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Raise Your Game: How did you first get involved in the skeleton bobsleigh?

Shelley Rudman: When I was at Bath University there was a squad of skeleton athletes, so I was aware of the sport. I was quite intrigued by it. I'd watch events on the television and think 'I like the look of that, that's a sport that I could have all the right attributes for.'

I'm quite daring, my peripheral vision is really good, my co-ordination is pretty good and I'm good at learning new skills. My sprints needed work but I thought it was something I could be good at and I really wanted to have a go.

I went along to the Bath push track to watch my friend Greg Kirk, who's now a talent spotter for the selectors of the skeleton team, training. I had a go and clocked a decent time for a girl. Greg said 'Wow, you should try it some more.' I went along to a couple of the trials but missed out on being talent spotted, so I had to fund the first year out of my own pocket. I finally made the team in year two.

RYG: That must have taken a lot of determination on your part?

SR: My Dad's always told me to never give up and to always keep trying. I used to do the 400m hurdles and there was always talent spotting going on for the skeleton. I wasn't selected because they didn't think I was good enough. Somewhere deep down inside I thought 'Actually, I think I could be good at this.' I started training by myself because I didn't have a coach at that stage.

In the first year I was studying full-time for a degree, working full-time and trying to go away for five months of the year, on my own, in a new sport that was so technical it was unreal. It was also pretty expensive. All my wages went on the skeleton. My mum and dad were helping me out up until the year of the Olympics. Work and university helped by giving me time off. For that first year I had great support but it was a real struggle. Some people might have thought 'No, I can't handle this, I'm going to drop out' but I kept plugging away.

RYG: What sort of sacrifices have you made to get you this far?

SR: My university work began to suffer so I had to extend my degree over four years, rather than it being a one year top-up. I was away for five months in the year so instead of lectures I was doing long distance learning. I came out of that with a decent degree considering I was working full-time, competing full-time and trying to juggle everything.

I look back now and I think 'How did I do it?' Just being a full-time athlete is hard sometimes. I do quite a lot of work with sponsors, travelling around the country acting as a role model for children and trying to inspire them.

RYG: What does it take to be a world class skeleton slider?

SR: Dedication and the ability to take knocks. You have to be focused. You have to bounce back after things have gone wrong. In skeleton you also need to be technically-minded.

It also helps if you're a fast learner. You arrive at a track and you only get a few practice runs. You get two actual runs, the race is over and you're off to the next track. Skeleton's very much a knowledge-driven sport so the more years you do it, the more experience you gain from different tracks to carry into future years.

You can't expect big things to happen quickly. I was an exception to get a silver medal within four years of taking up skeleton but I'd been training for athletics from the age of nine. I also did gymnastics and judo. For quite a few sports I was either at county or regional standard. I wasn't just somebody thinking 'I'll take up skeleton and go to the Olympics in four years.' I was already conditioned.

Equipment can be a huge factor too. It's like Formula One in that you need the whole package.

RYG: What does a typical week's training involve?

SR: In the summer it's usually three hours of training, five days a week. It depends what phase of training you're in. Sometimes I might be training twice a day, every day of the week.

During the season I get up at 6am and we don't finish until about 8pm at night. We walk all the way down the track, which is a mile. Then we've got two training runs. They last about 55 to 70 seconds depending on what track you're at.

There could be about 60 people that have to do that run. Once the event starts you do your first run, get some video feedback, do another run, pack up, go home and eat. Then you do your video analysis and maybe some strength training. It can be really tiring because it's pretty much non-stop.

RYG: How important is diet if you want to be competitive?

SR: Waiting around between runs can be quite draining, so you have to prepare yourself in terms of what you eat. The sport is weight-categorised too. A sled can be light or heavy. If you're a light slider then you make up your weight with the sled. If you're a light-weight slider and the sled is heavy then there's a maximum weight you can both weigh in with at the end of a run.

For females the sled threshold is 28 to 35kg. Because I'm such a light person I have to make up the weight with the sled, so it's nearly maximum weight. I'll get weighed in at the end of a race at the bottom of the track.

We're not allowed to weigh in excess of 92kg combined weight. If I did then I'd be disqualified. In the past I've weighed in at 92.2kg and been disqualified for being too heavy. You want to have the same advantages as other competitors so you try and get as close to your heaviest as you can, but it's a fine line.

RYG: What have been the highlights of your career so far?

