[2021.07] Essential for Figure Skating: How to make a temporary rink (Patine Leisure)

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2021.07.13

 

Source: https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/65943

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20210713031355/https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/65943

 

How to make a temporary rink, an essential part of figure skating - something you may not know about | People who make figure skating colorful (No. 18)

 

Ice Rink Expert

 

An ice rink is essential for figure skating to exist.

 

　There are permanent rinks that are used for daily practice. Among them, there are rinks that are operated all year round regardless of the season, and rinks that are operated according to the season.

 

 

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　In addition to these permanent rinks, there are also so-called "temporary rinks" in which ice is temporarily laid in venues that are usually used as gymnasiums or arenas. This applies not only to competitions but also to ice shows.

 

Furthermore, there are also temporary rinks set up outdoors or in other temporary locations.

 

Permanent rinks, like those where skaters practice daily, require regular maintenance. On the other hand, for temporary rinks used during competitions or ice shows, the process involves laying the ice and maintaining it throughout the event. Particularly in the case of temporary rinks, areas that normally have no connection to ice are quickly transformed into rinks. It’s natural to wonder how this is done.

 

A company that plays an essential role in these tasks within figure skating is Patine Leisure Co., Ltd. This expert group handles the installation and operation of temporary rinks, the management of permanent rinks, and the construction of new skating rinks.

 

Currently, they manage six rinks nationwide, including the "Kinoshita Academy Kyoto Ice Arena," "Saitama Ice Arena," "Hyogo Nishinomiya Ice Arena," and the "Mitsui Fudosan Ice Park Funabashi," which opened last December.

 

While managing these rinks is important, what stands out about Patine Leisure's work is their extensive experience in setting up rinks for competitions and ice shows in gyms and arenas. This includes events like the NHK Trophy, the Japanese National Championships, the World Championships and Four Continents Championships held in Japan, the Grand Prix Final, and even the Nagano Olympics.

 

In terms of ice shows, they've been involved in "Fantasy on Ice," "THE ICE," "Thanks Tour," and many other well-known events for figure skating fans.

 

"If there's space, we can create a skating rink," says Yasutaka Iihashi from the company. He has been responsible for various tasks, such as coordinating with the venue for rink setup, managing on-site operations, and organizing staff. As a result, he is thoroughly familiar with the rink setup process.

 

How to create a temporary rink

 

So, how is a temporary rink set up?

 

The first step is to lay a large waterproof sheet on the floor.

 

"The sheet was made into one large piece by a supplier in South Korea. We slightly overlap the edges and press them together. Since it's one large sheet, it takes about 30 to 40 people to lay it out."

 

Next, insulation material is laid down, followed by plywood (composite boards). This forms the "floor" of the rink.

 

On top of this, another waterproof sheet is laid. There’s a reason for using multiple layers.

 

"It’s important to prevent damage to the floor of arenas or gymnasiums, and waterproofing is essential."

 

During the 2007 World Championships held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, this process was repeated once more, using three layers of waterproof sheets.

 

"At that time, we didn't use a single sheet like we do now. We had to connect them on-site, so it took quite a bit of time."

Once these steps are completed, the cooling pipes are then laid out.

 

Inside the cooling pipes, antifreeze coolant, chilled to below minus 10 degrees, is circulated. Water is then sprayed on top, causing it to freeze. This process is also quite labor-intensive. Spraying is done around the clock over several days to gradually increase the thickness of the ice. However, the thickness never exceeds 10 centimeters. If the ice becomes too thick, it moves farther away from the cooling pipes, making it harder to freeze.

 

If you follow the path of the many cooling pipes laid out across the rink, they lead outdoors. There, you’ll see a small building resembling a shed. This is the mechanical room, where the antifreeze coolant is cooled and then circulated through the pipes, connecting to the cooling system.

 

In fact, there are challenges even there.

 

"For example, at the Osaka Central Gymnasium, where the NHK Trophy was held in 2017, the rink surface is on the third basement level. At the Hiroshima Green Arena, where the NHK Trophy was held in 2018, the rink surface is one floor below ground. Since we need to run pipes from the ground level to the rink surface, we had to carry them up using scaffolding."

 

When it’s a venue they’ve set up multiple times, the layout and know-how are well-established. However, the Hiroshima Green Arena was a venue they were encountering for the first time.

 

"Of course, we made two or three preliminary visits before the event."

 

Setting up the rink is not the end of the process. During the event, constant management and maintenance are required. Therefore, they make sure to have staff on-site 24 hours a day until the event is over.

 

Including the ice resurfacer, equipment is picked up from a factory in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, and transported to the venue.

"It takes nearly 20 large trucks. The transportation costs are significant," he laughs.

 

Having worked on rink setups for many years, he shares that there are unforgettable moments and memorable stories about the athletes. (To be continued)

 

 

Yasutaka Iihashi started working part-time at an ice rink in Matsudo City when he was a third-year high school student, and has been involved in the ice rink industry ever since. In 1995, he joined Patine Leisure Co., Ltd., a company that manages ice rinks and sets up temporary ice rinks.

