Bought new skates for our 9 year old. Could use some advice.

[LIskate]

Hi,
My 9 year old daughter just started taking skating lessons. She has had 2 lessons so far in which she used rental skates. Yesterday we bought her Some Jackson Freestyle's. Her next lesson is on Sunday. She really wants to go during the week to practice what she has learned, and to try out the new skates. Do you think it would be wise of us to wait until her lesson when her coach is there to have her skate in them for the first time?
If we do take her how much time should she spend skating in them?

Any suggestions to help her break in the skates, and do things correctly are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Tennisany1]

Congratulations to your daughter, I hope she really enjoys her skating lessons. If she continues on you may be like some of us other mothers on this board - back again for more advice. I have found people here who are very generous with there time and expertise which is especially helpful as I am not a skater - just a skater's mom.

That all said, in my limited experience in researching skates for my little one, I am wondering if perhaps the Freestyle might be a lot of boot for your daughter? As you have already bought them I wouldn't worry as long as her coach says they won't hinder her progress, but you might want to double check that before she wears them so you can exchange them if you need to. My little one was in Jackson Mystiques (less than half the price of the Freestyles) up until she was working on her loop jump and skating three to four 1 1/2 hour sessions per week. I may have left her in them a bit too long but she is also much younger than your daughter.

Anyway, I feel kind of awkward about this as you have already purchased the skates. There just seem to be a number of threads on this board where it has been discussed that too much boot is as bad as not enough. Please don't take my word for it as I am not an expert, but check with her coach before you go forward.

[LIskate]

Tennisany1,
Thanks for the reply.
you may be like some of us other mothers on this board
Actually I'm a Dad :)

After the first lesson the coach recomended that we get a a pair of basic beginner skates. We didnt have time during the week to get out and buy them, so she used rentals for the 2nd lesson as well. After the lesson the suggested that instead of the beginner skates he would like to see her in skates a step up from that. I had mentioned that after her session we were going to go get her skates. He recommended a good store that would do a good job fitting her. He also said to have them call him on his cell if they have any questions. We did have a question while there and had the person at the store call him. Not too long after the call her coach came into the store. I was really amazed that he took the time to come help us. The store is a good 30 minute drive from where her lessons are. He must have been pretty close by though as he got there about 15 minutes after the call. I was still pretty impressed that he would take the time to do that for her.
.... So anyway he liked the skates for her, and helped with fitting them. Honestly I am not sure of the reasoning behind the decision since at this point I dont know the first thing about figure skates. Hopefully they will serve her well.
Sorry for the long story... I figure a little info about how we ended up with the skates we got may help.

[Tennisany1]

Actually I'm a Dad :)

:oops: Sorry! I shouldn't assume!

Wow! I am very impressed with your coach. If he took that kind of time with your daughter then I would say you are in good hands. I'm sure she will notice a big difference in her skating with her new skates.

Let us know how it goes.

[dbny]

The Jackson Freestyle is most definitely not a skate for beginners, so if her coach said to go with them, then your daughter has some ability/talent that was readily apparent. One reason your coach may prefer a higher level boot over a lower level boot, is that he may feel your daughter will be progressing rapidly enough to make it worthwhile. That is, if she were in a lower level boot, you might be in for another purchase before she outgrew the boot.

[The Ice Demon]

I agree with what's been said above, so to reply to your original question... Assuming that the skates were sold to you with a correct sharpen it won't hurt your daughter to try them out on the ice. The general rule with breaking in new skates is to start with only small amounts of time eg. thirty to forty-five minutes and don't tie the top one or two hooks for the first few weeks so as to allow her to develop a good crease in the boot to break them in. If she develops blisters or sore spots the sooner you can precover them with a good tape the easier it will be for her. Also make sure she only wears thin socks or stocking type socks.

I hope she loves her new skates, it's always exciting getting your own skates for the first time.

