Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1051049
54 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2018 USICERINKS.COM CEnter ice Q&A with a rink professional PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MARISSA TROTT // How did you get your start in the rink industry? Let's just say I never planned on managing ice rinks. My focus in school was always childhood education. I started off as a 16-year-old skate guard and over the next couple of years worked in every department at the Cranston Veterans Memorial Ice Rink, eventu- ally working my way up to the General Manager position. In 2015, I began to reconsider my future in the ice rink industry and started to plan an exit strategy once the 2015-16 season was over. Little did I know, that spring, another amazing opportunity would knock on my door—the position for Facility Manager at Warrior Ice Arena, the future Boston Bruins practice and training facility. This would be a chance of a lifetime and, as a lifelong Boston Bruins fan, this would be a dream come true! // What's the biggest challenge you face each day? I'm sure others can relate…time manage- ment! I know the tasks I need to complete each day, and getting each one done unin- terrupted is nearly impossible. The excite- ment of the new facility draws in lots of guests and even more phone calls. I can't say I mind it though, it's such an amazing place to work that I don't care if I answer the same question 20 times a day, as long as our guests are getting the information they need to be able to use the facility to its highest potential. // Craziest experience running a rink? How do I pick just one? I used to have an inflatable dome rink that we referred to as "The Bubble." In our first season of operating the bubble, we were still learn- ing all the ins and outs of managing such a structure. It was our first snowstorm of the season and no one knew that to avoid snow build up on the outside, you need to crank up the heat inside. Well, the snow was coming down so fast it started to buildup on the top of the bubble and it stuck. As it got heavier and heavier the bubble began to sink. It sunk so low that it was hanging over the boards and over the stakes holding in the rink pipes on the outside of the dashers (which we didn't discover until later). We had to get the entire hockey team and our staff to push on the inside liner of the dome up to try and get the snow to fall off so it could re-inflate. After several tries, this worked, but once it re-inflated, we realized there were at least 20 holes in it from the stakes. We grabbed trash bags and started throwing them towards the holes. The air trying to escape sucked the bags right up to the holes and since the holes were small enough, the bag worked as a plug until we could get a company out to patch them correctly. // Any advice for other rink supervisors out there? If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to invest in your team and always lead by example. If you want something done a certain way, get down and show them how to do it. Work beside them, not above them. J PROFILE Name: Marissa Trott Facility: Warrior Ice Arena U.S. Ice Rinks Professional Designations Achieved: CIRM Years in the Ice Rink Industry: 14 Marissa Trott Brighton, Mass. "IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE A CERTAIN WAY, GET DOWN AND SHOW THEM HOW TO DO IT. WORK BESIDE THEM, NOT ABOVE THEM."