An
ice rink (or
ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can
ice skate or play
winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include
ice hockey,
bandy,
rink bandy,
ringette,
broomball,
speed skating,
figure skating,
ice stock sport and
curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows. There are two types of rinks in prevalent use today: natural, where
freezing occurs from cold ambient temperatures, and artificial (or mechanically frozen), where a
coolant produces cold temperatures in the surface below the water, causing the water to freeze. There are also synthetic ice rinks where skating surfaces are made out of plastics.