A twirl as an ice girl
By:Jill Radsken
The Boston Herald
September 2, 2013

When my editor asked me to try out to be a Boston Bruins Ice Girl, I gave it a cool reception.

“It’ll be fun,” she said, “and you can get the inside scoop on being the ultimate B’s booster.”

And thus, I found myself one day last week checking into Walter Brown Arena for my audition. I was Number 52, and headed to the locker room.

One look at the competition and it was clear — I’m nearly old enough to be their mother (a young mother, but still). I find a banker and a recent graduate from the University of Vermont in the mix. One of the friendliest faces belongs to Rachel Sibley, a special education aide who is painting over a tattoo on the side of her rib cage with concealer.

“I’m a Revs Girl,” she said, hoping the promotional experience will give her an edge.

There are 15 to 20 Ice Girls on the squad, and they have to commit to motivating fans at 30 of the team’s home games and 10 community appearances. This audition hopes to fill seven to 10 spots, I’m told.

A current Ice Girl hands out the written test.

I can easily name three Bruins players who have had their numbers retired: Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely.

I also know the length of a minor penalty.

But my diagram of a hockey rink takes some misguided creative license, and I have no idea who the Bruins play for the upcoming season-opening game.

Next up is the individual interview, which gives me a boost. I respond to the favorite player question with Andrew Ference, and when they ask whom I would call first to tell I got the Ice Girl job, I answer honestly.

“My kids. My 12-year-old is a huge Bruins fan.”

Then it’s rink time. Although I have figure-skated for years, this is my first time in hockey skates and the missing toe pick and shorter blade are painfully tricky to navigate.

I whiff within a minute of getting on the ice. I’m embarrassed, and freezing in a tank top. Thirty minutes of drills — round the boards, wave and cheer, then skate to each line, pick up the puck and wave to imaginary fans — are draining.

“You looked pretty comfortable out there,” says Brandon Anthony, who manages the Ice Girls for the Bruins.

I am still thawing out when Anthony brings the entire group of 50 girls together to make his first cut. In a room full of bra tops and Victoria’s Secret Pink shorts, I feel a bit self-conscious in my tank, which actually covers my midriff.

Then he reads “52.”

Goal!

Though thrilled to make the first cut, this reporter is leaving the Ice Girl experience to her talented fellow auditioners.

Check out photo gallery here

Boston Bruins: Of 625 applicants, less than 30 girls now compete to make the 2012-13 squad.

The Boston Bruins are now accepting applications for energetic, charismatic and outgoing individuals to become part of the 2012-13 Boston Bruins Ice Girls team. The Boston Bruins Ice Girls will take part in various promotions, motivate fans during Bruins home games, represent the team in the community and participate in various events throughout the season. Applicants must be at least 18-years-old to be considered.

Applications are available here and are due by Friday, August 17, at 5:00 p.m.

Auditions for the girls selected will take place Thursday, August 30 at the TD Garden.

Below is a list of frequently asked questions:

Is being a Boston Bruins Ice Girl a full-time job?
No. Most Ice Girls attend college, hold full-time or part-time jobs. However, being an Ice Girl is time consuming and requires commitment and passion.

Do I need to have skating or dancing experience to audition?
No. The role of an Ice Girl involves more than skating or dancing and includes duties both on and off the ice at Boston Bruins home games and at events in the community.

Is there an age requirement?
All participants MUST be 18 years of age or older. Photo identifications will be checked at the time of auditions. Those without proper ID will not be eligible to audition.

Are there any height or weight requirements?
There are no specific requirements; however the uniform demands a lean figure. Being physically fit is part of the athletic image of the Boston Bruins Ice Girls.

What do the judges look for?

Knowledge of the Boston Bruins
Charisma
Personality
Energy
Poise
Physically fit appearance

How can I apply?
Interested applicants can either download or fill out the application at BostonBruins.com. Applicants must submit the following by 5pm on August 17:

Completed Boston Bruins Ice Girl Application
Two non-returnable photos of yourself

You can submit your application in two ways…

Print and mail application with two non-returnable photos of yourself to:

Boston Bruins
Attention: Brandon Anthony/Ice Girls
100 Legends Way
Boston, MA 02114

Fill out the online application at BostonBruins.com

When and where are the Auditions? *(Invite Only)*

Date: Thursday, August 30
Location: TD Garden

Qualified applicants will be contacted directly if invited to auditions.

