Pettit National Ice Center facts for kids
North entrance in March 2006
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| Full name | The Pettit National Ice Center |
|---|---|
| Former names | Wisconsin Olympic Ice Rink (outdoors, 1967–1991) |
| Location | 500 South 84th Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 43°01′32″N 88°00′58″W / 43.0256°N 88.016°W |
| Capacity | 2,500 – major events on oval |
| Acreage | 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) – building 155,000 sq ft (14,400 m2) – arena 97,000 sq ft (9,000 m2) – ice |
| Surface | Ice – 400 m oval, two hockey rinks |
| Construction | |
| Opened | January 1, 1993 32 years ago |
| Construction cost | $13 million ($27.1 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Website | |
| thepettit.com | |
The Pettit National Ice Center is a cool indoor place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where people can go ice skating. It has two big ice rinks and a special 400-meter oval for speed skating.
This center is right next to Wisconsin State Fair Park. It opened on January 1, 1993. The center was named after Jane and Lloyd Pettit, who were very kind people from Milwaukee. Even though Wisconsin State Fair Park owns the land and the building, a non-profit group called Pettit National Ice Center Inc. has been running the place since it opened.
The Pettit Center took the place of an older outdoor rink called the Wisconsin Olympic Ice Rink. That outdoor rink was used from 1967 to 1991. Having an indoor center like the Pettit, where the temperature is controlled, was a huge improvement! It still brings many amazing skaters from all over the world. Teams like the West Allis Speedskating Club and the Elite S.W.I.F.T. speed skating team, with world-class skaters, train here. The Wisconsin Edge synchronized skating team also practices on the figure skating rinks. These rinks are also used by youth ice hockey clubs like the Milwaukee Blaze and Milwaukee Jr. Admirals.
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The Amazing Ice Rink at Pettit Center
The Pettit Center is one of only about 30 indoor 400-meter ice ovals in the whole world. It's also the sixth oldest! This center is an official U.S. Olympic training facility. This means top athletes train here to get ready for the Olympics.
The Pettit Center has hosted many important skating events. These include the National Short and Long Track Speed Skating Championships, the World Sprint Speed Skating Championships, and the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Time Trials. The building is about 720 feet (219 meters) above sea level.
The center also has a skating school. Here, kids and adults can take classes to learn figure skating, ice hockey, and speed skating. Famous Olympic speed skating gold medalists Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen were the very first skaters on this rink!
Cool Facts About the Pettit Center
Here are some interesting facts about the Pettit National Ice Center:
- It cost about $13 million to build.
- The whole building is about 200,000 square feet (18,580 square meters).
- The arena part is about 155,000 square feet (14,400 square meters).
- There's a total of 97,000 square feet (9,012 square meters) of ice!
- It has a 400-meter oval designed for long track speed skating.
- There are two international-sized rinks (30 x 61 meters) for ice hockey, figure skating, and short track speed skating.
- You can find a 450-meter, three-lane jogging track that goes around the ice oval.
- There's a Hall of Fame lounge that can hold 150 people. It overlooks the ice arena.
- You can rent skates here, including figure skates, hockey skates, and speed skates.
Fastest Times: Track Records
Skaters at the Pettit Center have set some incredible speed records! Here are the fastest times for men and women on this track.
Men's Speed Skating Records
| Event | Name | Country | Time | Date | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | Tucker Fredricks |  United States |
9.66 | October 21, 2009 | 23.18 mph (37.30 km/h) |
| 500 m | Mitchell Whitmore | United States |
34.90 | January 26, 2018 | 32.04 mph (51.56 km/h) |
| 1,000 m | Shani Davis | United States |
1:08.33 | November 26, 2005 | 32.74 mph (52.69 km/h) |
| 1,500 m | Chad Hedrick | United States |
1:44.47 | October 24, 2009 | 32.12 mph (51.69 km/h) |
| 3,000 m | Jonathan Kuck | United States |
3:42.69 | October 8, 2011 | 30.10 mph (48.44 km/h) |
| 5,000 m | Chad Hedrick | United States |
6:16.23 | October 26, 2008 | 29.73 mph (47.85 km/h) |
| 10,000 m | Jonathan Kuck | United States |
13:17.28 | December 18, 2010 | 28.05 mph (45.14 km/h) |
Women's Speed Skating Records
| Event | Name | Country | Time | Date | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | Heather Richardson-Bergsma | United States |
10.33 | January 9, 2015 | 21.72 mph (34.95 km/h) |
| 500 m | Heather Richardson-Bergsma | United States |
37.24 | January 9, 2015 | 30.07 mph (48.39 km/h) |
| 1,000 m | Brittany Bowe | United States |
1:13.81 | January 11, 2015 | 30.31 mph (48.78 km/h) |
| 1,500 m | Brittany Bowe | United States |
1:53.50 | January 10, 2015 | 29.56 mph (47.57 km/h) |
| 3,000 m | Heather Richardson-Bergsma | United States |
4:05.83 | January 9, 2015 | 27.30 mph (43.94 km/h) |
| 5,000 m | Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann |  Germany |
7:02.11 | February 6, 2000 | 26.50 mph (42.65 km/h) |
| 10,000 m | Melissa Dahlmann | United States |
15:49.11 | January 26, 2013 | 23.57 mph (37.93 km/h) |
