What It Means To Be A Syracuse Crunch Ice Girl
By Katrina Tulloch
Syracuse.com
Syracuse Crunch Ice Girls Ally Panighetti and Sam Cavelli spent two hours mingling with Crunch fans at a pep rally before Friday's game against the Springfield Falcons.
Being a Zoom Tan Ice Girl for the Syracuse Crunch hockey team means people will stare at you, but you’ll get used to it.
You’ll be offered phone numbers, love letters and frequent requests to have your photo taken, usually with admiring young girls, teenage guys or older men.
You probably won’t see the hundreds of photos taken of you that end up on private Facebook accounts or on Instagram.
You might be a little cold when you’re not cheering, because those blue and silver spandex uniforms aren’t exactly the warmest outfits for working in an ice rink. At least they don’t bare your midriff anymore, like the old uniforms did.
There will be hard parts, like when you have to ignore the rowdy catcalls of fans who had a bit too many drinks before the game.
There will also be perks, like two free tickets to each game, which you might share with friends, family or significant others. You’ll also get a year of free spray tans from your Zoom Tan sponsor.
You might get gently scolded to come in for more free tans. You’re looking a little pale, after all.
You’ll probably love your job, because you love hockey, the fans, or because you grew up in the Crunch world. The reasons for cheering vary for each Ice Girl, as do their reasons for joining in the first place.
This Year’s Girls
Twelve young women fill the Ice Girls roster this year, ranging from ages 19-26. About six girls work each game, rotating nights based on school schedules and other jobs. Seven Ice Girls worked during the Crunch’s sweeping defeat of the Springfield Falcons on Friday night, which advanced them to the Calder Cup final four.
Last Friday was special. A pep rally was organized by the city at the Everson Plaza across from the hockey arena, with food vendors, live music and games for kids.
At the plaza event, the girls passed out buttons and mingled with fans. One pep rally attendee, Bud Natale, has been attending Crunch games for years. He thinks this year’s Ice Girls are especially great at getting the crowds pumped up.
“I wish all the sports had a group like that,” said Natale, 49. “They’re incredible. You can’t miss them.”
The Ice Queen Routine
The girls sprinkle in to the Crunch stadium about two hours before every game to put on makeup, do their hair and hear their specific jobs for the night.
Kristin Costello became the Ice Girls’ captain (a.k.a. “Captain Crunch”) after one year of cheering on the squad. She describes the team as more promotional than a regular dance team or cheer squad. It’s their job to keep fans interested with free T-shirt tosses and trivia questions.
Costello has plenty of experience redirecting short attention spans. She’s a substitute teacher for first and second graders. She also described herself as a bit timid before joining the Ice Girls.
“Having thousands of people always looking at you, wanting pictures, talking to you about things…all that really opened me up in my personal life,” she said.
After joining the Crunch, Costello became braver and more comfortable talking to strangers. She also became better at conversing and connecting with her students.
Some of the Ice Girls have backgrounds in dance (like Yasmeen Bankole, 19), cheerleading (like Jen Andrews, 19) or are lifelong Crunch fans (like Sam Cavelli, 22). One girl was a Zumba instructor. Another is a waitress. Many are students.
Ally Panighetti, 23, has been going to Crunch games since she was four years old and has been an Ice Girl for four years.
“These people are like my family; they’re not just fans to me,” Panighetti said. “They’ve watched me grow up.”
