metro

If You Build It, They Will Come

Neighbors stayed active this winter by creating a shared ice rink.

Shelli Liebman Dorfman
I Contributing Writer

hile most of us spent the frigid
winter trying to stay warm,
Brian Schwartz was thinking
of more reasons to go outside.
Lucky for him, he found an excuse —
and a cohort — right next door.
Schwartz, who grew up playing hockey
in New York, and A.J. Scheidt, whose
childhood memories include backyard
skating at a neighbor's, turned their
experiences into a 32- by 48-foot ice rink
beside the Scheidt's West Bloomfield
home.
"Building the rink was primarily A.J.'s
idea, with Brian's encouragement; said
Schwartz's wife, Jenny. "I thought they
were crazy when they first started talking
about it. I knew I was going to be the one
stuck getting the kids on and off the ice
every day while Brian was at work; no easy
feat with the amount of equipment they
put on, and with tying and untying laces."
Talks began in the summer of 2012.
"We were playing with the boys in our
backyard and felt like the space would be
perfect for hockey; A.J. said. "We didn't
feel like the kids were old enough to justify
building the rink that winter. We kept the
conversation going through the summer
of 2013. I'm pretty sure our wives thought
we'd never follow through with our plans"
But when he decided it was time, he was
both persuasive and prepared.
"On Dec. 4, 2013, I called Brian over for
a beer and I told him, 'We're doing this!'
and showed him the plans I'd laid out
for a small rink for the first season; A.J.
said. "Then I proceeded to go out to Home
Depot to buy enough wood to build a rink
much bigger than the original plan:'

gathering spot for our neighborhood"
There have even been birthday celebra-
tions on the ice. The parents also get their
own time.
"Brian and I will go out after the kids
are in bed to shoot pucks; A.J. said. "We
were able to get a couple adult games this
year."
And unless the temperature hits single
digits with a below-zero wind chill, the
skaters are out.
"Each year, we add to our collection
of cold weather gear so that we can stay
outside longer and longer without freez-
ing our toes off; Brian said. "Once the
boys start skating, they do not even notice
how cold it is. The boys and I like the cold
because it means there will be skating:'

W

Construction Zone
The two-family rink was built, on the
side of the Scheidt's home next to the
Schwartz's house, again this past winter.
"We're fortunate to have a relatively flat
backyard, which is critical; A.J. said. Using
know-how words like "pitch" and "home-
boni," he described the construction pro-
cess that resulted in one deep end and one
shallow end, with sheets of plywood used
for the sides and two-by-threes left from
the Schwartzes' sukkah cut to support the
plywood. A 40- by 60-foot plastic liner
holds the water.
"It is actually the shrink wrap used on
the large boats on the Detroit River; A.J.
said. "Once we fill the liner with water, we

14

April 2 • 2015

The Schwartz and the Scheidt families gather on the ice rink they built between
their two homes.

pray for super cold weather. The last cou-
ple winters have provided plenty of cold to
make for great skating"
Work lights and holiday lights illumi-
nate evening and nighttime skates. The
rink is maintained with a homemade
device that allows a thin layer of water
to spread onto the ice to fill in cracks
and chopped up areas. In addition to the
construction, A.J. said creating the rink
involves "shoveling — lots of shoveling:'

The More The Merrier
Having the rink so close to home allowed
those who already skated — A.J. and his
wife, Therese, along with Brian, Jenny
and their oldest son, 8-year-old, Eli — to
encourage those who didn't.
"Last year, Jonah, 5, went from boots to
the skate-trainer to skating circles around
us; Jenny said. "Kayla, 3, put on skates
this year for the first time, but never actu-
ally made it on the rink in them7
A.J. said, "Our family boys — Brady, 7,
Logan, 6, and Aidan, 4 — had really never
skated before we built the rink. Really
none of the kids in the neighborhood had
spent much time on the ice before we built
the rink the first year, but after a week or
so on the homemade skate-trainers, the
older boys had figured it out.
"I think it is very cool that two years ago
none of the kids could skate and a year
later many of the boys on our street play
on teams:'
The Schwartz boys play hockey on the
Orchard Lake United team, and Brady and

Logan Scheidt play through Farmington
Hills Hockey Association.
The rink has been the site of much play
and practice, but mainly what it is used for
is "lots and lots of hockey; Jenny said.
And she's glad the kids have a place to
stay active during the long winter.
"The boys go out after school, and many
weekend days and nights have been spent
on the rink; she said. "There were nights
the boys would skate, eat dinner and skate
again until they almost fell asleep on the
ice7
For Eli, that's the way it should be.
"I like skating after school and getting to
stay up late on the weekends to skate and
practice my hockey; he said. "I also like
playing hockey against the grown-ups and
beating them7
Brian added, "Therese and Jenny have
had some intense hockey
games against the boys7

Gathering
Spot
The rink is also popular
with friends who live close
by. "We live in a great
neighborhood with lots
of kids and wonderful
neighbors; A.J. said. "In
the summer, we're always
hanging out in someone's
backyard, so this gives us
the opportunity to keep
the party going all year.
The rink has turned into a

Annual Rebuilding
Neither family had built a rink before but,
as a child, A.J. had neighbors with one in
their backyard. "Those memories of skat-
ing until dark was the primary inspiration
for building the rink for me he said. "I
wanted to give our kids the same experi-
ence because I had such fond memories
skating when I was their age"
At cold-weather's end, the rink is dis-
mantled.
As soon as the ice in the rink has com-
pletely melted and the ground is thawed
we tear everything down; A.J. said. The
plastic liner — torn by the kids' skates —
will be cut into strips and discarded. Wood
studs will be pulled out of the ground and
recycled; and screws will be removed from
the plywood boards, which will be stored
in the Scheidt's garage.
And will there be a rink next year?
"Of course!" Brian said. "The plan is
for there to be a rink every year as long as
there is winter in Michigan:'

❑

Logan Scheidt, 6, Jonah Schwartz, 5, Brady Scheidt, 7,
and Eli Schwartz, 8, play some hockey.

