Pettit National Ice Center

I was also very proud when we had Olympic representation.

Somebody who was practicing at the Pettit Center in West Allis won a gold in Olympics.

And it was so cool to see.

Like, he started because the backyard of his house had a frozen pond.

It's one of the best facilities in the country.

And I know many people that have never been inside the Pettit Center.

I agree.

Get out there and enjoy that stuff.

And I think after making that decision, if I remember right, because Six Days in the Dome was an event they did up in Alaska in 2014 that I did.

And the guys who put that on said, hey, we're bringing this event back, but we're going to do it at the Pettit Center in Milwaukee this time, and we'd love you to come.

So I was like, you know what? Worst case scenario is I can do a tune-up B race there.

So...

I think it was about 40 grams per hour on race day for that one.

My hydration was probably a little more dialed than maybe it had been in the past.

So that would be something that maybe helped, um, Although the climate I was in was something where hydration isn't as big of a pinch point because they keep the Pettit Center at 55 degrees Fahrenheit and you're not dealing with any changes in weather during the day or any direct sun.

So that probably had a bigger impact than anything was the Pettit Center itself is just going to be maybe a little faster setting than say desert solstice would be on most years.

Okay.

She retired in 1995 as a three-time world sprint champion at the US Hall of Fame and today lives in Milwaukee area, where she and her husband, fellow Olympian Dave Cruikshank, coach young speed skaters at the Pettit National Ice Center.

Welcome to the show.

That's perfect.

And he'd end up like third or something like that.

And then he shows up at the Pettit Center a few years ago and just runs like I think it was like a 630 under care or something like that.

Just levels up.

Oh yeah, like he was top, I believe he was top American in 2024.