DIX HILLS
These Ladies Heat Up The Isles’ Ice
By Catherine Toor/info@longislandernews.com

While a 90-second commercial break may seem like a lifetime for an NHL fan, for the girls whose job it is to clear the ice of the snow that builds up during the game, that time goes by in the blink of an eye.

The minute and a half during a timeout is exactly how long the New York Islanders Ice Girls have to clear the ice at the Nassau Coliseum, including the goalie crease, perimeter of the rink and each zone – all with big smiles on their faces.

In overtime, they get just 60 seconds to do the job – something that could happen more frequently with the Isles currently competing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“When I first started and I heard 90 seconds, I was shocked. It’s the fastest 90 seconds ever,” said rookie Ice Girl Rebecca Farrell, 19, of Huntington. “You go as fast as you can and make sure you don’t miss anything.”

The time constraint is precisely why only quality skaters make the cut during Islanders Ice Girls auditions each August. But the pressure comes with the territory, and if you ask the 11 figure skaters on the 2012-2013 squad, they will tell you they have the best job in the world.

“I get to represent an organization that I’ve watched since I was born,” said Ashleen Betts, 24, of East Northport, who went to her first Islanders game when she was just 6 weeks old. “Being a part of this dynamic team and corporation is something I will always treasure.”

Now in her second year as an Ice Girl, the 2007 Commack High School graduate has been skating for 17 years. She remembers her audition well – a test of skating backwards and in various positions, including power crossovers.

The skating talent pool is so impressive that veteran Ice Girls must try out each season to retain their jobs.

Of the 25 who auditioned in August 2012, Sara Davies, 19, a 2012 graduate of St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington, was ecstatic to have made the cut. She entered a world of blue and orange (and sometimes, hot pink) costumes and attention beyond anything she had experienced.

“My first game, I thought it was weird that people wanted to high-five me,” Davies, of Islip, said.

The Ice Girls concept was the creation of Centerport’s Tim Beach, vice president of game operations and events for the New York Islanders. Beach, who has been with the organization for 20 years, started the squad in 2001 when new NHL mandates required teams to perform ice maintenance around the nets during games.

There was no requirement that the clean-up crews be all-female, wear sparkly costumes and entertain the crowds, but Beach figured, why not?

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to give females who know how to skate an opportunity to show their stuff,” he said.

The Islanders’ inaugural Ice Girls team had four members and was the first of its kind in the NHL. Today, 20 franchises use all-female clean-up squads, Beach said.

Clearing the ice of snow has changed the game substantially, said NHL Hall of Famer and Islanders royalty Mike Bossy, who played for the team in the 1980s.

“Ice Girls or boys would have been extremely useful in my day,” he said. “Back in my day, goalies would use the snow in the crease to help them; they’d make mounds of snow near the goal. A lot of snow accumulated by the benches.”

Snow removal is only part of the Ice Girls’ job. They are also responsible for entertaining and pumping up the crowd.

Ice Girls coach Linda Beach, Tim’s wife and a skating instructor at the Dix Hills Ice Rink, runs a well-organized ship. Arriving two hours before game time, the girls roll the T-shirts they will eventually fire into the crowd. They also pose for photos, ride the Zamboni, present the flags and show off their pom pom routine.

Though Betts, Davies and Farrell – all products of the Dix Hills Ice Rink – admit that shooting the T-shirt gun is fun, each said it is not the best part of what they do.
“It’s really the fans that make it the best job ever,” said Farrell, a graduate of St. Patrick’s School in Huntington and St. Anthony’s High School. “I love seeing the reaction of fans, especially the children, when they see us and we give them T-shirts. Through skating I can make a child’s day.”

Unruly fans can test the girls’ patience.

“They always seem to have something to say – never anything nice – but you have to grow tough skin,” Betts said. “Being able to come into the locker room and laugh it off is a skill everyone should have.”

“It teaches you a lot about how to handle yourself in public situations,” Davies added.
Islanders Ice Girls are expected to also participate in community events each month, like food drives, fundraisers and promotional events. Last season, Betts made 34 appearances outside of the hockey arena.

“Everyone wanted to know who these girls were, so they now serve as ambassadors. They’re out there all the time for us,” Tim Beach said.

“It’s a lot more time consuming than people would ever think,” Farrell said. “I don’t think people realize the work we put in.”

Even with the time commitment, being an Ice Gi
rl is still just a part-time gig for these girls. Betts teaches American Sign Language, is the manager at the Dix Hills Park pool, coaches swimming, diving and dance, and is pursuing a master’s degree in special education at Hofstra University. Davies is studying at St. Joseph’s College with plans to transfer to the Fashion Institute of Technology. Farrell is a student at Molloy College studying speech pathology and audiology, and works at the Dix Hills Ice Rink as an assistant manager.

“We mange to balance school and family and friends and being an Ice Girl. It’s a lot, but everything’s worth it in the end,” Farrell said.

The minimum age to be an Ice Girl is 18, although the program has even drawn women in their 30s with a love of skating and performing. But as all good things eventually come to an end, life goes on after they hang up their skates. Already, current Ice Girls see skills they have developed which they can add to their resumes.
“Working as an Ice Girl has opened doors and shown me I can do a lot more with the knowledge and degrees I’ve obtained,” Betts said.

“Now I have no problem speaking in class,” Davies added.

But none of these girls is ready to leave the ice just yet. For them, the Ice Girls team has become a second family.

“As long as I can I’m going to keep this going,” Farrell said.

With the No. 8 Islanders in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, the ladies are experiencing an energy they’ve never felt within the coliseum’s walls. Skating during the team’s first home playoff game on Sunday against the No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins is something they will never forget.

“It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had as a skater,” Farrell said. “Seeing the crowd and the love for the Islanders, the orange and blue everywhere, and the rally towels, it was amazing.”

“This is the most excited this coliseum has been in a long time. I can’t even remember the last time it was like this,” Betts said.

“I can!” Linda Beach told her. “It’s nice to see it back. The coliseum roars.”