Here's some links that may or may not help you with getting her started in new boots

http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?t=19273&highlight=breaking

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/sports/skating/ice/rec-skate/boots/

http://www.1for1.com/Article_about_Figure-skating-with-new-skates-for-the-beginner-a-3845.html

http://www.iceskatingworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158

[Isk8NYC]

Let her try them before the lesson. They should have been sharpened by the pro shop and she needs about a half hour before the edges wear down enough for her to be comfortable skating and stopping. They'll be "grabby" at first, which goes away after about 30 minutes of skating. She can also wear them around the house a few times to help break them in. (Use the rubber guards for that.)

Don't use the top hooks for the first month or so; they'll be too binding and prevent her from bending her knees deeply. You can double-lace the other hooks to pick up the extra slack in the lace. (Don't wrap the laces around the boot. Looks ugly and serves no purpose.)

These are pretty stiff skates, so she has to work to break them in. Remind her to bend her knees so she doesn't trip over her toepicks.

A good rule of thumb is 1.5 hours of practice for every half-hour lesson.

One last note: after she skates, dry the blades and boots with an old towel and put on the terrycloth blade covers before you put them away. Many people seem to think the hard rubber guards are for this purpose, but they'll actually cause the blade to rust! The hard guards are for walking around at the rink while wearing the skates. They protect the blades from being damaged. Don't let her wear them on concrete without the guards.

Welcome to the world of skating! Sounds like you have a good coach. Nice to have another Dad amongst us - stop by anytime.

[LIskate]

Thanks for all the help everyone!

The skate store had also recommended that she wear them around the house a bit as well. She wore them while watching Skating with celebrities last night. She seemed to really enjoy that. She is so excited about learning to skate. I dont think I have ever seen her this excited.

I am going to take her to the rink tomorrow to let her skate a bit. I will keep it to 30 - 45 minutes. Thanks for that info, She would have skted for the whole 2 hr. session if I hadn't known.

Her coach is a really nice guy. He seems to really love what he does. The fact that he made the trip to the skate store shows how much he cares.

Thanks again for all the help. I'll let you know how it goes.

[VegasGirl]

Though your coach recommended the Jackson Freestyles I personally would not have bought them for a 9 Year old at this stage. By the time her abilities catch up with the skates she'll have outgrown them and the next expensive pair of skates is in order.
Our daughter started on Jackson Mystiques and then went up to Jackson Classiques after she outgrew her first pair (in a little less than a year) and then she lost interest in ice skating altogether so I'm glad we didn't spend all the extra money on more advanced skates.

As for breaking the skates in... the Freestyles can be heat molded and if your rink (or the store where you bought them) has the ability I would have them do that. Have her wear the skates at home too, with the hard blade guards on and preferably on carpet, that'll have to break them in faster.

I saw that someone recommended not lacing up the top hooks, I wouldn't recommend that simply because kids tend to get used to those kind of things and then she might not like them laced up all the way later on. What I would recommend though is not to pull the laces through the last set of holes before the hooks... skip those, that way the boot bends easier at the ankle.

Have you had the blades sharpened yet?
Most of the time they do not come properly sharpened and your daughter would have a heck of a time on the ice with unsharpened skates!
If they are sharpened, freshly sharpened, it'll feel a bit awkward to skate on them at first especially when stopping but that passes quickly. I'd say go take her to a public session before her next class so she can get a feel for the skates before she actually has to do something on them.

Good luck and I feel for your daughter since I hate breaking in new skates!

[LIskate]

Vegasgirl, Thanks for the recommendations.

They did sharpen them, and do the heat molding at the store. She wore them for about an hour after the heat molding.
What you say about the top hooks makes sense. I think her coach may be there tomorrow. If he is I will ask his opinion as well. Both methods do make sense. I just want to make sure I do everything I can to make her break-in as painless as possible.

As for the skates. Since they are already purchased I dont mind that I spent more than may be necessary. As long as they wont hurt her or hinder her learning I am ok with it. I think I will check with her coach again to check the reasoning behind the choice. At the time we bought them I didn't really know anything about the different skates. I just went with what was recommended.

