Rink

Fastest Ice on Earth: STARrinks.com 24 R INK MAGAZ INE may/June 2011 SPEED NEED FOR Sablikova Smashes 5K World Record On February 18, 2011 during the World Cup event at the Utah Olympic Oval, Czech Republic native Martina Sablikova broke her own world record in the 5000 meters by three seconds. There were 103 season bests, 64 personal bests, two junior national records and nine national records along with the Sablikova's world record. The Utah Olympic Oval currently holds seven of 11 world records, making it the Fastest Ice On Earth. Martina Sablikova en route to smashing her own 5K world record by three seconds with a time of 6:42:66. Moments after Sablikova's world record, Oval staff prepared a sign with the new world record for an Oval traditional ceremony where the athlete gets to post his or her world record on the board in the main lobby. Sablikova celebrates her world record with Oval patrons, staff and the press. The inner "rope" lap requires edging work to keep the surface clean and level. Similar to the short track pads, the "pad" lap on the oval needs to be edged to remove rough ice buildup from condensate underneath the pads for skater safety in the event of a crash. The pads need to be first pulled back around the entire track before edging, followed by a light scrape, and then the pads are put back in place. In the early morning before competitions start, Utah Olympic Oval Ice Technician Nate Coffey installs timing. The wire leads on the inner lane are coiled underneath the ice and need to be melted out with hot water. There are two sets of wires for redundancy. Monitoring ice and building conditions is critical for fast ice. Digital psychrometers and infrared guns take humidity and surface temperatures.

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