Bodine began pushing for the development of American-made sleds after learning two years ago that U.S. sledders had been using European castoffs in their competitions. IBM joined in the project, using computers to analyze successful European sleds, design new sleds and then simulate sled performance.

The result is a creation that's been called the sled of the future. It looks like an arrowhead instead of a submarine. Unfortunately, it's still running slower than some of those European castoffs.

Some say it's the sled; some say it's the drivers; some say it's the runners on which the sled glides. Whatever, in the two-man bobsled competition, which ended Sunday, the two U.S. teams finished 13th and 14th.

The four-man competition will begin Saturday, and today the three U.S teams held a raceoff to see which two groups would compete. Veteran driver Brian Shimer eked out a victory over team rival Jim Herberich's group, both using the Bo-Dyn sled.

But the fastest U.S. time today was by the team headed by Randy Will, who drives an Italian sled with runners so special that he takes them off the sled after each day's runs and locks them in his room.

"We've been disrespected," said Will's side pusher, Jeff Woodard. "This whole year has been Shimer, Shimer, Shimer, Shimer." Shimer has never driven a four-man sled at the Olympics.

Will's team also includes Joe Sawyer (side push) and Chris Coleman (brakeman). Shimer's team consists of Bryan Leturgez and Karlos Kirby (side push) and Randy Jones (brakeman).

Re-Election Chances Slim
The snow is the color of soot, the streets are clogged with pedestrians, the downtown septic system is clogged with condoms, the residents can't drive their own cars down their own streets and yet Lillehammer's mayor and deputy mayor have suggested that the city apply to host the Winter Games in 2010. (The Games will be in Nagano, Japan, in 1998; the site for 2006 is undetermined.)

Needling the Jamaicans
Nancy Kerrigan has a movie deal and Tonya Harding has a television deal, but the Jamaican bobsled team has been through all that.

The Disney movie "Cool Runnings" described the team's trip to the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary and established the sledders as heroic underdogs.

Since then, they've picked up a beer company as a sponsor and received a "substantial" donation from a secret admirer. (Bob Marley lives?) Their latest acquisition is John Sandell, an American doctor who uses acupuncture to heal their injuries.

"It's very, very good," said driver Dudley Stokes. "Injuries that have been plaguing me off and on for six weeks have been cleared up in one session."

But needle man Sandell couldn't solve the problems of Jamaica's two-man team last week. Stokes and brakeman Wayne Thomas were disqualified before the race because they — and their sled — weighed too much.

Good to Know
Tom Powers, a columnist for the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press, offers a few handy Norwegian phrases for those attending and covering the Games. Some highlights: Jeg vil gi deg alle sparepengene mine for de ore-varmerne. ("I'll give you my life savings for those earmuffs.") Jeg vil gjerne ha McLaksen. ("I'll take the McSalmon.") Jeg har frossset fast til utedoen, saa jeg vil nok bli litt sein. ("I am frozen to the outdoor toilet, so I will be a bit late.") Det er et merkelig vesen som parrer seg med Folkevognen min. ("That is a curious beast mating with my Volkswagen.")