 

 

 

2021.07.14

 

Source: https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/65944

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20210714031238/https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/65944

 

The temperature that troubled the rink pros at the 2019 World Championships and the reason for it | People who make figure skating colorful (No. 19)

 

An era where temporary rinks are required

 

Patine Leisure Co., Ltd. has become an indispensable presence in the world of figure skating, managing and operating skating rinks and transforming gymnasiums and arenas into rinks for competitions and ice shows.

 

　This is truly a group of ice rink experts, and Yasutaka Iihashi has been working there for about 25 years. His involvement with rinks is even longer.

 

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"There was a private rink near my home, and I started working part-time there when I was in my senior year of high school. It was Shin-Matsudo Star Land. There, I met teachers like Nagakubo Yutaka and Koji Okajima."

 

Through this part-time job, he also gained experience skating. "I thought skating was fun," he says, and continued working part-time even as a university student. There were athletes who practiced late at night or early in the morning, so there were times when he stayed overnight to accommodate them.

 

In the winter, he sometimes went to prepare rinks in regional areas.

 

"When the rink opened and I saw the children enjoying skating, I felt a sense of fulfillment, and I’ve continued this work ever since."

 

Having worked in figure skating through rink setup for many years, he also witnessed changes over time.

 

"When I joined Patine Leisure, the buildup to the Nagano Olympics was creating a lot of excitement around skating. At that time, there were almost no cases of using temporary rinks."

 

However, private rinks gradually began to decrease.

 

As one of the reasons for this, the need for temporary rinks began to arise.

 

"In the 2006 Turin Olympics, Shizuka Arakawa won the gold medal. After her victory, we were asked to set up ice at the Ariake Coliseum for an ice show. I think that was the starting point."

 

Afterward, figure skating gained more popularity due to the athletes' success.

 

"As a result, there was a push to hold events in larger venues. The Yoyogi National Gymnasium had hosted competitions before, but places like Yoyogi, Makomanai, and the Rakutab Dome in Osaka began to be used."

 

Ice shows also became more popular, and the demand for temporary rinks increased. Eventually, large-scale venues, such as Saitama Super Arena, started hosting competitions as well.

 

The World Championships: Feeling the Passion of the Spectators

 

In 2019, the World Championships were held. During this time, he had a firsthand experience of the "heat" from the audience.

 

"At that time, I was monitoring the indoor temperature by the rink side. It had been around 20 degrees, but suddenly, it shot up to about 25 degrees. We had been cooling it down since the morning, so the ice didn’t melt, but it was a tense moment."

 

It was a moment that brought a lot of pressure. Additionally, there is an unforgettable memory from that event.

 

"It was Pooh-san. That was incredible."

 

After Yuzuru Hanyu finished his free program, a multitude of "Winnie the Pooh" stuffed animals were thrown onto the rink in celebration.

 

Iihashi was watching from the ice-resurfacing side of the arena seats. Seeing the number of Pooh bears thrown, he couldn’t help but spring into action.

 

"Normally, the flower girls collect the items from the rink and hand them to the person in charge of receiving them. But I thought there was no way they would be able to handle it in time, so I helped collect them and used the radio to call our staff, saying, 'Anyone with free hands, come over.' It wasn’t something I was asked to do, but I felt like I had to do it. Even the women from the Japan Skating Federation came out in heels and started collecting them too."

 

Recalling the scene, Iihashi smiled with a hint of happiness as he said,

 

"It was like a yellow firework display."

 

The difficulties of running an ice rink in summer

 

As can be seen from this story about the competition, managing the ice requires constant attention to detail.

 

"This is true for all rinks, but we pay close attention to both temperature and humidity."

 

It’s not just the temperature—humidity is something to be mindful of as well. What does this mean?

 

"In winter, it’s not much of a problem, but in the summer, no matter how much we resurface the ice, the humidity causes frost to form on the surface. This means the ice isn’t smooth, but rather has some resistance. Naturally, it becomes harder to skate. For ice shows, the timing for resurfacing is limited to just before the performance, before the venue opens, and during the intermission. So, we always ask the organizers to allow us to resurface as close to opening time as possible. Even then, there’s usually about an hour before the show starts, so the first skaters will likely face icy conditions with frost on the surface, making it difficult to skate."

 

There are other enemies of the ice, too—air conditioning being one of them.

 

"No matter how cool the air conditioning feels, to ice that’s at sub-zero temperatures, it’s just warm air. The air flow can subtly cause the ice to melt, so when setting up at a new venue, we always conduct a test in advance."

 

Thanks to years of accumulated experience and know-how, trust has been earned. Over the years, while working in this field, there have been moments of new discoveries and being impressed by the words of skaters.

 

"When Yuzuru Hanyu consulted me, I thought, 'Ah, you can really tell the difference,'” he says with a sense of admiration. (To be continued)

 

 

 

2021.07.15

 

Source: https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/65946

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20210715061136/https://jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/65946

 

The difference in the rink that Yuzuru Hanyu noticed and the ice quality that allows him to jump higher | People who make figure skating colorful (No. 20)

 

Difficulties with travel and language barriers at the PyeongChang Olympics

 

Patine Leisure Co., Ltd. has become an indispensable presence in the world of figure skating, managing and operating skating rinks and transforming gymnasiums and arenas into rinks for competitions and ice shows.