Thanks again

[phoenix]

Be sure to tell her before she goes out to skate in her new skates, that they will feel very awkward at first, & she may not be able to do everything she could do before. That's because they're so stiff & will feel very different. New skates feel like concrete blocks on your feet! That will pass as she gets used to them & as they soften a bit, but you don't want her to be discouraged.

And don't worry if she doesn't even last the 45 minutes the first time out--depending the brand & fit, sometimes new skates REALLY hurt a lot. If she wants to get off, let her get off.

[Isk8NYC]

I saw that someone recommended not lacing up the top hooks, I wouldn't recommend that simply because kids tend to get used to those kind of things and then she might not like them laced up all the way later on. What I would recommend though is not to pull the laces through the last set of holes before the hooks... skip those, that way the boot bends easier at the ankle.

I respect your opinion, but I stand behind the "leave the top hook undone" advice. Many of the instructors I work with also give that advice. There's no "dependancy" issue: as the boot softens a bit, the student will be able to bend the ankle more and then the top hook will be able to be used more comfortably. It also helps prevent premature wear, such as heel/boot separation from the stress of trying to push the knee forward into the bent position. I've given this advice to many of my students and their parents over the years and it's reliable.

I DO like the "skip a hole" approach. It also makes sense, but I have to wonder about the creases that would result. This particular boot we're discussing has a notched cutout at that point to prevent creasing, so I'm not sure your advice is applicable here, but it's a great idea for the Modell's specials! Any input on the creasing from your experience, VegasGirl? When do you start using that hole again?

As for new skates feeling like concrete blocks, I wore my daughter's Jackson Freestyles a few weeks ago. They're new and felt weird because they were heat-molded for someone else, but these skates are very light and comfortable. I was pleasantly surprised.

LISkate - Don't worry too much about the boots being too strong for your daughter. The biggest risk is that she might outgrow them before they break in. You've gotten a lot of break in advice that will help overcome that obstacle. It'll also excite her since she has "serious" skates that need the effort! LOL!

Coaches often recommend a higher-level boot based on the skater's potential skating ability and/or size and weight. In a similar situation three years ago, I recommended a used pair of Jackson Freestyles to a friend for her 9 year old daughter, who I was teaching at the time. They were perfect because her daughter was very big for her age and a bit heavy. She loved them because the support gave her confidence and control. Her skating really took off.

[flippet]

I respect your opinion, but I stand behind the "leave the top hook undone" advice. Many of the instructors I work with also give that advice. There's no "dependancy" issue: as the boot softens a bit, the student will be able to bend the ankle more and then the top hook will be able to be used more comfortably. It also helps prevent premature wear, such as heel/boot separation from the stress of trying to push the knee forward into the bent position. I've given this advice to many of my students and their parents over the years and it's reliable.

I DO like the "skip a hole" approach. It also makes sense, but I have to wonder about the creases that would result. Any input?

I agree with this as well. You need the bend that leaving the top hook undone allows, and you won't get it with just leaving the last hole out without forcing the boots. Plus, you're just begging for top-edge blisters. (Some top edges are rolled well, and won't cut, but others stick out the tinest bit, and can be really sharp. I've been known to take a file to mine.)

Some skaters do both--leave out the last hole and leave the top hook undone. This is only done until they're broken in, then you start doing them up as well. My personal preference is to leave the top hook or even two undone, but lace that last hole and yank it as tight as possible there, getting marginally looser as I go up the hooks.

Regardless of where you stop lacing, you need to leave room for the width of two fingers to fit between the boot tongue and the shin. Any tighter at the top, and you lose knee bend. Just yank it tight at the ankle bend for support.

[dbny]

Though your coach recommended the Jackson Freestyles I personally would not have bought them for a 9 Year old at this stage. By the time her abilities catch up with the skates she'll have outgrown them and the next expensive pair of skates is in order.

Based on personal experience, I disagree with you. My daughter started when she was 10, and she was very small and lightweight for her age. She was in cheap vinyl skates for her first two lessons. Then her coach told me to get her high end recreational skates or low end professional skates. This was before Jackson was making good figure skates and before heat molding. I got her Riedell Silver Stars because that was the least expensive boot that fit properly and was comfortable for her. She just barely outgrew them before breaking them down. Another month, and they would have been worthless, so we definitely got our money's worth out of them, and I was able to resell them later to another beginner who needed better skates. Every person is different.

