The Inter Service Ice Championships were held in Austria this year on the 1st – 12th March, 2013. Communication Specialists were one again proud providers of Motorola Radios for hire to support this fantastic event. The Army Winter Sports Association was formed in 1947, at the behest of Field Marshal Montgomery “Monty” who wished to break the routine training and operations in the immediate post-wat years, whilst developing military and technical skills on snow and ice. The cost-effective benefit to the taxpayer is that soldiers are tested on leadership and management skills. Physical fitness is a must, team spirit is formed whilst real courage, endurance, and “guts” are needed in all winter sports.
The Ice Championships are compromised of three sports; Bobsleigh, Skeleton and the Luge. Both the Bobsleigh and Skeleton have 4 runs and the Luge 2 runs, however, the Bobsleigh split their runs into 2 runs twice a day.
Bobsleigh
A winter sport in which two teams of two or four make timed runs down a narrow, twisting, banked, iced track, tucked into a sleigh which is gravity powered. The Bobsleigh has been represented in all the British Olympic Teams since 1972 and is the only winter sport in which the Army has won Olympic medals. Bobsleigh is reputed to have been started by two Englishmen in St Moritz, with local farrier Christian Mathis, producing the first Bobsled in 1890. Bobsleigh has been part of the official programme since the First Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix, with the four-man and two-man events being added in 1932.
Skeleton
A fast winter sliding sport where an individual rides a small sled down a frozen track while laying face down, athletes experience forces up to 5g! Skeleton is one of the tree bob track events and is the fastest growing of all the bob sports. The sport was successfully re-introduced to the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City after a 54 year absence. It was last held on the Cresta Run in 1948. From a stand still at the track top, the athlete sprints over 20 to 30 metres, accelerating the sled before diving aboard. The athlete continues to accelerate under gravity, aiming to adopt the most energy efficient line possible while negotiating approximately fifteen curves.
Luge
Is a small one or two person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled’s runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sled weighs 21-25 kgs for singles and 25-30 kgs for doubles. Luge is the fastest and most dangerous. Lugers can reach speeds of 140 km per hour. The four luge disciplines are: Men’s singles, Men’s doubles, Women’s singles and Team Relay.
