(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 sports, bobsleigh originates from Switzerland, where wealthy mountain resort guests were constantly coming 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. skiing or something else.
There, in St. Moritz, at the end of the 19th century. The world's first bobsled sports club was also organized, 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.
Competitions and national championships even began to be held in this fascinating and dangerous sport. 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 program of the 1924 Winter Olympic Games 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 at various ski resorts, did not even really train - they simply bought or rented a sled (which, of course, was difficult for the average citizen with an average salary), went down the slope a couple of times as a co-pilot, and then, Having understood the principle of management, they 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, bobsleigh 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 races.
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 end our not-so-brief historical excursion on a happy note, let us 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 one American youth movie said).
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 turns 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 of 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.
As before, the final results in bobsleigh competitions 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 pass the track along the optimal trajectory, overcoming the least loss of speed turns and bends.
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 a truly professional sport, the situation 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 of North America, that is, residents of the United States and Canadians, maintain and strengthen their achievements. True, Swiss athletes were especially successful in their field - in the entire history of bobsleigh they won the largest number of 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 third.
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 four, the leader is Germany (360 points), followed by Russia (330 - I would like to add, everyone...), and third place is occupied 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 women’s doubles were included in the Olympic program 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 on Physical Culture and Sports under 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.
In Sledding lovers: 10 facts about bobsleigh
1. Luge sport appeared in 1884-1888 in the Swiss Alps, where tourists had fun sledding down the mountains in a race. One day, a tourist from England named Wilson Smith tied two sleds together and, with a group of friends, rode this structure down the mountain. Gradually, the fun turned into a competition with rules and as a sporting competition it spread first across Europe, and decades later it became popular throughout the world.
2. Sleds of a special design, with steering, which were intended only for bobsleigh, appeared only in 1904. This sled is called a "bob". Hence the name of the sport - bobsled. By the way, when pronouncing the name of the sled, it is correct to say it with the emphasis on the first vowel “O”, for example, “The team is racing on the bobe.” This applies to both the singular and the plural - “Teams compete on both sides.”
A bobsleigh team from the Swiss city of Davos. OK. 1910
3. Nowadays, beans are streamlined and made from different materials: fiberglass, metal or even Kevlar. They have two pairs of runners, the front ones are movable and are used for steering, and the rear ones are fixed and equipped with a brake. Before each competition, judges check that the points of the runners are not greased for better gliding on the ice.
4. According to modern rules, in bobsleigh, men's teams consist of either two people (double) or four (four). Women's teams consist of only two people.
The main requirement for a 2-seater sled is that it be no more than 2.7 m long and weigh no more than 165 kg. Quadruple beans must be no more than 3.8 m in length and no more than 230 kg in weight. Teams also have weight restrictions. For example, the total weight of a “two” should be no more than 200 kg, and a “four” should not be more than 400 kg.
5. A two-man team consists of a pilot-steering and a pusher-braking. In a team of four, the role of pushers is performed by two bobsledders who sit in the bob between the pilot and the braker. During the descent, they distribute the weight load when cornering.
The team's work looks like this.
Stage 1. Start! A team of bobsledders, holding the retractable handles, begins to accelerate the bob. The clock starts timing after the front runners of the sled cross the electronic timer beam, which is located 15 meters from the start line.
Stage 2. The pilot-helmsman jumps into the sleigh first.
Stage 3. Then two bobsleigh pushers jump into the bob.
Stage 4. Before the sled reaches a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h), the last one to jump into the bob is the braker. At this time, the retractable handles are hidden in the body of the sled. The length of the acceleration path is about 50 m.
6. It often happens that push bobsledders come to this sport from other sports, for example, from athletics, handball or artistic gymnastics. This suggests that push and acceleration are very important in bobsleigh.
The functions of the helmsman are to clearly navigate bends and turns without touching the walls. This can lead to loss of speed or even an accident. The braker, obviously, must ensure that the bob stops at the end of the descent.
7. Clothes and shoes for bobsledders are specially designed for this sport. For example, the sole of a shoe must have spikes, the number of which is strictly regulated.
8. The bobsleigh track is a reinforced concrete trench, the entire inner surface of which is covered with ice. To prevent the ice from melting, the sides of the gutter are equipped with refrigeration pipes-channels. The length of the route, the number of turns and elevation changes are not constant. The minimum length of bobsleigh tracks is about 1500-2000 meters, the number of turns is 15 or more, and the elevation changes are about 130-150 m.
9. The maximum bob speed during descent can reach 150-160 km/h. And although bobsleigh is often called "Formula 1 on ice", bobsledders are subject to loads of more than 5 g - more than racing car pilots.
10. During the competition, each team must complete four qualifying descents. In this case, even if the sled turns over during the descent but crosses the finish line, the descent is considered valid.
P.S. These ten facts are enough to have an idea about the sport of bobsleigh during television broadcasts.
