Resurfice Corp., proud builder of Olympia ice-resurfacing machines for more than 40 years, has determined that the breakdown of ice-resurfacing machines at the Richmond Olympic Oval earlier this week occurred because of an electrical malfunction.
"This was a maintenance issue, not a design issue," said Don Schlupp, director of sales and marketing at the family-owned and -operated company. "We take personal pride in every machine we produce. Contrary to what some reports have suggested, these machines are not prototypes. They have been in service at the Oval for almost two years, and this problem has never occurred before."
The malfunction, which briefly delayed speed-skating competition on Sunday and Monday, has been fixed, Schlupp noted, and the Olympia machine performed up to standard on Tuesday for the women's 500-m speed skating event. "The timing of the malfunctions at the Oval was unfortunate, and athlete safety is our primary concern," he added, "but the problem was minor and we've got it fixed."
In total, 17 battery-powered, environmentally-friendly Resurfice machines are in service at Olympic venues, including Canada Hockey Place, Pacific Coliseum and UBC Thunderbird Arena, sites of the men's and women's hockey, figure skating and short-track speed skating. Aside from the maintenance issues at the Richmond Oval, Schlupp noted, all have performed well.
ABOUT RESURFICE CORP.
Based in Elmira, Ont., family-owned and -operated Resurfice Corp. has been a leading manufacturer of ice resurfacing machines since 1967. With over 4,000 resurfacers in the market, and a global network of dealers in 12 countries, Resurfice sets the standard for quality and innovation in resurfacing technology worldwide.
