Blazing a trail for women aboard a Zamboni

Fast forward to today, Rasing is one of a select few female drivers across the Western Hockey League who are seen cleaning the ice before, during, and after games.

“It was a position I fell into,” Rasing added about starting with the ice crew back in 2001. “I applied for a serving position up at Manhattan Point and they saw I had a forklift certificate, and so they hired me as one of the first women to drive the Zamboni. There are only two or three people that have been working longer than me.”

In an occupation typically held by men, Rasing was encouraged by her co-workers to jump behind the wheel.

“I practiced on my off-hours, and one of my bosses said I was ready. It was an exhibition game, but I was definitely hesitant. He said to do it tonight as only a thousand people would be at the game, so if I mess up it isn’t the regular season, and no season ticket holders are here. I went out there and haven’t stopped driving ever since.

“The men in my department treated me great,” she said. “I remember someone telling me that a guy in the stands in his 80s said to his neighbour, ‘Look now even the women are taking our jobs.’ I’ve heard the odd funny comment, but for the most part people are encouraging. I have a lot of young kids when I walk the hallways and they say, ‘Mom that is the Zamboni lady’, so it pumps me up. I love my job.”

Driving a Zamboni may look easy for the casual observer, but Rasing admits there is a lot of technic to it.

“I am looking behind me, and seeing how much [ice] I am cutting,” she explained. “I see the amount I am cutting by looking at the skate marks on the ice. The objective is to eliminate them. There are so many factors in getting a good sheet of ice. The temperature in the building is huge. We are always changing it [temperature] because it warms up when people come to watch. Sometimes you will see us look up at the clock because we need so much time afterward for the ice to freeze before the players and the referees go on the ice.”

Using two Zamboni’s is commonplace across the Western Hockey League, but having a pair of big machines on the ice in a confined space has its fair share of challenges.

“When you are first starting, you are learning the pattern, Rasing added. “If I do commit an error, the best thing to do is laugh it off. No one is perfect. My fellow driver [Craig] and I worked well together. My Zamboni drives a little quicker. He can put the peddle to the metal, but he still won’t catch up to me, so I slow it down a little bit or I will be tailing him quickly.”

One of the hardest parts of Rasing’s job is onlookers watching her every move. It takes confidence or a strong backbone to clean the ice quickly.

“When I first started, it was tough,” she admitted. “We have had NHL pre-season games here, and those games throw me off. I get nervous, but then I have to remind myself it is the same thing I am doing, and I am not changing anything from the WHL to the NHL, so I just have to remember it is the same pattern.”

Like with any job, sometimes things don’t go according to plan, especially when mechanical issues arise.

“I did get nervous a couple of weeks ago when one of our Zamboni’s went down,” she commented. “I know the pattern and I know I can do it, but if I am cutting too much, I can fill my bucket and then there is a problem. Then I have to go off the ice, dump it and go out. Then definitely all eyes will be on you, as the players will come out, the referees will come, and everyone will be wondering what’s going on.”

While being proficient at what she does, Rasing admits she wants to perform with the same type of excellence as those before her.

“The referees always say we have great ice. We take pride in it,” she said. “I am very fortunate that when I started over 20 years ago, I was taught by a couple of operations staff that do games for the NHL Winter Classic. Mike Craig and Wayne Pansegrau had so much experience, so I was taught by the best.”

Now part-time, Rasing still loves what she does, and the bonus is the ability to cheer the Kelowna Rockets on to victory.

“I really enjoy it. We have such great fans. It is fun. I can’t see myself quitting anytime soon.”

by Regan Bartel

Blazing a trail for women aboard a Zamboni

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