 

They were involved in the Nagano Olympics, but there was another Olympics they were involved in - the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.

 

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"We received a request from the organizing committee for the Pyeongchang Olympics. It seems they had observed the World Team Trophy in Figure Skating held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in 2015. Initially, there was a suggestion to set up a temporary sub-rink, but in the end, they decided to set up two permanent rinks. However, due to a shortage of staff for management, we were asked to send people."

 

Figure skating requires both a main rink for the competition and a sub-rink for practice. Iihashi became involved in managing these rinks, and in the end, sent three staff members for the ice hockey rink and two for the figure skating rinks.

 

"It was tough, they said. In Nagano, we rented an apartment nearby and there were changing rooms at the rink. In Pyeongchang, however, the travel time was quite long."

 

Director Shigeyuki Ozaki, who was directly involved in the figure skating rink duties on-site, recalls:

 

"We stayed there for about a month before the competition started."

 

He worked as part of a team, managing both the main and sub-rinks alongside staff from other countries.

 

"The team leader and sub-leader were from France, and there were people from the U.S. and South Korea as well."

 

While Ozaki had previously worked with the Korean staff and was familiar with them, it was his first time meeting people from other countries.

 

"Each country had its own way of managing things, so we had to adapt and work together."

 

The language barrier was a major challenge.

 

"There were specialized terms, so it was never easy."

 

Despite these challenges, Ozaki watched the Japanese skaters from the side of the main rink during the competition.

 

Two memories stand out. One is the moment when Yuzuru Hanyu achieved his Olympic repeat victory.

 

"After all, it's not often you get to witness such a moment. The sight of Pooh bears flying onto the rink was also unforgettable. I was so happy to see Hanyu and the other Japanese skaters do so well."

 

The other memory was when the Japanese athletes greeted him when they met.

 

"There are athletes who practice at the rinks we manage, and some of the skaters I’ve worked with in competitions, too. I remember they all greeted me."

 

Yuzuru Hanyu Senses the Difference in the Rink

 

Behind the successful completion of the competition, there was also the presence of Patine Leisure, and the request was made because of the skills and experience they had developed over time.

 

Even so, there are things that can be learned from the skaters. Iihashi says:

 

"There was something I heard that really shocked me. This was something I learned from Coach Utaka Nagamitsu, who had heard it from the skaters. She said, 'A softer surface allows you to jump higher.' Until then, I thought a harder surface was better because it wouldn’t absorb the energy like a sponge, but it turns out I was wrong. The skaters said that at Patine's rinks, they felt like they could jump higher than on their regular home rinks. When we were at the Tokyo Gymnasium, they must have really been bouncing high!" (See part 18)

 

Iihashi experienced the skaters' delicate sensitivity firsthand at the 2014 World Championships held at Saitama Super Arena.

 

"It was when I was watching practice from the rink side of the main rink. Yuzuru Hanyu came over and asked, 'Is it possible to make the ice the same on both the practice rink and the main rink?'"

 

In fact, there were structural differences between the main rink and the practice rink.

 

"The arena used for the main rink has a system where the floor can rise and lower, so it has some bounce and cushioning. On the other hand, the practice rink has a firm, solid structure. Although there was a difference, the way the rinks were constructed was the same, so we never explained the structural differences to the athletes. But Hanyu could sense the difference. I think it was from the feeling of how he jumped. He could tell whether there was rebound or not. When I explained the structure, he said, 'I understand,' and it seemed like his question was resolved."

 

Towards the 2022 Beijing Olympics

 

For many years, they have made significant contributions to the world of skating.

 

However, like much of society, figure skating was heavily impacted by the spread of COVID-19, and Patine Leisure was no exception.

 

"Last year, we were involved in the Kumamoto performance of 'Prince Ice World,' but 'Stars on Ice' was canceled, 'Fantasy on Ice' was canceled, and the summer 'THE ICE' event was also canceled. The only things we handled were the setup for the Japan Open in October and the management of the NHK Trophy."

 

It wasn’t just the setup of temporary rinks that was affected. The rinks they managed also took a hit.

 

"There were long periods where we couldn't operate for general public sessions, and employees at each rink were probably struggling to increase sales at their respective locations. In the meantime, we focused on activities like holding private bookings with shorter hours and restarting club practices, doing what we could."

 

By this spring, they took on the setup for the World Team Trophy, and 'Stars on Ice,' 'The Thanks Tour' by Mao Asada, and 'LUXE' with Daisuke Takahashi were held, all of which they were responsible for managing.

 

"In this situation, I am truly grateful."

 

That’s why he says, "I just hope things will settle down."

 

He continues:

 

"Four years ago, the National Championships were held at Musashino Forest Sports Plaza, and this year, it's at Saitama Super Arena. Time flies. What we do is to support your emotional performances from behind the scenes. We want to carry out everything we’ve built and create a stage where skaters can showcase their best abilities."

 

Iihashi is also looking ahead to the Olympic season.