Boot frustration continued - Arrggh!

[Debbie S]

Well, my width problems with my skates along the the ball and arch areas of my foot have gotten better, but they're still not that comfortable. As I was surfing the Net the other day, I came across a site (something like tidewaterice.com) that sells GAM boots by mail order and had a length/width sizing chart on their site. So I printed it out, went home, had someone draw a tracing of my foot (I also did it myself, to have as many comparisons as possible), and both tracings showed what I had suspected - my feet, especially my right one (which appears to be about 1/16 to 1/8 wider than my left), are too wide for the B-width. Arrggh!

Can punching be done in that area to increase the width, or am I scr**ed? (I'm not allowed to write out words like that on this board, right?) The problem has gotten better, so I'm thinking that punching or not, I can handle them for another 5 or 6 months or so, and then look for another brand. (I've had them for 5 months) From what I've read, SP-Teris tend to be cut wider in the ball and then narrow in the heel (like my heels), so I think I'm going to see a fitter about those. I'm just so annoyed about these GAMs. The woman at the pro shop where I got them did measure my feet and told me my feet were B-width (which I didn't argue with b/c I always thought my feet were on the skinny side), but I guess certain boots are cut narrower than others. And I'm not looking forward to spending mega-bucks for SP-Teris, but I've already determined that Riedells are too big (my feet are on the border bet. adult and kid size boots).

Just thought I'd commiserate here a bit, and I'd appreciate any feedback from others who've had this problem. Thanks for listening.

[Elsy2]

Yes, you can have your boots stretched. Hubby did this, and it helped. Flippet, where are you? I know you've had this done too. My coach had this done with her Harlick's and it helped considerably, but she had to have it done twice before she was happy with the result. When we had this done, the skates were left on the stretcher overnight.

As for me, I had too much pressure on the outside of my skates only by the tailor bunion area, and had that part punched out. I didn't have the whole skate stretched. This worked well for me.

Although I measure an A width, I needed to get 1/2 size longer skate than I measured, as the shorter skate was just a hair too short. Because I needed a longer skate, we had to get AA width or the arch area would have not fit properly.

Anyways, good luck with your skates, I hope you find a solution that works for you!

[flippet]

Here I am...been on vacation.

Yes, I have a similar problem. I've got SPTeris, AA, which fit my narrow heels like a dream, but are just a hair too narrow at the mid-foot. I'm sure that A, or even a split width would probably be too wide. I had mine stretched, and it did help. It needs to be done again, however. If you can't find a pro shop that can do it, see if you can find a shoe repair shop or a western/riding type shop that may have boot stretchers. It's a simple thing to do, if you have the right equipment to do it.

[Debbie S]

Thanks for the feedback! I've got my lesson tomorrow, so I'll stop in at the pro shop and ask about it. When I practiced Sunday, I decided that it's only the right skate that needs to be stretched, although that's probably because I use my right foot more (I'm CCW) so I notice it more. But when I did my tracings, my right foot was indeed a smidge wider than my left. Weird, huh? Ah, the things I've learned about my feet since I started skating. :)