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What's your style?
Skeleton athlete Chris Soule, 28, is training for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Soule, who won the first round of U.S. national team selection races back in October, is a two-time national champion (1997, 2000) and finished second on the 2000 World Cup circuit. The 6-foot native of Trumbull, Conn., spent time as a stunt player on the film G.I. Jane and currently works as a research assistant. Check out Soule's diary on CNNSI.com as he trains for the Olympics. August 21, 2001 In this month's diary, I am going to try to give you a taste of what some of the different tracks that we compete on are like. Each track has its own style and each has a different length with different types of curves, combinations of curves and a different vertical pitch of each portion of the track. Some tracks are similar, but each has its own signature curves or portions of the track that distinguishes it from the others. There are basically two main categories of tracks: driver's tracks and technical tracks. Most tracks we race on now have been designed to contain a bit of each style in them.
During a World Cup season, competitors receive points according to how they finish in each race. These points are added up to determine overall placing throughout the season. The racers that are able to adjust and slide well on all types of tracks usually rank higher than those who are better on only one track or type of track. In the 2000 season, I had two podium finishes, a fourth-place finish and a low finish of ninth place. I was able to finish second in the World Cup overall standings because I was consistently at the top of the field at every track.
Driver's TrackIt takes more driving to get down this type of track, and at times aggressive steering is necessary to get the right line through the curve or combination of curves. The new track in Lake Placid, N.Y., is considered a driver's track. It starts out with some longer straightaways that lead into a group of curves that take a lot of driving to get through. Some people find it daunting, though I think it is really fun to have sets of curves that make you think at all times. It keeps you on your toes. One of my favorite tracks, which is considered a driver's track, is in Konigsee, Germany. There is a set of swooping curves that switch back and forth, a section that is a bent straightaway or dog leg, some tight combinations and a lot of little tricky things that make the track very interesting and fun to go down. There is also a 360-degree curve called a kreisel, which is on a lot of tracks and is usually one of the parts of most tracks that have to be done just right to have a fast down time. You are held on the vertical kreisel wall by G-force for about four seconds. There are two sliding tracks in St. Moritz, one for skeleton, bobsled and luge, and another for the sport of cresta (the original sliding sport). Cresta was introduced into the Olympics in 1928 and 1948 and is practically the same thing as skeleton except that the sled is built differently and the sliders use shoes that have rakes on the tips to help steer the sled around the curves. The track is similar, but has no lips on the top of the curves to keep the sliders from coming out of the track. While I was in St. Moritz for the 1998 Skeleton World Championships, I spent some time watching the sliders at the infamous Shuttlecock curve to see if any of them would launch themselves out of the track while racing. The track that skeleton sliders race on is the only natural track in the world and runs from the top of the hill in St. Moritz down into the town of Celerina. It is built each year by placing ice blocks right into the mountain, icing them over then shaping and smoothing out the curves and straightaways. All of the other tracks that we race on have refrigeration to keep the track frozen throughout the winter months. The track at St. Moritz is one the most unique tracks I have ever slid on. As you are building up speed at the top of the track, it is fairly technical. But as you pick up momentum, the curves begin to get bigger and the driving has to get a little more aggressive. There are two parts of the track that go through the woods, a high G-force, 180-degree curve that will tend to pull your face down into the ice and a curve that, basically drops off, essentially creating negative G's. The speeds on this track are as fast as any in the world. Altenberg, Germany, is considered the rough track on the tour. A lot of beginners get on this track and, due to a lack of experience, end up flipping over at the exit of the Kreisel. There is usually no harm done, but is entertaining to see these beginners on video sliding down the hill on their backs. The rest of the track is pretty active and is one of the tracks that you have to be on your toes at all times to minimize mistakes tat may cause you to bump off of walls or even flip over. The track in Lillehammer, Norway, is one of the more aggressive tracks that we race on and is in one of the coldest places that we go to. There are a couple of curves on the track that have such great G-forces it is near impossible for most sliders to hold their heads off the ice while going through them. The long track in La Plagne, France, has two curves that are like that as well. This is one of the parts of racing that you have to practice and get used to because you are unable to see anything other than the white ice in front of you as you try to steer through the curve. I haven't actually been on the track in Cortina, Italy, but have heard some horror stories about what it use to do to skeleton sliders. We really aren't allowed on it anymore because of the aggressiveness of the track. A good number of bobsledders rent sleds when they get to this track because of the damage that it does from hitting the walls. It is one of the oldest tracks that is still somewhat active.
Technical TrackSome people call technical tracks "glider's tracks," meaning you line up the curves and then let the sled glide until you have to steer the sled again. Timing and the amount of pressure that you use to steer the sled are very important with these tracks. Subtle movements and very precise timing is key to having fast down times on the track. Park City is considered a technical track. A lot of sliders don't find it as thrilling as some of the driver's tracks, but I find it challenging because it is not aggressive and is easier to make mistakes on. It has the highest average speed of any track in the world and is pitched to make the slider quickly pick up speed as soon as he's in on the sled. Technical tracks tend to have finish times close together, which make the races pretty thrilling. A lot of races on the track in Park City last year ended up being decided by .01 of a second. The track in Winterberg, Germany. is the ultimate glider's track. Some sliders find it boring, but I think that there are some very interesting parts of the track, especially the bottom portion, which picks up speed and shoots through a quick combination of curves called a labyrinth. The track in Igls, Austria, is on a mountain just above Innsbruck and is one of the first places that people used to slide. Remnants of the old track that competitors used to race lines the side of the road that leads to the start of the new track. The push plays a key role in the down time of this track. The pitch is not very steep on the top half of the track, which makes it more difficult for competitors who start out at a slower speed to pick up speed. There is a kreisel and a labyrinth in this track. Nagano, Japan was the site for the 1998 Olympics. It is a very fun track to go down and is always a great place to go to. The spectators always come out in large numbers to see the skeleton sliders whip through some of the long swooping curves of this track. It is very similar to a couple of the other technical tracks, but has a few parts of the track that are unlike any other track. There are uphill portions of the track and a couple of curves that will crush you on the exit if not done correctly. Calgary can be considered one of the more technical tracks that we race on. In recent years it has held some of the most exciting and competitive races on the circuit. We held world championships on the track last year and have a World Cup race on it just about every year. It has turned out some of the best sliders in the world, including my coach, Ryan Davenport. All of the tracks are fun, and I feel very fortunate to be able to compete on them with the best in the world. If you ever have the chance to slide on a skeleton, jump into a bobsled or get on a luge for a trip down one of these tracks, it would explain better what it is like to cruise down an ice chute at speeds faster than the local speed limit. -- Christopher Soule
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