Isa Cruz

For Ice Arena Facilities Team Leader Tim Moody, Sidney J. Watson Arena is where the magic happens. Moody plays a key, often behind-the-scenes role in ensuring Bowdoin Athletics’ facilities are safe and ready for use by teams, clubs and the greater Bowdoin and Brunswick communities.

“In [Watson Arena] particularly, we handle the ice surface maintenance. We handle the glass, the stands, basically just making sure … once a student or somebody from the public comes in and experiences it here, it’s safe,” Moody said. “Otherwise, just making sure the ice surface is ready to rock and roll. Cut the ice with the Zamboni, and game on.”

As part of this work, Moody is in constant communication with teams, coaches, trainers, the grounds crew and various other groups that help facilitate the arena’s safe operations. He says that while some may not realize just how many people are involved in this work, he loves how collaborative his job is.

“There are so many different elements to keeping this place going,” he said. “Every single department in Facilities, which I think is probably about ten different departments, has a hand in the operation of this building.”

One of Moody’s favorite parts of his job is connecting with the students who use Watson, from members of the hockey teams to students who just stop by the arena to hang out or study. He values building these relationships with students, from 30-second conversations as they ask him to sharpen their skates to deeper connections formed over time.

“The students know that they don’t have to hesitate to come down. They can come down to the Zamboni room anytime and find one of our three people that run this building and know that we’re gonna have some sort of answer to their question or some way to help them out,” Moody said. “I want them to feel comfortable when they come in here and know that this is a safe space to hang out.”

While hockey season is his favorite time of the year, Moody says he also loves Commencement and Alumni Weekend at the College for this reason.

“I get to catch up with the students that I built relationships with in the past by working in [Watson],” Moody said. “I love that type of stuff. I love networking with people and just seeing how they’re doing.”

Moody has been at the College for about eight years, and while he worked at other rinks in the past, he came to the College intending to stay long-term. In addition to being close to his home, Moody says he had heard positive things about working at the College, the perks it offers its employees and the campus community itself, which have rang true in his time here.

“The community is nice. It’s not overwhelming. It’s inviting. And you can come to Bowdoin and enjoy the scenery outside and inside, because each building has its own little character,” Moody said.

This was especially notable during the pandemic when Moody was part of a small group of Facilities employees that remained on campus during that time.

“There were like five of us that stayed on campus and maintained everything from fields, to [Watson], to the football field, to campus. It was a lot of work, but they took really good care of us,” Moody said. “I mean, every single day, they were always asking us, ‘Hey, what time do you guys want to do lunch?’ And the dining hall would have bagged lunch ready for us and everything.”

Moody has played hockey for his entire life. Through his work, he values being able to share the game he loves with others, from Bowdoin students to local children who use the rink on weekends.

“I think it’s important, as a Zamboni driver or somebody that oversees the operations of the ice facility, [to] walk around and interact with the kids,” he said. “You’ve probably got 15–20 kids, ranging from like five to 12 years old, trying to skate, pushing chairs around, falling, having fun, waving to their parents in the stands. Those are cool times.”

To Moody, it is especially rewarding to play a part in painting and putting together a rink—an intricate, hands-on process—that becomes so important in the community for six months each year.

“Doing this type of work is very rewarding, because that’s your final product,” Moody said. “I’m here because I enjoy doing this stuff. And this, to me, is fun.”