WHY I LOVE MY JOB:

Keith Rebmann

JOB: Zamboni driver, Philips Arena, Atlanta

WHAT I DO: Rebmann drives the Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine at Philips Arena before, during and after Atlanta Thrashers hockey games. At 24, he is believed to be the youngest Zamboni driver in the National Hockey League. His job title is building maintenance technician, and, when the Thrashers aren't playing, he's a member of the maintenance crew at the arena. But on game days, Rebmann can spend 16 to 20 hours preparing the ice for the Thrashers.

Kieth Rebmann
Photos by SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/Atlanta Thrashers
Keith Rebmann, 24, says he has wanted to work at an ice rink since he was a child. Driving the Zamboni - which handles like a car, according to Rebmann - is just part of his duties as building maintenance technician at Philips Arena.
His day starts at about 7 a.m., after an overnight crew has removed the insulated covering and floor that is used atop the ice for Atlanta Hawks games, concerts or other events. Rebmann checks the ice surface, cleans up spills and repaints the logos on the ice, when necessary. Then he uses a lawn-mower-like ice edger before driving out the Zamboni. The Thrashers' practice can begin as early as 8:30 and lasts until after 11. Time to "cut" the ice again.
The visiting team takes the ice at about 11:30 for practice. Two or three times during the day, he'll have to edge and cut as well as check the ice depth. (It's only about an inch thick over concrete.) He drives the Zamboni twice before and once after the game, as well as during the two intermissions. During one of those turns around the ice, he's joined by a specially selected fan. "The first thing they do is pick up their cellphone and call someone in the stands," he said.

WHAT GOT ME INTERESTED IN THIS: "I watched hockey on TV with my grandmother (in Buffalo, N.Y.). I always wanted to work in an ice rink." But he holds no aspirations about playing in the NHL. "I attempt to play roller hockey," he said.

BEST PART OF MY JOB: "Free hockey." When he's not driving, Rebmann and the crew have ice-level seats in a corner of the arena. "These seats would cost $200. We get to go into the middle of the ice, and everyone sees us." He also gets to attend concerts and basketball games when he's on the job.

MOST CHALLENGING PART: "Keeping the ratings up." Not TV ratings - ice ratings. Players from both teams rate the ice on five categories, such as speed and ruttiness, after each game. "The player sees, feels everything," Rebmann said. He also sends the league daily reports and samples of the ice.

Keith Rebmann
Keith Rebmann

WHAT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT MY JOB: "How long it takes to get the ice ready and how much else is going on."

WHAT KEEPS ME GOING: "The atmosphere of the game. By 5, I'm ready to go home. Then the fans come in, and I'm ready to go again."

PREPARATION NEEDED FOR THIS JOB: "Get a job at an ice rink. As long as you show you want to be there, pretty soon you'll get a chance to drive the Zamboni." But the job is more than driving. "Driving is easy; it drives like a car." There is also maintenance on the engine and on the complicated ice-scraping and spraying systems.
Rebmann began working at the Cooler in Alpharetta when he was 16 and came to Philips when his boss, Chuck Robinson, was hired for the job downtown. Rebmann is taking a certification course through USA Hockey and attends seminars held by the NHL. He is a graduate of Sequoyah High School in Cherokee County and "took every class they had" at Chattahoochee Technical College.

- By Karl Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.

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