself off as 12 Minichiello in 2009. last seven starts in the Corner 13 Canadian,Fiske joined the Royal Corners 12,13,14,15 2008-09 campaign. Air Force,became a pilot,and 50-50 Corner. Helen Upperton, Canada died from injuries suffered during Named by U.S. Gold Rush Trail.So named because it Pierre Lueders, Canada The Good:Poised to the Battle of Britain. sledder Steve 13 consists of four turns absent a straight- move into the medals The Good:Most decorat- Mesler,after half away and any driver error during this after fourth- ed slider in 3.EDDIE THE EAGAN the four-man sleds stretch will result in certain loss of a medal. wrecked there place finish Canadian American Eddie Eagan won gold in 14 during 2009 World at Turin history won the four-man event at Lake Placid Finish Cup race. in 2006. gold at in 1932 to go with his gold in light- lines The Bad: Nagano heavyweight boxing from the 1920 Struggled in (1998) and Antwerp Summer Games.He re- 15 the second silver at Turin mains the only person to win a gold Speed trap half of 2008-09 season (2006). medal at the Winter and Summer Venue 16 after suffering a rib injury. The Bad:Rejected chance Olympics. entrance Finish to carry Canada’s flag in Track lodge Elevation: 787 metres opening ceremonies at 4.MIRACLE ON ICE info desk In the first World Cup competition held here, Turin. With apologies to the 1980 U.S. 13 of 23 sleds hit 150 km/h in at least one of their hockey team,no Olympic gold Visitor parking area two runs.The previous world record was 149.9 MEN’S FOUR MAN medal earned on ice topped the km/h,clocked in St.Moritz,Switzerland. Alexsandr Zoubkov, Russia performance of the Canadian four-man sled at the 1964 Games. The Good: Reigning World Cup champion Following a chance meeting with BOBSLEIGH INNOVATION took silver in the four-man event in 2006. British bobsledders at the 1956 The Bad:Crashed at Whistler during 2008 Games in Cortina D’Ampezzo,Italy, The Whistler Bomber The Night Train testing and suffered a concussion. top-flight skier Vic Emery formed a Pierre Lueders added engineer to his pilot’s duties NASCAR racer Geoff Bodine offered his expertise to team with his brother John,a college on Canada’s sled,working with aerospace experts the U.S.sledders and the world championship sled track star,and fellow skiers Peter Bombardier,but having the sled built in his brother- piloted by Steven Holcomb was created by BoDyn Pierre Lueders,Canada Kirby and Doug Anakin,with an in-law’s garage by a designer he’ll only call “Mr.X”. sled designer Bob Cuneo,who’s worked with the U.S. The Good: Won four-man world title in emphasis on speed over heft.With In the super-secretive world of bobsleigh,he won’t team since 1992.Originally scheduled to be a test 1994-95 and also owns silver and bronze only a few runs at the 1932 Olympic say much more about his special project for 2010. sled,you could say it’s already passed the test. medals at worlds. course in Lake Placid under their belts,they stunned the world, The Bad:Missed the Olympic podium by winning Canada’s only gold of those FOR MORE ON THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES GO TO VANCOUVERSUN.COM/2010 .09 seconds with a fourth-place finish in Games. Turin. 2010GRAPHICS:BY ROGER WATANABE AND MAGGIE WONG/VANCOUVER SUN.