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Anice rink (orice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people canice skate or playwinter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. Thegrowth and increasing popularity of ice skating during the 1800s marked a rise in the deliberate construction of ice rinks in numerous areas of the world.
The word "rink" is a word ofScottish origin meaning "course", used to describe the ice surface used in the sport ofcurling, but was kept in use once the winter team sport ofice hockey became established.[1][2]
There are two types of ice rinks in prevalent use today:natural ice rinks, wherefreezing occurs from cold ambient temperatures, andartificial ice rinks (or mechanically frozen), where acoolant produces cold temperatures underneath the water body (on which the game is played), causing the water body to freeze and then stay frozen. There are alsosynthetic ice rinks where skating surfaces are made out of plastics.
Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include: ice hockey,sledge hockey (a.k.a. "Para ice hockey", or "sled hockey"),spongee (a.k.a. sponge hockey),bandy,rink bandy,rinkball,ringette,broomball (both indoor and outdoor versions),Moscow broomball,speed skating,figure skating,ice stock sport, curling, andcrokicurl. However, Moscow broomball is typically played on a tarmac tennis court that has been flooded with water and allowed to freeze. The sports of broomball, curling, ice stock sport, spongee, Moscow broomball, and the game of crokicurl, do not use ice skates of any kind.
While technically not an ice rink,ice tracks and trails, such as those used in the sport of speed skating and recreational or pleasure skating are sometimes referred to as "ice rinks".
Rink, aScottish word meaning 'course', was used as the name of a place wherecurling was played. As curling is played on ice, the name has been retained for the construction of ice areas for other sports and uses.[1]
Early attempts in the construction of artificial ice rinks were first made in the 'rink mania' of 1841–44. The technology for the maintenance of natural ice did not exist, therefore these early rinks used a substitute consisting of a mixture of hog'slard and various salts. An item in the May 8, 1844 issue ofEliakim Littell'sLiving Age headed "The Glaciarium" reported that "This establishment, which has been removed to Grafton street East'Tottenham Court Road, was opened on Monday afternoon. The area of artificial ice is extremely convenient for such as may be desirous of engaging in the graceful and manly pastime of skating".[3]
By 1844, these venues fell out of fashion as customers grew tired of the 'smelly' ice substitute. It wasn't until thirty years later thatrefrigeration technology developed to the point where natural ice could finally be feasibly used in the rink. The world's first mechanically frozen ice rink was theGlaciarium, opened byJohn Gamgee, a British veterinarian and inventor, in a tent in a small building just off theKings Road inChelsea, London, on 7 January 1876.[4][5] Gamgee had become fascinated by the refrigeration technology he encountered during a study trip to America to look atTexas fever in cattle. In March of that same year it moved to a permanent venue at 379 Kings Road, where a rink measuring 12.2 by 7.3 metres (40 by 24 ft) was established.[5]
The rink was based on a concrete surface, with layers of earth, cow hair and timber planks. Atop these were laid ovalcopper pipes carrying a solution ofglycerine withether,nitrogen peroxide andwater. The pipes were covered by water and the solution was pumped through, freezing the water intoice. Gamgee discovered the process while attempting to develop a method to freeze meat for import fromAustralia andNew Zealand, andpatented it as early as 1870.[5]
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Gamgee operated the rink on a membership-only basis and attempted to attract a wealthy clientele, experienced in open-air ice skating during winters in theAlps. He installed anorchestra gallery, which could also be used by spectators, and decorated the walls with views of theSwiss Alps.[5]
The rink initially proved a success, and Gamgee opened two further rinks later in the year: atRusholme inManchester and the "Floating Glaciarium" atCharing Cross in London, this last significantly larger at 35.1 by 7.6 metres (115 by 25 ft). The Southport Glaciarium opened in 1879, using Gamgee's method.[5]
In the marshlands ofThe Fens, skating was developed early as a pastime during winter where there were plenty of natural ice surfaces. This is the origin of theFen skating and is said to be the birthplace ofbandy. TheGreat Britain Bandy Association has its home in the area.[6]
In Austria-Hungary, the first artificial ice skating rink opened in 1870 inThe City Park of Budapest, which is still in operation to this day and is considered one of the largest in Europe.
