The Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval (officially stylized as OVAL), formerly the John Rose Minnesota Oval, is an outdoor
ice rink
An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water or an artificial sheet of ice where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The growth and increasing popularity of ...
in
Roseville,
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It is claimed to be the largest artificial outdoor
skating
Skating involves any sports or recreational activity which consists of traveling on surfaces or on ice using skates, and may refer to:
Ice skating
*Ice skating, moving on ice by using ice skates
**Figure skating, a sport in which individuals, ...
surface in North America. The facility was constructed from June to December 1993. It was the subject of a $3.9 million renovation project which was set to be completed before the opening of the rink's 29th season on November 18, 2022. It is the home of
bandy in the United States
Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota, but has started to grow in Nevada as well. United States national bandy team, The national team regularly plays in Division A of the Bandy World Championships. In terms of licensed athlet ...
and is used by the
United States men's national bandy team and the
United States women's national bandy team
United States women's national bandy team represents the United States in the Women's Bandy World Championship. The team has participated in all Bandy World Championships for women since the first tournament in 2004.
Women's World Championship
...
.
Rink
The rink consists of a
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
surface (a 400-meter track surrounding an infield ice arena) with of embedded cooling tubes and an 800-ton refrigeration system. When the temperature is above —the highest temperature at which an icy surface can be maintained—the concrete surface can be used for
inline skating
Inline skating is a multi-disciplinary sport and can refer to a number of activities practiced using inline skates. Inline skates typically have two to five polyurethane wheels depending on the style of practice, arranged in a single line by a ...
.
History
The Oval had its beginnings in 1983, when then-governor
Rudy Perpich
Rudolph George Perpich Sr. (born Rudolph George Prpić; June 27, 1928 September 21, 1995) was an American politician who served as the governor of Minnesota from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ...
dreamed of hosting the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
. As part of the bid preparation, a task force was formed to determine locations of new facilities. After years of local efforts, Roseville was selected. The city was awarded state bonding money for the design and construction of a multi-purpose outdoor skating facility, which opened in December 1993. The facility was named after
John Rose, a Roseville teacher, member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...
, and avid supporter of youth sports.
The Guidant John Rose Minnesota Oval hosted the
1995 Bandy World Championship for men and the
2006 Women's Bandy World Championship
The Bandy World Championship for women 2006, the second bandy world championship tournament for women, was held in Roseville, Minnesota in the United States on February 13–18, 2006. The event was hosted by the American Bandy Association in Rosev ...
. It has also hosted
US Speedskating Championships,
US Junior Speedskating Championships,
American Cup Speedskating,
World Cup Speedskating,
National Bandy Championships, and
Aggressive Skating Association competitions. The
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
held their hockey jersey unveiling at the Oval, and notable visitors have included
Dan Jansen
Daniel Erwin Jansen (born June 17, 1965) is a retired American speed skater. A multiple world champion in sprint and perennial favorite at the Winter Olympics, he broke a ten-year Olympic jinx when he won a gold medal in his final race, which ...
,
Bonnie Blair
Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964) is a retired American speed skater. She is one of the top skaters of her era, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, winni ...
,
Paul Wylie
Paul Stanton Wylie (born October 28, 1964) is an American figure skater, and the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in men's singles skating.
Personal life
Wylie was born on October 24, 1964, in Dallas, Texas, to Bob Wylie (a geophysicist) and B.L. ...
, and
Neal Broten
Neal LaMoy Broten (born November 29, 1959) is an American former professional ice hockey player. A member of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team that won the gold medal at Lake Placid in 1980, Broten was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in ...
. The facility is the main training site for the
United States national bandy team
United States men's national bandy team has been taking part in the Bandy World Championships since 1985, being the first nation to join apart from the four teams which had so far participated in almost all the world championships; the Soviet U ...
and local hockey and speedskating clubs.
Leaks in the cooling system were discovered in 2004, making the season's service uncertain. In June 2005, the
Guidant Foundation contributed $500,000 to allow for needed repairs to the facility's refrigeration system. The Oval's official name was changed in recognition of the Foundation's gift and continuing support.
Events
The Oval hosts over 100,000 guests each year. Sporting events held there include
bandy
Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.
The playin ...
,
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
,
speed skating
Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long-track speed skating, short-track speed skating, and marathon speed skat ...
, and recreational ice skating. In summer the Oval becomes the largest skating park in the Midwest, as ramps are put up for BMX biking, roller hockey, and
aggressive skating
Skating involves any sports or recreational activity which consists of traveling on surfaces or on ice using skates, and may refer to:
Ice skating
*Ice skating, moving on ice by using ice skates
**Figure skating, a sport in which individuals, ...
. The track is used for inline skating, and a summer skateboard camp is held for beginning to intermediate skateboarders aged 6–13.
I.S.I.-certified ice skating lessons are given by Roseville Skating School in the connected Roseville Ice Arena during the winter months. The Oval also hosts two local speedskating clubs:
the Greater Minnesota Speedskating Association and the Midway Speedskating Club. Midway Speedskating Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing speedskating skills in young skaters. It has produced Olympic athletes and coaches. A novice speedskating program is put on by the Midway Speedskating Club through the Roseville Parks and Recreation Department for youth aged 4–14.
February 25–27, 2015, the
Bandy World Championship for girls up to 17 was organised here.
Чемпионат мира среди девушек (U-17)
/ref>
References
External links
Skate the Oval information site
City of Roseville's page about the OVAL
Shingobee: John Rose Minnesota Oval
John Rose Minnesota Oval Roseville
at www.speedskatingnews.info
John Rose Minnesota Oval, Roseville
at www.speedskatingstats.com
{{Coord, 45.0216119, -93.1513381, display=title, type:landmark, format=dms
Buildings and structures in Roseville, Minnesota
Sports venues in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Tourist attractions in Ramsey County, Minnesota
Speed skating venues in the United States
Ice hockey venues in Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Bandy in the United States
Bandy venues
1993 establishments in Minnesota
Sports venues completed in 1993