1....2...3.....Arrrrrr rrrrrrr..... (Bobsleigh)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Bobsleigh
Date:	26/04/01 (286 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great event

Disadvantages: None

This has got to be one of my favourite all time winter sports after Ice Hockey, of course.
It is something that has intrigued me since a very early age.
I think it it the inbuilt childhood memories of hurtling down hills on the back of a plastic sledge on a cold winters morning, or the thought of missing a day of school because the snow has come and its time to go toboganing.
These are the best feelings to an 9 year old child and seem to always stay with you.
WE put up with the cold, the wet and the downright uncomfortable feeling of snow in January and February to slide and normally hurt ourselves on our own version of the Alps.....The local Park!

Due to all of the above, I have always had the fascination of wanting to go bobslieghing. I did not know where to start, so I surfed the web.
I did not realise that there is a World Bobsleigh cup held throughout the Winter every year!

The Event
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I thought it was just a "once every 4 years" type event. I also did not realise all of the training that is involved.
It is split into 2 main catergories.
2 man events and 4 man events.
Each team has one Sled. It is basically bullet shaped and has just enough room for its 2 or 4 occupants for its journey down a hillside.
Both teams have a driver, who sits at the front, and a brake man, who sits at the back. In the 4 man evens, there are an extra 2 people to push the sledge.
It is their jobs to navigate the sledge down the track. It does not just guide itself, it has to be steered.
The track is basically a frozen trench, built up on the steep corners to prevent it sliding out ot the course.
Reaching very high speeds, it is frought with danger and can result in serious injury so great training must be given to all participants.

The Start and push
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The start of the event takes place from the very top of the course and involves the 2 or 4 members to push the
sled from a standing start. Each member has its own pushing handle that folds away once onboard. The team members jump onboard one at a time until all are tucked up neatly behind the driver. A neat start and a good push can make all the difference to the event as there is no further propulsion, just momentum.
To make sure all members of the team push together, the brake man normally counts them down. 1...2...3... and then an almighty roar as they all start running down the track with their funny outfits on.
I say funny outfits because they all wear lycra bodysuits and crash helmets. Showing the dangers. The shoes are designed to grip the ice on the push.

Popularity
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The film "cool runnings" told the true story of the Jamaican Bobsled team in the 1988 winter olympics in Calgary. This popularised the sport briefly globally.It also made me pay closer attention.

Who is the best?
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Suprisingly, Great britain are quite good at bobsliegh despite having no natural course here. We are ranked about 14th or 15th in the world.
While Cool Runnings mentions the Swiss as the ultimate team, Germany have become the dominant force in recent years.
Most countries enter 2 sleds per event with the world champions able to enter 3 sleds.
They are named 1 2 and 3.
The best team are normally the 1 team (i.e. Germany 1) but this year, Germany 2 won the title.


TV Coverage
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I found out that Eurosport are giving the most coverage to the sport. BBC normally have an important world cup event once a year maybe but satellite is the way forward for better coverage.
Normally shown early on Saturday and sunday mornings throughout the season (November - February)

Summary: