Mark writes:

"This is the sixth year I've put this rink up. The boards and bracings are
all numbered so it all goes together like a puzzle. First year it took me a
long time to figure out but now I can put it all up in two or three hours.
Two 500 watt halogens light it up well enough."

"The majority of the rink is over grass. This year I "moved" my wife's
perennials flower bed to get an extra 8 feet at the near end (I hope
everything still grows in the spring). Normally I wait until the first snow fall, tramp it down, leveling out the base. One corner is about ten inches
lower than the others but otherwise, my backyard is quite level. A couple
years I couldn't wait for snow so skipped that part."

"After tramping and leveling the snow, I lay out plastic, staple gun it a
foot or so up each side and end, and fill it up with water. I found a roll
of plastic at Home Depot that is 20x100'; good enough for two seasons. Its only medium weight so I have to be very careful to avoid leaks. Its a bit
tricky laying out the plastic since you cannot walk on it. I staple the fence side first then get someone to help me (that's when she found out about the flower bed) spread out the rest of the plastic. Using a long pole with foam duct taped to the end, I can safely push it into place on the
fence side then staple the hockey board side."

"TIP: Don't drop the staple gun on the plastic!"

"The first year I used two 10' strips with a seam up the middle. What a
disaster... leaks all over. But with the 20x100' plastic, I literally lay it
out, staple it up, fill the bowl with 4+ inches of water, and let it freeze.
The more the better on the first flood. I've had a few leaks but they are
easily fixed with some plastic and roofing tar. This past year we actually
skated on the rink after this first flood. I'm not kidding!"

"My son is now 12 and just finished his first year of Pee Wee's in the St
Albert Minor Hockey Association so the rink is barely big enough for him to scrimmage with friends. But it is good for puck handling and shooting
practice and my daughter has lots of fun on it with her friends."

"Note the orange catch fencing along the far end between my son and the
neighbours glass patio doors. I've only lost a couple basement windows on my own house due to poor placement of barriers... :( "

Thanks for the picture Mark.