Lea Ann Parsley, a 33-year-old on the U.S. skeleton team, a sport that is debuting at Salt Lake City, shares a bi-weekly diary on her preparations for the Olympics.

Hi. My name is Lea Ann Parsley, and I'm a member of the USA National Skeleton team. For those of you who have never heard of skeleton, which is 99.9 percent of the population, skeleton is one of three winter sliding sports, alongside bobsled and luge.

LEA ANN PARSLEY

Parsley Birthdate: June 12, 1968 Hometown: Granville, Ohio Sport: Skeleton Accomplishments: Ranked No. 5 in skeleton in the world, she won bronze in Igls, Austria, in November. She took silver at the 2000 U.S. National Championship in Park City, Utah. Also a summer sport athlete, she was a member of the Slippery Rock Handball Club that won the 1996 U.S. National Championships. Personal: A firefighter for 17 years, she was selected Ohio Firefighter of the Year in 1999 in part for her rold in saving two individuals from a burning house. She has taken a leave of absence to train for the Olympics. While attending Marshall University, she played basketball, threw javelin and high jumped.

Although the sport is often described as a headfirst version of luge, we are actually governed by the United States Bobsled and Skeleton Federation (USBSF) in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Federation International of Bobsleigh and Tobogganing, or FIBT, is the international governing body. Both of these organizations have great Web sites with lots of pictures and the history of skeleton. You can find them at www.usbsf.com and www.bobsleigh.com respectively.

Three years ago I had never heard of skeleton. I was working on my doctoral degree in nursing at Ohio State University as well as working as a firefighter in New Albany Ohio. In addition to my schooling and work, I was playing team handball for a club team in Slippery Rock Pennsylvania.

Several of my teammates were Olympians from the 1996 Games while most of the others were training for a shot at the 2000 Olympic team. To qualify for the 2000 Games, these very talented young ladies had to first make the national team and then win the 1999 Pan American Games. However, they were in need of financial support, so I started searching the Internet for organizations that would consider sponsoring women's sports. During my search, I got a hit for "winter sports" that described a sport called skeleton and women participating in bobsled. Intrigued, I placed a call to Lake Placid to find out more and the rest is history.

The first time I went down the bobsled track in Park City, Utah, I was so nervous. I was on a borrowed skeleton sled, wearing a second-hand ski suit I bought at a ski swap and because they had no ski helmets to fit me I had to wear a big bobsled helmet. I also had hockey and football pads over every inch of my body held on with half a roll of duct tape. Even though we were only starting at the half way point of the track, we were still going to reach speeds of 55 mph and I wanted to make sure that I was well padded for the hits I knew were coming.

What a rush was that first ride! I could hardly move for all the pads and the heavy helmet, but I could still feel the rush of the wind as I picked up speed. Our instructors told us we would know whether we loved it or hated it after that first ride. I loved it!

Because I didn't know how to steer very well yet, I hit quite a few walls that first season and had plenty of bruises to show for it. It was still the best roller coaster ride I had ever been on, so I just kept going back for more. Even today, I still get a rush of excitement standing at the top of the track as I prepare for another run.

I've learned to steer a bit better now, so I don't have to wear as much padding. As a matter of fact, on race day I try not to wear any at all. The rest of my equipment fits me, too, and I'm on one of the best built sleds in the world, a Ryan Davenport sled. Ryan just happens to be our coach, too. He is a two-time world champion and one of the best pilots skeleton has ever seen.

Thanks to his coaching and the help of my teammates, I have been able to improve my driving skills enough to work my way up the ranks of the USA national team. As one of the top three U.S. sliders, I currently compete on the world cup circuit and am ranked No. 5 five in the world. We still have two world cup races before Christmas and then the Olympic Trials begin on Dec. 26. I hope you will come back and follow our team's progress as we make our way through this season!