Sep 03, 2019 This commercial originally aired on December 14, 2003. Undisputed LIVE HD - First Thing First 3/19/2020 Shannon Sharpe & Skip Bayless on FS1 ESPN First Take 381 watching Live now. Playing Our Favorite Childhood Sports. Backyard Sports Club is a co-ed adult sports club with leagues in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Hampton Virginia. This alternative sports league is built on being social and fun with a new twist to the old pastime sport of picnic outings and field day from elementary school.
Far removed from elaborate multimillion dollar arenas, pond hockey is about the essentials.
Backyard Sports Hockey
Some backyard rinks cover the basics with a frozen surface, boards and a pair of goals. Other backyard rinks feature lights, breathtaking vistas, stands, a Zamboni and creative touches.
The Rink Live, a Forum Communications website dedicated to amateur hockey of all levels, would like to showcase backyard rinks in Minnesota and the Dakotas.
RELATED: Previous stories on backyard rinks
Share the story of your favorite backyard rink with us. The Rink Live will select audience submissions for a story featuring some of the best and most unique outdoor rinks in the region.
Simply please send the following information by Monday, Feb. 17, to [email protected]:
3-5 photos (videos are welcome, but not required)
Rink name
Backyard sports bar happy hour near me. Dimensions
Address (we will only publish the town name)
If applicable, a description of any unique features
Additionally, please provide contact information for the owner so we can follow up with a few questions.
Paul, MN 55103, Member FDIC. St. My backyard sports closter nj. Gifts purchased on this site are not traditional gift cards. The Giftly Prepaid Gift is issued by Sunrise Banks N.A.,.
This season, sign up for The Rink Live newsletter to get the best hockey stories from across the region delivered to your inbox!
Nineteen families submitted their backyard rinks to showcase on The Rink Live and readers had an opportunity to vote for their favorite. Out of 2,290 votes, the winner was decided by a shaving of ice — one vote.
Three rinks lead the pack, including “The Love Big Rink,” submitted by Chad Kurtyka of Grand Forks. He described his rink, which features festive lighting, an iced walkout directly from the back porch, a fire pit and sitting area for s’mores and warmth and a bar for the adults.
Luna, left, gets out on the ice with Eli and Pippi Kurtyka on 'The Love Big Rink,” at the Kurtyka home in Grand Forks. Special to The Rink Live
“After the passing of my father last year, we realized he really 'loved big' and also learned how important those memories and moments are, so I created this rink as a Christmas gift to my children to capture that spirit,” Kurtyka said.
The 14-foot-by-32-foot rink was a Christmas gift to his children.
“This rink has brought immense joy to our entire family. Even those who are unable to participate in the on-ice festivities benefited from the laughter and joy that came from the rink and everyone on it,” he said.
Kids skate on the The Love Big Rink at night in Grand Forks. Special to The Rink Live
Next year he plans to add curling targets for those who don’t skate.
Backyard sports games for mac. Backyard Sports: Rookie Rush marks the second title released featuring the new look and feel of the Backyard Sports franchise. MAC; PC; Backyard Soccer continues the 2-D style that the backyard sports games are known for. It also includes MLS players as kids.
“We're happy that people could feel the joy and connection of the rink through the photos that we submitted. There's no doubt that my dad was smiling down on us as we enjoyed The Love Big Rink,' Kurtyka said.
The second top-three finalist was called The Crew Arena, submitted by Drew Peterson of Baxter, Minn. His 95-by-70 rink just west of Brainerd is about 10 feet from the house and expanded this winter.
The Crew Arena in Baxter, Minn., at night. Special to The Rink Live
Anytime the rink lights are on, neighborhood kids are welcome to stop by and play, he said.
The rink is home to the annual “Jake Haapajoki Memorial Cup,” a tournament held for his step-son who died by suicide at age 16 two years ago. The money raised goes to suicide awareness and local academic and sports scholarships.
“I have no way to show or describe the enjoyment that this backyard rink has brought to our family and community,” Peterson said. “Every piece was built by myself, sons and with the help of family and some volunteers, from the cemented posts, to the wiring and lights, to the paint. The only part not hand done was the asphalt surface. It is truly a hand-built backyard rink.”
The Crew Arena is home to the annual “Jake Haapajoki Memorial Cup.' Special to The Rink Live
The rink is permanent and features a 16-by-18 locker room in the house that is filled with hockey memorabilia. Next year he plans to add a 10-by-30 addition for viewing.
Backyard sports club nearest metro station. Backyard Sports Club is a co-ed adult sports club with leagues in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Hampton Virginia. This alternative sports league is built on being social and fun with a new twist to the old pastime sport of picnic outings and field day from elementary school.
“I would not say we are as proud as we are excited to have created an environment for so many to enjoy,” he said.
The final top-three rink had a unique situation to remedy before the first layer of ice was put down. Kevin Anderson, who lives about 30 miles east of Worthington in Jackson, Minn., submitted the Wild West Rink. He said his yard had a 2-foot fall so he put pallets underneath for fill.
The Wild West rink is seen at night. Special to The Rink Live
Backyard Sports Academy Turlock
In its third year, he says the rink is about as big as it can get. One of the reasons why Anderson built a backyard rink is because his 14-year-old son’s home rink is 22 miles away. He is hoping to use his rink-building knowledge to help the city of Jackson build a municipal rink next year.
“I bring out pictures of the rink in meetings, at school events, blast it on Instagram and Snapchat and I imagine most are sick of reading my rink posts,” Anderson said. “My oldest daughter who is in college named it ‘the favorite child’ but I also like how people in the neighborhood talk about it.”
Anderson said his family hosted a gathering New Year’s Eve where they created a modified game of ice bocce on the 31-by-42 rink where 5-pound kettle weights were used as the stones and the puck as the bocce.
Players race for the puck in a game at the Wild West rink in Jackson, Minn. Special to The Rink Live
“It works pretty well and we’ve had a couple of evenings of adult beverages and ice bocce and hope for one more. One of my favorite moments from this winter was when a handful of my Bantam players came for a Sunday afternoon of shinny … pretty much skated it for six hours straight,” he said.
Next year he plans to convert a playhouse into a warming house and offer skate sharpening.
With all that, the Wild West Rink, named for the Minnesota Wild and the rink’s location on West Street in Jackson, was the top vote-getter for The Rink Live’s favorite rink. It got 15.8% of the votes. Second place, again by a single vote, was The Crew Arena (15.7%) with The Love Big Rink coming in third with 12.9%.
“There are so many cool rinks and I would imagine that my friends were voting on mine because they knew how much work we put into it and the pride that we have in it,” Anderson said. “My wife seems like she is a rink widow, but I think deep down she enjoys it as well.”
This season, sign up for The Rink Live newsletter to get the best hockey stories from across the region delivered to your inbox!