Little, bitty skates

[Lmarletto]

I think my 6yo daughter is ready to move up from her Riedell Blue Ribbon (model 21) skates with Sapphire blades. She just finished FS1 and her coach thinks she will get through FS6 in the next year, depending on how often she skates.

Her coach's only skate advice was to make sure she didn't get too much boot for her size (50lbs) and level. One local fitter recommended the Gold Medallion and another recommended the Bronze Star. They both suggested a couple of different blades which I don't remember the names of. Neither of these places had these models in stock so I could see how they compare to her current skates.

I'm afraid the Bronze Stars will be like cement blocks on her little feet. Her 21's don't look the least bit broken down after a year of skating 1-4 hours a week. Riedell recommends the Medallion series through FS2, but would a smaller skater be OK in them past that?

Thanks for any suggestions. I know there are people here who see a lot of kids in a lot of different skates.

[dbny]

This is a really tough one, especially in light of the fact that Riedell has remodeled all of their boots and ramped them all up in stiffness. The Silver Star used to be a good boot for your daughter's level/weight. I know because that is what my daughter used for a few years. These days, though, the Silver Star is way too stiff and I think you may be right that the Bronze Star will be also. The Gold Medallion, which is the next one down, is also rated for Adult Bronze Freeskate, which tells you something about its stiffness. I don't think your daughter would break it down before outgrowing it.

Before buying new skates, make sure that the Riedell is a good boot for your daughter. If she is not getting bumps on her heels, and the balls of her feet are not getting compressed by the narrowness, then Riedell is probably good for her. If the skates are too narrow, though, or the heel is too deep, then take a look at the Jackson models. You would want the lowest one that is heat moldable (not sure if it is the Freestyle or Competitor).

[Tennisany1]

I too have a little skater (mine just turned 5) and am not sure about her next pair of skates. Not being a skater myself makes it very difficult. I did find a web site that goes through all Reidell and Jackson models which makes it easy to to compare and remember. Hope it helps!
www.skatenwear.com (click on Boots and Blades)

[Lmarletto]

The Silver Star used to be a good boot for your daughter's level/weight. I know because that is what my daughter used for a few years. These days, though, the Silver Star is way too stiff and I think you may be right that the Bronze Star will be also.
I spotted a pair of used Silver Stars on Ebay. If the price is right, maybe preworn ones would be softer? Would the Bronze Medallions be softer than the Gold? I guess I could still put a higher level blade on them. Or are Riedell's blade recommendations off for a small skater too?

Before buying new skates, make sure that the Riedell is a good boot for your daughter.
She has been in 17s and 21s for 3yrs now and she does have a narrow foot. The only time she has complained about the fit is when her foot has started to get too long for the skate. She was offered a pair of Jacksons but I was reluctant to change brands. I understand what you mean though because my wide flat foot was miserable in Riedells and much happier in Jacksons.

[dbny]

I spotted a pair of used Silver Stars on Ebay. If the price is right, maybe preworn ones would be softer? Would the Bronze Medallions be softer than the Gold? I guess I could still put a higher level blade on them. Or are Riedell's blade recommendations off for a small skater too?


If you get boots off ebay, there are a few things you need to be very sure of:


Be sure you are getting the right version of the model. For a Silver Star, it should have the lining that shapes to the foot with the foot's own natural warmth. The ones that are older than that do not have enough padding to be comfy, and the newer ones are too stiff.

Make sure there are no creases in the boot. Ask for close ups of the ankles if necessary.

If there are blades, ask for close ups of those too, showing the toe pick, the tail, and the length along the bottom of the blade.


Yes, the Bronze Medallion is softer than the Gold Medallion.

I haven't looked at Riedell's blade recomendations, but I would guess that your coach suggested the Wilson Coronation Ace. You could probably get by with the Wilson Majestic until the next pair of boots, but at her level, it really depends on how fast she is growing and how often she skates. Majestics will need more frequent sharpening and will not last quite as long as Aces, but are fine for jumps up to the Axel.

BTW, I know a pro shop that has the absolutely best prices on blades and ships for actual cost. PM me if you are interested. Some examples are Coronation Aces for $145 and Gold Seals (way more than your daughter needs) for $345. UPS shipping was $6 the last time I bought, which was about 2 years ago.

[twokidsskatemom]

my 39lb skater has been in jackson freestyle in more than a year, second pair, She really likes them which is what counts!!They are heat moldable.
Dont have advice about the other brand, but know they are more for narrow feet. Good luck !!

[Jumper]

Hi! I'm new here to post though I did lurk for a while.

I have a little skater, just like you. She had Gold Medallion boots (two pairs). The first pair she wore last year when she was 6 yo and was about 50 lbs also. They were ok for her and took her trough the lutz jump. They had some medium creases at the end. She outgrew them. Then we got her second pair about four months before seventh birthday. She creased them right away and pretty hard (she grew abit but she is still about 50 lbs!). She complained that they are too soft and she outgrew them in about 4 months :cry: Now she is seven and works on her axel in Jackson Competitor boots and she is so happy about them. She had them for 3 months and they are creasing very nicely but not too fast. They are very much stiffer then Gold Medallions.

She never fitted properly in Reidells because her heel always moved and she got blisters and toes were too tight so she could not do a lot of toe jumping without pain. Now she loves her Jacksons.

I saw Bronze Star boots and they feel stiffer then Gold Medalions. They are also much better made and have more padding. But if you daughter is a bit agressive skater and bends her knees and ankles hard then she will be better in Bronze Star.