This week, Sports Illustrated has photos from just about every team that has Ice Girls: the Ducks, Bruins, Flames, Storm, Blackhawks, Bluejackets, Stars, Oilers, Kings, Panthers, Predators, Islanders, Flyers, Penguins, and Lightning. Click here to go there now.

Boston Bruins: BOSTON, MA – The “Bruins Beard-A-Thon” is underway and fans are invited to grow their own playoff beards for the duration of the team’s 2012 Stanley Cup playoff run. The “Bruins Beard-A-Thon” gives Bruins fans the opportunity to show their support for the team and raise money for the Boston Bruins Foundation.

The hockey playoff beard is an age-old tradition for players participating in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fans can join in on the tradition by “growing one for the team” and inviting family, friends and business associates to make a pledge towards their playoff beards.

Fans can create their “Bruins Beard-A-Thon” profile by uploading their photo at www.beardathon.com/bruins. Participants can choose to grow their own beard and update their growth throughout the playoffs or they can grow their beard virtually by choosing the ‘Build-A-Beard’ option, giving women and children an opportunity to get h

Beard growers may pledge themselves by making a donation and their friends and family can also support their efforts at anytime by making a one-time pledge (minimum $10). Throughout the playoffs, participants who raise the most money will have the opportunity to win playoff tickets and a grand prize will be awarded to the overall top fundraiser.

The “Bruins Beard-A-Thon” has raised $160,000 to date and was the NHL’s top raising team during the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs will mark the fourth year of the Beard-A-Thon program. Since its inception, more than $1,000,000 has been raised for individual team charities from over 16,000 participants league-wide.

By Amanda Beland
Foster’s Daily Democrat
January 19, 2012

SOMERSWORTH — Two members of the Boston Bruins Ice Girls with their furry friend and mascot, Blades, paid a visit to Somersworth Middle School Wednesday morning to see some of the final projects completed by the students during their temporary enrollment in I.C.E. School.

I.C.E. School is a collection of lesson plans developed by Bruins staff to help students learn required subjects with a twist of hockey. The lesson plans, available online, are created to meet state education standards for grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade in the subjects of French, geography, math, English, language, arts and science.

For the past several weeks, middle school students completed I.C.E. lessons plans in math and reading comprehension, among other subjects.

On Wednesday morning, some of the students got to present their hard work to Rory Patten and Kelly Thomson, two of the current Bruins Ice Girls, as well as Blades at a schoolwide assembly.

First, a group of sixth-graders presented Bruin’s ice rinks constructed out of paper. Participating students first took the actual size of the Bruin’s ice rank in feet and converted it to inches. Then, the students constructed miniature paper ice rinks, complete with the Bruins colored logo in the middle.

Along with the ice rinks, another group of sixth-graders presented handwritten Hock-us to their classmates. Hock-us, similar to Haikus, are several line poems where a certain number of syllables is required of each line.

Although the structure of the poems were set, the subjects of the creations were up to the students — as long as they related to hockey, of course. Some of the chosen subjects included overtime and the excitement of the game itself.

But, these weren’t the only activities completed by the students. According to Kathy Patten, mother of Ice Girl Rory and reading comprehension teacher at SMS, participating students did everything from completing research on every Bruins player to finding out a little more about the visiting Ice Girls. Students even wrote down their reading goal for the year on a paper shaped hockey puck before placing it on one of the school’s walls in the shape of the Boston Bruin’s logo.

“It was very successful and the kids loved it,” said Patten.

Patten began looking into bringing the Ice Girls to SMS after her daughter became a member of the group four years ago. Initially, Patten just wanted to bring members of the Ice Girls to the school to promote reading and initiate literacy activities between the visitors and students.

However, after she began researching the Bruins community page, she found out about I.C.E. school lessons and thought it was the perfect scenario for SMS to become involved in. Hosting the Ice Girls was just another added plus to the assembly.

“I call them the ambassadors to the Bruins,” said Patten. ‘They’re not cheerleaders, which is generally what comes to mind. They’re great role models and accomplished young women.”

At the end of the assembly, every SMS student received a special reward for the completion of their projects: an authentic, real-life Bruins hockey puck.