Some people will be fine in the entry level skate for a year or even two, others will need a higher level boot and blade very quickly. My daughter is very athletic, and even though she was lightweight, she beat the heck out of her boots with constant jumping. If I had gotten her a lesser boot, I would have been out more $$$ before she outgrew them.

[LIskate]

We went to the rink today to give Kate a try on her new skates.
Everything went well. She said they didn't hurt, so I guess thats a good sign.
She skated for about 30 minutes, at which point her coach who was there teaching other skaters came over and said he had a break after the lesson he was teaching. He said he would like to spend some time with Kate, He had us have her take a break and un-lace the skate's. When he was done with his lesson he took her out and worked with her. He said everything seem's good with the new skates. When I tried to pay him for the unexpected lesson he wouldn't take any money. This guy is something else. I am amazed at his level of caring for his students, and the obvious love for his job. Katelyn really enjoys the time she spends with him on the ice as well. I think we were very lucky to have found a coach that seems to be the perfect match for her.
Thanks again for all the help you provided. We didn't know that her coach was doing to be there today, and with all your advise I felt comfortable knowing that we were doing everything correctly with her new skates.

Bob

[VegasGirl]

You wouldn't happen to be out here in Vegas?
Your daughter's coach sounds just like mine!!! :)

[LIskate]

Vegasgirl,
No. We are in Long Island, NY.
I am very happy with him. I called the ice rink to schedule her for lessons, and he is who they put her with. I was a bit concerned thinking that she may be more comfortable with a woman. The people at the rink said to give him a try, as he is great with kids. They were right.

[VegasGirl]

My daughter first took group lessons with two female instructors and took private lessons from one of them when she started competing (at ISI Alpha). When she moved up to Beta (or was it Gamma) she had to switch group lesson and the new class had a male coach... the same one that also tought the adult class at the time. So when I started taking lessons and my daughter and I decided to do a spotlight routine for a competition together, we decided to sign up for private lessons with the male coach. Best decision we made!
Though my daughter quit skating last Fall I'm still at it and when our coach switched rinks I switched with him. I've been with him for just about two years and I will dearly miss him when I have to move out of state next week. :(

A good coach... meaning a coach that works well for you (or in your case your daughter) makes all the difference in the world!!!

[VegasGirl]

P.S. Since you're from NY maybe you could help me... we're moving up to Syracuse next week and so far I haven't found a rink that's open year round... you wouldn't happen to know one in the area?

I know it's a far stretch since Long Island is rather far away from Syracuse, but I figured couldn't hurt to ask. :)

[LIskate]

Vegasgirl,
Sorry, I dont know the Syracuse area at all.
That's quite a big move from Vegas to Syracuse. Hope everything goes smoothly for you. Good luck on finding a rink. There must be one that is open year round there.

Thanks again for all your help.

[sue123]

P.S. Since you're from NY maybe you could help me... we're moving up to Syracuse next week and so far I haven't found a rink that's open year round... you wouldn't happen to know one in the area?

I know it's a far stretch since Long Island is rather far away from Syracuse, but I figured couldn't hurt to ask. :)

Try arenamaps.com. I know there are a bunch of universities up there, and maybe one of them has a rink you can use?

[dbny]

There are at least two rinks in Syracuse. One is at the university and is not open to the public. I second Arenamaps.com (http://www.arenamaps.com).

[dbny]

Vegasgirl,
No. We are in Long Island, NY.
I am very happy with him. I called the ice rink to schedule her for lessons, and he is who they put her with. I was a bit concerned thinking that she may be more comfortable with a woman. The people at the rink said to give him a try, as he is great with kids. They were right.

LIskate - please check your PM's.

[VegasGirl]

Try arenamaps.com. I know there are a bunch of universities up there, and maybe one of them has a rink you can use?

Thanks for the tip, I'll try that!!!