Utah Olympic Oval Center Activity runs (2/7 & 2/8/14)

I had a bus run with the State JHS indoor Track team to the Utah 

Olympic Oval in Kearns on Feb. 7th. Due to recent family complications, 

I went back on Feb. 8th for Kathleen Kendall.

It is the indoor speed skating oval built for the 2002 Winter Olympics.

 It hosted the speed skating events for the 2002 Olympic games. 

The weight of the building is carried by outside suspension supports with no

 inside supports leaving it entirely open.  The cost of construction was $30 million.

Darrel recalled the cement for the oval was done by two teams in 

a continuous pour so there are no cold joints in the building.  

This project was job security for our family that year! 

Inside the facility the 400-meter speed skating track surrounds two international sized

 ice sheets used for ice hockey, and these are all surrounded by a 442-meter running track. 

 The facility is still used for the Olympic Team Trials.

Here you see the speed skating ice oval. The running track is just 

beyond it and the tracks are separated by the blue barrier.

 This is still an official Olympic training site. Of course all the 

athletes were at the Sochi Winter Olympics in so I didn't see any.

National flags from around the world are displayed the full 

length of the building. This is a good shot of the racing track.

Friday there were teams of High School and/or college students playing

 on the regulation sized ice hockey arenas. But on Saturday, this ice arena 

was divided into three equal parts. There were little, tiny kids were
booking around on hockey skates playing ice hockey. :)

The players appeared to be between 5 & 8 years old. 

 This is our US Olympic feeder teams! 

This is what a full sized, manicured ice hockey field 

looks like after being groomed by a Zamboni.

 There is so much ice in this 5 acre building that they have two Zambonis.

 These were more serious speed skaters who seemed
to be training throughout the entire track meet.

 There are public skating hours where the public can use this ice oval for fun.

In addition to everything else, there is a nice broad jump pit...

And a pole vault pit. It appeared to me that this space in 

this building could not be used more efficiently or profitably used.

This is a high dive training pool adjacent to the building.  That has been added since 2002. 

There is a fun water park that shares the parking lot as well.