So You Want to Try Skeleton?
You’re a human missile streaking head first down an icy track, pulling 5 G’s and hitting speeds up to 80 MPH. Your training, your reflexes, and a fiberglass sled are all you have to rely on as you battle the forces of nature. Your body is the steering mechanism. You can hold fast and hope for the best, or you can find a rhythm with the track and let it carry you over the finish line one one-hundredth of a second faster than your competitors.
3 Steps to the Olympics: Daredevils Wanted
USA Bobsled & Skeleton athletes have won 32 medals at the Winter Olympic Games, and dozens more in World Cup and World Championship competitions. Those athletes were hand-picked from a variety of sports backgrounds because their skills, determination, and team-first attitudes could easily transition to the ice.
Step 1: The Combine
The USA Skeleton Combine is designed to test an athlete’s physical capabilities through Timed Sprints, Standing Broad Jump, and Shot Toss. Participants who perform at the highest level will receive invitations to the National Team Rookie Camp where they will take part in more thorough testing and training programs.
Step 2: Rookie Camp
The USA Skeleton Rookie Camp is where prospective athletes will undergo more rigorous testing and receive further training to develop the specialized skills required to earn a place on the USA Skeleton Development Team.
Step 3: Development Camp
Athletes who make it to the USA Skeleton Development Camp will be pushed to their mental and physical limits to see who has what it takes to call themselves an Olympic slider.
