Bobsledding: Think you have what it takes? It’s no easy task
Bobsled Canada has been holding recruitment camps across the country looking for athletes with explosive power, strength and speed (plus a few harder-to-quantify qualities) to become the next great Canadian bobsled brakemen.
The final testing camp, which includes a 30-metre sprint, standing long jump and weighted throw, will be held Sunday at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.
Here’s a look at what it takes to push a bobsled:
SPEED
A bobsled has no engine, its maximum speed down the ice track is determined entirely by the 30-metre push-start. The faster the athletes, generally, the faster the bobsled will be. Seemingly tiny differences really add up with 1/100th of a second advantage at the top of the run adding up to 3/100th by the bottom.
STRENGTH
It’s not enough just to be fast, brakemen must also be strong so they can still be fast while pushing a heavy sled. A women’s two-man sled weighs a minimum of 165 kg and a men’s four-man weighs at least 210 kg. Getting those sleds moving as fast as possible requires brakemen with explosive power.
SIZE
This isn’t a sport for the petite. The ideal candidates for the national team (there are lesser requirements for development level, provincial and recreational athletes) stands about five-foot-eight tall for women, weighing over 160 lbs and around six feet for men, weighing up to 240 lbs.
TOUGHNESS
With speeds topping 125 km/h and the kind of G-forces that can blur vision, bobsleds are often compared to roller coasters. But there’s no padding or safety harnesses so it’s a much rougher and dangerous ride. “If you can take a hit in football you can take a drive in a bobsleigh,” says Esther Dalle, overseeing the Ontario recruitment camps.
TEAM MENTALITY
Bobsled is a team sport — on and off the track. Off the track, the pilots and brakemen work together to haul around the equipment, maintain and prepare the sleds, travel for months at a time in Europe and share hotel rooms.
PATIENCE
Learning the technique of pushing a bobsled to its maximum speed takes time. “It takes a lot to get it moving but when it moves it feels like it’s pulling you downhill and everyone panics and jumps in,” says two-time Olympic gold medallist Kaillie Humphries. “They say it takes three years to become a really good brakeman.”