© 2009 Universal Uclick The Icing on the Rinkcie.chron.com/minipage/mini_page_pdf_archive/mp52_091226tab_co… · MIST, SMOOTH, LAYERS, PAINT, LOGO, SEE. Artificial Ice try ’n

© 2009 Universal Uclick

release dates: December 26-January 1 52-1 (09)

from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick

Have you ever wondered how all that ice gets inside an arena for hockey or skating? What happens to the ice when the arena is used for something else, such as a basketball game? The Mini Page talked with an expert on indoor rinks to learn more about the ice inside the rink.Artificial ice The ice in indoor rinks is made from water just like “real” ice is. It is called artificial (ahr-tuh-FI-shul) because it is made by machines, not by nature. There is a kind of fake ice made from a type of plastic, but it is not as easy to glide on. Most rinks use artificial ice made from water.

Icing the floor In an average-size rink, about seven miles of pipes run below a concrete floor. A special antifreeze mixture is pumped through the pipes 24 hours a day. The mixture keeps the surface of the floor below freezing, at about 22 degrees. Workers spray a fine mist of water on top of the floor. When it hits the cold floor, the mist freezes almost instantly. The quicker it freezes, the better quality the ice is. The trick is to create a sheet of clear, smooth ice on top of the floor. Workers build up this ice sheet one layer at a time. They begin by spraying four different layers, each about 1/32nd of an inch thick. At this stage, they want a clear ice floor that’s about one-eighth of an inch thick.

The art of making ice Mist makes ice that is the same hardness all over. If workers just used a big hose to spray water, there would be a puddle of water in the middle of the rink for a while. Once it froze, that middle of the ice would be softer than the rest. Have you ever looked at the ice

cubes in your freezer? The center probably looks cloudy. That’s because the cubes froze from the outside

in. The impurities in the water flowed to the center, making it freeze softer. Water may be treated with chemicals before being sprayed on the rink. The closer it is to pure rainwater, the clearer it will be. Regular tap water makes cloudy ice.

A Cool Floor

The Icing on the Rink

Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.

photo by Michelle/Paul Harvath, courtesy of U.S. Figure Skating

Rena Inoue and John Baldwin free-skate. They will be competing for the United States in the pairs competition in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Figure skaters make gouges in the ice when they dig in their toe picks to stop. Ice is usually resurfaced before and after competitions.

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The Czech Republic team competes against Russia in the 2006 Olympics bronze medal game in Torino, Italy. Hockey players dig grooves in the ice when they skate up and down the floor. The ice needs to be resurfaced between periods.


52-2 (09); release dates: December 26-January 1®

Ice painting Once the ice is about one-eighth-inch thick on the floor, painters spray the ice with three coats of white ice paint. This gives the ice a bright, white look. It is easier for hockey players to see the puck on the painted ice, and it shows up better on TV. Painters use a stencil to paint any logos, or team symbols, on the ice. In hockey rinks, painters then add on the hockey lines. Once the paint is down, workers spray more layers of water on top until the ice is about 1 inch thick. It takes 10,211 gallons of treated water to cover a normal rink with 1 inch of ice. This is enough to make about 82,000 snow cones!

Painting on Thin Ice

A little math Can you help the rink manager figure out how many layers of water need to be sprayed? A. If layers are sprayed on 1/32nd of an

inch at a time, how many layers would it take to create a 1-inch-thick surface? B. If four layers were laid down before painting, how many would still need to be laid down after painting?

Words that remind us of artificial ice are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you can find: ICE, RINK, FIGURE, SKATING, HOCKEY, COMPETITION, WATER, FREEZING, INSULATE, ARENA, INDOOR, ANTIFREEZE, ZAMBONI, RESURFACE, MIST, SMOOTH, LAYERS, PAINT, LOGO, SEE.

Artificial Ice try ’nfind

Skating iS great winter

fun!

