With health authorities restricting public gatherings and other social activities, more Canadians than ever are embracing an old winter tradition — the backyard ice rink.
Felix Rheaume stands on a large rink that takes up almost his entire yard in Montreal, skates on feet and hockey stick in hand.
“We are in our family bubble, we respect the public health rules and we have fun at the same time,” he said, ready to slap a puck across the smooth 6m-by-5m patch of ice.
Photo: AFP
The rinks allow Canadians to skate and play ice hockey — the country’s national pastime — while avoiding personal contact beyond their immediate family and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearby Rheaume’s youngest daughter, wearing a bright pink helmet and padded ski pants, kicks forward and immediately falls before breaking out in laughter, as her siblings watch.
The number of family outdoor rinks in Quebec alone has doubled from past winters to more than 1,550, according to data collected by Stephane Kirouac, an electronics teacher.
The 56-year-old has been running a French-language Web site since 2003 called “Building an outdoor rink is easy.”
“During the pandemic, the number of rinks has exploded,” he said, adding that “a third of these people have zero experience building a skating rink.”
It is not just the rinks, but also the rink enthusiasts that are growing in number: Membership in a Facebook group where photographs and advice are shared has increased from 800 people in September to more than 7,000.
“This is the first year we’ve done this,” Rheaume, 35, said, adding that “it’s pretty simple, it’s done in half a day.”
He estimated the cost of his rink at about C$250 (US$197) for water and materials.
Rinks are constructed directly on grass or atop a canvas or plastic sheet. Edges are formed from boards, and water is added a bit at a time so that it can freeze over several days.
With three children at home, Rheaume was attracted by the simplicity of this outdoor activity, with the rink located mere feet from his house, where he has been teleworking for months.
“It allowed us to do stuff with the girls, to go out, get some fresh air and move around, yet still be in compliance with the lockdown,” he said.
His girls, age three, 11 and 12, only occasionally skated prior to the pandemic, but now go out on the ice in the backyard twice per week.
“Due to COVID-19, we don’t want to go to a place where it’s too crowded, as it can sometimes be at the frozen pond in the park or at a public ice rink,” he said.
“Now is really the best time to do it,” said Simon Bedard, a 28-year-old hockey fan who built his first backyard ice rink in December with the help of neighbors.
The rink has become a meeting place, especially on weekends, which allows people to keep in touch while respecting social distancing.
“In normal times, I don’t think we would have thought about that,” Bedard said, calling it a “spontaneous idea” born out of isolation during the pandemic.
“Definitely, I intend to repeat the experience next year,” Rheaume said, adding that he was surprised his family’s enthusiasm for the rink did not quickly melt after a few laps.
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