Amy Williams College Essay

The first thing that comes to the mind of most people when they hear the word ‘skeleton’ is a human skeleton။maybe a plastic one they have tucked away for next year’s Halloween. Plenty of people don’t even know that skeleton is a sport, much less that it’s an Olympic event. Skeleton is relatively simple in theory and regulations; however, plunging down a slippery track of ice at upwards of 80 miles per hour can appear as less than simple. The sport has history in Switzerland, and has only been in the Games a few times. Despite this fact, it has still produced many great athletes. Though it may seem that a dangerous sport would have complicated rules, the opposite is true for skeleton. Skeleton has a very straightforward set of rules. There
is a weight requirement for the athletes, their gear, and their sleds. For women, the combined weight of everything must be below about 203 pounds. The sled alone cannot weigh more than 77 pounds. For men, the combined weight is required to be under about 254 pounds. Their sleds are not allowed to weigh over 95 pounds (“Skeleton”). Sledders’ gear include a skintight suit and a helmet with a chin guard (“A Rookie’s Guide to Skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics”). Another rule is that the athletes cannot leave their sleds between the start and finish။that is, if they want the run to count toward their total time. The sledders get two full days to complete four runs on the track. They do two runs a day, and when they are done, the runs get added up. The athlete with the lowest overall time wins the gold (“Skeleton 101: Rules”). Of course, straying from these rules would result in the disqualification of the athlete in question. The rules are simple, but in reality skeleton is one of the most dangerous sports in the Olympics. In fact, the sport was deemed so dangerous that after appearing in the Olympics in 1928 and 1948, it did not make it back into the games until 2002. The sport was first introduced in St. Moritz, which is a town in Switzerland. In the late 1800s, tourists had the idea to slide headfirst down a track of ice called the Cresta Run. Soon after, it became practiced as a sport. In 1928 when the Olympics were held in St. Moritz, skeleton was added as an event and took place on the Cresta Run. Between then and 2002, skeleton was only an Olympic event once: the 1948 Winter Games, which were again held in St. Moritz. After 1948, it was decided that the sport would be revoked; it was viewed as too great of a risk for the athletes. However, 54 years later it was brought back into the Games. In 2002, skeleton was an event in the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics (“Skeleton”). Amy Williams, a skeleton athlete, decided to compete in the Olympic event to represent her country. Amy Williams was the first woman in an individual event to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics for Great Britain since 1952.
She took home the gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 for her outstanding performance in skeleton. Williams was first introduced to the sport when she was 19. She was provided the opportunity by her university and she took full advantage. Amy was a very quick learner, and became rapidly involved with the sport. She made it her goal to represent her country by competing in the Olympics. However, the athlete didn’t make the cut for the 2006 Olympics where Shelley Rudman, a skeleton athlete from Britain, won silver. For the next four years, she worked tirelessly to achieve her goal of securing honor for her country. In 2010 at the Vancouver Olympics, all of her hard work paid off. She set a track record for two of her four runs, and she won the gold a comfortable distance ahead of her competitors. In succeeding with her goal, she was awarded an MBE။ a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She carried the torch in May of 2012 for the institution of the London Olympics, and she is a British Olympic Association Ambassador. She retired within the same month (“British Winter Sports Legend”). Amy Williams is an amazing athlete who was able to compete in an exhilarating
sport. Skeleton being so dangerous is part of what makes it so appealing.
It’s a simple but genius sport။it’s pretty much hardcore sledding, which is a very popular pastime for kids and adults alike. It is easy to learn the rules, but it takes skill to pull off the sport. Since skeleton has been an Olympic event only 5 consecutive times, it is relatively new and could become a very popular event. Amy Williams is just one of many great athletes that compete in the sport and have realized its potential. She is also one of many that have succeeded in representing their country in the Olympics. Skeleton is a very interesting sport, so hopefully athletes will continue to compete in order to keep the event
alive.
Works Cited

“British Winter Sports Legend.” International Olympic Committee, 9 Jan. 2017, 31 Jan.
2018, www.olympic.org/amy-williams.

Gartland, Dan. “A Rookie's Guide to Skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics.” SI.com, 6 Dec. 2017, 31 Jan. 2018, www.si.com/olympics/2017/12/11/2018-winter-olympics-rookies-guide-skeleton-pyeongchang “Skeleton 101: Rules.” NBC Olympics, 13 Apr. 2017, 31 Jan. 2018, www.nbcolympics.com/news/skeleton-101-rules “Skeleton.” The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,
PyeongChang 2018, 31 Jan. 2018, www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/sports/skeleton