“COOL,” the crowd of SMS students bellowed after the announcement.

The Ice Girls pages have been updated on BostonBruins.com. Click here to learn more about the crew!

By Christopher Hurley
WickedLocal.com
October 28, 2011

Boston Bruins Hockey is more than just about the action on ice these days.

Between all the breakaways and body checks, the atmosphere at the TD Garden remains fully charged, thanks to a dedicated group of young women. It’s a new and exciting arena that Rachel Welch is proud to be a part of. The West Newbury native, Bishop Fenwick graduate and Merrimack College sophomore is the newest member of the Boston Bruins Ice Girls.

One of five rookies to make the team, Welch was chosen from a field of more than 900 applicants over the summer. She’ll spend the winter cheering on Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Tim Thomas and the rest of the defending Stanley Cup champs, in front of sellout crowds of 17,565, on a nightly basis.

“I’m really excited,” said Welch, 19. “I look forward to getting to know the girls and getting more opportunities to interact with the fans. I’m hoping for a great season.”

Lending their support to the Black & Gold since the 2002-03 season, the Bruins Ice Girls have become a familiar fixture around the TD Garden. From handing out rosters, signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans, to revving up the crowd with their ever-popular t-shirt toss during TV timeouts, the Ice Girls always seem to keep the fans on their feet.

“The T-shirt toss is my favorite part,” said Welch. “You go into the stadium, run around and throw T-shirts to the crowd. Some of the girls go on the ice. Right now I’m in the process of getting qualified to go onto the ice, but there is a lot of off-ice interaction that we also do during intermission.”

Welch got her first taste of game action Oct. 6, during a historic opening night ceremony as the Bruins hoisted its 2011 Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters. It was a moment she’ll never forget.

“Opening night was absolutely amazing,” Welch said. “The ceremony took my breath away. I was so nervous the whole time, but all the fans were really great. It was a different experience, but it was really awesome.”

A diehard hockey fan, Welch first took notice of the Ice Girls while attending her first Bruins game at the TD Garden last season.

“I really didn’t know what they were all about, so I looked into it,” Welch said. “When I found out there were auditions over the summer I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

She was called in to tryout for the team over the summer, after the Bruins narrowed the field of 900 applicants to 30 young women. The group was then put through the paces during a challenging audition process, which included an on-camera interview, some modeling and spirited round of Bruins trivia.

The tryouts wrapped up following a long photo shoot, with the team choosing the five top just moments later. Welch was thrilled when she realized she made the cut.

“I was really surprised,” Welch said. “I obviously knew my Bruins trivia, so I wasn’t too nervous about that, but there were a lot of amazing girls there and I’m just really lucky and honored to be on the team.”

According to the Bruins, Welch brought something unique to the table and had the personality that fit well with the rest of the team.

“I think they looked for the all-around American girl,” Welch said. “They didn’t want you to be based so much on modeling, a lot of girls thought it was about modeling, which its not. It’s really about how well you get along with others, your ability to really get into the crowd and make a difference.”

In addition to her duties at the rink, Welch will also be making several personal appearances with the Ice Girls throughout the course of the season.

A lifelong sports enthusiast, Welch is no stranger to athletic endeavors. She played varsity lacrosse and soccer at Bishop Fenwick, while serving as captain of the Crusaders hockey and football cheerleading teams.

“I was really into hockey in high school,” Welch said. “So to be a part of the Ice Girls is definitely something that I was used to.”

Recently crowned National American Miss Massachusetts Teen 2011, the psychology major remains active within her school and community. She is involved with many organizations including St. Jude’s Research Hospital’s awareness and fundraising program. Welch aspires to raise awareness and continue her efforts by creating an organization that promotes teenagers positive self-esteem.

After an uncharacteristically slow 2-4 start, the Bruins bounced back with a vengeance last week bombing the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-2, Oct. 20. Welch hopes that it’s a sign of things to come.

“That game was absolutely insane,” Welch said. “They had so much energy on the ice, which was really good. At the beginning of the season I felt a lot for them, because they didn’t have that [break] in between seasons, but I think they’re getting into it now. I hope the best for them this year. Maybe we’ll see another Stanley Cup.”

And the Bruins can count on Welch to be cheering them on every step of the way.