Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/326847
T his month, we sat down with staff members Dennis VanderSchaaff, Peter LaGrange, Tom Brideau and Randy Gill of Stephen C. West Ice Arena in Breckenridge, Colo., to do some simple math and reflect on childhood nicknames. Get a glimpse of their employees, and if you ever get a chance, be sure to visit this rink and say hello. // How did you get into the ice rink business? DV: I have a recreation management degree and enjoy playing hockey. PL: I am passionate about hockey and wanted to put my recreation management degree into use and enjoy learning about every aspect of arena management. TB: Always have been a rink rat and Breck was building an outdoor rink and I applied. RG: I am a Canadian and every Canadian's dream is to work at the rink. Just trying to live the Canadian dream! // Randy, we won't hold the Canadian thing against you. One thing we know about Canadians is that they are great mathematicians. So let's see if you can answer this next question. Can you tell me what the temperature is when it is twice as cold as zero? DV: Zero 2 . PL/RG: Double zero. TB: I don't know, but I bet it was recorded on our outdoor rink in January. // Nobody's perfect in this industry. Tell us your worst experience at a rink so far. DV: We had an intoxicated gentleman decide to spend some time in a bathroom stall. He decided that he didn't enjoy the pulled pork sandwich he had consumed earlier and left it all over the walls for someone else to enjoy. I was fortunate enough to open the next morning. Yummy. PL: New Year's Eve Day, when the power went out right as our busiest day of the year was happening. TB: I was in a bucket truck repairing lights and the truck slipped into gear and I ran into our boards, pushed the boards bad and broke three sections of glass. RG: A center-ice dual empty propane tank change on a busy youth hockey weekend. A dad later told me he had the same problem at his BBQ the previous weekend. // It absolutely infuriates me when I run out of propane while cook- ing BBQ. I can't imagine how you felt stranded at center ice with two empty tanks. Still living the dream, Randy? Let's try some more math. How many pucks would it take to completely cover your ice surface? DV: 3" puck, 16 pucks per square foot, times 17,000 (200x85) = 272,000 pucks. PL: 30,000? TB: 300,000? RG: 12 x 200 x 85 = 204,000. What's with all the math on this? CEnter ice Q&A with a rink professional 44 / MAY.JUNE.2014 RINKMAGAZINE.COM Breckenridge Brotherhood Stephen C. West Ice Arena Breckenridge, Colorado TOM BRIDEAU Years in the Industry: 17 STAR Courses Taken: SIRO, IMPT, IMEO, BR STAR caught up with four stud staff members at Stephen C. West Ice Arena The Staff RANDY GILL Years in the Industry: 3 STAR Courses Taken: IMEO, BR