Skeleton sport in Australia
Encyclopedia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
created a female team in the sport of skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
in the hope of winning a medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
. Physiologists Dr David Martin and Dr Angus Ross looked at a list of winter sports. They regarded the women's division of the sport as not currently being strongly competitive, therefore athletes in non-winter sports who possess the traits that would make a good skeleton athlete could win a medal.
Almost 100 athletes from a variety of sports, including athletics and Surf lifesaving sports, were invited to be tested by the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
for their suitability in the sport.
The tests included their ability to sprint over 30 metres, body type and attitude. Training included practicing starts using a skeleton sled with wheels underneath. 35 people were selected for a training camp, and 10 comprised a squad that competed in the sport internationally.
The athletes tested their wind resistance in Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
's wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
to see which body positions would be the most aerodynamic
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...
. The university's aerodynamicist said that the testing enabled the athletes to reduce drag by between five and ten percent.
Five athletes were selected for the shadow team.
- Shaun BoyleShaun BoyleShaun Boyle is an Australian skeleton racer who competed from 2001 to 2006. He finished 22nd in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin....
, born 30 January 1971. The only male athlete in the skeleton shadow team. - Melissa HoarMelissa HoarMelissa Hoar is an Australian skeleton racer who has competed since 2004. Her best Skeleton World Cup finish was fifth at Nagano in January 2006....
, surf lifesaving sportswoman. DalmenyDalmeny, New South WalesDalmeny is a town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately seven kilometres north of Narooma. At the 2006 census, Dalmeny had a population of 1,928 people....
resident. - Bindee Johnston (formerly Bindee Goon Chew), 100m and 200m sprinter. Townsville resident.
- Emma Lincoln-SmithEmma Lincoln-SmithEmma Lincoln-Smith is an Australian skeleton racer who has competed since 2004. Her best Skeleton World Cup finish was seventh twice ....
, surf lifesaving sportswoman. - Michelle SteeleMichelle SteeleMichelle Steele is an Australian skeleton racer who has competed since 2004. She finished 13th in the women's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin....
, surf lifesaving sportswoman. Born 8 March 1986. Bundaberg resident.
Michelle Steele was selected for Australia's women's slot after time trials in Königssee
Königssee
The Königssee is a lake located in the extreme southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the border with Austria...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She came 13th at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Another recruitment drive occurred in mid 2006. Candidates will be assessed on spatial and body awareness, useful in driving a sled, as well as sprinting ability. Ten candidates will attend a training camp, and up to five will join Steele, Lincoln-Smith and Hoar in the national squad.
See also
- Winter sport in AustraliaWinter sport in AustraliaWinter Sports in Australia encompasses a great variety of activities across the continent of Australia, including winter sports played in snow and ice. Climate varies considerably from the tropical North to temperate South in Australia, and sporting practices vary accordingly...
- Australia at the Winter OlympicsAustralia at the Winter OlympicsAustralia first competed in the Winter Olympic Games in 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and has participated in every games since, with the exception of the 1948 Games in St...
- Australia at the 2006 Winter OlympicsAustralia at the 2006 Winter OlympicsAustralia competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The team of 40 athletes was the largest ever for Australia, surpassing the team of 31 that participated at the 1960 Winter Olympics....
- SkeletonSkeleton (sport)Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
- Faisal FaisalFaisal FaisalFaisal Ghazi Faisal is an Iraqi athlete who hoped to represent Iraq in the 2006 Winter Olympics.-Early life and education:Faisal grew up in Baghdad and lived in Wales as a child....
, an IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i skeleton athlete living in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...