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So you need to prep mixed-use ice for curling…
While the Zamboni is running:
- Retrieve large bristle brush, large mop, pebbling cans, rock boxes (if necessary), and hacks.
- Fill pebbling cans.
- Pull rock carts from freezers (or clear snow off rocks).
- In San Jose, do NOT close the freezer door over the ramp. Pull the ramp away from the door before closing.
- Retrieve game play items (stabilizers, sliders, scoreboards, easels, numbers).
- Only bring the broom bucket out if there are many new players that need a club broom.
After the Zamboni comes off the ice:
Ice prep is the priority.
- Put the nipper (if available) on the ice to cool the blades.
- Push frost off the ice surface by running the bristle brush and mop over the ice surface, ideally behind the home end hack area first, before people bring rocks and other items out on the ice. Run the bristle brush and mop up and down each sheet, pushing the snow all the way back to the away end boards.
- Start pebbling areas that have been brushed and mopped, behind the home hack area, then sheet 1, then behind the away hack area, then sheets 2-5. Each sheet should get two passes of pebbling.
- If running rocks, set up rock boxes on sheets 1 and 4.
- Once sheet 1 has been pebbled twice, start running the rock box or nipper up and down each sheet.
- Ideally, use a three-pass nipping pattern so that the entire sheet is nipped. Otherwise there will be dramatic differences in ice conditions at the wings of the sheet.
- If using a nipper, leave it on the ice, during game play so that the blades stay cold until they can be cleaned, but remove the mop behind the blade and set it on the boards, out of the way (otherwise it may freeze to the ice)
- Drop all snow from brushing, mopping, and nipping far behind the hacks or at the boards. Piles of snow on the ice are extremely dangerous as they are much slipperier than frost-free, pebbled ice.
While pebbling/running rocks/nipper.
- Set hacks, standing on them for 25-45 seconds.
- In Fremont, only stand on a hack for 25 seconds maximum. If there is water visible at the edges and in the curling stone cutout(s), and step off and allow to freeze in place. Snow may be packed behind the hack to help freeze in place, secure the hack, and soak up water.
- Collect rocks on the correct sheet.
- Always use matched sets of rocks (sheet 1 yellow with sheet 1 red, sheet 2 yellow with sheet 2 red, etc). Sets from different sheets may be made of different granite.
- Set up scoreboards, if desired.
- Teams should determine hammer/color.
