Ice techs cool under pressure

With all of the pressure that Canadian curlers are under to perform at the 2010 Winter Olympics-the stress on the 'icemen' responsible for laying down the curling ice at the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre probably runs a very close second. There are few sporting events where so much emphasis is placed on the conditions at the venue. And for ice technicians Hans Wuthrich and Dave Merklinger-who are in charge of the Olympic ice sheets-the pressure is starting to build. It takes 10 days to actually get the venue ready for the game and Wuthrich says if the ice isn't perfect-there's hell to pay. Before each draw the ice needs to be shaved and then a pebble, which is small ice droplets needs to be applied. There is a great deal of science involved and because in a sport where a speck of dust can literally change the course of a game-the maintenance keeps the icemen hopping literally 24 hours a day.