Bobsledding is when two or four bobsledders go down a 1500 meter track made of ice. Bobsledding started in the 1800’s in Switzerland. The bobsledders have very sharp turns, and reach speeds near 135 kilometer per hour (about 85 miles per hour). If the sled turns over and all of the team members remain inside the sled, the race still counts. The four man sleds weigh about 275 Kilograms (605 pounds). The two man sled weighs about 200 kilograms (440 pounds). For beginners (a.k.a. junior bobs) are so much lighter. They weigh 70 kilograms (154 pounds) Combine the riders and the sled is 390 kilograms (858 pounds). The four man is 663 kilograms (1,386 pounds). Bobsledders wear very stretchy speed suits, helmets, goggles, padding, gloves, and spiked shoes.

To be a good bobsledder, you have to focus on 4 factors:

There are two differences between men’s and women’s bobsledding:

The women have only the two person sled.

Another difference is that men have 4 runs over 2 days, and women only have 2 runs on the same day.

When the bobsledders bob their heads up and down, that gave the name to "Bobsled."

These are the people that are in the competition. Todd Hays is from Texas, Steve Mesler is from Buffalo, Steve Holcomb is from Utah, Bill Schuffenhauer is also from Utah.

The women that are competing are Vonetta Flowers (brakeman), Valerie Fleming (brakeman), Shauna Rohbock (pilot), and Jean Prahm.

Bobsled is a very interesting sport. You should watch it in the 2006 Olympics.