- Misurina Lake in Cortina was the last natural Olympic ice rink venue.
- Artificial ice was adopted in 1960 at the Squaw Valley Olympics in California.
- Carlo Calza, a speed skater, competed in 1956 amid severe cold conditions.
CORTINA d'AMPEZZO, Italy — Winter athletes nowadays have the luxury of being picky when it comes to ice temperatures on the rink.
For curling and figure skating, the sweet spot is around 24 degrees Fahrenheit. For speed skating, it's around 16 degrees Fahrenheit.
Livia Calza, however, grew up often hearing about a time when conditions weren't so closely controlled, thanks to her father, Carlo Calza.
"He was a speed skater on the Misurina Lake. Not in the stadium," she said.
Misurina Lake was the last natural ice rink used as an Olympic Games venue.
The International Olympic Committee adopted artificial ice, starting in 1960 at the Games in Squaw Valley, California.
Workers in 1956, however, had their methods to control conditions as best they could. At the time, the 6.5-foot tracks were part of an ice island created to hopefully avoid cracks.
Calza recalls her father talking about temperatures on the day of the competition being around -4 degrees Fahrenheit.
"He told us so many stories about that and the cold and the ice and the equipment. Equipment that wasn't so good as now," Calza said.
Carlo Calza is still alive today and served as a torchbearer, leading up to the opening ceremonies of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.
During the 1956 Games, the Cortina area was hit with a severe cold snap.
Temperatures on the day of the opening ceremonies were recorded as low as -11 degrees Fahrenheit.
