How can you tell if your rocker is messed up?

[newskaker5]

I recently lost all my spins :( and have been working very hard to regain them. When this all happened suddenly, it was after a sharpening. I feel like my backspins are doing fine (which is odd) but any spin on my left foot tend to be impossible to find the right spot to spin on the blade. Now, it could just be me, but even my coach mentioned my blades today. How can I tell if my rocker somehow got messed up? Do I need the pro shop to look at it or can I tell on my own?
Thanks!

[dbny]

Compare the blades at the front of the rocker to see if one looks too closely shaved. It's an easy mistake to make when sharpening. The other thing you can do, is place the blade on a table (skate off the edge, so blade is flat) and trace the rocker with a pencil. Then trace the other one and compare.

[newskaker5]

Thanks! If it is screwed up, is there any way to fix it or will I just need to get new blades?

[dbny]

Thanks! If it is screwed up, is there any way to fix it or will I just need to get new blades?

I think if they've shaved off part of the spin spot, you need new blades. Someone correct me, if I'm wrong on that.

[blue111moon]

If the blades are fairly new, a good sharpener can sometimes correct the rocker. But the sharpener has to be very very good at it and even then it might take some getting used to afterward.

[blackmanskating]

I think if they've shaved off part of the spin spot, you need new blades. Someone correct me, if I'm wrong on that.

Nope you are correct. There may be a work around which may consist of shaving down part of the toepick. This happened to me on my last pair of blades. I had a pair of ultimas which have a huge toepick to begin with. I had a "Blade Sharpener" rip my blades to pieces. I couldn't spin because he shaved my blade down so much that the toepick would catch when I skated on the middle of my blade. I went to my current skate sharpener who repaired those blades so that I could at least skate in them. When I upgraded to Gold Seals, I had a hard time adjusting to them because the rocker on these blades is far bigger than my old blades. But only one man is allowed to go anywhere near my Gold Seals. I trust my blades to no one else.

If you think those blades are destroyed, don't skate in them for too long. If you do, it will make it so much harder to adjust to your new blades. Also, stay far away from the sharpener who destroyed them in the first place. Ask other skaters where they get their blades sharpened. I'm really sorry to hear about that. I know how frustrating that is. Take care.

BlackManSkating

[Bill_S]

I traced some Coronation Aces and put the scan on the web. However the trace is slightly reduced to fit a web page.

Still, it might be something to compare to your skates so that you can see if something major is different. If you're clever about enlarging pictures, you might be able to do that and make a print to compare to your own.

Here's the link:
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~schneidw/skating/images/right-blade-comparison-f.jpg

[doubletoe]

If the blades are fairly new, a good sharpener can sometimes correct the rocker. But the sharpener has to be very very good at it and even then it might take some getting used to afterward.

That is true. The rocker can be "re-shaped" by a good blade sharpener, but it will usually bring the location of the "sweet spot" back a little so there will be a little adjustment required.

[newskaker5]

Thank you all so much. I will definatley check it out and see if that is the issue. :)

[Isk8NYC]

Chiming in late - is it possible that the sharpening ROH is too shallow?

I use a 3/8" ROH and once had a sharpening done at 1/2" by mistake. I couldn't center spins and I slid out on all my edges. No permanent damage, I just had the blades resharpened to 3/8".

[newskaker5]

Maybe - I just started skating last yr and the blades i have have a 1" hollow I think. I do feel like I slide on edges sometimes and my jumps are fine but my spins suck -maybe that my problem?

[doubletoe]

Maybe - I just started skating last yr and the blades i have have a 1" hollow I think. I do feel like I slide on edges sometimes and my jumps are fine but my spins suck -maybe that my problem?

1" radius of hollow is extremely flat. Freestyle figure skating blades are typically sharpened at about a 1/2" ROH, with some skaters preferring a flatter 5/8" and some preferring a deeper 3/8".

[daisies]

1" radius of hollow is extremely flat. Freestyle figure skating blades are typically sharpened at about a 1/2" ROH, with some skaters preferring a flatter 5/8" and some preferring a deeper 3/8".

Yeah, I used 1-1/2" for patch, so 1" is pretty flat. Try giving 5/8" a try. That's what I use for FS because I don't like sharp blades.