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In Germany, the first ice skating rink opened in 1882 inFrankfurt during a patent exhibition. It covered 520 m2 (5,600 sq ft) and operated for two months; the refrigeration system was designed by Jahre Linde,[7] and was probably the first skating rink whereammonia was used as a refrigerant. Ten years later, a larger rink was permanently installed on the same site.
Ice skating quickly became a favorite pastime and craze in several American cities around the mid 1800s spawning a construction period of several ice rinks.[8]
Two early indoor ice rinks made of mechanically frozen ice in the United States opened in 1894, theNorth Avenue Ice Palace inBaltimore, Maryland, and the Ice Palace inNew York City.
TheSt. Nicholas Rink, (a.k.a. "St. Nicholas Arena"), was an indoor ice rink in New York City which existed from 1896 until its demolition in the 1980s. It was one of the earliest American indoor ice rinks made of mechanically frozen ice in North America and gave ice skaters the opportunity to enjoy an extended skating season.[9] The rink was used for pleasure skating,ice hockey, andice skating, and was an important rink involved in the development of the sports of ice hockey andboxing in theUnited States.
The oldest indoor artificial ice rink still in use in the United States isBoston, Massachusetts's,Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) which was built between 1909 and 1910. The rink is located on the campus ofNortheastern University.[10][11]
This American rink is the original home of theNational Hockey League (NHL)Boston Bruins. The Bruins are the only remaining NHL team who are members of the NHL'sOriginal Six with their original home arena still in existence.
TheGuidant John Rose Minnesota Oval is an outdoor ice rink inRoseville, Minnesota, that is large enough to allow ice skaters to play the sport ofbandy. Its perimeter is used as an oval speed skating track. The facility was constructed between June and December 1993. It is the only regulation-sizedbandy field in North America and serves as the home ofUSA Bandy and its national bandy teams. The $3.9 million renovation project planned for the Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval was set to be completed before the opening of the rink's 29th season on November 18, 2022.[12]
The oval measures at 400 meters long and 200 meters wide, which makes it the largest artificial outdoor refrigerated sheet of ice in North America.[citation needed] It is a world-class facility that is primarily used for ice sports such as ice skating, ice hockey, speed skating, and bandy. The oval hosts several national and international competitions throughout the year, including the USA Cup in bandy.
The first building inCanada to be electrified was theVictoria Skating Rink[13] which opened in 1862 inMontreal, Quebec, Canada. The rink was created usingnatural ice. At the start of the twentieth century it had been described as "one of the finest covered rinks in the world"[14] and was used during winter for pleasure skating, ice hockey, and skating sports. In summer months, the building was used for various other events.
Many ice rinks consist of, or are found on, open bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, canals, and sometimes rivers; these can be used only in thewinter in climates where the surface freezes thickly enough to support human weight. Rinks can also be made in cold climates by enclosing a level area of ground, filling it with water, and letting it freeze. Snow may be packed to use as a containment material.
An example of this type of "rink", which is a body of water converted into askating trail during winter, is theRideau Canal Skateway inOttawa, Ontario.
In any climate, an arena ice surface can be installed in a properly built space. This consists of a bed of sand or occasionally a slab ofconcrete, through (or on top of) which pipes run. The pipes carry a chilled fluid (usually either a salt brine or water withantifreeze, or in the case of smaller rinks,refrigerant) which can lower the temperature of the slab so that water placed atop will freeze. This method is known as 'artificial ice' to differentiate from ice rinks made by simply freezing water in a cold climate, indoors or outdoors, although both types are of frozen water. A more proper technical term is 'mechanically frozen' ice.
