For those of you that live in the colder regions of the nation, you might have had the chance to go ice skating at a local park or outdoor rink during the winter months. For those of us that live in sunny California, ice skating isn’t exactly one of our regular activities! It will never be cold enough in California for our lakes and ponds to freeze over, so when we want to go skating, we have to head over to an indoor rink. Ice rinks are fun places to learn how to skate, slip on your behind, and laugh at your friends when they take a tumble! If you’ve been to a rink, you know that the entire perimeter has been covered with rolls of rubber matting. It’s exciting to walk on, especially with skates, because it’s fun and bouncy! However… have you ever thought about why all ice rinks have a rubber flooring mat? Here are 10 reasons why rubber floors make sense in icy locations:
Rubber is water resistant: This means that even when the ice melts the rubber surface covering will not be affected; however, someone will have to dry it!The reason rubber matting is used has to do with the fact that rubber offers qualities that are not found in anything else! Rubber is one of the most durable materials on the market. It is known for its strong grip and traction- something that is very important in an ice rink! Ice that is tracked out of the rink and onto the surrounding areas can quickly melt into dangerous puddles, so it’s important to keep surfaces safe! Mats made of rubber are highly waterproof, so melted ice won’t affect it at all. Rubber is also able to resist repeated impact. Even though thousands of skaters stomp on the rubber with their sharp skating blades every day, it stays strong and does not crack or twist under all that impact. The skate shoe blades don’t leave indentations or slices in the rubber either, which keeps it looking new. Lastly, rubber is a soft surface, so even if beginning skaters accidentally fall while they are walking to or from the rink, they will have a soft landing! As you can see there are many reasons why a rubber flooring mat is the go-to material for ice rink rubber matting—next time you’re at an ice rink, think about it!