By Kai Wilson

After eleven nightmares of warm winters, two rink inspections, three fierce debates over hose sizes, four tense administrative meetings, thirty-three “you betcha”s, and a gazillion phone calls, the Ice Rink Commission (IRC) is pleased to announce with a 95% confidence interval that Macalester’s Ice Rink construction will begin on December 1. On this date, a group of Macalester students will endeavor to bring the Minnesota experience of skating, hockey, and broomball to campus. A 44 by 90ft rink will sit on the southern side of Shaw Field from mid-December until late February. However, this rink will not be built without the help of Macalester’s newest group: the Ice Rink Crew. The Ice Rink Crew (“The Crew”) is a volunteer group of twenty to forty students that will dedicate their time to construction, weekly flooding and maintenance of the ice rink. During the frozen weeks of winter, The Crew stays late into the night and keeps a clear rink for all Mac students to enjoy. The fortunate few are compared to the Knight’s Watch from “Game of Thrones”; the Crew withstand the freezing evening winds to battle watery skating conditions. While their sentence does not last eternally, the Crewmembers commit a few hours a week to the maintenance of a new Mac tradition. For real, I heard John Snow works on the Crew. Yet, the wintery conditions do not begrudge the Crewmembers, but rather bring them closer together. The IRC’s promise of nightly incentives (pizza and hot chocolate), Ice Rink Crew attire and festive gatherings unites the Crew to create a jolly community. This group learns new skills that will equip students for the future more than any liberal arts education. These skills include: holding a gushing fire hose, leveling the rink’s surface, and assembling the boards for the rink. But the Ice Rink Crew needs you, average Macalester student, to become a member and join the community. We are calling all hockey players, skaters, haters, ice rink enthusiasts, Minnesota winter virgins, and everyone else to sign up. Be sure to check your email and the Daily Piper for an upcoming Google Doc. Dew the Crew! refresh –>