feature story / 13 “The kids skate on it as much as they can,” Leibensperger says. “They mostly just skate around, but have started to play a little hockey.” Scarlett Levinson, a neighbor who lives up the street and is good friends with the Leibensperger’s oldest child, Alison, says some of her friends have pools in their back yard, or trampo- lines, but she doesn’t know anyone else with a home skating rink. “I would never have thought of putting an ice skating rink in the back yard,” she says. “I feel like you’re re- ally lucky if you are friends with them because you have an ice skating rink on your own street. Instead of having to go somewhere else to skate, you can just walk down the street.” Unfortunate- ly, Maplewood’s weather doesn’t always cooperate. Warm temperatures or excessive snow on the ice make the rink unusable. “The biggest chal- lenge is keeping snow off of the ice to keep it smooth and ready for skating,” Leibensperger says, adding that there have been big snowstorms where he’s had to shovel the rink – or take the snow blower up on the ice. The rink usually goes up mid- December and lasts until about mid-March. On an average year, the Leibensperger family will get about 15 to 20 ice skating days. “The kids and their friends love to be on the ice,” Leibensperger says. “It’s fun to be outside, and more ice time means less The Leibensperger family has an unusual addition to their back yard – a private ice skating rink. What started as a Christmas gift in 2014 continues as the Leibensperger family's winter tradition. A heavy snowfall last year left the ice rink covered in snow, which meant that, in addition to shoveling the driveway and sidewalk, the Leibenspergers had to shovel their rink. Photo courtesy of the Leibensperger family. SERVICE  KNOWLEDGE  EXPERTISE Broker / Sales Associate 973-214-4636 Susan.Blodgett@cbmoves.com Sales Associate 973-219-8865 Virginia.Spiegel@cbmoves.com Susan Blodgett, ABR Ginny Spiegel @WeKnowNJRealEstate THIS IS HOME. THIS IS HOME. 145 Maplewood Avenue Maplewood, NJ 973-378-8300 This is where snow days are celebrated. This is where snow days are celebrated. City to Suburbs • Buying • Selling • Relocations • First Time Buyers  Childhood happens once. P R O G R E S S I V E E D U C A T I O N S I N C E 1 9 4 8 CO-ED n NURSERY THROUGH GRADE 8 n FARBROOK.ORG/CHILDHOOD