This has been a tough season so far. I filled the rink on New Years weekend and the kids can't wait to get out there - everyday they ask the same question - Is the rink ready yet?

I usually wait to put on the bumpers until it's frozen and safe so the neighbors know its ready to use.

I've been told and it seems to be true in New England that the quality of the season comes in 3's. Every third year it's not worth the effort, every 3rd year it's a struggle but there are memorable times that make it worth it, and every 3rd year it's heaven and makes the winter my favorite time of year.

Looks great! Combination of Nicerink brackets and wooden stakes? And love the patio and path setups as well. Good luck with this crap weather we're getting today!

Great rink! The boardwalk to the firepit and chairs for putting on skates, all very nice. Looks like a great place to hang out and play all day.

Was able to get out on the ice on the Monday holiday but with pressure cracks sounding off we made it a kids only affair. Started out at around 10am with just myself and my 4 and 7yo. Once I got off the ice I thought it would be a short day with the temps inching up over freezing. But the sounds of the skates on ice and puck hitting the board attracted some neighborhood kids.
A few calls and we had a 4 on 4 (3 on 3 when the two 4 yos had enough and hit the Legos). The tournament play lasted for hours with just a few hot chocolate breaks. The water was creeping up from under in a few spots along the boards and by 3pm one end was unusable as the water was pistoning from under and the crack had turned into a full blown fissure 10" long and 4" wide. I finally had to call the game over in fear of someone breaking through. If It was colder I'm sure there would have been puck action until into the night.
It amazed me the improvement of some kids in just those few hours. 2 kids in particular, both 8-9 yo who had never really skated and definitely hadn't played in a game like this. By the end they had it figured out, were able to stay pretty solid on their skates and keep focused on the puck while getting a good shot off. Watching the stick handling and passing develop amongst the whole squad was amazing. It probably worked out best that no adults could get on the ice and let them all just figure it out.
With all the struggles that I'm seeing on this blog in most regions, I feel lucky we at least got one afternoon in. Hitting the sack for the night after just finishing putting a fresh layer of water in hopes that it will be solid by Saturday with low of 22 tonight and mid teens Friday night. Can't wait to get another day - the forecast doesn't look too good after the weekend as daytime temps up into the 40s. Is there a rain dance equivalent for a good long cold snap?

Congratulations, there is nothing quite like the first skate on a slab of ice. It sounds like it was a pretty decent success.. adults ruin everything anyway. Keep plugging away and before you know it, those kids will think they are Wayne Gretzky... err, Tyler Seguin maybe?? It sure as heck won't be Phil Kessel :-D