Blake M., Colorado YardRink Owner Since 2024
We have three boys, ages eight, seven, and four, and every winter it’s the same challenge. It gets dark around 4:30 pm in Colorado, it’s cold, and suddenly they’re stuck inside more than we’d like. That’s why we wanted something that would keep them active and excited to be outside.
All three of our boys play hockey, so we thought a backyard rink could be a great way to get extra ice time, but honestly, I’m not a big DIY guy.
What sold me on YardRink was how simple it looked to set up and that I could create a custom size for our backyard.
We don’t have a massive backyard and YardRink made it easy to build a rink that takes advantage of the available space.
The setup turned out to be even easier than expected! The rink arrived on pallets, and all the neighborhood kids helped carry boxes and set it up. It was so easy that the kids were able to help with everything from setting up the boards to tightening zip ties.
This winter, we had about 2.5 months of solid ice, and our boys were skating constantly. They were on the ice before school, after school, and even woke me up early to skate. Before we set up our YardRink, they only had access to ice two days a week for league hockey. By having our own ice, they got better, more confident, and most importantly, had fun.
What we didn’t expect was how it brought the neighborhood together. Kids who had never even been on ice before came over and families bought skates just so their kids could join in the fun. It became a full-on neighborhood rink.
At the end of the day, I just wanted it to be fun. And it absolutely is. We’re already counting down the days to set it up again!
