Synthetic ice is a solid polymer material designed for skating using normal metal-bladed ice skates . Rinks are constructed by interlocking panels. Synthetic ice is sometimes called artificial ice , but that term is ambiguous, as it is also used to mean the mechanically frozen skating surface created by freezing water with refrigeration equipment.
22-718: The Blacktown international Ice Arena (also known simply as Blacktown Ice Arena ) was an ice sports and public skate centre , built in May 1979 the rink was located in Blacktown , Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . The rink closed on 28 October 2007 and was demolished over the course of 2007 and 2008. It had previously served as the home ice rink of the Sydney Ice Dogs in the Australian Ice Hockey League between 2002 and 2007. Tom Breur opened
44-524: A core group of players and staff from the old Blacktown Bullets. John Wilson funded the new team. The Ice Dogs were granted an Australian Ice Hockey League franchise licence and the team entered the AIHL in 2002 . The Ice Dogs remained at the venue in Blacktown until the rink's closure in 2007. Blacktown Ice Arena closed its doors on 28 October 2007 and was slowly demolished over the remainder of 2007 into
66-606: A junior development ice hockey league in 1980. The Blacktown City Ice Hockey Club was established and affiliated with the NSW Ice Hockey Association . The Blacktown City Ice Hockey Club disbanded in 1984 due to financial issues and a number of other junior clubs were formed including the Vikings, Warriors, Wolves, Aliens and Flyers. In 1981, Steve Green founded the Blacktown Women's Ice Hockey team. It
88-400: A milder climate. The sport of speed skating uses a frozen circular track of ice, but in some facilities the track is combined in an enclosed area used for sports requiring an ice rink or the rink itself is used. Alternatively, ice cross downhill uses a track with various levels of elevation and a combination of bends. Long distance skating ( a.k.a. "marathon skating") such as tour skating
110-415: A more casual basis, often by children: Synthetic ice Synthetic ice is marketed under brand names including Glice, Xtraice, PolyGlide Ice and Global Synthetic Ice. The first known application of plastics as a substitute for ice for the purpose of ice skating was in the 1960s using materials such as polyoxymethylene plastic , which was developed by DuPont in the early 1950s. The polymers used at
132-479: A sturdy, level and smooth sub-floor (anything from concrete to wood or even dirt or grass) to create a large skating area. The connection systems vary. A true commercial joint connection system can be installed virtually on any type of surface whereas the typical "dovetail" joint system requires a near perfect substrate to operate safely. The most common material used is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), but recently ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE)
154-459: Is being used by some manufacturers. This new formula has the lowest coefficient levels of friction, at only 10% to 15% greater than real ice. However, synthetics have not been able to fully duplicate the properties of real ice so far. First, more effort is required to skate. Although this side effect can be positive for resistance training, skaters report missing out on the fun of effortless skating. Second, most synthetic ice products still wear down
176-583: Is only performed outdoors and uses the available natural ice from frozen lakes, ponds, and marshes. Tour skating at times includes speed skaters, though tour skates are more common. Common individual sports include cross-country skiing , alpine skiing , snowboarding , ski jumping , speed skating , figure skating , luge , skeleton , bobsleigh , ski orienteering and snowmobiling . Common team sports include ice hockey , ringette , broomball (on either an indoor ice rink, or an outdoor ice rink or field of snow), curling , rinkball , and bandy . Based on
198-1091: The Sydney Bears faced off with the Adelaide Avalanche in the final. The Sydney team finished the match Champions and were the first AIHL team to lift the Goodall Cup by defeating the South Australians 5–4 in a shootout . Ice sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice . Most are variations of skiing , ice skating and sledding . Traditionally, such games were only played in cold areas during winter , but artificial snow and artificial ice allow more flexibility. Playing areas and fields consist of either snow or ice. Artificial ice can be used to provide ice rinks for ice skating , ice hockey , para ice hockey , ringette , broomball , bandy , rink bandy , rinkball , and spongee in
220-572: The Blacktown International Ice Arena in Sydney's Western Suburbs in May 1979. Blacktown was Sydney's first ever suburban ice skating rink . The first organised ice hockey at the rink was with the re-located Glebe Lions when they played an all-star Sydney team. The Glebe Lions only stayed at the rink a few months before they were kicked out by Tom Breur for a minor incident. Rink owner John Wilson and Terry Jones set up
242-740: The Bombers relocation, the rink withdrew its support for the Flyers and a semi-private owned team, the Blacktown Bullets , was founded and joined the league in place of the Flyers. The Blacktown Bullets won the Superleague Championship in its final season in 1999. Following a two-year gap, top level ice hockey returned to Blacktown in 2002 with the formation of the Western Sydney Ice Dogs team based upon