An example of this type of rink is the outdoor rink atRockefeller Center inNew York.
Modern rinks have a specific procedure for preparing the surface. With the pipes cold, a thin layer of water is sprayed on the sand or concrete to seal and level it (or in the case of concrete, to keep it from being marked). This thin layer is painted white or pale blue for better contrast; markings necessary for hockey or curling are also placed, along with logos or other decorations. Another thin layer of water is sprayed on top of this. The ice is built up to a thickness of 19 to 38 mm (3⁄4 to1+1⁄2 in).[15]
Synthetic rinks are constructed from a solid polymer material designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates. High density polyethelene (HDPE) andultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW) are the only materials that offer reasonable skating characteristics, with UHMW synthetic rinks offering the most ice-like skating but also being the most expensive. A typical synthetic rink will consist of many panels of thin surface material assembled on top of a sturdy, level and smooth sub-floor (anything from concrete to wood or even dirt or grass) to create a large skating area.
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Periodically after the ice has been used, it is resurfaced using a machine called anice resurfacer (sometimes colloquially referred to as aZamboni – referring to a major manufacturer of such machinery). For curling, the surface is 'pebbled' by allowing loose drops of cold water to fall onto the ice and freeze into rounded peaks.
Between events, especially if the arena is being used without need for the ice surface, it is either covered with a heavily insulated floor or melted by allowing the fluid in the pipes below the ice to warm.
A highly specialized form of rink is used forspeed skating; this is a largeoval (orring) much like an athletic track. Because of their limited use, speed skating ovals are far less common than hockey or curling rinks.
Those skilled at preparing arena ice are often in demand for major events where ice quality is critical. The popularity of the sport of hockey inCanada has led its icemakers to be particularly sought after. One such team of professionals was responsible for placing aloonie coin under center ice at the2002 Winter Olympics inSalt Lake City, Utah; as both Canadian teams (men's and women's) won their respective hockey gold medals, the coin was christened "lucky" and is now in the possession of theHockey Hall of Fame[16] after having been retrieved from beneath the ice.
Inbandy, the size of theplaying field is 90–110 m (300–360 ft) x 45–65 m (148–213 ft). For internationals, the size must not be smaller than 100 m × 60 m (330 ft × 200 ft). The varietyrink bandy is played onice hockey rinks.
The size of figure skating rinks can be quite variable, but theInternational Skating Union prefers Olympic-sized rinks for figure skating competitions, particularly for major events. These are 60 by 30 m (197 by 98 ft). The ISU specifies that competition rinks must not be larger than this and not smaller than 56 by 26 m (184 by 85 ft).[17]
Although there is a great deal of variation in the dimensions of actual ice rinks, there are basically two rink sizes in use at the highest levels ofice hockey. Historically, earlier ice rinks were smaller than today.
OfficialNational Hockey League rinks are 26 m × 61 m (85 ft × 200 ft). The dimensions originate from the size of theVictoria Skating Rink inMontreal, Quebec, Canada.
OfficialOlympic andInternational ice hockey rinks have dimensions of 30 m × 60 m (98.4 ft × 197 ft).
Sledge hockey (a.k.a. "Para ice hockey", or "sled hockey"), uses the same rink dimensions used byice hockey rinks.
Ringette utilizes most of the standard ice hockey markings used byHockey Canada, but theringette rink uses additional free-pass dots in each of the attacking zones and centre zone areas as well as a larger goal crease area. Two additional free-play lines (one in each attacking zone) are also required.
A ringette rink is an ice rink designed for ice hockey which has been modified to enable ringette to be played. Though some ice surfaces are designed strictly for ringette, these ice rinks with exclusive lines and markings for ringette are usually created only at venues hostingmajor ringette competitions and events. Most ringette rinks are found inCanada andFinland.
