Blyth Arena
Encyclopedia
Blyth Arena was an ice hockey
arena
in Squaw Valley, California
. It was built in 1959 as the venue of the ice hockey and figure-skating competitions and the opening ceremonies to 1960 Winter Olympics
and held 8,500 people . Standing-room crowds of 10,000 people were reported for the hockey games between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (on the second-to-last day of the 1960 Winter Olympics
) and the U.S.-Czechoslovakia hockey game during the final day.
Blyth Arena was open on its south side, enabling a view of the mountains. The 400m speed skating track was just to the south of the open side of the arena. This side of the arena also faced the 70m and 90m ski jumps and the slopes of Squaw Valley now known as the Red Dog. Following the Olympic Games the wood constructed ski jump facilities were left unmaintained and slowly deteriorated over time. In 1963 the 400m speed skating track was replaced by a parking lot in spite of protests from California speed skaters; since at the time it was known to be the only mechanically frozen 400m track in the country. From 1963 to 1983, the Squaw Valley ski area operator appealed regularly to the state of California to have the arena torn down to provide still more parking.
The arena was demolished in 1983 after the roof collapsed due to snow accumulation. The site is now a parking lot for the Squaw Valley ski resort.
Although gone, Blyth Arena is remembered as playing a major role in Olympic ice-hockey history, and to a lesser extent, in Olympic figure-skating history, where the host country won the men's (David Jenkins) and women's (Carol Heiss
) individual titles.
In addition to its use by the Olympics, the arena was for several years a site for the Worldwide Church of God
's annual Feast of Tabernacles. Evangelists Herbert W. Armstrong
and Garner Ted Armstrong
spoke at the arena several times during the period that the Feast of Tabernacles was held in Squaw Valley.
39.1969997°N 120.231446°W
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Squaw Valley, California
Squaw Valley Ski Resort
Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States, and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. It is the second-largest ski area at Lake Tahoe , with 33 chairlifts, and has the only funitel lift in the U.S...
. It was built in 1959 as the venue of the ice hockey and figure-skating competitions and the opening ceremonies to 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
and held 8,500 people . Standing-room crowds of 10,000 people were reported for the hockey games between the U.S. and the Soviet Union (on the second-to-last day of the 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
) and the U.S.-Czechoslovakia hockey game during the final day.
Blyth Arena was open on its south side, enabling a view of the mountains. The 400m speed skating track was just to the south of the open side of the arena. This side of the arena also faced the 70m and 90m ski jumps and the slopes of Squaw Valley now known as the Red Dog. Following the Olympic Games the wood constructed ski jump facilities were left unmaintained and slowly deteriorated over time. In 1963 the 400m speed skating track was replaced by a parking lot in spite of protests from California speed skaters; since at the time it was known to be the only mechanically frozen 400m track in the country. From 1963 to 1983, the Squaw Valley ski area operator appealed regularly to the state of California to have the arena torn down to provide still more parking.
Destruction
In 1982 the U.S. Department of Agriculture made a push for energy conservation. One part of that program was funding to improve insulation on many buildings. The U.S. Forest Service received some of that money to insulate the roof of the arena and the next year the roof collapsed. What was not appreciated at the time was that the roof was not built to hold much snow, but had survived for 23 years without a problem. The plan had always been that heat generated from the ice chilling equipment in the arena traveled to the ceiling, warmed the uninsulated roof, and melted the snow. With the energy conservation measures in place, the snow did not melt due to waste heat and the building collapsed under the weight.The arena was demolished in 1983 after the roof collapsed due to snow accumulation. The site is now a parking lot for the Squaw Valley ski resort.
Although gone, Blyth Arena is remembered as playing a major role in Olympic ice-hockey history, and to a lesser extent, in Olympic figure-skating history, where the host country won the men's (David Jenkins) and women's (Carol Heiss
Carol Heiss
Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins is an American figure skater. She is the 1960 Olympic Champion in Ladies Singles, 1956 Olympic silver medalist and five-time World Champion .-Biography:...
) individual titles.
In addition to its use by the Olympics, the arena was for several years a site for the Worldwide Church of God
Worldwide Church of God
Grace Communion International , formerly the Worldwide Church of God , is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Glendora, California, United States. Since April 3, 2009, it has used the new name Grace Communion International in the US...
's annual Feast of Tabernacles. Evangelists Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong
Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God in the late 1930s, as well as Ambassador College in 1946, and was an early pioneer of radio and tele-evangelism, originally taking to the airwaves in the 1930s from Eugene, Oregon...
and Garner Ted Armstrong
Garner Ted Armstrong
Garner Ted Armstrong was an American evangelist and the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God, at the time a Sabbatarian organization that taught strict observance of seventh-day Sabbath, holy days typically associated with the Jewish faith, and other observances...
spoke at the arena several times during the period that the Feast of Tabernacles was held in Squaw Valley.
Replacement
There is a new ice arena at High Camp at the top of the cable car tramway, at 2500 meters. This rink is essentially an outdoor rink. It is covered during late spring, summer and early fall. The roof panels are removed for the winter or the wind could potentially remove them. There is a set of Olympic rings hanging at this rink causing many people to think that the 1960 Olympic Figure Skating and Hockey were conducted on this new ice rink even though there is no seating around the rink nor any way for spectators to have accessed the rink in 1960.Reference
- 1960 Winter Olympics official report. p. 121.
- "Family Fun at Squaw Valley". Smith, Lynn. Los Angeles Times. 24 February 1991. Accessed 27 October 2010.
39.1969997°N 120.231446°W