Do you love hockey? if you do, you are not alone. More and more people are playing hockey there days. In teh United States, there were more than 519,400 registered players for the 2013-2014 season. There were at least 1,900 indoor ice hockey rinks around the country and another 500 outdoor rinks. It is fairly easy to put your own ice rink in your backyard. The only things you need to buy are the backyard ice rink liners, the wood or PVC pipe and some rebar stakes.
Even the process of putting in the homemade ice rink can be a good bonding experience.
First, you need to gather your supplies. You will need:
- Wood or PVC pipe to make the border.
- Backyard ice rink liners.
- Water from your hose (you do not actually this but you will need it).
- Rebar stakes.
- Staple gun.
Pick the spot in your yard. You need a fairly flat area for your ice rink. You may need to smooth out part of the yard so that the slope is not greater that three inches.
Make the frame. Take your wood or PVC pipe and create the space where you want your backyard ice rink to go. This will serve as a wall around the ice rink. Secure the PCV pipe or wood piece with the rebar stakes. Most of the time, people make their backyard ice rinks in the shape of a rectangle or a square but this is your yard so you can do whatever you want.
Put down your backyard ice rink liners. After your frame has been put in, lay down your backyard ice rink liners. It is really important that these are white or close to it. If you put down a dark color, it will trap the heat from the sun and melt your ice that covers your backyard ice rink. Work on smoothing the backyard ice rink liners until they are as close to being perfectly smooth as is possible. The backyard ice rink liners should end up draped over the sides of your frame so that there is enough to use your staple gun to secure it in the right position. Any excess material should be trimmed off so that it is not a trip hazard.
Add your water. Filling a backyard ice rink takes patience more than anything else. You should always wait to put together a back yard rink until the ground is good and frozen. Check the weather. When you know you will have at least a few days where the temperatures are below freezing, you can start the process of filling your back yard ice rink. Yes, this is a process. Use your hose and sprat attachment to add about one inch of water. You need to let this freeze. Do not fret, it only takes about six to eight hours for the first layer to freeze. Spray with hot water to the same height, one inch. Let it freeze. Repeat until you have between three and five inches of solid ice. Before you start skating or playing hockey, you should take a broomstick to test you rink ice.
One thing you should do to keep your backyard ice rink looking great all season is to clean it off after each use. Sure, you may not have a Zamboni at your house but you can shovel off the ice shavings that will pop up after a hard game of hockey with your friends and family. If you find the rink is getting low from all of its use, you can always add more water and follow the same instructions you followed when you first filled the ice rink.
Playing sports is a great way to bring like minded friends and family together. Teenagers may say that they do not want to spend any time with their parents but when asked anonymously, approximately 67% of all teens say they really want to sped more, not less, time with their parents. Getting everyone together to skate or play hockey on your backyard ice rink can be a great way to spend quality time while getting a good workout.
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