Pettit National Ice Center

Although the Pettit National Ice Center has been around for a little over a decade, its history stems back to the days of Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration. Beginning in 1966, skaters bared themselves to the elements of the cold Midwestern winters as they trained outdoors on the Wisconsin Olympic Ice Rink.

Located at Wisconsin’s State Fair Park, the 400-meter outdoor oval was the first of its kind in North America. The Olympic Ice Rink produced 26 Olympic medallist speed skaters such as Bonnie Blair and Eric Heiden, but the frigid temperatures year after year forced many athletes to look for training elsewhere.