There are legal and efficient alternatives to freon (aka R-12), and if I could find my notes from the ISI Ice Arena Operations course I took two years ago, I could tell you what they are. Suffice it to say, that rinks built these days use safe and legal refrigerants. I haven't heard of any rinks switching to ammonia, although it does have some advantages. The very fact that it is noxious is an advantage, because it makes it very clear when there is a leak .

How Things Work has a pretty good write up on how ice rinks work.

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Flying Leaps:
had a competition yesterday I skated a clean skate, landed the axel and got 6th place out of 10 people!
~cutie

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cutiesk8r43-- congrats! It sounds like you had a great skate!

Flying leaps--started working on my program today! So much fun!!!!! Also did a great sit spin when coach was watching. Thank goodness that "the coach effect" didn't show up for that one.

Crashing falls--literally me on the last move I did in the session today--waltz toe--I landed from the waltz and must have picked in strangely on the toe, because my blade slipped and I went down, mostly on my left arm. Luckily nothing's broken and I'm not that sore (yet, lol!)

Also, the choctaw in one part of my program and the swing-mohawk after I'm tearing around the ice at high speed (well high for me), is freaking me out. I need to go experiment with it tomorrow and just get over myself! We haven't even gotten to the really fast bit in my music where there's sure to be even harder footwork!

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Flying Leaps: I started my programme! It's soooo cool, I love the music I chose for it. I'm totally excited about working on it some more next week! And also an advantage, I can put my music on a mindisc myself, instead of waiting for my coach to do it. I also learnt some new footwork, where you do a 3jump into backwards crossovers, then go onto your toepicks and turn around, and back into a crossover position.

Crashing Falls: Exactly. I fell over whilst learning some new footwork during my lesson and winded myself.

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Thanks for the info.. I'll pass it along to our rink manager... although I'm sure he knows most of it, since he goes to all the ISI and other rink management seminars. I should have been clearer, from what I understand under California law there is no alternative to freon except ammonia. At least one of our other local rinks has already made the switch from freon back to ammonia for just the reason you state... the smell if there is a leak. Thanks for the info!