The goal of skeleton is to race down the course in the fastest time, which means taking the quickest line down the track without hitting a wall. Athletes sprint from the block wearing shoes with spikes that grip the ice. At about the 164-foot mark, the sliders jump onto the sled, stomach down, with hands at their side. To steer the sled, racers shift the weight of their shoulders and knees, and at times drag a toe.

The top-seeded competitors start first, when the ice conditions are smoothest, and therefore the fastest. For the first heat, men and women are placed into seeded groups of 10 based on their World Cup rankings. A random draw determines the start order within the groups. The start order for the second heat is based on the first heat results, with the top competitors sliding last.

Competitors must cross the finish line in contact with the sled. Heating the sled's runners is prohibited, since it melts the ice on the track and makes the sled travel faster. Officials test the temperature of the sled's runners before each race. Officials weigh the sled and team members after each run to assure that they do not exceed maximum weight limits. The sled may weigh no more than 95 pounds for men and 77 pounds for women. A competitor may add weights to the sled to bring it up to the maximum limit or may be required to reduce the weight of the sled based on the athlete's body weight.

The start can make or break a race, so the athlete must be in the top physical condition for a fast, hard start push. Final times are calculated to 1/100th of a second. The athlete with the lowest aggregate time from two heats is the winner.

For season long training programs, please contact one of the local clubs listed below:

Utah Skeleton and Bobsled Association
Phone: 435-487-9019
Internet: www.utahice.org

National Ability Center
Tel: 435-649-3991
Internet : www.discovernac.org
Email: info@discovernac.org

National Governing Body (NGB)
U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation
Tel: 518-523-1842
Internet: www.usbsf.com

International Federation (IF)
Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobagganing (FIBT)
20137 Milan, Italy
Internet: www.bobsleigh.com or www.fibt.com

The mission of the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, Inc. is to establish and maintain global pre-eminence in all aspects of bobsled and skeleton competition, as defined by sustained Olympic and other elite international medal results by multiple competitors. The Federation desires to foster the broadest possible participation in the sports of bobsled and skeleton, facilitate the improvement and enjoyable participation of all member athletes, and promote the universal ideas of the Olympic Games.