Canadian skeleton athletes bring SAIT designed sleds to Sochi

Members of the Canadian Olympic Skeleton team pose with SAIT designed sleds. From Left to Right - Dave Greszczyszyn, Eric Neilson, and John Faribairn (Photo courtesy: Drew Gregory)

John Fairbairn and Eric Neilson will represent Canada in the sport of skeleton during February’s Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia on sleds designed and built by SAIT Polytechnic’s Applied Research and Innovation Services.

The skeleton sleds were created as part of a partnership between the post-secondary institution and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton which began in 2008. The collaboration was a top secret research and development endeavor financed by Canada’s Own the Podium initiative.

Researchers developed the sleds using precise measurements of the athletes obtained through 3D scans. As a result of the research and improvements to the original prototypes, SAIT has created sleds which, according to Neilson, are amongst in the sport.

“The first sled was very basic, kind of a rookie sled, and every year we’ve made changes to make a world class sled that can compete with everyone else,” says Neilson. “It’s great to have a 100 per cent Canadian product.”

Competing on the SAIT build sleds, Fairbairn and Neilson have achieved success on the international stage. Fairbairn is currently ranked fifth in the world and Neilson is currently ranked twelfth.

Dr. Alex Zahavich, Director of Applied Research and Innovation Services at SAIT, says the research team takes pride in the continued success of the athletes on SAIT designed sleds and looks forward to seeing the sleds on the Sliding Centre Sanki track during the Sochi games.

“The SAIT team involved has celebrated significant milestones throughout the design and development process. Now, we’re seeing the results on the track, which is extremely rewarding,” says Dr. Zahavich. “The Olympics was always a goal, and a gold medal there, that’s the end goal.”

The Men’s Olympic Skeleton Heats are scheduled for February 14 and 15.