The sport of skeleton racing first became an Olympic sport in 1928. Skeleton racers slide down an icy course at very high speed on a simple sled. The sled is called a skeleton because early sleds looked like human skeletons. didn't start skeleton until I was 30," said American skeleton racer Zach Gale. "While driving, my girlfriend and l took a wrong turn at Lake Placid, New York, that's where the 1980 Winter Olympics took place. They were offering skeleton classes that afternoon. My girlfriend said, "Why don't we give it a try?' It was fun! I fell in love with it