This sport was known in the distant sixteenth century. First the skeleton which was called the toboggan underwent long evolution and in the 1928th year was presented under the modern name at the II winter Olympic Games in the Swiss Saint-Moritz.
History of this sport is very interesting. But also also its features as it is fascinating and individual in everything are interesting. This sport belongs to the most dangerous types. Despite short existence of this sport, many eminent athletes laid down on it life.
The skeleton is the sport which essence consists in driving of the athlete on the ice trench on sledge, lying on the stomach: the athlete lays down on sledge the head forward and slides down, from the mountain, and then there is the racing process – to hills, biases, deadly turns. Taxing happens to the help of special spikes on boots.
Rules of the game are very simple – to come to the finish the first. Today, there are two skeletons. The first skeleton – local, carried out only in the territory of one of the countries, and is the second Olympic.
At competitions various rules thanks to which it is possible to avoid various injury-causing situations were introduced. So, weight categories both for men, and for women were defined. For women the maximum weight category is ninety kilograms, for men – hundred fifteen. Besides, various parameters of the distance, speed of sledge and many other things were determined.
This sport develops physical qualities of the person, his mind, speed of reaction to change of the situation. Physically the person strengthens the body thanks to which can regulate the distance on the track. Intellectually the person develops endurance which helps it to endure the hardships of high speed, fearlessness because not each person will take out flight at such speeds and will show the necessary speed of reaction to change of the surrounding situation because slopes quickly are replaced by falling, and the person in these severe conditions needs to maneuver quickly not to die.
This sport attracts interest of many athletes, different ranks. But not everyone risks it to be engaged. Because this sport conceals in itself the set of dangers and difficulties through which the athlete is obliged to pass and leave to the finish the first.