With one son who plays hockey, one son who speed skates plus my own newfound love of speed skating, I’m at an arena a minimum of five times a week. Minimum because those five times are the mandatory ‘you need to show up for a practice or game’ times. I am a huge advocate of families being active together. For us, skating is the perfect opportunity for our family to have fun at a sport we all enjoy, so on top of those five times, we go to a public skate at least once a week. And because I’m slightly obsessed with learning how to speed skate I go by myself twice a week to practice.
Did I mention that my husband plays hockey too? Two to three times a week.
This means one, or all, of us is at an arena anywhere from five to ten times in a seven-day week.
While I love our public skates and the time we spend together, I intensely dislike packing up the equipment, driving to the arena, parking, lugging the equipment inside, helping two boys get into equipment and skates, then doing the whole thing in reverse when it’s time to leave.
This typically adds up to about 20 minutes to get there and get ready, 1 hour of skating, and 15 minutes to get undressed and go home. Getting kids out of skating gear is slightly faster than getting them into the gear.
When we moved to this house four years ago, we traded a large backyard for a much smaller one but gained a park directly in front of our house. This park is where my kids spend almost all their waking hours—winter, spring, summer or fall—they are there running, playing, climbing, sledding, flying kites, and riding bikes.
My new petite backyard is my summertime haven. It’s where I go to write, read, and relax. In the winter, the only shoveling required is a small path from our back door to the garage.
Not once have I ever regretted our decision to forgo a large backyard for a smaller one. Until now.
To celebrate Dove Men+Care Unilever is giving away three backyard hockey rinks valued at $15,000. While I’m more on the speed skating side of things, the hockey people in your life will love the added bonus of having one of two legendary hockey players—Wendel Clark or Guy Carbonneau—drop the puck at one of your backyard games.
Do you know what it would mean if I had my own backyard hockey rink? I could practice speed skating ALL THE TIME. I could, possibly, be the best speed skater EVER. Or, you know, at least not always last in my class. It would mean more time skating with my kids, less time driving and lugging equipment. Don’t even get me started on how much my hockey-loving husband would be outside playing and practicing.
Having a rink in my backyard would basically be all the fun with half the work!
This is math I could totally get into, only I can’t because my small yard can’t accommodate a hockey rink so there’s really no point in me entering.
But you can! So go enter now. I promise I will be 98% happy for you if you win.
YMC is giving you a chance to win a $100 worth of Dove Men+Care® Products! Just leave a comment below telling me what you and your family love about hockey.
You have to be a YMC member and you have until August 1, 2012 to enter. Please be sure you've registered your email address in our commenting system so we can contact you if you win.
Good luck!!
Wanna win a $15,000 backyard hockey rink?
Wanna become a neighbourhood hero by having a legendary player like Wendel Clark or Guy Carbonneau drop the puck at your backyard game?
Show your passion for hockey by uploading your favourite family hockey photo for a chance to win the Dove Men+Care® contest!
This post is proudy sponsored by our friends at Unilever Dove Men+Care®.
Visit www.familyhockeymoments.ca to enter the Dove Men+Care® Hockey Contest. Submit your family’s favourite hockey photos for a chance to win one of three $15,000 backyard rinks. Plus, one of two legendary hockey players--Wendel Clark or Guy Carbonneau--will drop the puck at one of your backyard games!
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