In the meantime, the New Year holidays are not over, run away from the TV, grab a couple of sleds or sleds - and go with your loved ones, family and children to the nearest hill.
There is only one week left for rest.
Bobsled- a winter Olympic 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 together, 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 bobsled there are seats 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;
- The Bobsleigh World Cup is a series of international bobsleigh competitions, based on the results of which the 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 bobsled is called winter “Formula 1” - after accelerating, the bob gains a fairly high speed, and the athlete on turns experiences overloads comparable to the overloads of the pilots.
Brief description of the history of occurrence.
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 Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation of the USSR (later the Russian Federation) was created, which in the same year became part of 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. The maximum speed of 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 of natural or artificially frozen ice. 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 warming up the sled runners for a better 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 in this sport
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/
Bobsleigh (from the English bobsleigh, bobsledding - “a sled designed for riding down a mountain”) is a descent from the mountains at high speed on a controlled solid metal sled along an ice chute specially equipped for such descents. Bobsleigh is a winter team sport. Bobsleigh is also the fastest and most dangerous of all winter sports.
The development of bobsleigh began in the 19th century. In 1884, the Swiss competed in the Alps to see who could go down the mountain the fastest along the route St. Moritz - Celerine, at the finish line the winner was awarded a prize - a bottle of champagne. The first steel bob sled, which was similar to the sled of today, was built by Karl Benzing, a German textile wholesaler, around 1900. The first bobsleigh track was built in 1902 in St. Moritz, where 1923 The International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation was formed. The latter is a type of sleigh without runners, which was used by the Indians of North America. The first world bobsleigh championship was also held in St. Moritz in 1927. Bobsleigh was immediately included in the program of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Today, both men's and women's bobsleigh tournaments are held.
At first, bobsleigh sleds were made of wood. Currently, the body of the sled (bob) is made of aluminum, fiberglass, and even of a special impact-resistant material - Kevlar, which serves as the basis for body armor. The body is placed on a steel chassis, the main components of which are a rotating front axle and a fixed rear axle, which rest on metal runners reminiscent of skating runners. With the help of a rotating front axle, the pilot can control the sled, which flies along an ice chute at speeds of over 130-150 km/h. Between the two bridges in the form of a comb there is a brake made of the strongest steel, allowing you to stop the sled when necessary. The front part of the sled is the nose cone. The largest bean weight reaches approximately 630 kg. Modern sleds are designed in accordance with the latest science and technology. New sled samples are being tested in wind tunnels and are of great material value. Research related to the creation of the latest speed sleds is of such great interest to competing countries that their representatives often spy, borrowing the most promising designs and components from each other. Sleighs are divided into two types: double and four-seater. The double bob has a length of 2.7 m and a width of 0.67 m, its weight should not exceed 165 kg, and the total weight of all team members should not exceed 200 kg. The length of a four-seater bob is 3.8 m, width 0.67 m, its weight cannot be more than 230 kg, and the weight of the team cannot be more than 400 kg.
The main member of the crew is the pilot-helmsman, who has the authority of the captain of the team, and he also selects its composition: pushers and braking. In the sleigh, the helmsman is in front and takes control of the front axle, carried out through two rings that are connected to each other by flexible rods having front runners.
The brake is located in the tail of the sled body. He is responsible for stopping the sled and must activate the brake rod in a timely manner. In the middle of the four-seater sled there are two pushers, who first perform the most important work during the descent: they accelerate the sled at the start. However, during the descent itself, they are only a “smart” load, which shifts at the right moment in one direction or another on turns. They do this by bending as low as possible and hiding their heads to reduce drag. Pushers and brakers, as a rule, are physically strong and powerful athletes. Usually, before bobsleigh, most of them had previously been involved in weightlifting, having good results in it.
At the end of the twentieth century, bobsleigh became widespread not only among men, but also among women. The speed of a heavy four-seater sled on the track can be higher than 150-160 km/h. The top speed of the lighter double bob is slightly less. The length of the ice chute along which the sled passes is about 1500-2000 m, and its slope can vary from 8 to 15 0. The track usually contains from 15 to 20 profiled turns with varying degrees of difficulty. The inside of the gutter is covered with a layer of natural or artificial ice.
Driving down an icy chute at high speed is very dangerous, and frequent injuries to bobsleigh athletes are common. In 1950, on a bobsleigh track in the French town of Chamonix, three athletes died during the descent. After this incident, for safety reasons, the track profile was changed so that the helmsmen had full control of the sled. There are different types of bobsled tracks.
Their maximum number occurs on tracks 1500 m long, but there are also chutes that are longer and have a greater number of steep turns, in which the helmsman must show a high degree of skill, fitting into the turns as accurately as possible without touching the walls of the chute. If, nevertheless, contact with the walls of the gutter occurs, this will sharply reduce the speed of the sled and worsen the result.
