Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed runs down narrow,twisting,banked,iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation.
Skeleton is a winter sliding sport in which a person rides a small sled,known as a skeleton bobsled,down a frozen track while lying face down and head-first. The sport and the sled may have been named from the bony appearance of the sled.
Marquess of Donegall is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the head of the Chichester family,originally from Devon,England. Sir John Chichester sat as a Member of Parliament and was High Sheriff of Devon in 1557. One of his sons,Sir Arthur Chichester,was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1605 to 1616. In 1613,he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Chichester,of Belfast in County Antrim. When he died childless in 1625 the barony became extinct.
Sledding,sledging or sleighing is a winter sport typically carried out in a prone or seated position on a vehicle generically known as a sled,a sledge (British),or a sleigh. It is the basis of three Olympic sports:luge,skeleton and bobsledding. When practised on sand,it is known as a form of sandboarding. In Russia sledges are used for maritime activities including fishing and commuting from island to island on ice.
Earl of Darnley is a hereditary title that has been created three times,twice in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of Ireland.
Baron Wrottesley,of Wrottesley in the County of Stafford,is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 July 1838 for Sir John Wrottesley,9th Baronet. He was a Major-General in the Army and also represented Lichfield,Staffordshire and Staffordshire South in House of Commons. The Wrottesley family's original patronymic was 'de Verdun',which meant that the creation of the title Baron Wrottesley represented the third barony created by a branch of the de Verdun family in England. The other two were established by Theobald de Verdun,1st Baron Verdun of Alton Castle and Sir John de Verdon,1st Baron Verdon,lord of Brixworth in Northamptonshire and Bressingham in Norfolk.
The Cresta Run is a natural ice skeleton racing toboggan track in eastern Switzerland. Located in the winter sports town of St. Moritz,the 1.2125 km (0.753 mi) run is one of the few in the world dedicated entirely to skeleton. It was built in 1884 near the hamlet of Cresta in the municipality of Celerina/Schlarigna by the Outdoor Amusement Committee of the Kulm Hotel and the people of St. Moritz. The committee members were Major William Henry Bulpett,George Robertson,Charles Digby Jones,C. Metcalfe,and J. Biddulph. It has continued as a partnership to this day between the SMTC,founded in 1887,and the people of St. Moritz.
Christopher Hiley Ludlow Bathurst,3rd Viscount Bledisloe,QC,was a British barrister and politician.
Ice Hockey UK (IHUK) is the national governing body of ice hockey in the United Kingdom. Affiliated to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF),IHUK is the internationally recognised umbrella body in the United Kingdom. IHUK was created to replace the British Ice Hockey Association (BIHA). The organisation is responsible to the IIHF for the good order of the sport in the UK. The IHUK is charged with ensuring that all overseas players are properly cleared to play and that the rules and by-laws of the IIHF are upheld. Ice Hockey UK runs the national team,Great Britain men's national ice hockey team. Ice Hockey UK founded a youth development league in 2014,with the aim to grow future national team players.
Kristan Bromley is a retired British skeleton racer who has competed since 1996. He won the gold medal in the men's event at the 2008 FIBT World Championships in Altenberg,Germany. This was Great Britain's first gold medal at the FIBT World Championships since 1965.
Major Thomas "Robin" Valerian Dixon,3rd Baron Glentoran,,is a former British bobsledder and Northern Irish politician,known as Robin Dixon. He is a former Conservative Party Shadow Minister for the Olympics.
Nicola Minichiello is a retired British bobsledder who competed between 2001 and 2011. She won two medals in the two-woman event at the FIBT World Championships,winning a silver in 2005 and making history with a gold in 2009 partnering Gillian Cooke,to become the first British female bobsleigh driver to win a World Championships. Competing in three Winter Olympics,Minichiello earned her best finish of ninth in the two-woman event at Turin in 2006. This was also the best ever Olympic result by a GB women’s bobsleigh team.
Tyler Reinnier Botha is a South African skeleton racer who competed from 2003 to 2006. He finished 21st in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and was the flag bearer for the South African team in the closing ceremony.
Abbeyknockmoy is a village and parish in County Galway,Ireland. It is known for the nearby ruins of the 12th century Cistercian abbey,established with the Kings of Connacht as its benefactors. The abbey was the burial site of King Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair and contains several examples of medieval wall paintings and sculpture. It was formerly part of the kingdom of the Soghain of Connacht.
Christopher Spring is an Australian-Canadian 4 x Olympic bobsledder who has competed since 2008. At the 2010 Winter Olympics,he competed for Australia in the two-man event. He switched allegiance to Canada later in 2010 and has since competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics,2018 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics for Canada.
By-elections to the House of Lords occur when vacancies arise among seats assigned to hereditary peers due to death,resignation,or disqualification. Candidates for these by-elections are limited to holders of hereditary peerages,and their electorates are made up of sitting Lords;in most cases the electorate are those sitting hereditary peers of the same party affiliation as the departed peer.
Sir Walter Wrottesley,was a Captain of Calais.
Yun Sung-bin is a South Korean skeleton racer. He won the gold medal in men's skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and was a participant at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
The House of Stratford is a British aristocratic family,originating in Stratford-on-Avon between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries. The family has produced multiple titles,including Earl of Aldborough,Viscount Amiens,Baron Baltinglass,Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe and the Dugdale Baronets. The Viscount Powerscourt and Baron Wrottesley both claim descent from this House. Historic seats have included Farmcote Manor and Stratford Park in Gloucester,Merevale Hall in Warwickshire,Baltinglass Castle,Belan and Aldborough House in Ireland,and Stratford House in London,amongst many others. The house was at its most powerful in the fourteenth,sixteenth,and eighteenth centuries.
Andrew James Dunlop,Baron Dunlop is a British politician and life peer. From May 2015 to June 2017,he was the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland and Northern Ireland. He sits in the House of Lords on the Conservative benches.
