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PYEONGCHANG, Feb. 15-- "Listen, the ice is whispering," said "ice master" Remy Boehler, watching closely the figure skaters training at the Gangneung Ice Arena for South Korea-hosted PyeongChang Olympics. The skaters, in their much simpler skin-tight white or black training outfits, are making a last ditch effort for the Games, so is Boehler. The 41-year-old French leads a team of 14 technicians, eight from the United States, four South Koreans and two Japanese, taking in charge of the three ice rinks in the venue. Figure skating is on the center stage of Olympics and PyeongChang is no exception. In the case of Gangneung arena, which also hosts short track speed skating, an event winning South Korea most Olympic gold medals and having a solid fan base in the host country, the challenges for Boehler and his team are apparently mounting. "First, the ice temperature for the two events is different, for figure skating, minus three to four degrees Celsius, minus six to seven degrees for short track. So the ice for figure skating is less hard," said Boelher. "Plus the competition schedule is so tight that we are left for three to hours to make the temperature right." To make the situation more complicated, the capacity of the Gangneung arena, with a capacity of around 6,000 people, is often fully packed and temperature inside will rise along, which could be a disaster for the rink. Boehler has to cut through all the commotion to find out the "real-time" conditions of ice and makes sure it is ready for competition. | 
