Every winter Olympic sport ranked by how frequently your uncle thinks ‘I could do that’

10. Bobsleigh

Bobsleigh is one of the most misunderstood sports throughout the entirety of the Olympics, despite being one of the most popular (even though there are only three events). While it may look simple on the surface, there is a lot of strategy and athleticism involved in bobsleigh. To begin, the pilot and his or her crew push their sleigh for 50m (160 feet) before hopping into the sleigh. Although sleighs are extremely lightweight, they can reach up to 12-foot-6 inches long for four people and 8.9 feet for two.

From there, each individual has their own role. The first one into the sleigh is the pilot. The pilot guides the sleigh using two rings to steer the sleigh left and right using precision and planning to gain maximum velocity. In two man or woman bobsledding, the second person has control of the brakes. The brake lever is pulled at the conclusion of the race. In four men bobsledding, the last man into the sleigh takes control of the brakes.

Bobsledding is also incredibly dangerous. Dozens have passed away in training or qualifying bobsledding runs. Therefore, your uncle may want to think twice before boasting about being able to bobsled. It’s important to note bobsledding is not as easy as getting in a car and racing or running a race, it’s vastly different. Luckily, a lot of people understand that. Therefore, the phrase ‘I could do that’ isn’t muttered as often as other competitions in the Winter Olympics. But there’s always the occasional uncle out there who likes to stretch his lies and fib about his athletic ability.