M R G N I T A K S R O O D N I M I I H T O O M S S R E Y A L H L S N R E T A W A N E R A Z O I O T K E T A L U S N I Z A C V C G L Y G N I Z E E R F M K K L E O Z K L E R U G I F B E E Z E E R F I T N A S E E O Y Z Z N O I T I T E P M O C N T N I A P E C A F R U S E R I


Basset Brown

the news

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ready resourcesfrom The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick

The Mini Page provides ideas for Web sites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.

On the Web:• www.usfigureskating.org• www.icenetwork.com• www.usahockey.com• www.nhl.com/kids/index.html• www.zamboni.com/kidszone/index.html

At the library:• “Frank Zamboni and the Ice-Resurfacing Machine” by

Kay M. Olson


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Workers paint the Olympic rings onto the rink ice at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Painters use stencils to guide their painting.

A. 32; B. 28

Workers still need to paint the middle of this ice white. Do you think the painted ice shows up better on camera?

® 52-3 (09); release dates: December 26-January 1

Rookie Cookie’s RecipeBeanie Beef Soup


Meet Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose is the voice of Princess Tiana in the Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog.” Anika has acted in several movies and TV shows. She won a Tony Award for her role in a

musical on Broadway. She also appeared in the musical “Footloose” on Broadway. Anika, 37, was born in Bloomfield, Conn. She began acting in high school in her school’s production of “Fame.” She studied drama in college in Florida, and then at a special acting school in San Francisco. She sang in Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass” at the Vatican. She has also appeared in videos for schoolkids.

You’ll need:• 1 pound lean ground beef• 1 medium onion, finely chopped• 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained• 1 (15-ounce) can ranch-style beans,

drained• 2 (15-ounce) cans whole-kernel corn,

with liquidWhat to do:1. Brown the beef and onion in a large soup pot. Stir until the beef

crumbles, and then drain.2. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder and water.3. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and stir in the taco seasoning.4. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Serve with crushed tortilla chips on top.You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.


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Isabelle: What do you get when King Kong steps on a glacier? Isaiah: Crushed ice!

Ike: What is the difference between the law and an ice cube?

Irene: One is justice and the other is just ice!

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All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category?

Igor: Did you hear the joke about the icicle?Irma: Never mind, it would only leave me cold!

Mini Spy . . .Mini Spy and Basset Brown love to ice skate! See if you can find: • sock • bearded man • man in the moon• paintbrush • frog • letter Z • letter N• bell • heart • star • word MINI• goose • letter H • dragon • fish• squirrel • arrow • cat • man in hat• snake • chicken • horse • letter A


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• 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with liquid

• 1 cup chicken broth• 2 teaspoons garlic powder• 1 cup water• 1 (1-ounce) packet taco seasoning• crushed tortilla chips as needed

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The Mini Page’s popular series of issues about each state is collected here in a 156-page softcover book. Conveniently spiral-bound for ease of use, this invaluable resource contains A-to-Z facts about each state, along with the District of Columbia. Illustrated with colorful photographs and art, and complete with updated information, The Mini Page Book of States will be a favorite in classrooms and homes for years to come.

NEW!

To order, send $15.99 ($19.99 Canada) plus $5 postage and handling for each copy. Make check or money order (U.S. funds only) payable to Universal Uclick. Send to The Mini Page Book of States, Universal Uclick, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS 66206. Or call toll-free 800-591-2097 or go to www.smartwarehousing.com. Please send ______ copies of The Mini Page Book of States (Item #0-7407-8549-4) at $20.99 each, total cost. (Bulk discount information available upon request.)Name: _____________________________________________Address: ____________________________________________City: ______________________________________________State: __________________________ Zip: ________________

The Mini Page® Book of States



52-4 (09); release dates: December 26-January 1®

Rink care If rinks are used all year for ice events, the ice floor will probably last for years. If events such as basketball are held at those arenas, workers lay down insulated plastic flooring on top of the ice. Because the concrete floor is also insulated, the ice doesn’t melt. When there are events such as concerts at the arenas, carpet is laid directly over the ice. When arenas host events such as circuses, where a dirt floor is needed, they have to get rid of the ice. They warm up the pipes underneath the floor until the ice separates from the concrete. Workers use a machine to push the ice off the floor. When they want to use the arena for an ice event again, they have to start over from the beginning.

