The Zamboni

[pairman2]

For your holiday weekend enjoyment:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/sports/hockey/23zamboni.html?_r=1

[Bill_S]

I saw that article at the grocery store today. I stopped to read most of it. Nicely done.

[Skittl1321]

Good article!

So does the company not think that the ice has been "zambonied" if it was DONE by a zamboni? (Google says that you can "google" on it's engine, not just search. But you have to search on any other one.)

Every rink I've seen with an Olympia has made a big deal to refer to it only as that! The reference to them in the article, with another name, made me pause and say out loud "but Olympia is the other brand. Who is this company" I clicked the link, and sure enough, it was Olympia.

I guess I was most surprised to hear they are only making number 9,000 something. Though I don't suppose I could guess why I thought there would be many more than that.

[Clarice]

That was a fun article!

My rink has Olympias, which are kept in a bay with a sign that says "Olympia Room", but we still call them Zambonis. People are usually quite surprised when I explain that they aren't, really. Ours are the electric kind.

I named my dog Zamboni. It's a big name for a tiny Maltese! I discovered on Dogbook, however, that he's not the only canine to carry the name.

[Kat12]

Hrm. I never thought about it! I always thought Zamboni was the name of the machine, not a brand...

[Rusty Blades]

Our rink to uses Olympia and I make a particular point to NOT use the term "Zamboni".

[Skate@Delaware]

Our rink to uses Olympia and I make a particular point to NOT use the term "Zamboni".

We have a Zamboni, but the rink manager calls it "ice maintenance" not "zamming the ice" which we all say....

[Mrs Redboots]

We have an Olympia, and technically they say "ice make", but most people still say Zamboni!

I was once visiting my parents, who have a large expanse of lawn and a ride-on motor mower, and commented to my husband that "Daddy's zamboni-ing the lawn!" Er.... not quite!

[samba]

I was once visiting my parents, who have a large expanse of lawn and a ride-on motor mower, and commented to my husband that "Daddy's zamboni-ing the lawn!" Er.... not quite!


Now that's a new one :lol:

Zamboni at my rink, never heard it by any other name.

[Isk8NYC]

Great article, thanks for posting it.

I usually call it an "ice cut" or "cutting the ice." I wonder if there's a big price difference between Zamboni-brand and Olympia-brand "ice resurfacers?"

[katz in boots]

Zamboni, what zamboni? Nope, nothing like that around here :lol:

[Rusty Blades]

I wonder if there's a big price difference between Zamboni-brand and Olympia-brand "ice resurfacers?"

With only two players in the market, you can bet they are priced within a few dollars of each other.

The new Olympia on trial at my rink is electric and has laser ice-levelling and has a price tag of $150,000. Used machines that I have see advertised are around $30,000.

[Bill_S]

Used machines that I have see advertised are around $30,000.

How did you know that!? Are you still thinking of getting one for your backyard rink? ;) ;) We KNOW you want one!

I saw those garden tractor-come-Zamboni and want one in the WORST way but they are EXPENSIVE - they are 1/2 the price of a full size Zamboni ..... hum ... could probably find a used full size Zamboni if I looked hard enough.

Edit...Here's Rusty's backyard rink in 2007....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/calamityjanecanary/Christmas1.jpg

[Sessy]

Now that's a new one :lol:

Zamboni at my rink, never heard it by any other name.


At the rink in Heerenveen, Netherlands they have lawn mowers that look JUST like their "zamboni's" (they might actually be using olympia, no idea). Same paint job and shape, only downsized like one-fifth of the ice machine size but still with a driver's seat. It cracked me up the first time I saw the janitor mowing the lawn there. He asked me why, I told him, he took a look at the lawnmower he was steering , laughed and said, "you know you're kinda right. they DO look like our zamboni's have had children...":lol:

Anyway in Dutch we call it to "het ijs vegen", sweeping the ice. Zamboni... I'm pretty sure most beginner and public skaters wouldn't even know what that is. All the rinks have their machines in custom paint jobs anyway. All of our ice sweeping machines don't even have anything written on them (except the one in Breda, they have olympia with a really ugly gray coating)

[Rusty Blades]

Bill, you crack me up! You actually saved that picture LOL!

Yes, I did actually price a used resurfacer - saw one in an equipment trader magazine. There is an implement dealer I pass every day coming home from work and they have about 5 of them lined up against the fence right now. I am still tempted to stop in and kick the tires ;)

[Sessy]

What about a motorized lawnmower. De-attach the blades, put a few floor sweeping towels instead and put a big water cistern with a hole in it on top... :twisted:

[Isk8NYC]

Bill, you crack me up! You actually saved that picture LOL!

Yes, I did actually price a used resurfacer - saw one in an equipment trader magazine. There is an implement dealer I pass every day coming home from work and they have about 5 of them lined up against the fence right now. I am still tempted to stop in and kick the tires ;)We ALL loved that picture and the rink - thanks to Bill for posting it again!

I think you need to start clearing the land before you buy the resurfacer...I believe you wanted to enlarge the rink, didn't you?

[Morgail]

We have a Zamboni, but the rink manager calls it "ice maintenance" not "zamming the ice" which we all say....

Great article! We've always used the word as a verb, too...ie. "Did they zam the ice yet?" or "They're zamming the ice now."

I think of the local rinks really needs a new Zamboni. The current one has an exhaust issue. You could almost choke on the fumes.

[doubletoe]

Here's Rusty's backyard rink in 2007....
(photo)

Rusty, how DID you resurface the ice in your back yard? Looks pretty smooth. . .

[rlichtefeld]

Road and Track did one a few years back:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=2091

In the print version, it had 0-9mph stats, etc.

And, Car and Driver has a recent article:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/features_classic_cars/zamboni_101_feature

Rob

[rlichtefeld]

I found the Data Panel from Road and Track:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/download/0504_zamboni_data_panels.pdf

Rob