It’s the same as it has always been. Get the other kids together on a sunny December day. Play. Go for lunch when your mum forces you. Play until you can’t see the puck. Play for another half hour.
Outdoor skating is fun like no other. Exhilarating. And since the Province went to Code Red pandemic response it has become the only place to skate as our indoor arenas such as Tundra Oil & Gas Place, are closed.
Manitoba is full of young hockey players, figure skaters and kids who just want to have fun on blades.
Virden’s outdoor Chevron rink is in use these days. And a handful of homeowners around Virden have set up their own backyard rinks. Some with lighting to extend the skating time. Local building supply stores have supplied rink boards. And there’s also companies creating snap together kits to define the edges for a poured ice surface.
However, ponds, lakes, streams, and even large dugouts have become skating surfaces in the countryside. There, if the ice froze smoothly, there’s no need for rink boards, just some snow scraping.
Families are allowed to skate at outdoor community rinks, following COVID rules. There’s no indoor areas allowed for changing, or to warm up, so layer up to enjoy a skate this year.
