Defence Diving School represent RN at Exercise Racing Ice

Skeleton has been an Olympic sport for 8 years and Great Britain has won a medal in every Olympic Games since it was introduced, with Amy Williams winning Gold in Vancouver 2010.

Athletes sprint from the top of an ice track (the same used in bobsled and luge), dive onto a weighted sled and negotiate around 14 turns headfirst at speeds up to 80mph with their chin just 3 inches off the ice.

Those competing must be physically fit, mentally focussed, and wholly committed; clearly this is not a sport for the fainthearted.

Following recruitment into the RN Skeleton Bobsled team, both servicemen swapped “rubber for lycra” and embarked on Exercise Racing Ice, an arduous Army-led training week with vigorous professional tuition by international coaches in all aspects of the sport.

After theory briefs and sled set up’s, the training began from the halfway point before gradually progressing up to the top of the track.

By day 4, both men were practising running starts and hitting speeds of 70mph through the notorious “Labyrinth” at turn 13.

Lt Powell and AB(D) Elson successfully completed the training week which had a 50% drop-out rate due to voluntary withdrawal and have since won a place in the RN team.

The RN Skeleton Team is led and managed by former Team GB athlete and international coach Petty Officer (Diver) Sid Lawrence, Defence Diving School, and will compete at the Inter-Service Championships to be held in march 2012 at Igls, Austria.