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miss,on
"Be prepared for those wonderful late night skates or fishing for leaves under the thin ice. It could go either way..."
"Try using some shutoff valves on the garden hoses. I leave the long/main hose outside after I finish draining it. Shorter hoses are fed outside from the laundry sink.
(see the pictures attached to my link)."
(see the pictures attached to my link)."
My 6 year old is getting big for this size of rink. But it'll do fine for my 4 y/o who is just learning to skate.
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brianjay5g perhaps for Year #4 I'll need a more square rink, go right up to the garden, flood with more water, higher boards and come right up to the birch tree.
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brianjay5g It would be nice to have chicken wire all around it to keep leaves and branches from falling in.
This was his first year of tyke (picture taken in early 2012). Now heading into 2nd year (Oct.2012) he's itching for more ice time every shift. Now if we can get the skating speed up to his enthusiasm level, he'll be on cloud 9.
"yes, here in Southern Ontario, it's been "tropical" this season. Our plants keep popping up in January which is atypical. The temperature I've found needs to stay below -5degC continuously for things to stabilize. When we have rain, +7degC and…"
tykes playing a mini-game during the Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni vs. LPHA coaches charity event.
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brianjay5g well, he played a 10 minute tyke game during the Leafs Alumni vs. LPHA coaches charity game. Nice seeing all the little kids on the ice.
"David, thanks for the rink advice. Your cover is a great idea. I thought about a cover only for catching the twigs and leaves from the tree above. I was thinking of using last year's tarp for that purpose."
There are 3 outdoor flood lights dangling from the nylon cords. Enough ice area for 4 small kids or 2 large kids, I suppose.
This is a suggested way to leave most of your garden hose outside. You fish a small section outside and don't need to yell to your spouse: "Turn on the water!"
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brianjay5g The orange connectors in the above diagram are the gardena quick-connection adapters. They're great for disconnecting the 50ft hose and draining it of water.
White tarp (slightly less than 20x40). Rink dimensions are approximately 17x37)
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brianjay5g Now I need a covered area, chiminea with a raging fire burning. Hot chocolate, music, beer and a mix of other adults and kids will make it complete.
15x20
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brianjay5g Year 2 will feature a rink approx. 40x25. Trees are in the way, so the only way to make it larger is to provide a large birch tree as a defenceman.
Comments
Hi Jay,
According to "Accuweather.Com" it looks like you have some cold weather during the next 15-day period. Try protecting your ice foundation during the warm stretches until the colder temperatures return. Hopefully you'll get a chance to "lace em up" again this year! Trust me, I'm battling "Mother Nature" done here in the Denver area, trying to squeeze a few more weeks out of my rink!
David
I just looked at "accuweather.com" for your area...it looks like you've got some cold weather on the way. Just make sure that you protect your ice base during the warm periods. Here in the Denver area from 1/2 to 1/5 we had temperatures of 52, 56, 60 and 65 degrees (in celcius I guess its 11, 13, 16 and 18) but my boys still had a great skate last night and my ice is in good shape. I have uploaded a photo of my rink when its covered...I basically start my day every morning by putting the cover on. Not my favorite thing to do every morning but it is worth it if it prolongs my skating season. Good luck...hopefully you'll get that cold weather!
David