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#1732801607725264-790: The Olympic Winter Games today, would be held during the Olympic Summer Games . It was originally wanted to keep all of the Olympic sports together under one event and program, but due to environmental demands of some sports, it had to be separated. While most winter sports are played outside, ice hockey, speed skating and to some extent bandy have moved indoors starting in the mid-20th century. Indoor ice rinks with artificial ice allow ice skating and hockey to be played in hot climates. Outdoor winter sports will likely be severely impacted because of climate change in
286-436: The blade of a skate very quickly, with 30 minutes to 120 minutes the industry average. Third, many synthetic rinks produce a large amount of shavings and abrasions – especially if the material is extruded sheet. Sinter-pressed material , on the other hand, uses a much higher molecular weight resin and has a far better abrasion resistance, and therefore the shavings are greatly reduced. Surfaces have to be cleaned less often with
308-536: The molecules in the microscopic top layer of the ice acts as a "quasi-fluid" that reduces drag and causes the blade to glide on top of the ice. On synthetic ice rinks, liquid surface enhancements are common among synthetic ice products to further reduce drag on the skate blade over the artificial surface. However, most synthetic ice products allow skating without liquid. A typical synthetic ice rink will consist of many panels (usually in typical building material sheet sizes) of thin surface material assembled on top of
330-674: The next century. Note : the Olympic rings next to a sport indicates that this particular sport is included in the Winter Olympic Games , as of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Paralympic logo indicates the same for a sport not in the Olympics but in the Winter Paralympic Games . Sports that use sleds going down ice tracks or pulled by something: Some sports are competed in (or simply enjoyed) on
352-484: The number of participants, ice hockey is the world's most popular winter team sport, followed by bandy. Winter sports at times have their own multi-sport events, such as the Winter Olympic Games and the Winter Universiade . Snow and ice during the winter time has enabled sliding as a means of transportation, using sledges, skis and skates. This also led to different pastimes and sports being developed in
374-620: The polymer and be absorbed by it so that the surface is less sticky and does not attract contaminants while providing an ice-like glide. Smoothness between panels at seams has been improved by ameliorations in production and assembly methods. It is estimated that synthetic ice has 90% of the glide factor of natural ice. In 2019, the world's largest synthetic ice rink opened in Zócalo Square in Mexico City. It spanned 4,000 m (43,000 sq ft). When skating on natural ice,
396-551: The start of 2008. Between 2002 and 2007, the ice rink annually hosted regular season Australian Ice Hockey League matches involving the Sydney Ice Dogs (known then as Western Sydney Ice Dogs) between the months of April and August. In 2002, the rink hosted the Australian Ice Hockey League Championship Final. The final in 2002 was the first AIHL final where the historic Goodall Cup was the prize. On Saturday 24 August, at 4:15pm,
418-401: The time had some significant shortcomings, the most obvious being that skaters could not glide on these surfaces as they can on real ice without the regular application of a silicone compound. The compound would build up on the surface, collecting dirt and grime. In 1982, High Density Plastics launched the first full-size synthetic skating floor under the trade name of Hi Den Ice. The surface
440-625: The winter season as compared to other times of the year. Naturally, winter sports are more popular in countries with longer winter seasons. In the European Alps , St. Moritz became a popular winter resort in 1864. In the early days of the Olympics there was not much differentiation between the summer and winter games. These confusions would span from around the late 1890s until the early to mid 1900s. During this time, some sports considered to be winter sports and played or performed during
462-471: Was made of interlocking panels of high-density polyethylene which became an ice rink when sprayed with a gliding fluid. The surface needed to be cleaned off and resprayed once a month. In a dry form, the panels were also usable for other indoor sports. Research and development in the field of synthetic ice has improved its skating characteristics. Special polymer materials have been specifically engineered for skating and unique lubricants designed to work with
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#1732801607725484-694: Was the first NSW women's team since the 1920s. The team was a founded member of the NSW Women's Ice Hockey league (NSWWIHL). Also in 1981, the Blacktown City Flyers seniors were established and entered the New South Wales Superleague (NSWSL) as a foundation member. Following the closure of the Warringah Ice Skating Rink in the 1990s, NSWSL powerhouse, Warringah Bombers relocated to Blacktown. With
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