Robert Fisher
Staff Reporter
ROUND LAKE – Making outdoor ice is a tricky thing what with having to deal with the whims of Mother Nature. The work involves long hours, late nights and early mornings. The thing the people who do it have in common is a love for the job and for their community. Heather Swartzentruber manages the rink in Round Lake.
Swartzentruber began working under the previous ice-maker in Round Lake, Harold Lavigne, last year and has taken full control of the operation herself this season. She had always been around rinks and hockey in here hometown of Kitchener; scorekeeping, working the buzzers, shoveling snow after the ice resurfacer was finished, but had never made ice before. She moved to the Round Lake area three years ago for family and stepped forward because, “I knew I wanted to keep it going and I knew there’s not that many people willing to do the work for it. It’s a lot of work,” she admitted. Swartzentruber wanted the local youth to continue to have a place to skate and play hockey. She has a young son who uses the rink and plays hockey on it. Being in Round Lake, it’s a longer drive to the rink in Killaloe, “so I wanted to make sure there’s stuff around us. All the kids can’t get into Killaloe, we’re farther away.”
She has learned that paying attention to the weather is key, “and then, just patience. A lot of patience.” It’s not possible to rush ice or the freezing process and she just has to wait as long as it takes to ensure everything is properly frozen before spraying more water and building the surface up. The rink has an ice resurfacer to help keep the surface smooth, which helps make the job go more quickly.
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