Zamboni fun facts • The best-known brand of ice resurfacer is probably the Zamboni.

• The first machine was invented by Frank Zamboni in the early 1940s. He developed it for his own skating rink in Southern California. • A Zamboni ice resurfacer travels

an average of about 2,000 miles each year around the ice rink it services. • At its top speed, a Zamboni ice resurfacer can go about 9 miles an hour. • When a Zamboni ice resurfacer shaves the ice, the shaved ice is called snow. The snow goes into a tank on the machine. • The snow in one tank would be enough to make about 3,000 snow cones (if it were clean).

Pure as the Driven Ice

Ice resurfacers Once the ice layers are down, the ice is smoothed out with an ice resurfacer. To create a super-smooth skating surface, ice resurfacers: • shave off about 1/32nd of an inch of ice with a blade; • wash the dirt off the ice; • spray hot water, about 140 to 160 degrees, on the ice to replace that 1/32nd of an inch. They use hot water because there is no extra oxygen in hot water. The extra oxygen makes the water cloudy. In boiling water, extra oxygen and water vapor, or water in gas form, create bubbles.


The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

Teams and fans often decorate the Zamboni ice resurfacer, making it into a kind of mascot. This “Happy Face” Zamboni machine was used as a mascot of a Canadian company.

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Workers paint the hockey lines and Olympic symbols at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics hockey rink. Before painting, workers freeze blue and red yarn on the ice to help keep the paint lines straight for the hockey markers.

Next week, The Mini Page presents a calendar for the new year.

The Mini Page thanks Dave Wescott, director of facility programs, STAR; and Paula Coony, general manager, Zamboni Merchandising Co. Inc., for help with this issue.

Look through the sports section of your newspaper for events on artificial ice.

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release dates: December 26-January 1 52-5 (09)

(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 52, to be used in place of ad if desired.)



Supersport: C.J. SpillerHeight: 5-11 Weight: 195 Hometown: Lake Butler, Fla. Whenever C.J. Spiller touches the football, Clemson University fans get excited, and Tiger opponents get nervous. The speedy senior is one of the most explosive players in college football. He can score from anywhere and ranks among the nation’s leaders in all-purpose yardage —

rushing, receiving and returning kicks. After 10 games this season, Spiller had amassed 6,363 career yards, an Atlantic Coast Conference record. He has a chance to become one of five players in NCAA history to total 7,000 all-purpose yards. This fall, the versatile Tiger has gained 836 yards running the ball, 382 yards on pass receptions and 734 yards returning kicks. Spiller, on pace to graduate with a degree in sociology, also has earned All-America honors in track.

(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 52.)

Standards Spotlight: The Icing on the Rink

Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer activities that will help your students reach them.

This week’s standard:• Students understand science and technology. (Science: Science and

Technology)Activities:1. Draw yourself figure skating. Write a sentence about your picture.2. Find three different ice events in the newspaper. Look for shows, sports

and lessons.3. Find five pieces of equipment that you could use for fun on the ice or in

the snow. Put a star by the one you like best.4. Why are these important for ice rinks: (a) antifreeze, (b) ice paint,

(c) plastic flooring, and (d) Zambonis?5. Write a story as if you were an ice rink. Talk about all the things that

happen as people prepare you for an ice event. Talk about how you feel when there is a performance or game.(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

®from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick

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by Betty Debnam

Appearing in your newspaper on ______.from The Mini Page © 2009 Universal Uclick

in

Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

®

(Note to Editor: Above is camera-ready, one column-by-31/2-inch ad promoting Issue 52.)

Read all about

artificial ice

photo courtesy Zamboni Merchandising Co., Inc.

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© 2009 Universal Uclick The Icing on the Rinkcie.chron.com/minipage/mini_page_pdf_archive/mp52_091226tab_co… · MIST, SMOOTH, LAYERS, PAINT, LOGO, SEE. Artificial Ice try ’n