"If I hear someone bragging that they made ice in 6-7 minutes, I'm listening to someone who's bragging to me that they don't know how to make ice properly. Anyone can scream around the ice in 7-8 minutes. There are twelve different processes and minute adjustments that go on which you can't see. The faster you drive, the less you can make those changes." --Al Tyldesley, President of the North East Ice Skating Manager's Association (NEISMA).		There's a great sense of pride in making a good sheet of ice. Ice skaters and hockey players differ on the type of ice that works best for them. Hockey players like hard, fast ice--ice at about 20-22 degrees F. Ice skaters and figure skaters--"feather dusters"--like softer ice (about 24-26 degrees F) because it has more give to help cushion jumps and turns. Off the record, sources have told me repeatedly that the quality of ice in professional sports arenas needs improvement. Other activities that take place in stadiums create stress on the ice, like moshing Metallica fans and marauding circus elephants. Explains Dr. Jack Vivian, Director of the Sport Facilities Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan, "Ice takes time to reach the desired temperature and this doesn't happen with the ice being taken in and out. It is either too cold (brittle) or soft (slow)." Many rink managers, however, believe that another cause of bad ice is the lack of professional drivers in the large venues.