How Bobsledding Works

The Team

Racing a bobsled requires three things — a team, a bobsled (or bob) and a track. The team includes one, two or four athletes who steer, brake and add to the overall weight of the bobsled. (Men race in teams of two and four, while women, who got their initial two-person team event in 2002, had a single-person "monobob" event added at the 2022 games in Beijing [source: Mather]. The bob has an aerodynamic design and smooth runners so it can go as fast as possible. The track, generally made of concrete, has a solid ice surface. On the way down, bobsleds reach speeds of 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour), even around curves. Crashes are common.

It's easy to see that being a bobsledder requires bravery and a good sense of balance. But making it down the run requires more than just coordination and nerve. Bobsleds weigh hundreds of pounds. The driver and brakeman on a two-person team (and the crewmen or push athletes in four-person teams) have to get the bob moving from a complete stop. They have to run as fast as they can, then jump inside the bob before the first curve [source: Borden].

For these reasons, most bobsledders have backgrounds in other strenuous sports, like American football or track and field. During tryouts, prospective members have to prove their abilities in sprinting, jumping, pulling and lifting. Training isn't limited to taking a bobsled down a frozen run — there's lots of running, jumping and lifting weights. Crewmen and brakemen in particular do a lot of weightlifting, since they shoulder most of the burden for getting the bob going [source: Barroso].

Without any traction on the ice, it would be impossible for the team to move the bob. So, everyone on the team wears spiked shoes for better traction. Bobsledders also wear skintight, aerodynamic suits to help reduce drag on the way down the run. Everyone on the team must wear a protective helmet, usually with a full-face visor or a pair of goggles [source: British Bobsleigh & Skeleton]. Most drivers wear gloves, but some go barehanded for better contact with the steering rings.

We'll look at these rings and the other components of the bobsled next.

Bobsled, Luge and Skeleton

Bobsledding, luge and skeleton are similar sports that race on the same track, but there are key differences among the three, including the type of sled that's used by the athletes. Bobsledding uses a two- or four-person bob and starts with the athletes pushing the bob. In the luge, single racers lie on their backs, feet first, and steer by angling their body on the twists and turns. In skeleton races, a rider pushes the skeleton, or toboggan, down the starting section, then sides the rest of the way down the track headfirst [source: CBC].