The Ice Sheet at Ogden

The Ice Sheet at Ogden, also known as the Weber County Ice Sheet, is located 35 miles (56 km) north of Salt Lake City on the campus of Weber State University in Ogden. The Ice Sheet opened in 1994 as a recreational training center for curling, ice hockey, and figure skating. During the 2002 Winter Olympics the Ice Sheet hosted the curling events. The Ice Sheet is also home to the Ogden Mustangs, a junior ice hockey team in the United States Premier Hockey League and Weber State University's men's hockey team.

The Ice Sheet at Ogden
Location4390 Harrison Blvd.
Ogden, Utah,
 United States
Coordinates41°11′00″N 111°56′47″W
OwnerWeber County, Utah
Capacity2,000
SurfaceIce
Construction
Broke groundDecember 17, 1992
Built1992-1994
OpenedApril 2, 1994 (1994-04-02)
Renovated1999 (concrete floor)
Construction cost$6.2 million USD
Tenants
XIX Olympic Winter Games (February 2002)
Ogden Mustangs (WSHL/USPHL) (2011–present)
Weber State University men's ice hockey
Website
The Ice Sheet at Ogden

The facility, owned by Weber County, has hosted several World Curling Federation-sanctioned events. The Ice Sheet offers local competitions, public skating, lesson programs, hockey, curling, figure skating and speed skating, ice shows, and includes a pro shop, conference rooms, locker rooms, and an outdoor terrace for meetings.

History

Following the passage of Utah's 1989 Olympic referendum, Ogden City submitted a proposal to the Utah Sports Authority and Utah's Olympic organizers to construct an Olympic-sized practice ice sheet in the city.[1] On September 10, 1990, the Utah Sports Authority selected a site near the Dee Events Center in Ogden as the site of an Olympic ice sheet, over other locations in downtown Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. The property for the venue would be leased from Weber State University for 50 years at a cost of $1.[2] A groundbreaking ceremony at the start of construction was held December 17, 1992. The facility was to cost $5.9 million, with $3 million coming from the State of Utah (as authorized in the 1989 Olympic referendum), $2 million from Weber County, and the remainder from private donations.[3]

Following the venue's completion, a two-day grand opening was held on April 2–3, 1994, which included performances by Olympian Scott Hamilton, and U.S. Champions Todd Sands and Jennifer Moreno.[4] By the time it was completed the price had gone up to $6.2 million, it had seating for 2,000 spectators, and was 52,500 square feet (4,900 m2) in size. It was originally designed to be used for practice and preliminary competitions among ice skaters and hockey teams for the 2002 Winter Olympics.[5] It was later decided that the ice sheet would be used for curling events, and on May 2, 1999 the ice sheet closed to replace the sand-based floor with a more efficient concrete floor. The sand-based flooring allowed freezing tubes to shift, causing uneven ridges in the ice. The new concrete floor was finished July 1999, and the ice sheet reopened for public use within weeks.[6]

2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Olympic curling competitions inside the Ice Sheet

During the 2002 games The Ice Sheet at Ogden hosted the curling events, which had been first introduced during the 1998 Winter Olympics. The venue held about 2,000 spectators, and 96.7% of tickets were sold, with a total of 40,572 spectators witnessing events at the Ice Sheet.[7]

References
  1. Douglas D. Palmer (16 June 1990). "Utah Cities, Counties Submit proposals for Sports Facilities". Deseret News. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  2. Joel Campbell (11 September 1990). "Ogden wins Figure-Skate, Hockey Rink". Deseret News. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  3. Beverly DeVoy (19 December 1992). "Ground is broken for Olympic Ice Rink in frosty ceremony". Deseret News. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  4. Lisa Riley Roche (3 April 1994). "$6 Million Olympic Ice rink opens in Weber County". Deseret News. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  5. Tom Quinn (3 April 1994). "2002 Ice rink Dedicated". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  6. Don Baker (26 May 1999). "Ice Sheet scores new boss, new concrete floor". Deseret News. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  7. Salt Lake Organizing Committee (2002). Official Report of the XIX Olympic Winter Games (PDF). p. 99. ISBN 0-9717961-0-6. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
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