Catch Olympic fever at the Guidant John Rose MN OVAL
Skating with the stars in Roseville
Former Governor Rudy Perpich dreamed of Minnesota hosting the 1996 Olympics. To make that goal a reality, Minnesota needed world-class sports facilities. Perpich, in pursuit of the bid, urged lawmakers to help fund a series of sports facilities. Twenty-seven venues were envisioned. All but one of these already existed or was in the process of being developed, including Roseville's John Rose Minnesota OVAL.
Minnesota saw its Olympic dreams crushed in 1988 when the U.S. Olympic Committee selected Atlanta to be the host of the 1996 Summer Olympics. But planning for the OVAL was already in motion. In 1992, Governor Arne Carlson, approved state financing for the project. The John Rose MN OVAL opened in December 1993. It was named after a local Roseville school teacher and state representative who was a tremendous supporter of youth sports.
“I have been told by a lot of people that we have one of the finest, if not the finest, outdoor speedskating surface in the world. The quality of the ice, the quality of the equipment. Everything is here,” said Rich Chlebecek, a director at the Friends of the OVAL Foundation and resident historian on all things speedskating in Minnesota.
Chlebecek got involved in the speedskating world when his son started skating in 2000 when he was eight years old. He started with a novice program at the OVAL for a few years and then shifted over to the Midway Speedskating Club. Chlebecek joined the board of directors for the Club and later became president of the organization. Chlebecek is a retired engineer and was invited to help out at the OVAL with some electrical issues fifteen years ago and he’s stuck around ever since.
The OVAL is the largest artificial outdoor sheet of ice in North America and draws elite athletes and amateur skaters from around the region and the nation. The 110,000 square feet of outdoor refrigerated ice has hosted international events. The OVAL has a 400-meter speedskating track surrounding an infield ice area used for hockey or bandy.
Olympic Dreams
This year, the OVAL is brimming with Olympic fever. Two speedskaters who have trained at the OVAL—Giorgia Birkeland and Greta Myers—earned their way onto the U.S. Team that will compete at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy starting on February 6. Over the course of history, there have been 35 speedskating Olympians from Minnesota.
Myers almost didn’t make it this year. In Olympic style speedskating, there are two people on the ice at the same time, each one paces and winds off the other.
“At this year's Olympic trials in Milwaukee, Greta ended up getting a little too close to a skater that she was in front of and got disqualified,” Chlebecek said. Luckily, the judges allowed her to have a second skate and she went out an hour later after a grueling race and skated a faster time, earning her the second U.S. spot for the Women’s 1500 race.
This is rare, but a similar situation happened once before to another skater who got her start at the OVAL. Rebekah Bradford fell over of her own accord, 30 feet before the finish line in the 2009 U.S. Olympic Trials.
“That was going to be the end of her skating career. Well, the judges came to her about a half hour later and told her that she would be allowed to re-skate the race,” Chlebecek said. She got back out there and skated an even faster time, qualifying her for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Other rising stars who train at the OVAL include Elise and Elena Stave who both qualified for the Olympic Trials and are training to earn a spot on the national team.
“The OVAL is one of four or five facilities in the nation that actually has a speedskating track. The one that is closest to us is in Lake Placid, New York where the Olympics were held. So it's a rare facility,” Chlebecek said.
By Chlebecek’s estimation, almost every Olympian speedskater since 1993 has skated at the OVAL, thanks to an event hosted here called the American Cup or “AmCup.” This annual event took place last month on Dec. 5-7, 2025.
“That event, as well as others, are used to gather points for placing in the top three positions. All the points are added together during the season and that’s how a national USA team, etc. are selected. Once that team is selected, they get preferred coaching, training, etc. top tier status for the upcoming year,” Chlebecek said.
The OVAL is not a year-round facility, so most serious skaters move to Milwaukee or Salt Lake City to do year-round training on indoor rinks.
Speedskating and Bandy Championships
The OVAL was recently awarded the 2028 Junior World Championships for speedskating, which was last hosted in Roseville 20 years ago.
“Last time we hosted it, I think we had twelve or thirteen countries represented. It's a very prestigious event,” Chlebecek said.
The OVAL is also the home of American Bandy Federation and is used by the United States men's and women’s national bandy teams. The OVAL has hosted the 2006 Women's Bandy World Championship; 1995 Men’s Bandy World Championship; U.S. Speedskating Championships; U.S. Junior Speedskating Championships; Translate American Cup Speedskating; World Cup Speedskating; and National Bandy Championships.
Public Skating and Youth Sports
The OVAL is open for the public to enjoy. It offers ice skating from November to March. In the summer months, the OVAL offers a skate park and inline skating from May to September.
The OVAL is adjacent to the Roseville Ice Arena. Built in 1969, the Arena is the home of the Roseville Area High School boys and girls hockey teams, Roseville Figure Skating Club, Roseville Area Youth Hockey Association. And during the summer, the Arena is home to the Midwest College and High School Hockey League.
“This is a tremendous facility here, right in [your] backyard,” Chlebecek said.
Supporting improvements for the OVAL
The OVAL is owned, operated, and maintained by the City of Roseville, but funding also comes from the state of Minnesota and the Friends of the OVAl Foundation. The Foundation was created to promote, maintain, and improve the John Rose MN OVAL and the Roseville Skating Center. The Foundations raises funds to fill in the gaps not provided by public funding and to help pay for major repairs.
It became The Guidant John Rose MN OVAL after the Guidant Corporation donated one million dollars to fix the broken refrigeration system. The Friends of the OVAL Foundation—which had been shut down for awhile—re-formed to facilitate this donation in 2005. Half of the donation went to immediate repairs and the other half was used as “matching funds” for additional donations for future repair needs.
More recently, the OVAL has undergone an extensive amount of upgrading and rebuilding over the past several years. Safety pads were purchased three years ago from an Italian company called Impact. This is the same type of safety pads used for the last two Olympic games.
The OVAL also introduced a new way to time skaters with electronic chips on a skater’s legs.
“When that chip crosses the finish line, it records what the lap time is,” Chlebecek said.
Last year, the OVAL installed what is probably the largest video board at any speedskating facility, according to Chlebecek. It’s 11 feet tall and 39 feet wide, with a full web streaming video system that can connect to up to twenty different cameras.
The scoreboard was paid for with $40,000 donated by the Foundation and $56,000 donated by the Midway Speedskating Club. Additional funds came from the Roseville Capital Improvement Program budget.
Naomi Krueger
In 2023, the OVAL had $4 million in renovations and repairs covered by state bonding dollars.
This year, the City of Roseville is approaching the State Legislature again for additional funding for the ongoing maintenance and operation of OVAL because it is a resource for the entire state, not just the city. This priority is on the agenda for the Jan. 26 city council meeting.
“There's also been support from other individuals and organizations for the different sports housed in the complex to promote events and programs that have brought in new skaters, supporters, and fans,” Chlebecek said.
If you want to support the OVAL, you can make a tax deductible donation through the Foundation. Learn more online at SkatetheOval.com
Cheer on local speedskaters and other Olympians at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy on Feb. 6-22.
