How To Mark A Short Track Speedskating Course

Marking a Short Track

Items Needed:

• Permanent Sharpie markers
• Two tape measures (one at least 100m long and one at least 10m long)
• 1" drill
• Router with ¾” bit
• Surving flags
• Paint
• Straight edge (pipe or 2 X 4 board) that is at least 2 meters long.

Note: This is a three hour job for two people just to set the track. You will need another 2 hours to mark off the alternate track start lines! Consult your handbook for diagrams to supplement these intstructions!

First spot check ice thickness at starting area, and block area to make sure it is not too thin or thick. Hopefully it will be a constant thickness.

Place the surving flags in hole at the points that you measure off. This is done so that you can see the track to make sure it is correct before drilling holes for the dots. If you don't do this you'll be sorry! Don't start filling in the holes until all holes are drilled and checked. Use paint, not paper dots or tape - paint lasts longer and you can fill the holes to the top.

1. Find dead center of the mid-ice red line and dead center of goalie crease redline (the thin red line at the back of the crease that runs from dasher board to dasher board). With zero at center ice, pull the tape measure to the center of the goalie crease and go back and mark off the following points:

4.425 meters (47' 4")
* Which will be the center point of your main track radius.
* Use a red dot for this spot.

Then continue towards the goalie crease and mark off the following measurements:

* 22.425m (73' 7")
* This is the apex block on the red track.

As long as the tape is traight and tight, you can mark off the other tracks at 1 meter distances:

20.425, 21.425, 22.425, 23.425, 24.425

85 ft = 25.908M / 2 = 12.954M

2. Now go back to the center ice red line and mark off 8 meters (26' 3") to the right and left. Also, mark off 6.5 meters on the finish line side. I would mark these two points with a flg. Now go to the red goalie line and do the same. Mark these points with flags. What you now have is a perfect rectangle. You need this because in setting block #1 and #7, you may veer too far one way or the other. Trust me, that this is critical!

3. Go back to the 8 meter flag at center ice and stretch out the tape as you did in your first measurement running it all the way to the 8 meter flag at the goalie line. It will now become obvious to you as to why this is necessary. This time mark off the point at 14.425 meters. This will be the red track block #1 or #7 (whichever one you do first). Leave the tape right there and mark off the other tracks with flags.

4. Repeat this process for the other side to find block #7. Now you have three blocks set.

5. Now you need to go to the radius center point which you already set at 14.425 meters. You are now going to find the red track blocks: #2, #3, #5, #6. You are not finding the other tracks - yet! The radius is 8 meters (26' 3"). With another tape measure, set at 8 meters, go to the red track block #1 and find where the two tapes intersect. This intersection will give you a precise placement of block #3. When you go to the other side at block #7, the intersection will give you block #5. Move the tape to the apex block on the red track and find the intersection for red track blocks #2 and #6.

6. Now you will need to find the other tracks for blocks 2, 3, 5, 6. Using your straight edge and marking reasonably sure it is parallel to the dasher boards, you can set your other blocks.

7. Do the same for the other end of the arena.

8. Drilling the holes - the points found are the edge of the track. The holes should not go beyond the measure points. THey should be tangent to the measured points.


Alternate Start Lines

Items Needed:

• Router
• Chalk Line
• Tape measure

Please note that the main start/finish line is supposed to be the very beginning of the red line, not the middle of it or the end of it. Your skate tip should just touch the red l ine. Use the router to make a well defined edge and use red masking tape.

With that in mind, when you go to the opposite side of the rink for the 500, 611 and 1500M races, you must also consider the start line as the first part of the red line.

1. From the beginning of the red line, measure the other starting lines for each track at two meter offsets. There is no specific order as to which is which. Just make sure they are consistent with your dot color pattern.

2. Using the chalk line, strike these lines. Use a 3/4 inch router bit set about 1/2" deep to cut a straight line. Put masking tape in the cut groove and cover with slush.

3. If you left those market flags in the ice, you will know how far to go to reach the proper start position. Running the tape measure from the flag to the dasher boards, you should drill the first dot at 37.5cm from the flag. From that point, then drill start position holes every additional 75cm until you reach the dasher boards. This will give 6 to 8 positions depending on the size of your rink. For 85 ft wide rink, you get 6 positions (37.5, 112.5, 187.5, 262.5, 337.5, 412.5 cm).
7.5, 412.5, CM

4. The finish line starts 6.5 meters from the center of the ice and extends to the boards. Use a black line for this. If you are going to be skating time trials it is a good idea to have alternating starting lines on both sides, or at least one dot in the middle of the track indicating the offset poisition and track color.

5. You do not need pre-start yellow lines.



There you have it as prepared by Mark Jastrzembski and revised by Jim Cornell
Version 8/17/05