Jerry Fraeyman's Backyard Rink - Howard's Corner of the Web

Jerry Fraeyman's Backyard Rink 2002/03
Romeo, MI USA

January 2003
Rink
32' x 50'

Rink
Nathan giving the rink a fresh coat.

Jerry writes:
"The rink is approximately 32' x 50'. It's about as big as we can get in our
backyard. It is framed with 2x8s and 2x10s and lined with 6-mil plastic. We flood it with a hose that we run up from the basement. Don't use any special equipment -- just a nozzle. The deepest part of the yard gets about 15 inches thick; the shallowest about 2-3 inches.

We nail some lights to the backyard trees to illuminate the ice for
night-time skating. The colored rope lights are for my daughters, both of
whom figure skate. All the lights are on remote starters that my wife bought this year for our Christmas lights. (No more running out to the garage because the kids forgot to turn on the lights before putting on their
skates!)

We live in Romeo, Michigan, about 30 miles north of Detroit. It's been a
great rink winter, so far. We just had a long stretch where high temps were mid teens and lows were single digits. Highs this past weekend were around 40°F, but cold weather is coming again.

We've been building a rink for 8 years now, five in this location. We put it
up mid-to-late December. Each year we're usually able to skate by New Year's and on through early March."

Great job guys. Thanks for the pics.

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Last Updated on May 27, 2003