Question about skates?

[oz01]

My daughter is 8 and is learning 2sal and 2 toe. She is still wearing Jackson freestyle (cost ~$175) that I bought 15 months ago before she had an axel. Should I upgrade her skates? I notice that other skaters her level at the rink wear $1000 custom skates. Am I skimping on her skates? What brand of skates you would recommand for her age and level? Thank you!

[Isk8NYC]

ETA: I took out my name from the original post and started a new thread.
You'll get more replies that way.

I'm surprised she hasn't outgrown these skates after 15 months. My kids only get a year (at most) out of their skates, and that's with my having them stretched/remolded.

Since she's doing so well in the Jackson Freestyles, she'll probably be okay in the Jackson Competitors. I would change to a MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace blade since she's working on double jumps.

How are her spins?

While I do wear customs, I wouldn't recommend them for growing children unless they're high-level competitors or they're having ortho problems that the custom skates can correct. Just MHO.

[Virtualsk8r]

Ask her coach for an opinion. Wow - 15 months out of a pair of skates is really good. If she is a light jumper and small skater, the Jacksons could still be okay as long as they are not broken down around the ankles. However, the worry would be that after 15 months of sharpening - the blade may be in need of replacing. I think the blade is really important at this level because if the skater has good flow and run of the edge, plus decent rocker and toepicks - their overall performance will be better. As long as the boot is supporting the ankle and fits, that is.

Some 8 year olds need the expensive skates - I knew of one who broke down the toughest Harlick's in a couple of months and she was only a tiny little thing but really tough on landings. Same skater had pattern 99's after skating on Four Aces - and the blades really made a difference in her flow and landings. (same skater went through 5 pairs of skates in 15 months at one point through growth and breaking down and none of the blades could be reused!)

All depends upon your skater. The coach should be your guide.

[oz01]

Thank you both!

This is the first time that a pair of skates last more than 8 months and she still has no problem with them! She doesn't skate so often, only 2-3 times/week and I think that has a lot to do with it.

Her spins are good: forward camel/sit/layback and back sit are all good but back camel is not quite so. She only gets 3/4 revolutions of it. Does it require better blades?

I talked to her coach today and she said as long as she is comfortable with the skates there is no need to upgrade them. She suggested Jackson Competitors and JW Coronation Ace blades for her next pair too. I asked here because I think some coaches in the forum are more experienced.

Thanks again!

[Isk8NYC]

Stock boots make more financial sense for growing children.

Another option is the SPTeri boots. A lot of our skaters transition from the Jackson Freestyles into the SP-2 with ease. I believe (although I'm not certain) that the heel heights are similar, whereas the Riedell stock boots have a slightly lower heel. (Although I hate the look of the "patch" and logo on the SP Teri's.)

I just moved my twins from Riedell Medallions into Jackson Freestyles and the improvement was visible. Some of it was from the 'honor' of having the same skates as the skaters they admire at the rink, but I noticed that their crossovers (esp. back xo) were done with ease and much less choppy movements. Even with the brand-new, first wearing. Could also be the Jackson's Mark IV vs. the Reidell's Saphire blade. When they start landing singles for real and working on higher-level spins, I'll think about upgrading the blades.

One of my skaters moved from Jackson Freestyles into the Competitors and she's very happy with them. Mainly because she likes the cross-cut Mirage blade. It hasn't done *that* much for her jumping, but that's because she doesn't take "checking" seriously. However, her spins have improved tremendously to the point where I'm now teaching camels and beginning laybacks.

I asked about the spins because of the blades, but sounds like your DD is a good all-around skater. The back camel is a different beast (pun intended) than the other spins and it takes a little longer to master. Given her jumping ability, the flying camel will be a cinch for her once she's got the back camel down.

[Laura H]

I was wondering the same thing because my DS (8) is wearing a boot which according to Riedell guidelines is below his skill level (FS 3/4) . . . but the boots seem to be holding up fine (no creasing) and he is comfortable in them (whereas I have been working on breaking in my "upper level" Riedells FOREVER!). We're definitely going to be upgrading his blades next time, but wondering already how much boot he really needs at this point??

[Isk8NYC]

The recommendations are mainly to keep you from wasting money on a too-strong or too-weak boot.

For example, I used to wear Riedell Gold Star boots in the early 1980's. Once I started doing jumps, the boots would need to be rebuilt in less than a year. They just didn't provide the support I needed without breaking down. It would be comparable to putting a really strong freestyle skater into a pair of Jackson Glaciers: the boots would not be up to the task. They'd break down and start getting those evil, deep creases very soon and the skater's landings would wobble and fail. (Which is also dangerous.)

Compare that to today's Gold Star boots, which are incredibly sturdy. You wouldn't want to put them on a beginner or a very light skater because they'd never break IN and be really useful. If you plan to do ice dancing, you wouldn't want TOO stiff a boot because toe pointing and quick flexes would be difficult.

While the skater's in good skates, plan ahead for where their skating is headed and decide what they'll need down the road. If you're budget-minded, this lets you keep an eye out for sales and hand-me-downs.

[oz01]

I believe (although I'm not certain) that the heel heights are similar, whereas the Riedell stock boots have a slightly lower heel.

That's good to know. When my DD switched from Riedell to Jackson, she lost her sit spin for a few weeks because of a slightly higher heel.

[BuggieMom]

Whenever someone at our rink starts moving up into Axel/doubles territory, it seems they run out and get at least Riedell Silver Stars or higher, even the smaller/lighter skaters. When it came time to get new boots for my daughter, coach wanted to leave her in her Gold Medallions, maybe move up to a Bronze Star. I questioned her also, knowing that everyone else at that level wore higher level boots. My daughter is 9, but she is the size of a 7 yo, very tiny and light. Coach has lingering ankle problems from being over booted when she was still skating, and is against over booting. Anyway, we ended up emailing the guy who writes the "Ask Mr. Edge" column in Skating magazine. He agreed with her, to leave her in Gold Medallions because of how small she is, and when she hits the 70# mark, think about the Bronze Stars. So we kept her in the Gold Medallions, and upgraded her blades to Pattern 99 which helped her tremendously. Just last month she needed new boots, and since she has not passed that magic 70# mark, she got new Gold Medallions again.
I guess this is my way of saying, don't worry about what everyone else is wearing. I agree that it depends on your skater. My daughter is right where yours is, and she still wears a boot that cost us about $225. Ya gotta love that while you can!

[dmmains]

"Ask Mr. Edge" is incredible. We're fortunate to live near him and he fits both of my sons. He's awesome to watch in action.

[Laura H]

Wanted to report back since we also discussed this subject with my son's coach, and she felt that there was no need to go too high with his boots at this point, he just doesn't weigh enough to require a really stiff boot . . . we probably will upgrade his blades in the near future, but apparently the boot doesn't need to go too much more than what he has now. They're holding up fine at this point. (we'll enjoy that while we can!)