It’s all about the ice

The Boost National, the first event of the Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling season starts Tuesday at Memorial Gardens.  

But preparations have been underway for a few days.

John Wall is the ice technician for the event.  

He's been here since Friday preparing the ice.

Wall has put the ice the curlers will play on over the hockey ice.

Now he says his duties include scraping the ice between draws and monitoring the building ensuring the temperature is fine for good curling.

Wall is involved in all the grand slam events and he says the key is to keep the ice as level as possible from sheet to sheet.

He says he'll be monitoring rocks as they go down the sheets throughout the week.

For Wall it's all about ice consistency and consulting with the curlers on any potential problems.

He jokes that when he hears nothing from the curlers that's a good sign but every site is different and has challenges.

The variables include inside Memorial Gardens and the outside environment too.

Wall is hoping for a quiet week when the ice is rarely mentioned.

Rick Miller, co-chair of the event says great icemakers like Wall are important to an events like the Grand Slam of Curling. 

"One thing we have never had a problem with since the renovations at the arena is we have a great surface and a great plant in the building and air ventilation system," Miller said. 

"We have had outstanding ice, we have never had complaints from the players. They bring in the two ice makers that are coming in for the event are two of the top ice makers in the world."