NPR story about the experts known as 'Ice Meisters'

[nimi]

I came across this NPR story about the experts responsible for making the different ice surfaces in Olys. You don't often see these people interviewed about their craft and I don't remember this article being discussed here, so I thought I'm gonna post this story even though it's a bit old at this point. Better late than never, eh? (Mods, if I'm wrong and there's already a thread about this somewhere, feel free to delete this.)

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetor...sters-create-perfect-olympic-skating-surfaces

Excerpt (the NPR site has the story also in audio form btw)

But in the games, short track speedskating shares a rink with figure skating. Two totally different sports with different ice needs are holding competitions in the same ice arena.

The arena's ice meister, Remy Boehler of France, explains that figure skaters need warmer, thicker, more supple ice so they can dig in for jumps. If the ice is too hard and cold, it will "explode" when they land, he warns. But short track speedskaters need colder, faster ice in that same venue.

It takes about three hours to adjust the temperature from one sport to the other.

The best way for Boehler to tell if he's got it right? "What I use most are my ears," he says. "I use them all the time. When I arrive, I take off my cap so I can really listen to the sound of the blades, if they're gliding or cracking."

Another NPR story about their own correspondent's experiences in covering the Olys includes a further tidbit about one of the Ice Meisters:

I asked one of them, Mark Messer, if he's always paying close attention to ice, like even when he drops ice cubes into a glass. And he said absolutely! He said he's always looking at how the bubbles are formed, and in studying the ice, he can figure out whether the cube froze from the bottom or the top.

Love the nerdery & the dedication!