You’ve heard of the skeleton competition, but what exactly is this Winter Olympics event?
Part of what makes the Winter Olympics so much fun is the different and unique events the competition holds. A lot of Summer Olympics sports are familiar to the average American because they’re typically common amongst high school and collegiate athletics.
That’s not the case for Winter Olympics events, like the skeleton. Chances are most people don’t know someone who got a letter jacket in high school for skeleton.
So what exactly is the skeleton?
Basically, it’s a sport where men and women hurl themselves down an icy chute, traveling roughly 80 miles per hour. What makes this sport particularly dangerous and exciting, is the participants ride their sleds chest down and head first.
In 2018, the Alpensia Sliding Centre will host the skeleton.
How do they determine a winner?
The rules are the same for both men and women. Racers will each have four runs over the course of two days. The quickest cumulative time determines the winner in an aggregate scoring system.
With time playing such an integral role in the scoring and medaling of the competition, the Olympics use an electronic timing system.
Next: Best Olympian from each state
Who is on Team USA’s skeleton squad?
Men
- Matt Antoine
- John Daly
Women
- Katie Uhlaender
- Kendall Wesenberg
Antoine won the bronze medal the bronze medal in 2014 in Sochi, and Daly was in contention as well. Uhlaender will be competing in her fourth Olympics but has never medaled.