This Friday I saw a rink guard hanging onto the Zamboni and skating along behind it as it resurfaced the ice. Augh!

These are the same rink guards who will play with a hockey puck on a public skate until their supervisor finally notices and makes them stop.

(I wish I could import the rink guards from the town where I grew up. They seemed to have a culture of responsibility there, and took the job seriously. They made kids stop doing dangerous things and actually skated over to kids who fell to make sure they were all right.)

That's amazingly stupid on the guard's part and amazingly negligent on the rink management's part. Even the worst managed rinks I've been to have been very strict about not allowing anyone on the ice while the zam is out.

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Eeeeekkk!

Have you ever seen how menacing those Zamboni blades are at close quarters ... Terrifying! ... Think "guillotine", and multiply by ten. Someone in management needs to speak to those guys (and show them the blades!) for their own safety.

Well, I can give you a perspective from the "other" side. Seeing as I teach and also skate guard (due to my age) to pay for my skating bills, I can tell you that it's not as easy as it looks. As far as holding on to the zam while it's cutting the ice, there isn't any danger in it. It looks dangerous but isn't. Especially since I just did that last night
Now, of course, playing with pucks shouldn't be condoned. At my facility, you'd get fired on the spot for that. A skateguard is on the ice for one reason only, to make sure people follow the rules and don't get hurt. I can say that being on your skates all day doing that or working a double shift (12 hour-shift) makes you ready to croak when you're done. It looks like an easy job, but it really isn't. They definately should be responsible and a tad proffessional. So I agree with that part of the gripe. As far as employees on the ice during zam, we require atleast one. That's to guarentee that patrons stay off the wall and also incase our zam breaks down...as it does every other day
pieces all!
*patt99*

patt99, I'm sure you're a great skate guard. And I know a couple of good ones, too. The snag is, though, that for every good skate guard the rinks employ - and they do exist - you get a bunch of hockey teens who only really want to show off, attract girls, and generally work off a serious case of testosterone poisoning! To be honest, they often cause more trouble than they prevent. I've yelled at one or two in my time, and would do so again..... will do so again, no doubt, should I be unlucky enough to be on the ice with one!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

ITA, because in the past we've had many guards like that. Frankly, they didn't last very long especially considering the other employees didn't like what was going on. Regardless, they are there to prevent, not cause. But definately, watch your back!!