Playing area, size, lines and markings for the standard Canadian ringette rink are similar to the averageice hockey rink in Canada with certain modifications.[18][19][20][21]
Early in its history, ringette was played mostly on rinks constructed for ice hockey,broomball,figure skating, and recreational skating, and was mostly played on outdoor rinks since few indoor ice rinks were available at the time.[1]
The organized format ofbroomball uses the rink dimensions defined by astandard Canadian ice hockey rink.
The sport ofspongee,a.k.a. "sponge hockey", does not use ice skates. A skateless outdoor winter variant of ice hockey, spongee has its own rules codes and is played strictly within the Canadian city ofWinnipeg as a cult sport. The sport generally uses the rink dimensions defined by astandard Canadian ice hockey rink.
Rinkball rinks today typically use the measurements of anice hockey rink, though may be slightly larger due to the sport having originated in Europe where thebandy field influenced the size and development of smaller ice rinks.
Tracks and trails are occasionally referred to as ice rinks in spite of their differences.
Ice skating tracks and ice skating trails are used for recreational exercise and sporting activities during the winter season including distance ice skating. Ice trails are created by natural bodies of water such as rivers, which freeze during winter, though some trails are created by removing snow to create skating lanes on large frozen lakes for ice skaters.
Ice trails are usually used for pleasure skating, though the sport and recreational activity ofTour skating can involve ice skaters passing over ice trails and open areas created by frozen lakes.
To date,speed skating andice cross downhill are the only winter activities or sports whereby ice skaters use tracks and lanes designed to include bends rather than using a simple straightway. Some ice rinks are constructed in a manner allowing for aspeed skating rink to be created around its outside perimeter.
Speed skating tracks or "rinks" can either be created naturally or artificially and are made either outdoors or inside indoor facilities. Tracks may be created by having the lanes surround the exterior of an ice rink.
The sport requires the use of a special type of racing skate, thespeed skating ice skate.
Inspeed skating, forshort track, the officialOlympic rink size is 30 m × 60 m (98 ft × 197 ft), with an oval ice track of 111.12 m (364.6 ft) in circumference.
Inlong track speed skating the oval ice track is usually 400 m (1,300 ft) in circumference.
An ice skating marathon is a long distance speed skating race which may be held on natural ice on canals and bodies of water such as lakes and rivers.Marathon is a discipline ofspeed skating, which is founded in theNetherlands.
The races concern speed skating by at least five skaters who start all together on an ice rink with a minimum length of 333.33 meters or on a track:
The Netherlands is home ofElfstedentocht, a 200 km distance skating race of which the tracks leads through the 11 different cities inFriesland which is a northern province of the Netherlands.
Skate tracks on natural ice are maintained by the towns and communities, who take care of the safety of the tracks.
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Ice cross downhill, (formerly known as "Red Bull Crashed Ice" or "Crashed Ice"), is awinterextreme sporting event involving direct competitive downhillskating. Skaters race down a walled track which features sharp turns and high vertical drops.
An example of an ice skating trail, or "rink", is theRideau Canal Skateway inOttawa, Ontario, Canada, estimated at 165,600 m2 (1,782,000 sq ft) and 7.8 km (4.8 mi) long, which is equivalent to 90 Olympic-size skating rinks.[22]
The rink is prepared by lowering the canal's water level and letting the canal water freeze. The rink is then resurfaced nightly by cleaning the ice of snow and flooding it with water from below the ice. The rink is recognized as the "world's largest naturally frozen ice rink" by the Guinness Book of World Records because "its entire length receives daily maintenance such as sweeping, ice thickness checks and there are toilet and recreational facilities along its entire length".[22]
The longest ice skating trail is inInvermere, British Columbia, Canada, onLake Windermere Whiteway. The naturally frozen trail measures 29.98 km (18.63 mi).[23]
Outdoor ice skating activities and competitions involving a goal of distance travel for recreation, exercise, competition and adventure, can involve frozen lakes, rivers, and canals.
