Utah Olympic Oval

The Utah Olympic Oval is an indoor speed skating oval located 14 miles (23 km) southwest of Salt Lake City, in Kearns, Utah. The Oval was built for the 2002 Winter Olympics and it hosted the long track speed skating events for the 2002 games.[1] Inside the facility the 400 meter skating track surrounds two international sized ice sheets, and is itself surrounded by a 442 meter running track. Due to its high altitude, 4,675 feet (1,425 m), and the associated low air resistance, ten Olympic records and nine world records were set at the Oval during the 2002 games, the largest number of world records ever set at one event.[1]

Utah Olympic Oval
The Utah Olympic Oval
Former namesOquirrh Park Oval
Location5662 South Cougar Lane
Kearns, Utah
 United States
Coordinates40.64784°N 112.00877°W / 40.64784; -112.00877
OwnerUtah Athletic Foundation
Capacity3,000
6,500 (2002 Winter Olympics)
Acreage5 acres
SurfaceIce
Construction
Built1999–2001
OpenedFebruary 2001 (2001-02)
Construction cost$30 million USD
ArchitectGilles Stransky Brems Smith (GSBS) Architects
General contractorLayton Construction
Tenants
XIX Olympic Winter Games (February 2002)
Utah Saints (AIFA) (2008)
Website
Utah Olympic Oval

History

Along with Soldier Hollow and the Utah Olympic Park, the Utah Olympic Oval was built specifically for the 2002 Winter Olympics. On October 5, 1992, the Utah Sports Authority chose the Oquirrh Park Fitness Center in Kearns as the site for the 2002 Olympic Oval, beating out other locations in West Valley City, Sandy and downtown Salt Lake City.[2] Funds from the 1989 Olympic referendum would be used to construct the oval, and would be repaid with profits from the games. The plans called for using $3.7 million of tax payer money to construct the oval, which would be an outdoor facility. If Salt Lake City won its 1995 bid for the 2002 games, Olympic funds would be used to cover the oval, and build an ice sheet in the center of the track.[3] By the time the groundbreaking ceremony was held in May 1994, the price tag had increased to $4.1 million, with an expected completion date sometime that December.[4] Because of cold temperatures and a wet spring, cement for the oval could not be poured, and the oval didn't open until September 1, 1995, almost a year behind schedule.[5] The oval was formally dedicated in a ceremony, attended by Olympian Cathy Turner, on January 12, 1996.[6] Prior to it being covered and used during the Olympic games, the oval would be used for inline skating during the summer and ice skating during the winter months.

After Salt Lake City won the 2002 Olympic bid on June 16, 1995, Salt Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) began the design process for a permanent cover for the oval. During the cover's design process it was decided to pull up and replace the entire original oval.[7] The new oval was designed by Gilles Stransky Brems Smith of Salt Lake City, and constructed by Layton Construction. Work on the new oval began in June 1999 at an estimated cost of $27 million. To keep those costs down, and give an unobstructed view of the ice, the roof would be constructed similar to a suspension bridge. Between twenty-four masts, twelve on each side of the building, steel cables nearly 400 feet (120 m) long and 3.5 inches (89 mm) in diameter were strung, suspending the roof above the oval.[8]

On April 19, 2000, as construction was progressing on the oval, some of the bolts holding the roof's cables sheared, causing part of the roof to collapse. Following an investigation into the cause of the accident and repairs, construction resumed in July 2000.[9] Construction on the oval was further delayed when three weeks after the concrete floor was poured, the freeze tubes in numerous spots were found to have moved off their rebar supports and had floated out of alignment. It was determined that entire floor was going to have to be torn up and replaced, or else the ice might not freeze evenly.[10] After a new floor was poured, and had cured, the final coat of ice was added to the track on February 12, 2001; just in time for four Olympic speed skaters to test out the new venue later that afternoon.[11] The first event held in the new oval was the World Single Distance Championships, on March 9–11, 2001. On March 9, 2001, the first day of competitions, a press briefing to introduce the facility was held. Members of SLOC with the design and construction teams were present to introduce the oval to the public.[12]

The completed building has 275,000 square feet (25,500 m2), roughly the size of four football fields, it is 310 feet (94 m) wide by 655 feet (200 m) long, with a ceiling 55 feet (17 m) high; the low ceiling allowed the temperature inside to be easily maintained at the appropriate conditions. The completed facility contained the 400-meter oval skating track, which surrounded two international size hockey ice sheets. Under the ice sheets and track are 33 miles (53 km) of freeze tubes which keep the concrete base at 18 °F (−8 °C) year-round.[12] In the end the oval ended up costing $30 million, and on his blog, ex-SLOC CEO and politician, Mitt Romney states that the Utah Olympic Oval was 10 percent the cost of the Richmond Olympic Oval used during the 2010 Winter Olympics.[13]

2002 Winter Olympics

During the 2002 games the oval hosted the speed skating events. For the competitions temporary seating was installed and the oval had a capacity for about 5,200 spectators, plus press members. 100 percent of available tickets for the venue's events were sold, allowing 53,056 spectators to witness events in the oval.[1]

The Oval today

Following the 2002 Olympics, SLOC turned ownership of the oval over to the Utah Athletic Foundation, who also owns and manages the Utah Olympic Park near Park City. The[14] oval currently houses the original 400-meter oval skating track, two international size ice sheets, a 442-meter running track, an eight-lane 110-meter sprint running track, weight room, locker facilities and team rooms, meeting rooms, a concession, gifts and gear shop, plus skate rentals. Skating lessons are also offered by the foundation.[15] The U.S. Olympic Speedskating Team is currently headquartered in the oval, and has been since January 2001.[16] The Oval is also home to the North Utah Grizzlies special needs hockey team.

