A lot of people are building backyard rinks this winter so their families can get some exercise and keep their skating and other skills sharp, but one Estevan man has taken it to a new level.
Nathan Hunt, who lives in northeast Estevan, constructed a rink on his property that is 45 by 23 feet, taking up a pretty good chunk of his backyard that sits on a large corner lot.
But he took it one step further, with lighting and boards to add to the experience.
“With COVID-19 restrictions, there’s not a lot to do,” said Hunt, the father of three boys. “They can’t play with the friends, and they can’t get much activity. We were thinking of Christmas gifts for the kids, and started looking at rinks online.”
When he saw the prices for outdoor rinks, he decided he could build something bigger and better, but for a lower cost. One that he saw online, with one-foot boards all around the ice surface, was $3,800 to be delivered.
Hunt’s rink was about half the price of anything he found online, and it’s better than anything he found on the Internet.
“I went all out. I got big boards and stadium lights and I’m going to have sponsor decals put on,” he said. “It’s a full meal deal.”
Hunt isn’t trying to take money from businesses to get their decals on the four-foot boards, but some companies that supplied the materials or businesses that he worked for paid to have decals applied. They are getting made by Dynamic Signs.
“There was lots of support once people saw it,” said Hunt.
Even more impressive is that this is the first time he has tried building an outdoor rink, so he’s pretty proud of his efforts.
Hunt started working on the outdoor rink in early December. Warm temperatures slowed the progress of making the ice, and it took a couple of weeks to get the rink ready for us.
On Dec. 14, Hunt and his boys spent 2 1/2 hours out on the rink, even though it was a chilly evening in the Energy City. It’s not the only time in which they’ve been out on the ice for extended periods of time.
The timing of the arena’s completion was perfect, too, because they’ll be able to spend many hours out there during the Christmas holidays.
“It’s a busy little rink. It would be a lot busier if we could have some friends over,” he said.
The current restrictions prevent them from having anyone over for a game of shinny or to skate on the ice, but he hopes that the current restrictions will be lifted in the near future, so that people can come over and skate on the ice.
“It’s a busy neighbourhood, so there would usually be kids here, or (my boys would be) over at a friend’s house. With three boys, you have to get some exercise into them.”
Hunt knows of a couple of other people who have built rinks of their own in order to help their families stay active and have some fun outdoors during the winter season.
