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able to look at a space with a thermal imager as soon as we arrive, we can instantly see things that may not reveal themselves for days, such as airflow issues, or cooling problems in the floor. We are always better off if we can anticipate an issue rather than reacting to a problem.” Te ice crew also will use a Fluke 62 MAX IR Termometer and 971 Tem-


perature Humidity Meter for continual environmental quality checks, and a Fluke 52 II Dual Input Digital Termometer (“Old Reliable,” says Olesen) that is installed immediately on arrival and used as a baseline for the whole event. Pebble wear, rock speed, and curl oſten act as lead indicators for changing


air and ice conditions that are being monitored by the ice crew. Te bottom of a curling stone is concave with only a 8-inch circular running surface in contact with the ice, a circle that is just 6-mm wide around the edge. When the stone is thrown, it is given either a clockwise or counter clockwise rota- tion. Tis friction between the running surface and the pebble will cause the rock to curl toward its destination. “On a flat surface the stone would be nearly impossible to deliver to the


intended target,” says Olesen. “Te running surface rides on only a few pebbles at a time - imagine someone crowd surfing - so the sweepers affect the travel of the stone by brushing the surface with their brooms, warming the pebbles slightly, and causing the stone to travel straighter and further.” And pebble is easily affected by many things – air temperature and flow,


ice temperature, dew point, and wear and tear from stones and players. “If the pebble wears either too quickly or inconsistently, the stones will not react the same at the end of the game as they did in the beginning, thus changing the choices the players have for shots to call,” Olesen explains. “And to quote Vince Lombardi, perfection is not attainable, but if we


chase perfection we can catch excellence.” n Re-printed with permission from Plant Services Magazine


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