Ive been "skeletoning" several times since I got back from my travels... The winter is here and as of November 10th the Skeleton/Bobsled/Luge track at Whistler has been open. Im taking it more seriously this season and am intending to slide at least twice a week throughout the season. Its a lot of driving to and from Whistler but there are a couple of others who I ride share with and Im definitely enjoying it.
Me coming up the finishing ramp
Me in the bottom corner (#16) at about 125Kmh
We have a new coach this year and one of the "tasks" he gave us was to write a detailed account of what a run feels like to us so that he can assess what our current skills are and where we have difficulty/what we are working on... Its really hard for coaches since they can only ever see one corner of the track at a time and we blast through in a second or two (at 120Kmh or so)... Not a lot of time to see whats happening!
Anyway, I thought Id share with you my description of "a Good run"
...
Im in the
athlete’s waiting room at the mens luge start. Its between turns 2 and 3 of the
16 turn track…not quite the top of the track but Im sure Ill get there soon
enough. Im fully dressed in my sliding gear with my track spikes on, a lycra
speed suit, gloves, and my streamlined helmet hanging on the wall… waiting…
It’s a few minutes before its my turn on the ice. There are a couple of other
athletes in the room but I don’t really have anything to say to them and for
the most part I just want to be in my own space… Lots of athletes use this time
to “visualize” their coming run, but I don’t really go in for that much and I
prefer to just walk quietly around the room. I do try to think through what Im
going to do on this run with specifically what Im going to do that I try to
always do and also what Im going to do that’s different this time to try to get
a better run. I go over my intentions a few times but I don’t really visualize
it per se.
Anyway,
the tower calls the slider who is up before me to the ice and about a minute
after that I collect my helmet and head outside to the track as well… There are
less people there and I like the feel of the cold air for a couple of minutes before
my run. The other slider is just starting down the track now so I go get my
sled and walk it to the edge of the track. We (me and the track crew guy who
will “release” me to slide) wait the minute or so till the previous slider has
finished their run and the tower calls my name to come to the track. I walk out
onto the track and lay the sled down. The track guy sticks his boot in front of
one of the sled runners and I stand behind the sled and wait a few seconds more
with one more mental run through of the main personal intention for this run…
like maybe “hold up for a moment at the end of 6 so I can drive hard across
into 7” or some such). The tower announces “one minute to start” and I pull my
helmet down on my head, sinch up the strap, check the alignment of the sled and
then lower myself down onto the sled in a face forward prone position… I feel
the cold of the ice on my face through the visor just a couple of cm away. I
feel for my correct position on the sled and inch forward or back just a bit to
get it just right. Then I set my heels together and point my toes while tucking
my shoulders slightly together and pull my elbows into my sides and firmly grip
the hand holds… I stay looking down at the ice rather than forward down the
track for the moment. I wait till the track guy asks if Im ready and I nod and
start craning my neck so I can see along the track ahead… The track guy pulls
his boot away and tells the tower over his radio that the “skeleton is in
track”…
And we’re
off… very slowly the sled starts to move forward toward the first turn… It’s a
very gentle turn and with such low speed I can do little to steer other than
drag one or other toe to try to direct my sled to one or other side a bit… I
want a good line here because if it’s a bad line the sled will skid and skitter
for a while till gravity gets it in the right line and that slows the run time
down a lot. I drag my left toe just enough and the sled takes a good line into
three and the white track walls slide past smoothly as I gain a little speed
through three and then out into a short straight section before a sharper right
into four and Im starting to move along now, into four there is still not much
I can do to control things but there is little need to anyway… My only concern
is to be not skidding. Im running good so I simply self check and make sure my
heels are together and my arms are in and Im hanging on… firmly but not too
tight… I want to stay flexible rather than rigid. Coming out of four Im now at
a speed that I can start to do a little and I give my neck a twist to the left
to get ready for the coming twists… The line is now starting to matter and I
want to be on the right side (early) but my line is good and I wait till the
sled starts climbing the ice at the start of five and then I sort of mentally
pull myself through the corner, driving gently down with my right shoulder
while I crane my neck a little to the left to try to see around the corner.
Five is
short and gentle and as I come out of five I let off the shoulder pressure and
Im moving pretty quick and the tendency is for me to want to raise my chest of
the sled as I approach six. I mentally resist the urge and push my shoulders
back down and again start mentally pulling myself through the corner and
twisting my head to the left and craning to look up in the direction of the
track as hard as I can. There is the rush of air and the sound of the runners
is now significant as I feel the G forces push firmly on me for the first time…
Six is longer and stronger than five and the exit is important to get over into
seven. For the couple of seconds that Im in six Im again driving the sled with
my right shoulder pushing more firmly on the sled than my left… Im feeling the
gravity and seeing the white walls scudding buy and Im watching hard to see
when Im getting toward the end of the corner and a bit before I see the exit I
reverse my shoulder pressure to try to hold the sled up on the side wall just a
bit longer than it wants to be there, and then as soon as I see the exit I swap
the pressure again and drive my right shoulder down hard… Im out of position
here with my left shoulder up off the sled by a couple of cm cos I really want
to get as far to the left as I can going into 7. The short straight between six
and seven flashes past and I see someone standing there on the right at the
corner seven start ramp but I have no idea who it is and I don’t care because
Im totally focused on seeing my line and how early I am going to get into 7…
This run is good and Im over early and as soon as I start into seven and before
I feel the Gs, Ive swapped shoulder pressure again as hard as I can to steer
back right into seven. Seven is long and
firm and for me has two or even three “swoops”… I feel the Gs build somewhat
and as they peak I ease up on the left shoulder and go neautral as the sled is
up on the wall and I just want it to stay more or less there.. But the sled
fades down a bit before climbing again and the Gs come on a bit more again and
I drive with the left shoulder again... and I hold it all the way through now
till Im out into the long and not quite straight eight. Ideally I would not
touch the walls here but the risk is that I will come into nine late and that’s
hard to fix so my intent is to have a gentle hit on the left wall to reflect me
into a good line for an early entry to nine… I hit the wall and hear the grind
of the ice and know that cost me speed and also upset the sled… Im
instinctively tempted to drag a toe to straighten out the sled after the hit
but this time the reflection is pretty smooth and the sled line is on target
for an early nine so I just focus for the moment on getting my limbs all back
into form with shoulders down and heels together.
