Overview
- The natural-ice rink opened at 08:15 on Saturday, drawing dozens of skaters within the first hour.
- Ice master Hendrik van Prooije measured the surface at about 5 millimetres and cautioned that skateable conditions depend on wind and sun.
- Officials hope the ice holds through the morning as temperatures hover just above zero.
- The club’s white coating reduces solar heating, enabling earlier cooling and overnight spraying to create the initial layer.
- Volunteers worked through the night in rotating two-person, three-hour shifts, using a long‑arm crane to spray water across the track, as chairman Auke Spijkstra noted while expressing pride in the effort.