Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1533631
competition. For most of the season, ice thickness would range between 1.25"-1.50" to ensure the lower layers remain clean and undisturbed. The days prior to the event, the ice team will remove up to 0.50" of ice to achieve the 7/8"-1.0" of ice for competition. More than 30 bins of snow are required to remove that amount of ice. Once the top 3/8"-1/2" of ice is removed, we end up with ice that has very high clarity and cleanliness. Impurities, ice contamina- tion, and dirt can cause major friction and drag on speedskates when moving at high rates of speed. The flooring surfaces adja- cent to the ice are scrubbed daily, and we try to stop all foot traffic on the ice surface. If ice techs need to walk on ice, we use clean floor sticky mats to remove dirt from shoes. Ideal ice temperatures for long track speedskating competition differ for short track speedskating. In long track, we like to see the coldest temperatures the refrig- eration plant can achieve while maintain- ing comfortable air temperatures. In this case, target ice temperatures are 17°F and 59-60°F air temperatures. Long track speedskating is mostly surface glide that creates sustainable speed. Ideally, the blades don't leave any detectable groove in the ice when passing by. If we can hear a hiss coming from the blade or put a fingernail into a skate groove, the ice is too warm. This becomes challenging for a refrig- eration plant operator because the number of resurfacings can be as often as every 30 minutes during an event. Secondary refrigerant temperatures can be as low as 0-2°F and refrigeration tonnage is over 700 tons with eight total 8-Cylinder Vilter Reciprocating compressors. 7/8" - 1" Competition depth 1.25" - 1.5" Normal depth LONG TRACK SPEEDSKATING Ice Depth PHOTOS: NOEL STAVE ( TOP TWO PHOTOS ) , ART SUTHERLAND ( BOTTOM PHOTO ) 46 / MARCH.APRIL.2025 USICERINKS.COM p Two Zamboni 700 ice resurfacers are used to complete a full ice resurface in 10-12 minutes. Left to Right: Josh Schneider, Stefan Weber, Tyler Cain, Patrick Rakowski (kneeling), Taylor Driesen, John Monteleone, Cameron MacLeod, Brandon Bayer, Paul Golomski