Exerpts from an article Roger did giving us minnesotans a break in 2022
Northern Maine Ice Busters Will Not Build The World Record Ice Carousel in 2022
Roger Morneault is the organizer of the ice carousel on Long Lake in St. Agatha, Maine. He works with a whole team of volunteers called the Northern Maine Ice Busters to get it done. In 2018 and 2021, they set the world record for the biggest ice carousel. They have decided for a couple of reasons that they will not be going for the record in 2022.Organizing The Ice Carousel Takes a lot of Time
One of the main reasons they are not doing it this year is the time it takes getting it organized. Morneault said, “this year’s ice carousel is a no go. It takes a tremendous amount of planning to do this. It’s not like a friendly Sunday afternoon project. It takes months of planning, weeks for sure. I have to call and line up the chainsaws and line up the vendors. We have to try to raise money for a cause which takes time.”
Letting Others Hold The Record in 2022
There is another reason the project is not planned for 2022. A crew in Minnesota and a team in Finland build ice carousels every year. Morneault said all three places support each other and he felt Minnesota should hold the record. “I wanted this year off for another reason too. Chuck Zwilling in Minnesota is the current world record holder. He did a 1,300 footer."Zwilling usually does his carousel in Minnesota at the end of January or the beginning of February. What happens next is Finland will beat him at the end of February or middle of March. Minnesota keeps the trophy for no more than 4 to 6 weeks. He’s like ‘Oh man, ‘the trophy just showed up in the mail and I have to mail it out again.’”
2 previous, and 1 current world record ice carousel builders as of January 12, 2019
- Chuck Zwilling, Janne Käpylehto, & Roger Morneault
Janne Käpylehto in Finland has done the world record carousel for close to ten years. He’s done counter rotating carousels. He had the first ice hockey game on an ice carousel. Morneault said, “this year, once we decided we weren’t going to do it, I talked to Janne in Finland and told him I’m not doing it this year. Maybe Chuck can keep the trophy. I was kind of hinting to him to let it go for a year.”
How Long Does It Take to Make a World Record Ice Carousel?
The 2018 World Record Ice Carousel in Maine was 427' in diameter with a of 1340.78’ circumference That;s a total of 3.287 acres. Maine’s 2021 World Record Ice Carousel was 1,234 feet (376 meters), 27 acres.Some years it takes longer to make than other years. The thickness of the ice is a key factor in the time it takes to complete an ice carousel. “From start to finish with all the tools lined up and everything is there, you can do it in one day. 2021 was a freak year. We only had 17 inches of ice as compared to the 2018 world record when we had 34 inches of ice.
"We set aside 3 days to cut last year. We had a big crew, we had all the equipment available. We were able to do it in a day last year. That is not normal. In 2018 we spent 3 days working on it and did not complete the job. We had to wait 2 weeks and try it again.”
The Plan for 2023
"Next year is a go," said Morneault. "I told Chuck in Minnesota he can keep the trophy until April 2023. Hold tight, it’s coming, just not this year."
Read the complete March 14, 2022 Published Article Archived Here