SR: Definitely winning the silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. That was completely unexpected. I was going for a bronze so to get the silver was beyond my wildest dreams. Every athlete dreams of going to the Olympics, but to win a medal was unbelievable. Even now it still doesn't seem like it happened.

In the run-up to Turin I finished second in the Europeans, I won the World Student Championships, came fourth at two of the World Cup races and fifth overall in the World Cup. I had a great two years before winning the silver in Turin.

It was quite bizarre that no one really picked up on the fact that I was getting better and better. It was good for me because the press were still reporting that I was an underdog. That took the pressure off so I could go there and just enjoy the experience of competing at an Olympics.

I had an injury scare in January so just getting there was great. All these things happen along the way and you think 'No, just don't affect the race next month.' All the injuries cleared up just in time for the games and I felt great. It was a brilliant experience. It's a shame it wasn't gold but it was still good (laughs).

RYG: And the lowlights?

SR: In my second season, I got disqualified from two races for being 200g over weight. That was the time when I really thought 'What am I doing here?' I could have had a good job and been living in luxury, or going out with my friends and just enjoying life. But then I thought 'Actually, the majority of people would want to be in my position, trying to get to the Olympics.'

I've broken my nose about three times since taking up the sport just because of my helmet slipping. Last season was very frustrating because of injuries. I was carrying a problem with my hamstring for the whole season that was getting worse and worse. I wouldn't say that was a bad thing because I learnt a lot by testing with the kit.

I wasn't really that focused going into last season. I was still full of emotion because of the Olympics. I'd moved cities, moved house, and within three days I had to go on the circuit again for five months. That was really stressful and disruptive. I only managed to get about eight training sessions in last year, but I did learn a lot.

RYG: Who were your sporting heroes when you were growing up?

SR: My dad. He's always been my role model. I do look at other athletes as inspiration but the one that's always there is my dad. He's always been quite sporty and he always knows just what to say to get me in the right frame of mind. He's also really competitive with me which has always helped (laughs).

RYG: Most people would think of the skeleton as an individual sport - is there a team element to it?

SR: We compete as individuals but overall team points affect how many people we can take on tour the following season. There's also a back-up system of staff that help you. It can be quite dangerous if you don't have the right back-up people telling you exactly what you should be doing.

If you arrive at a track that you don't know there can be three crucial bends which you need to know if you don't want to get knocked around. I also have a technical sponsor that designs the sled and makes it for me. We have strength and ice coaches as well. For the last two years I've chosen who I work with, which has been nice.

RYG: What advice would you give to children wanting to compete at an Olympic standard?

SR: I would say try and enjoy the sport for as long as you can. As soon as it gets boring and stressful when you're young you'll find that you don't want to do it anymore. I think it's probably down to coaches to keep activities fun and not to make them too regimented. You also need to stick with it. Try other sports but always focus on your main sport.

My main sport was athletics, but I was trying judo and I was swimming. When it came to athletics I felt that was my sport. If I did end up being good at others then that was a bonus. If you enjoy a sport then keep trying and don't expect miracles straight away. In athletics different people can peak at different times depending on the event. Remember that negatives can always help you learn as well.

In your late teens you have to start taking things quite seriously. You need to dedicate yourself to your sport a lot more. That's when people really start to train and it becomes very competitive. From fifteen onwards you really have to start focusing. That's when the drop-out rate for sport is at its highest. That's also when you'll start to get recognised as a junior, so it's very important.

RYG: What are your goals and ambitions for the future?

SR: I'd really like to be known as a strong slider on the skeleton. I'd like to become somebody that's quite respected within the sport as a knowledgeable slider.

Maya Pedersen, who won the gold medal in Turin, is a really strong, knowledgeable slider. Kristan Bromley is really knowledgeable as well. If I had their knowledge and experience that would be great.

Of course I have to qualify for Vancouver. I'm not going to tempt fate because the qualifying is going to be really harsh, but that's my goal.

RYG: How do you manage to control the nerves before competing in a big competition?

SR: I'm not really a stressed person to begin with, which helps. The Olympics was a different experience. I can't really explain what happened. I didn't have to do anything to get myself in that state. Everything just clicked and happened really naturally. I felt really relaxed and really excitable. I was really enjoying the environment.

I didn't realise fifteen minutes before my first run that I was going to be lying in fifth place. I didn't realise what was going to happen before my second run either. I just thought 'Let's go out and see what happens... Let's give it a try.'