By Karen Robes Meeks, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.
Feb. 17--PARAMOUNT -- After being the official ice resurfacing machine of many a Winter Olympics, the Zamboni Co. is used to the drama of the international games.
But when media reports said Zambonis caused the recent delays in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, the Paramount-based manufacturing company wanted to quickly clear the ice Tuesday.
Media outlets were quick to describe the malfunctioning machines as Zambonis. The problem? The ice-smoothing issues that have plagued events there belong to Olympia, a rival company.
"While it is unfortunate that there was an interruption to the Winter Olympic events, please note: the resurfacers which were on the ice during those events were not Zamboni brand ice resurfacers and should not be referred to as 'Zamboni machines,"' the company released Tuesday.
Much like Band-Aid and Dumpster, Zamboni has had to fight against the everyday use of its brand name.
"From time to time, you feel a little bit like Kleenex and Xerox where you're constantly chasing folks down and saying, 'Hey, don't use the name the wrong way," said Zamboni spokeswoman Paula Coony. "It's a double-edged sword. You're happy to have the benefit of people being familiar with your brand, but you also have to make sure you protect it from becoming so interchangeable that people misuse it to the point of it becoming generic."
Olympia won the contract for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, which has been plagued by miscues ranging from the malfunctioning Olympic torch to the breakdown of three Olympia machines at the speedskating events.
And while Olympia has a sponsorship deal with the 2010 Olympics, Zamboni is still making an appearance at the games.
Fearing more delays and inconsistent skating surfaces, Olympic organizers said they have asked that one of the rinks in Calgary send over a Zamboni to help.
Zamboni, which is expected to deliver its 9,500th machine in the next several months, has been manufacturing ice resurfacers in Paramount since 1949.
Zamboni's first Olympic appearance happened in the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley. It has since made 12 appearances at the Olympics, including Turin, Salt Lake, Nagano, Lillehammer, Lake Placid, Sapporo, Innsbruck and Squaw Valley.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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