Speed is
good now and nine is a solid left that gives me a good push down into the
track. I resist the push but try not to let my shoulders come up. Im not really
driving in this one but as I come out of the turn Im craning to look ahead into
ten which is another left that’s stronger because of my extra speed. The short
straight flashes past and Im into ten and Im concentrating again just like in
six … Im driving around ten with some right shoulder pressure and my mental
“pull” but toward the end of the turn I ease up to try to let the sled hang on
the wall a little and as soon as I see the exit Im driving as hard as I can
with the opposite shoulder to again try to get over to the other side of the
track to get into eleven early… I vaguely note the closed barriers of the
corner eleven entry point as it flashes past but there is no one there watching
this time. Again I seem to have a good line on this one and as soon as I start
into eleven I start driving to the right with my left shoulder. The Gs are
pretty strong now and I try to ease off on the drive as the Gs peak and I wait through
the long dip in the middle before the Gs build up more again toward the end… I
drive with the left shoulder again and I also drop my right toe and let it drag
for the last pressure hump of eleven. Then its out of eleven and as the Gs
abate I lift the toe and get back in form. I see twelve racing toward me at the
end of the short straight and there is no time to do much of anything other
than to remember that I want an early entry … if not then Ill get a strong hit
on the left wall on the other side but again it’s a pretty good line and the
short straight flashes past and Im into the sharp left of twelve. Again the Gs
push me down and Im struggling to see ahead but I need to so I can time my left
foot dab… I only manage to remember to do this about 50% of the time coss
things are happening so quickly, but this time I get it right and I hold the
left foot down for a few tenths of a second as I exit twelve and I enjoy a good
clean exit with no wall hit to unsettle my position or the sled line and Im heading
smoothly into the gentle right of thirteen on a great line… With a good line
through seven, and eleven and no hit out of twelve Im really moving fast now
and things now just come at me and Im largely along for the ride!... I see the
entry of fourteen (strong left) rushing up and Im hoping for an early entry… It
looks OK and I brace myself firmly, holding on with my arms and resist the
surge of Gs in the corner.. I am no longer pulling myself through the corners
and Im “driving” by instinct, letting the turn hold down the right shoulder
while I resist with the left and Im looking straight down at the ice rather
than ahead as the forces try to squish me into the wall… This is a fast run and
I literally let out a short loud groan/grunt as I flash through the pressure
point and out into the short straight. Im having to hang on quite firmly here
as the sled rolls suddenly back to horizontal and then Ive got just a moment to
look forward again and brace myself for fifteen which is a mirror image of
fourteen… Again I am wrenched around as the sled rolls onto the wall and again
Im crushed into the sled… another grunt and Im through the pressure and the
sled wrenches my body around to flat again while gravity seems to disappear for
a moment and I try to get my bearings… It’s the final corner now and moments
later I feel the crushing Gs of the first swoop of sixteen. I know I need to
drive here so while Im desperately trying not to get my face forced into the
ice, Im pushing down hard with my left shoulder and trying not to let the Gs
push in on my right while I am again shouting a long arrrrrgh through clenched
teeth.. then the Gs reduce as the sled comes down off the wall a bit as the
colours of the painted “Whistler” in the track ice flash past and I try to stop
driving right but in truth Im always late letting the steering pressure off…
But no time to worry about that now as I feel the second pressure build . I can
barely see anything and the world is flashing past at ludicrous speed. Im
shouting again and resisting the Gs with all my strength but I know I have to
steer here so I drag the right foot till I feel the pressure reducing again and
I struggle to get my head into a position where I can see the exit… I lift my
foot again before the turn ends and Im flashing out of the corner and into the
straight and up the exit ramp. I dabbed that foot just enough and my line is
pretty central in the exit run. Im over the red finish line now with speed
reducing fast and then out from under the roof and into the open. I can see the
track crew and first aid people beside the track as I slide up the finish ramp
toward the dock. I know I did a fast run because my speed is holding and Im
going to go high …I let go of the sled and raise my shoulders and get ready to get
off. As the sled comes to a stop a couple meters below the crest, I get up and
push it over the crest and onto the flat. Then I stand it up and undo my chin
strap and push my helmet up off my face, wearing it as a hat and I man-handle
my 25Kg sled out of the track and rest it on a rack to wait for my next ride to
the top. I head into the warmth of the
waiting room with a smile on my face… A good run.
... and all that took about 1 minute!, and I get to do that a maximum of three times in an evening for which I have driven about two hours up from Vancouver and will have to drive two more hours back down after the session!...
Yeah, I know, Im crazy :)
