Skeletons OUT of the closet!

Following all the previous discussion about fascination of disasters, I am now sitting and watching a group of presumably sane women, who are known as Olympic Skeleton Athletes, and I can hardly catch my breath!  Each run, they throw thier small framed bodies down, face first, onto a 2 1/2 foot long sled, pull their arms in to their sides, and proceed down a brutal ice covered course at lightening speeds of up to 130 km per hour, experiencing a force over 4 G's, which is 2 G's more than an astronaut experiences during a shuttle launch!
I don't understand! So I looked up it's definition...

skeleton sledding

Winter sport similar to lugeing in which a small sled is ridden downhill in a headfirst, prone position. The sport of skeleton sledding developed in the 1880s on the famed Cresta Run at Saint Moritz, Switz. The “bony” look of the early sleds gave the sport its name. Riders attain speeds of more than 80 miles (129 km) per hour. It was first contested at the Olympic games in 1928.

Say what?...The bony look of the sleds was the last thing I thought would have given this sport it's name!"...!!!? Not really sure what characteristics would make a good skeleton rider...but suicidal comes to mind!