Articulation - The joint connecting the front section of a bobsled to the rear section.


Belly - The bottom section of a curve.
Block - A piece of wood at the start line on which the brakeman places his feet in order to get a better start.
Bobsled - A large sled made up of two sections linked together. The frame is made of metal, the shell of fiberglass or similar material. There are two sizes, two-man and four-man.
Brakeman - The person in the last seat of a sled, who applies the brakes when a run has ended. Braking straight or braking stretch A long, straight section of the track, after the finish line, where the brakes are applied to slow the sled.
Bumpers - Fins on the front and back of a sled; they're used by crew members when they're loading.


Cowling - The covering over the front part of the sled.
Crew - The three sliders who sit behind the driver in a four-man bobsled.


D-rings - Handles used to steer the sled; so named from their shape.
Descent - A trip down a bobsled track.
DNF - Abbreviation for "Did Not Finish," usually because of a crash.
DNS - Abbreviation for "Did Not Start."
Down Time - The length of time it takes for a run.
DQ - Abbreviation for "DisQualified," usually because of a rules violation such as carrying too much weight, using heated runners, or entering a sled that doesn't meet specifications.
Driver - The front person in the bobsled, who's responsible for steering. The essential job of the driver is to maintain the straightest possible line down the course by minimizing rocking and skidding in the curves.


Finish curve - The last curve before the finish line.


Gouge - A large scratch on a runner.
Grooves - Guide channels cut into the ice at the starting area, allowing a sled to follow a straight line during the process of pushing and loading.


Handles - Bars at the back of a two-man sled that the brakeman pushes on to get it started on the descent.


Interval Time - The time taken to traverse a specific section of the track.


Kriesel - A corner that contains 270 or more degrees of an arc; from the German for "circle."


Labyrinth - A series of quick, short left and right curves.
Loading - The process of getting the driver and crew or brakeman into the sled.


Number 2 - The person who sits immediately behind the driver in a four-man bobsled.
Number 3 - The person who sits behind Number 2 and in front of the brakeman in a four-man bobsled.


Omega - A corner that contains between 180 and 270 degrees of an arc.


Push bars - Bars on each side of a four-man sled that are gripped by driver and crew during the push start.
Push Time - The amount of time required to push a sled over the first 50 meters of a run.
Push track - A track where teams can practice pushing the sled.


Roof - The top part of a curve, where ice overhangs the run.
Run - Same as descent.
Runners - Essentially four ice skates, forged of steel, on which a bobsled rides.
Runner Carrier - A device on the bottom of the sled that holds a runner.
Runner Gauge - An implement used by officials to measure the thickness of a sled's runners. If a runner is too thin, the sled is disqualified.


Sanding - A very important step in preparing a sled for a run, which can take as much as three hours. On a four-man bobsled, each member of the crew is responsible for sanding one of the runners.
Scabbards - Guards of wood or metal that are used to protect the runners while the sled is being transported.
Shades - Canvas covers that protect a track from the sun and debris between races.
Slider - An athlete who takes part in bobsled, luge, or skeleton sledding, which are collectively known as "sliding sports."
Speed Suit - A skin-tight rubber suit worn by a slider to improve aerodynamics and minimize wind resistance.
Start Shoes - Shoes, similar to a track sprinter's spikes, worn by the crew to give traction on the ice while pushing.


Transition - An area of a track where it goes from a straight into a curve.
Travel runners - Temporary runners that are put on a sled so it can be transported from storage to the track.