Ice-making masterclass from a smooth operator

XINING－Joachim Fritz can't remember every international curling tournament that he has attended－but he has no trouble telling you every little detail about the ice that he makes in the arena.

Fritz was the chief ice technician at this week's Qinghai International Curling Elite tournament which concluded on last Tuesday at Duoba National Highland Physical Training Base in Northwest China's Qinghai province. As a major international event, the 16 competing teams expected top-class facilities, including perfect ice.

With 23 years' experience in ice-making behind him, Fritz was undoubtedly the man for the job.

The German and his team began work early each morning by pebbling, scraping and nipping the sheets to ensure the ice was ready for curling.

"Pebbling the ice looks easy. But when you are actually carrying 15 kilos of water on your back and going backwards at a good pace on the ice, that's a different story," said Fritz as he unloaded his backpack sprayer.

Ice makers need to re-pebble the surface prior to each match. With 64 matches to take care of in Qinghai, the technicians had to work around the clock.

But the 65-year-old Fritz starts his job long before the matches begin, building up a supply of curling-grade ice that requires much more than just frozen water to produce.

Curling ice has to be perfectly level so that the rocks can curl－after all, a 20-kilo granite stone cannot defy gravity. "It's all about perfection when it comes to making curling ice," said Fritz.

To produce fresh and perfect sheets, the team spends seven days and nights flooding, painting, spraying and scraping. Each step has to be repeated several times, with the greatest possible delicacy.

But for Fritz, each job is never the same, as every arena poses a different challenge.

"There is no criteria for making the ice," said Fritz, noting that there are many variables to consider－from room temperature to the number of spectators. "People have no clue how much work we put in," he said.

And things don't always go to plan－even for Fritz.

Humidity is the enemy of ice makers, with the slightest atmospheric shift making all the difference. At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, for example, Fritz had to contend with heavy rain, with the resulting humidity leading to the cancelation of one match.

Fritz learned how to make ice from a Canadian technician back when he was coach of a German curling team. He began his ice-making career in 1996 and worked his way up to international tournaments such as the Winter Olympics and world championships.

Just like he learned from his Canadian teacher, Fritz has been passing on his knowledge and experience to assistants in Qinghai, Ming Laisheng and Hu Yue.

"It's hard work and experience that make a good ice maker," Fritz said, adding that his Chinese students are getting better at the job every year.

Russia's women and the United States's men emerged victorious on the final day of competition in Qinghai, when, ever the perfectionist, Fritz showed up two hours before the action began to prepare the tracks with the same thoroughness he has exercised over the last two decades.

"There are many little things that should be taken care of to make the event better," said Fritz, who is already looking forward to the 2020 edition. "I would be honored to come back next year," he added.

XINHUA