Records set at the Utah Olympic Oval

The oval is one of the world's fastest indoor skating tracks, mainly because of its elevation. It is the world's highest indoor oval at 4,675 feet (1,425 m) above sea level, 1,000 feet (300 m) higher than Calgary's Olympic Oval, site of the 1988 Winter Olympics (which is the second highest). Because of the elevation, there is less air resistance for the skaters and less oxygen frozen into the ice, making it harder, denser and faster.[17]

During the 2002 Olympic games all ten speed skating events held in the oval set Olympic records. The oval still maintains six, thanks in part to the relatively low elevation of the 2006, 2010, and 2014 Olympic Ovals.[18] Before and after the Olympics, the oval has hosted many local and international speed skating competitions. Holding the honor of Fastest Ice on Earth has created an unofficial rivalry between the Utah Olympic Oval and the Calgary Olympic Oval, although the Utah oval holds 11 world records and Calgary only 1.

Long track records
Olympic records
Men
Event Time Name Nation Date Ref
1,000 meters 1:07.18  Gerard van Velde  Netherlands (NED) February 16, 2002 [19]
1,500 meters 1:43.95  Derek Parra  United States (USA) February 19, 2002 [19]
Women
3,000 meters 3:57.70  Claudia Pechstein  Germany (GER) February 10, 2002 [19]
5,000 meters 6:46.91  Claudia Pechstein  Germany (GER) February 23, 2002 [19]
World records
Men
Event Time Name Nation Date Ref
500 meters 33.61  Pavel Kulizhnikov  Russia March 9, 2019 [20]
1,000 meters 1:05.69  Pavel Kulizhnikov  Russia February 15, 2020 [20]
1,500 meters 1:40.17  Kjeld Nuis  Netherlands March 10, 2019 [20]
5,000 meters 6:01.86  Ted-Jan Bloemen  Canada December 10, 2017 [20]
10,000 meters 12:33.86  Graeme Fish  Canada February 14, 2020 [20]
Team pursuit
(8 laps)		 3:34.68  Sven Kramer
Douwe de Vries
Marcel Bosker		  Netherlands February 15, 2020 [20]
Women
500 meters 36.36  Lee Sang-hwa  South Korea November 16, 2013 [20]
2×500 meters 74.19  Heather Bergsma  United States December 28, 2013 [20]
1000 meters 1.11,61  Brittany Bowe  United States March 9, 2019 [20]
1,500 meters 1:49,83  Miho Takagi  Japan March 10, 2019 [20]
3,000 meters 3:52.02  Martina Sáblíková  Czech Republic March 9, 2019 [20]
5,000 meters 6:39.02  Natalia Voronina  Russia February 15, 2020 [20]
Team sprint
(3 laps)		 1:24.02  Femke Kok
Jutta Leerdam
Letitia de Jong		  Netherlands February 13, 2020 [20]
Team pursuit
(6 laps)		 2:50.76  Miho Takagi
Ayano Sato
Nana Takagi		  Japan February 14, 2020 [20]
Mini samalog 153.776  Joy Beune  Netherlands March 11, 2018 [20]

Short track records
World records
Women
Event Time Name Nation Date Ref
500 metres 42.335  Elise Christie  United Kingdom 13 November 2016 [21]
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See also

References
  1. Salt Lake Organizing Committee (2002). Official Report of the XIX Olympic Winter Games (PDF). p. 97. ISBN 0-9717961-0-6. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  2. Lisa Riley Roche (6 October 1992). "Kearns backers skate to an oval victory". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  3. Joel Campbell (6 March 1994). "Kearns dreams of speedskating excitement". Deseret News. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  4. Lisa Riley Roche (17 May 1994). "Oval starts taking shape in Kearns". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  5. Lisa Riley Roche (2 September 1995). "In-line Skaters give Kearns Oval a whirl". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  6. Lisa Riley Roche (13 January 1996). "Oval opens with a whirl of festivities". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  7. Brian Maffly (22 February 1999). "Oquirrh Oval Transformation Begins in April". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  8. Lori Buttars (15 March 2000). "Oquirrh Park Designed to Be Swift, Thrifty". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  9. Janet Rae Brooks (30 June 2000). "Oval Repair Is Under Way - $2 million job will be footed by facility's contractors and their insurers". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  10. Alan Edwards (29 November 2000). "Kearns ice oval is being torn up". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  11. Stephen Speckman (13 February 2001). "U.S. Team gets first crack at Kearns Ice". Deseret News. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  12. Stephen Speckman (8 March 2001). "World records may fall at track this weekend". Deseret News. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  13. Mitt Romney (13 February 2010). "Vancouver Olympics 2010". Free & Strong America.
  14. Employee knowledge
  15. Utah Athletic Foundation (2010). "Utah Olympic Oval: Facilities". Utah Athletic Foundation website. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  16. Utah Athletic Foundation (2008). "Utah Olympic Oval History". Utah Athletic Foundation website. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  17. John Keahey (13 February 2001). "Ice Oval Initiation: Slick, Smooth and Speedy". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  18. Associated Press (24 February 2006). "Slow Italian oval keeps speedskating records on ice". ESPN. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  19. Salt Lake Organizing Committee (2002). "Speed Skating". Official Report of the XIX Olympic Winter Games: Results (PDF). p. 441. ISBN 978-0-9717961-0-2. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  20. World Records at the International Skating Union website
  21. https://shorttrack.sportresult.com/Results.aspx?evt=11213100000036&gen=w&ref=17852&view=rou
  • - Official website
  • - Utah Office of Tourism - Olympic Oval
  • - ISU Statistics
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