• Cottonshirt
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/14/2018 11:46PM - in reply to wejo
      • Cottonshirt
        registered
      • olympic decathlete and British record holder Peter Gabbett once did that Bobsled thing, but I don't know if that's an olympic sport so does that count.

        cheers.
    • one anecdote
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 12:11AM - in reply to Cottonshirt
      • one anecdote
      • I did the bobsled and skeleton combine for the hell of it when I was an OK but not very good sprinter (11.9-12.1 range for an FAT 100). I scored ~70 points (out of 100) for the sprint events, which I thought was surprisingly high. Also, those times would have maxed out the womens' test.
    • Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 12:32AM - in reply to one anecdote
      • Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf
        registered
      • one anecdote wrote:

        I did the bobsled and skeleton combine for the hell of it when I was an OK but not very good sprinter (11.9-12.1 range for an FAT 100). I scored ~70 points (out of 100) for the sprint events, which I thought was surprisingly high. Also, those times would have maxed out the womens' test.

        Same here, mid 70s to mid 80s on all 5 scores despite being a mid distance runner (11.4 fat 100). My wife went too (I really just went because she was going). She was a mid level d1 sprinter in college but got max score on 3 of 5 scores and high 90s on 2 of them. She chose not to go to the next level

        The reason that so many possible "olympic level" pushers choose not to pursue it is because they force you to train for months with them prior to the actual seasom and put strong pressure on you to hire their coach as your speed and power coach.

        If they allowed you to do your own off season training and only show up for the actual skills practices, USA bobsled would dominate. Instead politics and hegemony has kept the program struggling to attract the best talent.

        My wife beat people in the combine who are in this olympics. Imagine what kinds of numbers actual top level sprinters a whole second faster than my wife could put up in the bobsled combine.
    • ho_diggity
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 4:46AM - in reply to wejo
      • ho_diggity
        registered
      • As a former HS teammate of Simi, it has been awesome to see her accomplish her Olympic Dream after falling 8” short in the 2008 triple jump.

        I know that her initial interest was in joining the Nigerian bobsled team. She was familiar with the stories of Lolo Jones and Lauryn Williams. She only pursued skeleton when she found out the the bobsled team was full.

        She has said that the skills were very transferable but I can imagine that it is not as natural as the push start of a bobsled. The posture and drive phase of bobsled is more similar to sprinting than the bent over stride used in skeleton.

        Also, being a one person event the skeleton requires the pusher to also be the driver. In the bobsled (it seems) you just push hard and then keep your head down for the ride!

        That said, great athletes are great athletes. If you are fast and powerful it seems that the transition is very possible.
    • AJ2000
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 8:34AM - in reply to wejo
      • AJ2000
        registered
      • Well 9.96 UK Sprinter Joel Fearon is there doing the Bobsled!!!!!

        That's one hell of a fast brake man!!
    • ArthurNotInMyYard
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 9:08AM - in reply to wejo
      • ArthurNotInMyYard
      • The Ghanian/Dutch sprinter Akwasi Frimpong is representing Ghana in Skeleton at PyeongChang.
    • pussies galore
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 9:18AM - in reply to ArthurNotInMyYard
      • pussies galore
      • Because it is well known that sprinters and track athletes in general have trouble training outside in the winter never mind competing.

        They all claim that the cold completely prevents speed training altogether so how the heck are they supposed to sprint on ice?
    • coach
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 9:31AM - in reply to wejo
      • coach
        registered
      • Last month, NBC had a show about talent identification and being selected to under represented olympic teams. Luge, skeleton, bobsledding, rugby and a few other olympic committee heads watched as athletes were given a series of sprint, jump, body type and other tests. Some were then invited to train for these olympic sports. Former NYS star Kyle Plante, who I remember well, was chosen for the bobsled and other athletes who I dont remember were chosen for these other sports. How many sprinters really want to devote their life, even if it's for just a year in their life, for a sport they never cared about.
    • Exhausted
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 11:50AM - in reply to wejo
      • Exhausted
        registered
      • DIII Plattsburgh State University has 3 former track athletes at the Olympics in Skeleton.

        The most successful track athlete being John Daly who I believe was an All American decathlete during his time there.
    • J. Nicklaus
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 12:35PM - in reply to Exhausted
      • J. Nicklaus
      • Exhausted wrote:

        DIII Plattsburgh State University has 3 former track athletes at the Olympics in Skeleton.

        The most successful track athlete being John Daly who I believe was an All American decathlete during his time there.

        Holy crap...he was a decathlete?!?! He's really put on the pounds since college then...

        http://www.golfchannel.com/sit..._cream.jpg
    • who wants to be a skeleton'aire
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 5:32PM - in reply to wejo
      • who wants to be a skeleton'aire
      • Can't imagine that its too lucrative of a sport to get into. Maybe you manage to make an olympic team? But what does that even accomplish? Seems to require a move to a location where they have facilities. Does anyone know of places where they have facilities besides Lake Placid?
    • SarChoSuChuSSsss
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 5:37PM - in reply to Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf
      • SarChoSuChuSSsss
      • Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf wrote: My wife beat people in the combine who are in this olympics. Imagine what kinds of numbers actual top level sprinters a whole second faster than my wife could put up in the bobsled combine.

        oooOOOOHhh!! Wifey is strong..and faSSSt!! HoTT!! Is she black?? Anyway she needs to meetTiberiuSS.... I want to know more.....
    • Beautiful Day
    • pop_pop!_v2.2.1
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 7:00PM - in reply to Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf
      • pop_pop!_v2.2.1
      • Sdfsdfsdfsdfsdfsdf wrote:

        Instead politics and hegemony has kept the program struggling to attract the best talent.
        .

        Yes, but, they attract money by strongly suggesting you hire their coach. The federation gets money from both sides. Money is the whole point.
    • Luv2Run
      registered
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/15/2018 10:43PM - in reply to wejo
      • Luv2Run
        registered
      • Apparently the South Korean skeleton athlete was a track guy who got injured and switched to skeleton.

        Gold medal...turned out ok for him
    • sillyman
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/16/2018 7:34AM - in reply to Luv2Run
      • sillyman
      • A kid I coached a decade ago, post his college career, got an invitation to try out in Lake Placid. He spent a couple of seasons trying to crack it. He was a LJer sprinter.

        Skeleton was new, and head first. :-)_
    • 40 WaysToSlide
      • RE: Why don't any track and field stars do skeleton? 2/16/2018 7:59AM - in reply to wejo
      • 40 WaysToSlide
      • wejo wrote:

        Skeleton seems like the one sport where sprint speed would really make a difference. Or does the initial running speed not make too much of a difference. Have any prominent tracksters tried the sport?

        I found this story on a Nigerian luger at this year's Olympics who was a former track star but I assume she's not very good at skeleton as she had never done it until last year:
        https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/olympics/2018/01/30/winter-olympics-simidele-adeagbo-nigeria-skeleton-track-uk-kentucky/1057940001/

        Some tracksters could compete, but most are too uncoordinated to do anything except straight ahead running. ....Skeleton would take both upper body strength and balance, both qualities that would eliminate distance runners from contention.