Science of Speed: Fast ice, fast snow, slinky suits and slippery skis shave milliseconds that can separate the winners from the losers.(maintenance of speed skating rink in Salt Lake City, Utah, for Olympic competition)

ICE ROCKS!" WROTE ONE EXUBERANT SPEED skater in the official logbook. "Ice is the dope s--t!" raved another. These were not the words of desperate drinkers euphoric about getting a decent Long Island iced tea in Salt Lake City. The kudos in the log came from athletes singing the praises of the "fast ice" at the new $30 million Olympic Oval. To make it, icemeister Marc Norman (his actual title is operations manager) rigged up the Zamboni to spray deionized, purified water (impurities in ice cause friction with blades).