Bobsledding

One of the fastest and the most dangerous of the snow and ice sports. Similar to tobbogganing, was developed by Americans sojourning in the Alps and subsequently become popular in the United State. The two man bobsled was definitely the result of an american idea. In principle, the bobsled is composed of a riding surface resting on two small toboggan, like sleds with individual runners. The front toboggan turns on a pivot and the man occupying the front position steers, the brake is applied by the man in the stern.

In Aeuropean countries, the outstanding feature of bobsled courses is a wide, treeless safety zone. The most important course in the United States, located at Lake Placid, N.Y does not have this feature. It was built under the super vision of Stanislaus Zentzytskia, Germany's expert bobsled run engineer forbthe 1932 Winter Olympics. It is called the Mt. Van Hoevenberg run and is operated by New York State. The track is made of glare ice, has twenty-six varried curves, is one and one-half miles in length and has average drop of ten per cent. It is said that only the St. Moritz run in Switzerland is faster. At the Lake Placid run, bobsledding is made available not only ro racers but to any person paying to price of a ride. Auhorities, however, are cleared of liability in case of injury and the river and brakeman who take passemgers on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg run are required to pass rigid test. Two passengers are carried at one time; an average of approximately 2,000 persons annually make this run.

In a four-man bobsled team, the front man or steerer is the skipper the last man or brake man, checks skidding and brings sled to stop, the two middle men furnish ballast and the entire team engages in bobbing on the straightaway. This consists of concerted movements by the whole team; they all lean back slowly, then quickly return to an upright position to gain speed. Top speeds can reach between 60 and 100 mph.

The international governing body for the sport is the Federation Internationale de Bobssleigh et Tobogganning, organized in 1923. The first word championships were held at St. Moritz in 1927. In the United States the Amateur Athletic Union has supervision of the sports.

Bobsledder ussully are heavy men over thirty years of age. At forty two, Curt Stevens of the United States had helped win five A.A.U. titles and the Olympic Champion ship of 1932. In 1946 , Bill Linney introduced the first allsteel bobsled with shocks absorbers. It weighed 507 pounds. Linney and his crew practiced for weeks at Lake Placid. They ran the miles course thirty one times in a week and studied moving pictures of their runs. They also walked the course and literally studied and memorized every bump and curve.