The sport and recreational activity,Tour skating (a.k.a. "Nordic skating" in North America), is strictly an outdoor activity for ice skaters. Nordic skating originated during the 1900s in Sweden.
Ice skaters traverse naturally frozen bodies of water, which sometimes, but not always, includes interconnected ice trails as well as frozen ponds, lakes, and even marsh areas. Tour skaters use a special ice skate with long blades.
TheElfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour) is a long-distancetour skating event on natural ice, almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) long, which is held both as aspeed skating competition (with 300 contestants) and a leisure tour (with 16,000 skaters).[24] It is the biggest ice-skating tour in the world and held in the province ofFriesland in the north of theNetherlands.[25]
The event leads past all eleven historical cities of the province and is held at most once a year, only when the natural ice along the entire course is at least 15 centimetres (6 in) thick.[26] It is sometimes held on consecutive years, while at other times, gaps between the touring years have exceeded 20 years. When the ice is suitable, the tour is announced and starts within 48 hours. The last Elfstedentocht was held in 1997.
The sports ofcurling andIce stock sport are played on either ice rinks or simple ice surfaces with lanes marked out for play.
The sport ofcurling uses an ice rink known as a "curling rink" orcurling sheet. Curling does not involve ice skating. Curling uses lanes.
The curling sheet is a carefully prepared rectangular area of ice created to be as flat and level as possible. The ice surface dimensions are 146 to 150 feet (45 to 46 m) in length by 14.5 to 16.5 feet (4.4 to 5.0 m) in width. A curling sheet includes areas marked off in a manner specific to the sport, including thehouse, thebutton,hog lines,hacks, and shorter borders along the ends of the sheet called the backboards.
The dimensions of an official curling sheet is defined by theWorld Curling Federation Rules of Curling.[27] At major events, ice preparation and maintenance is extremely important. Curling clubs usually have an ice maker whose main job is to care for the ice.
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Ice stock sport (sometimes spelt "Icestocksport" or "Bavarian curling") is a winter sport comparable to curling. It's calledEisstockschießen in German. Although the sport is typically played on ice, summer competitions are performed on asphalt.
Crokicurl[28][29] is a Canadianwinter sport and is a large scale hybrid ofcurling and the board gameCrokinole. It is played outdoors by teams consisting of two players who take turns trying to score points on a quadrant shaped area with the playing area marked off on a sheet of ice.[30][31][32][33][34] The quadrant includes posts, starting line, wooden edge side-rail, and a 20-point "button". Depending on the area involved, players can score 5, 10, or 15 points.
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Outdoor ice rinks and frozen ponds, rivers, and canals, serve several purposes, allowing for physical activities during the winter season such as recreational ice skating andfigure skating, and also function as an affordable place for players to engage in team winter sports such asice hockey,bandy,rinkball,ringette,broomball, andspongee, as a pastime.
These areas and facilities also help individuals, youth sporting organizations, and families, offset the expensive cost of indoor ice-time. They are also used as a part of outdoorwinter festivals and to hostpond hockey tournaments and the like.
The length of outdoor ice skating season began to experience a noticeable decline in North America in the early part of the 21st century.[35][36][37]
One of the correlated factors involved has been attributed toclimate change.[35][38] One of the consequences involved includes reducing access to outdoor facilities needed by youth who require opportunities to participate in ice-based sports at length and with low-cost, a problematic development considering winter sports become increasingly expensive over time resulting in economic exclusion.
RinkWatch
RinkWatch[1] is a citizen science program inCanada run by researchers atWilfrid Laurier University inWaterloo, Ontario. Beginning in 2013 the program started collecting data on outdoor rinks and frozen ponds across North America.[35] The objective is to better understand how climate change may be impacting the outdoor skating season.
Elfstedentocht, the world's biggest ice-skating tour involvingtour skating andspeed skating, has been declared to be in danger of "extinction" due toclimate change.[39][40][24] The last Elfstedentocht was held in 1997.
