Brakeman: The last passenger in the bobsled. The last person to enter the sled at the start. Known as the brakeman because he or she is responsible for pulling the brake to stop the sled at the end of the run.

Chicane: A sequence of tight serpentine curves

Cowling: Another name for the hull of the bobsled

Driver: The person who sits in the front of the bobsled and controls its path. Usually the first person to enter the sled at the start. Also known as a pilot.

IBSF: The international governing body of skeleton and bobsled. Stands for "International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.” Formally the FIBT (Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing).

G-force: Short for gravitational force, it is the force caused by an acceleration equal to the acceleration caused by gravity. In bobsled, the strongest G-forces are generated going around severe turns. Athletes can feel a force of several “Gs” coming around the sharp, banked turns.

Kreisel: German for circle; a curve that forms a circle by having the track cross itself

Heat: A single run down a bobsled track during a race. A race is generally made up of two or more heats. All Olympic bobsled races are four heats. Also known as a run.

High line: A route that takes the sled close to the top lip of a turn

Labryinth: A combination of small curves on a track with little or no straightaway between them; a labyrinth usually consists of three to four curves

Line: The route a sled takes down the track

Low line: A route that takes a sled closer to the lower edge of the track around a turn

Loading: When the athletes enter the sled after the push start

Omega curve: From above, the curve resembles the Greek letter Omega

Pilot: Another term for driver

Push athlete: In a four-person sled, one of the two athletes in the middle of the sled

Runners: The solid pieces of steel on which the sled rides