When Crystal Page arrived in Iowa in October 2025 to join the Iowa Heartlanders, she had just two and a half weeks before her first game. The quick turnaround meant learning fast, but it also confirmed she was where she wanted to be.
“I kind of just got thrown into the deep end a little bit,” Page said. “But it’s been a lot of fun, and it’s been a really great learning experience.”
Page is the Heartlanders director of game presentation and partnership fulfillment. Her work shapes nearly everything fans experience on game day outside the action on the ice. She plans video board content, music, announcements, and on-ice activities, and coordinates with community groups and anthem singers.
A Colorado Springs, Colorado, native, Page studied sports management with a minor in marketing at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Although she grew up playing soccer, softball, and dance, she did not initially plan to pursue a career in sports. That changed when she joined her high school hockey team as a student manager.
“I just absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere, working with the team and everything,” she said. “That’s when I really decided I want to pursue this.”
Her path to the Heartlanders came through a former supervisor at the Air Force Academy who later worked for the team and encouraged her to apply. Soon after, Page moved to Iowa to begin her career working with a professional hockey team.
Only months into the role, Page helped execute the Heartlanders’ EmpowerHer Night on Jan. 31, an event celebrating women in sports. The night included a pregame panel featuring women working across the sports industry and aimed to inspire young women interested in sports careers.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for gals to kind of see and listen to women who have already gotten their way into the field of sports, the challenges they faced, and kind of giving them helpful tips or really inspiring them to dream big,” Page said.
Page said women bring valuable perspectives to a traditionally male-dominated industry.
“Women bring just a great different perspective, different thoughts and ideas,” she said. “We’re changing it, making it better and seeing how we can improve all of it and really just be inclusive with everybody and making women feel kind of valued in sports.”
The impact is already reaching fans. Gabi Mann, who attended EmpowerHer Night, said she loved the music played throughout the game and the upbeat environment it created.
For attendees like Mann, the event was not just a hockey game but a celebration of women’s presence in sports.
Page said success in sports starts with confidence and persistence.
“Stay true to your passions, your beliefs, and what you kind of dream in,” she said. “You belong there, and you can make it.”
Despite the busy schedule of a 36-home game season, she still has moments where the job feels surreal.
“Sometimes I’ll be sitting there during a game, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m getting paid to watch hockey right now. This is the coolest thing,’” she said
As women’s sports continue to grow nationally, Page sees that momentum reflected locally. Through events like EmpowerHer Night, the Heartlanders are helping more women see a place for themselves in sports.
For Page, the work is personal. She is not just building game-night experiences — she is helping make the sports world more welcoming for the next generation.