He's got the ice thing down cold

Published Friday, January 27, 2006 7:58:44 AM Central Time
By Judie Hintzman of The Times

MONROE -- Bob Rufi has an engaging grin and a hearty -- and frequent -- laugh. He openly displays warm affection for his family and his friends. And people in general, for that matter.
    Nonetheless, he's a coldly passionate man when it comes to ice.
Rufi has voluntarily been making ice for the Alpine Curling Club for 31 years and many credit his efforts as a vitally important component in the group's determination to keep the organization off the slippery slope of indifference toward the sport.
    Born and raised on the family farm near Monroe, the Monroe High School graduate was a dairy farmer until 1988 when he quit milking and started a commercial hay business, which he operates today. His interest in curling also led him to start Alpine Curling Supply in 1987.
    And all things curling are his passion.
    "Curling is a pretty unique sport," Rufi explains, noting it was called the "roaring game" when it first began in Scotland and "sweepers" had to sweep the snow off the ice to keep the "rocks" moving. Curling is the same sport all over the world, he says, and it's especially popular in Wisconsin, which boasts at least 30 curling clubs.

    Bob Rufi of Monroe has been making ice for the Alpine Curling Club for 31 years. He not only prepares the ice during a weeks-long process before the season begins in the late fall, he returns to the club at least once - often more than once a week to keep the surface in optimal playing condition.
Times photo: Brenda Steurer
    And, he says, one of the best things about it is that curlers are just ordinary folks. "Curlers are 'next-door' people," he says.
If he's enthusiastic about the sport, Rufi's equally enthralled with all things related to ice making.
"A person that makes ice can't have a 'real' job," Rufi laughs as he describes the ins and outs of ice making, which has become much more technical with passing years.
He even went to ice making "school" in Windsor, Ontario, Canada to learn to make better ice. Rufi starts making ice in October, a few weeks before the season starts. The process involves a sand base interwoven with pipes that pump a "brine" of anti-freeze solution under the surface that freezes the ice. A compressor pumps the brine under the ice and when the season ends, the compressor is shut down and the ice melts. But the process is much more involved than that, although Rufi modestly points out that "most of it's just common sense -- the kind of things you learned on the farm." In the fall, Rufi first sprays the base several times so the sand becomes saturated, "cooling everything down." He later floods the area until he gets about a half-inch of ice. Once the suface is frozen and prepared, he and other volunteers paint the markings on the ice needed for curling, using a special white polarized paint.
The result is a cold room that somewhat resembles a small-scale gymnasium or bowling alley -- except the surface is white.
And very cold.
    Once the surface is ready for play, Rufi's icemaking chores begin in earnest. His explanation sprinkled heavily with words like "pebbles" and "burner" and "scraper," Rufi estimates he spends at least one full afternoon a week maintaining the ice, and, of course, he's there to keep the surface in playable condition when people are curling.
The curlers are particular about the ice they play on and Rufi can sometimes take some heat if a player thinks the ice isn't in optimal condition. But he takes it all pretty good-naturedly. "I enjoy coming and making ice," he said and laughed, "then I say 'now we have to let the animals in.'"
    His wife Barb also smiles good-naturedly, albeit with somewhat raised eyebrows, when she talks about her husband's affinity for the ice. She said he sometimes -- maybe too often -- wakes up in the middle of the night to go out to the Curling Club and work on or check the surface.
    The Rufis have five children, Mike, Kathy, Deb, Jim and Mark, and eight grandchildren.
    But ice making isn't the only thing Rufi does for the Alpine Curling Club. He promotes it night and day and is especially enthusiastic about getting young people interested. Call him, he says, at (608) 325-6365 or take a look at the Web site, which has a quick tutuorial on curling, at www.alpinecurling.com. Or e-mail him at -- what else? -- icemaker@alpinecurling.com.
Rufi, who has cut his actual curling time down to once a week, enjoys robust health and will keep making ice as long as he's able. But he's determined to pass on his expertise to new icemakers and hopes some will come along who will want to take on the task.
Meanwhile, anyone who doubts his passion for ice need only pull up behind the Rufi's van at a stop sign in Monroe.
The license plate says it all: "ICE MKR."
    

If you were allowed three wishes for the Curling Club, what would they be?
Continue the traditions, camaraderie, and friendship of Alpine Curling Club
    What are the curling club's biggest hurdles to continuing success?
Create more interest, increase membership, and get more members involved.
    What are the club's greatest assets?
It is a family sport and you can curl from age 6 to 100 for a reasonable price.
    If you could be any other person for a day, who would you be?
Elvis (When he was alive of course)
    What is the title of the last movie you saw? Why did you like or dislike it?
"Ray." I really enjoyed it. I admired his perseverance.
    If you could invite three famous people to dinner this Sunday, who would they be? Why?
Elvis, Roy Orbinson and Frank Sinatra. I enjoy the music.
    What gets your blood pressure rising?
Gas prices
    What is the one burning question you're dying to know the answer to?
What happens to the white when snow melts?
    What's your least favorite task?
Cleaning the basement
    What's your most favorite chore?
Preparing the ice for a new season
    Whose biography would you like to write?
No one. I an not a writer
    If you could go back in time to one event in history, what would it be?
Pearl Harbor
    If there were a news story written about your life, what would the headline read?
"The Icemaker has changed the ice again."
    What's in your CD player right now?
Nothing
    If you could give your spouse her heart's desire, what would it be?
We just celebrated our 48th wedding anniversary and I know Barb's heart's desire for us is continuing a healthy life and many more years together with our family.