About Milwaukee's Pettit National Ice Center

For many people, just balancing on ice skates is hard ... now imagine maintaining control while skating at 30 miles per hour and racing fellow skaters. That’s the sport of speedskating.

Milwaukee is home to one of the top speedskating facilities in the world: the Pettit National Ice Center. The Pettit is one of only two 400-meter indoor speedskating ovals in the country and is an official U.S. Speedskating training facility. It opened in 1992 and replaced the outdoor Wisconsin Olympic Ice Rink, which occupied the site from 1967 to 1991.

All of the U.S. speedskaters to compete in the past six Winter Olympics have raced or trained at the Pettit Center. The facility has hosted the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Trials and other elite competitions. Over the years, the Pettit has been the home training facility of numerous speedskating greats, including five-time Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair, 1994 gold medalist Dan Jansen and four-time Olympic medalist Shani Davis.

The Pettit also boasts two international-size hockey rinks and a 443-meter walking and running track. It is the home of multiple local hockey and skating clubs and offers figure skating, speedskating and hockey lessons for children and adults.

The track is a popular winter training spot for high school, college and adult runners. It hosts track practices, meets and even a 95-lap indoor marathon.

But, if you’re looking for something a little less athletically intense, the Pettit also has ample public skate hours with skate rentals ... perfect for date night or a fun family activity.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: About Milwaukee's Pettit National Ice Center