Now about the blades. My daughter almost always skated in Coronation Comet and she is doing great in them. Her first blades for about 5 months were Fiesta and after changing to the Comets and going through a week of ajustment time she started improve dramatically. Her stroking and spins improved a lot. So I guess you have to make a choice yourself. I would recommend Coronation Ace or Comets (they are usually around $170). You may look also at MK blades from the same price range. If she is doing really good in spinning/jumping I would not go with anything lower in price and level then these blades.

We passed my daughter's old skates to a 5 y.o. skater at our rink and on the first try them on ice her coach and parents were impressed how much blade can make a difference.

I hope my post will help you to make a decision. Good luck.

[Isk8NYC]

The break-down-before-outgrown issue is thorny. DBNY's right: there is a distinct difference between the old and new Reidell models. The Bronze star is probably too stiff for your little one.

My 6yr olds have been using Reidell Bronze Medallions and they're wonderful for their level (USFS Basic 5/6). Unfortunately, the model was discontinued last year. (They were a great buy!)

My oldest daughter has wide feet and low arches and is skating ISI FS1/USFS FS6. She was miserable in the Reidells she had, so we decided to change brands. I bought Jackson Freestyles for her and she loves them. Her only complaint is that the chrome on the blades flakes off regularly. Now, she wants Klingbeils and name-brand blades for her size 10's!

[Lenny2]

Get the Coronation Ace blade, regardless of which boot you choose. It's the best blade for skaters doing single jumps before they move up to a gold seal or something like that. It's great for spins.

[dbny]

Get the Coronation Ace blade, regardless of which boot you choose. It's the best blade for skaters doing single jumps before they move up to a gold seal or something like that. It's great for spins.

Aces will also make the skates easier to resell when the time comes.

[Perry]

I started skating when I was 4, and I actually started in used boots since, because they were already decently broken in, they were easier for beginning skating. I'm not sure what my boots were after that, but I know I was in Reidell Gold Stars by the time I was seven (axel, working on doubles) and I moved up to Gold Seal blades shortly after. I agreee that there definately is a difference from Gold Stars when I first had them and now. When Reidell first redid their boots a few years ago, I actually had to move to Klingbeil's (which I love) because the boots just didn't fit my fit anymore. I was working on triples, and the Gold Stars were still too stiff. Because of that, I'd recommend going with the lesser of the two stiffnes and making sure that Reidells are right for your daughter (though most skaters assume blisters are just part of the sport, you shouldn't actually be getting any blisters/pain from the right boots). I've never used Jacksons, but they're generally a lighter boot, which might help if you decide against Reidells.

As for blades, I used Comets before my Gold Seals. They took my from Snowplow Sam to working on doubles.

[Lmarletto]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I think I will have her try on some Jacksons before ruling them out. The fact that they make a softer, lighter boot for her level makes them worth trying at least.

And I really appreciate all the comments on blades. I hadn't thought as much about blades. I'm pretty sure the Coronation Ace was one that her coach recommended "if you can afford it". The price difference between the Aces and other options is an hour's worth of lessons or less so I certainly can justify springing for them.

Dnby, thanks for your offer to hook me up with a blade vendor. There is a local place that offers a small discount plus free mounting so it's probably in my daughter's best interest to start cultivating a relationship with them. ;)

[dbny]

What did you get, and how does your daughter like them?

[Lmarletto]

What did you get, and how does your daughter like them?
We went to try on the Jackson's last weekend but they didn't have her size in stock. They were expecting a shipment this week so I'm hoping we can try them this weekend. She's annoyed with me for dragging this out. :lol:

[dbny]

We went to try on the Jackson's last weekend but they didn't have her size in stock. They were expecting a shipment this week so I'm hoping we can try them this weekend. She's annoyed with me for dragging this out. :lol:

Aw, better for her to be annoyed than to have to wear the wrong skates for six months or a year. Good for you for holding out. Let us know what you do buy.

[LI Skate Mom]

I just replaced my 5 years olds boots. What a experience - I think it should be a coached responsiblitly to go skate shopping. It took what seemed forever. Her foot is weird the front is wide but the back is narrow. It is really hard to get a good fit on her.

My daughter started skating at 2 1/2 in Riedell skates with the boot attached. That is what we used until Last winter when she got Jacksons. After a rew months she hated them - and it was time to go to a better blade so we got Riedells and cornation ace blade. What a diffrence the blade makes.

This time we got Riedells 101 - I think they are discontinuted but they shop had a pair in her size. I was very happy that we were able to move the old blade to the new boot.

[twokidsskatemom]

Did you get her new boots yet?
We just got my skater a size one jackson freestyle with a mk pro blade. Just about no break in period, she has worn them every day this week with not one problem love them !!!

[Lmarletto]

We got the Jackson Freestyles - size 1 too. They came with a Mark IV blade. Did yours come boot only? I was going to order the Coronation Ace blade too, but decided to see how these boots worked out first. I think the Mark IV is a step up from whatever was on her Jackson 21s. She says the boots are comfy. Thank goodness! I don't think she would have any patience for actually breaking in skates. Her 3-turns have improved dramatically in about two 45 min sessions. That must be the blades.

[twokidsskatemom]

No, they came with the blade but we had the shop via the net switch out the blade for us.We have no pro shops but one in the state so we have bought off the net.
Her size 13 jacksons had a club 200o blade on them.This is her third pair, size 12, 13 and now size one but the first brand new pair that she had to break in.So far so good.She is now working on her sit spin and the dutch waltz.
Her coach who has alot more experience with Intem/novice/senior skaters is very inpressed with the jackson boot for lower levels.She thinks they wear well, have good support and dont seem to break down. Most of her kids in the high levels wear sp terris.
Hope your daughter really likes her skates... Did you all heat mold them?