The first day of fall is just around the corner, and even though the summer temperatures are still hanging around in several parts of the country, the change of seasons is unavoidable. And while some think of summer as the months when their children and their friends will be hanging out in the backyard, others look forward to winter and backyard ice rinks as a drawing card for backyard action.
From the street or even from a kitchen sink window, home ice rinks kind of look like a simple low profile fence. Not much more than waist high, the barrier around professionally build or homemade ice rinks provide a boundary for the skaters, the pucks, and the other activities that happen during the winter months. With ice rink brackets, ice rink liners, and ice rink tarps, these rinks can stay protected from everything from blowing debris to drifting snow.
Ice Rink Tarps Can Help Keep Ice Smoother and Cleaner
If you grew up ice skating or playing ice hockey, there is a decent chance that you may also be interested in getting your own children started in this activity. Whether as a future sport or as a healthy way to get exercise, ice skating is an activity that can be enjoyed by all members in a family. Unfortunately, getting access to ice time in some locations can be difficult. In places where hockey is growing in popularity, for example, ice time can be especially scarce. Families who want to be in control of the ice time that they can offer their children sometime build their own rinks. Going so far as to buy ice rink tarps and liners, these families allow their children to ice skate any time they want, as long as the weather cooperates.
Perhaps because it is such great exercise, ice skating continues to grow in popularity in all parts of the country. For instance, in the year 2014 approximately 10.65 million participants, six years in age and older, ice skated. No longer limited to Canada, Minnesota, and other northern states, the total number of indoor ice rinks has reached 1,900. There are another 500 outdoor ice hockey rinks. Not a lot of rinks to go around for those millions of ice skaters and hockey players. Because of the lack of ice time, personal ice skating rinks are an option for many families that have plenty of yard space.
Are You Looking for a Way to Spend More Time with Your Teenagers?
Interestingly enough, as many as 67% of America?s teenagers indicate that they would like to spend more time with their parents. A backyard activity can provide families a way to spend time together without leaving home. A large concrete pad in the backyard, for example, can serve as a basketball court in the warm weather. Once cold weather sets in, the concrete can be frozen over and turned into an ice rink. By installing sides and brackets a two to three inch rink can be frozen. The use of ice rink tarps and other accessories can keep the ice in its best condition and free from heavy snowfall.
Family time can be difficult to come by, especially in a house with busy teenagers. Finding an activity that the whole family can enjoy, however, can make family events more affordable and more accessible. Ice skating has the added benefit of not only being an activity that can be enjoyed together, but it is also a sport that provides healthy exercise.
Did you know, for instance, that many sporting activities improve cardiovascular endurance. Increasing cardiovascular health, especially in adults, decreases the risk for heart disease, the number one killer disease that claimed 800,000 lives in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Installing a backyard ice rink, which can also be used as a basketball court in warmer weather, can promote family activities and good health.
We live in a complicated world. Finding a way to spent time on simple pleasures like ice skating and hockey enables families to slow the pace of life. Families that learn to ice skate together will always have an activity to do together. Get more info here.