On particularly difficult turns, the walls of the chute can reach a height of 6 m. The best tracks are usually made of concrete, and along all the walls of the ice chutes there are refrigeration pipes built in, which allow maintaining a constant temperature of the ice, preventing it from melting. The organizers of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway (the city of Lillehammer) laid a bobsleigh track in exact accordance with the local terrain. The turns around natural obstacles were made so carefully that not a single tree was cut down.
At the highest point of the chute, the crew, jumping on board and taking their places after the bob has gained speed, accelerates it before the start. The clock begins to count down when the front runners of the sled cross the starting line. According to the rules, bobsledders can change places in the sled during the descent, but they do this extremely rarely. All crew members must have helmets made of a special fabric that prevents air resistance in motion, as well as knee pads and special glasses. If during the tournament one of the team members is injured, another crew member may replace him. If the sled is damaged during the downhill race, then, according to the decision of the judges, it can be replaced with another bean of the same type.
On the soles of the athletes' shoes, which are checked by judges before the start, there are about 100 microspikes that allow bobsledders to accelerate the sled without sliding off the starting surface, which is covered with an ice layer. During the competition, the crew may be disqualified if its members do not have protective helmets. Also disqualified may be those teams that were caught heating the runners of the sled to make the sled run better on the ice or using additional weight to increase the speed of the bob. The rules also prohibit crew members from having advertising inscriptions of companies that have not been approved by the tournament organizers on their helmets, sports uniforms or on their bobs.
In bobsleigh competitions, each crew must complete 4 descents. The winner will be the crew that has the shortest total time on all 4 descents.
From 1957-1968 In all large-scale international tournaments, the winner was the team from Italy, led by helmsman Eugenio Monti. The Italian teams, which have high-level tracks, managed to win 11 world championships, and at the 1968 Olympic Games they won gold medals on two slopes at once: on two-seater and four-seater sleds. At the 1976 World Championships in Austria (Innsbruck), the German crew became the world champion in bobsleigh. The team's advantage lay in its sled, which had better aerodynamic characteristics: it had a more streamlined shape with the smoothest skin possible. Also, the team would not have achieved success without the tallest and most powerful pushers and the dexterous helmsman - Maynard Nemer, whose crew managed to win both in the bob-four and in the bob-two. In 1984, a similar double success was repeated by the German pilot Wolfgang Hoppe. In 1976-1984, the GDR team won 10 out of 18 possible medals, 6 of them were gold.
The popularity of bobsleigh is steadily increasing. At the 1988 Winter Olympics, crews from the Virgin Islands, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Taiwan and Monaco took part in bobsleigh competitions. By the way, the captain of the Monaco crew on the two-seater sleigh was Prince Albert himself. It was at those Olympic Games that the Jamaican crew, led by Dudley Stokes, managed to win the hearts of the fans thanks to their swashbuckling style and unpredictable manner of driving the bean. During one of the next descents of the four of them, the sled, standing on its side, flew above the ground and crashed into the wall of an ice chute. None of the crew members were injured, but then the risky performances of this team at the Olympics formed the basis of the film “Ice Racing” (in English “Cool Runnings”).
The International Bobsleigh and Toboggan Federation unites bobsledders from all over the world and currently includes 60 countries. What is surprising is that among its members there are countries with hot and even arid climates. First of all, these are the Antilles and Bermuda, Israel, India, Mexico, Lebanon, Tobago and Trinidad and others. In the USSR, bobsleigh did not exist as a sport until 1980, when the first Latvian bobsleigh enthusiasts designed and built their own bobsleigh from factory waste. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Sarajevo, where Soviet bobsledders Sintis Ekmanis and Vladimir Alexandrov won a bronze medal, this sled design, made by Soviet engineers, was noted as one of the most successful. Subsequently, many of its components and parts were borrowed by large international companies that were engaged in the construction of sleds for the strongest bobsledders in the world.
The most “bobsled” countries, whose athletes mainly win the Winter Olympics, Cups and World Championships, are Austria, Germany, Italy, Canada and Switzerland. At the last Olympic Games in 2006 (Turin), the champion title in two-seater sledding was won by German bobsledders Andre Lange and Kevin Kuske, athletes Pierre Lueders and Lassell Brown from Canada were second, and Martin Annen and Beat Hefti from Switzerland were third. The best Russian athletes were Alexey Voevoda and Alexander Zubkov, who were in fourth place, with the latter setting the acceleration speed at the start. In the competition between four-man bobsledders at the same Olympic Games, victory also went to the German crew led by Andre Lange, the team also included Rene Hoppe, Kevin Kuske, Martin Putze. Second place belonged to the Russians: Alexander Zubkov, Philip Egorov, Alexey Seliverstov and Alexey Voevoda. In the women's double sleigh tournament, Sandra Kiriasis and Anja Schneiderheinze from Germany won, Shauna Robock and Valerie Fleming (USA) came second, and Gerda Wassensteiner and Jennifer Isacco (Italy) came third. Bobsledders from Russia at the 2006 Olympic Games could not rise above seventh place.
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