Pettit National Ice Center
Encyclopedia
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
facility in West Allis, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
featuring two international-size ice rinks and a 400-meter speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
oval. Located adjacent to Wisconsin State Fair Park
Wisconsin State Fair Park
The Wisconsin State Fair Park is a fairgrounds and exhibition center in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. It has been the location of the Wisconsin State Fair since 1892. It also hosts other venues such as the Milwaukee Mile, the oldest continuously operating motor speedway in...
, the center opened on December 31, 1992, and was named for Milwaukee philanthropists Jane and Lloyd Pettit
Lloyd Pettit
Lloyd Pettit was a sportscaster in Chicago and Milwaukee as well as the owner of the Milwaukee Admirals.-Early life:Pettit was born in Chicago and moved as a small child to the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Shorewood High School...
. Although Wisconsin State Fair Park
Wisconsin State Fair Park
The Wisconsin State Fair Park is a fairgrounds and exhibition center in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. It has been the location of the Wisconsin State Fair since 1892. It also hosts other venues such as the Milwaukee Mile, the oldest continuously operating motor speedway in...
owns the land and the building, the Pettit National Ice Center Inc., a non-profit corporation, has operated the site since the facility opened.
The Pettit Center replaced, and was constructed, on land once occupied by the Wisconsin Olympic Ice Rink, an outdoor facility that was in operation from 1967 to 1991. The indoor, climate-controlled Pettit Center was a major improvement and continues to attract many skating athletes from around the world. The West Allis Speedskating Club
West Allis Speedskating Club
The West Allis Speedskating Club is a short track speed skating club located in West Allis, Wisconsin. Founded in 1930, it is a nonprofit organization that runs under and as part of the West Allis/West Milwaukee Department of Recreation...
trains on its rink, as well as the Elite S.W.I.F.T speed skating team featuring world class speed skaters.
The Wisconsin Edge synchronized skating team practices on the figure skating rinks.
The rink
The Pettit is one of only 29 indoor 400-meter ovals in the world, and is an official US OlympicOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
training facility. The Pettit has hosted numerous skating competitions, including the National Short and Long Track Speed Skating Championships, the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
World Sprint Speed Skating Championships
The World Sprint Speed Skating Championships are annual speed skating championships. The championships are held over a two day period, with the skaters racing one 500 m and one 1,000 m each day...
, and the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Time Trials.
The rink also hosts a skating school that offers classes for children and adults in figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and speed skating.
Olympic speed skating gold medalists Bonnie Blair
Bonnie Blair
Bonnie Kathleen Blair is a retired American speedskater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.-Career:Blair...
and Dan Jansen
Dan Jansen
Daniel Erwin Jansen is a former speed skater, best known for winning a gold medal in his final Olympic race after suffering through years of heartbreak. He graduated from West Allis Central High School....
were the rink's first skaters.
Facility statistics
- $13 million facility
- Area:
- 200,000 square feet (18,600 m²) — total building
- 155,000 square feet (14,400 m²) — arena
- 97,000 square feet (9,000 m²) of total ice
- 400-meter oval designed for long track speed skating
- Two International-sized (100' x 200', or 30 m x 60 m) rinks for hockey, figure skating, and short track speed skating
- 450-meter, two-lane jogging track surrounding the ice oval
- 150-capacity Hall of Fame lounge over-looking the ice arena
- Skate rental facilities with figure, hockey and speed skates
Men
| Event | Name | Country | Time | Date | Avg. Speed. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | Tucker Fredricks | 9.66 | October 21, 2009 | 23.18 mph | |
| 500 meters | Jeremy Wotherspoon | 34.91 | November 27, 2005 | 32.04 mph | |
| 1,000 meters | Shani Davis | 1:08.33 | November 26, 2005 | 32.74 mph | |
| 1,500 meters | Chad Hedrick | 1:44.47 | October 24, 2009 | 32.12 mph | |
| 3,000 meters | Jonathan Kuck | 3:42.69 | October 08, 2011 | 30.10 mph | |
| 5,000 meters | Chad Hedrick | 6:16.23 | October 26, 2008 | 29.73 mph | |
| 10,000 meters | Chad Hedrick | 13:22.93 | October 24, 2005 | 27.86 mph |
Women
| Event | Name | Country | Time | Date | Avg. Speed. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | Sayuri Osuga | 10.41 | November 27, 2005 | 21.49 mph | |
| 500 meters | Manli Wang | 37.83 | November 27, 2005 | 29.57 mph | |
| 1,000 meters | Jennifer Rodriguez | 1:15.50 | November 26, 2005 | 29.63 mph | |
| 1,500 meters | Kristina Groves | 1:57.55 | January 14, 2007 | 28.54 mph | |
| 3,000 meters | Claudia Pechstein | 4:06.44 | February 5, 2000 | 27.23 mph | |
| 5,000 meters | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann | 7:02.11 | February 6, 2000 | 26.50 mph | |
| 10,000 meters | Carla Langenthal | 16:28.47 | October 13, 2007 | 22.63 mph |