aussieskater
10-04-2007, 12:24 AM
Long post - sorry!
OK, here's the background: I have an 8yo DD who's average weight (30kg) and height (135cm), and who is a relative beginner, now skating semi-seriously for about a year. She has one 30-min private a week with a junior coach, and practises for about 2 hours a week. She has a decent waltz jump CCW and one-foot spin both ways, and rather nice spirals. She still needs plenty of work on stroking, crossovers, mohawks, turns etc, etc.
She is currently in Risport Lasers (bought secondhand - I believe that the Laser model is now called RF4), and only wears tights or knee-hi's in her boots. She's complaining that they're getting too tight. I removed the laces completely and had her push her foot as far to the front as it would easily go, and I could still see daylight down the back of the heel, so I'm guessing the boots are not too short. However, they do look much too tight across the foot, right from the toes to the midfoot, and that's where she says they are tight.
I took her to the local sports shop - our pro shop closed years ago - and tried her in the Jackson Mystique skates (the only non-Risport figure skates they keep). These fit her really well because they're generally wider and rounder (rather than pointier) around the toes.
When I tried to work out which other lower-level Jackson models might be available, the bunny at the shop had no idea that Jackson even makes anything other than the Mystique :frus: (the few skates they do sell are mostly for hockey), so there was no help to be had there. I asked DD's coach, who said that she honestly does not know - most of her kids skate in Risports and that's the brand she's familiar with (no surprise as that's also the brand most commonly available here).
My own coach's lightweight 11yo daughter, who's sometimes landing double axels, is wearing Freestyles (with Gold Seal blades, forsooth!), as are a couple of members of our adult synchro team, so I'm guessing they're too stiff for my DD, and I'd be looking for the next one down from Freestyle.
I looked on the Jackson website, and came across the following 4 models which I gather are all below Competitor: Freestyle, Classique, Mystique and Artiste. However, I can't work out which is which in terms of boot rigidity. Does anyone have any idea of the model order?
Thanks!
OK, here's the background: I have an 8yo DD who's average weight (30kg) and height (135cm), and who is a relative beginner, now skating semi-seriously for about a year. She has one 30-min private a week with a junior coach, and practises for about 2 hours a week. She has a decent waltz jump CCW and one-foot spin both ways, and rather nice spirals. She still needs plenty of work on stroking, crossovers, mohawks, turns etc, etc.
She is currently in Risport Lasers (bought secondhand - I believe that the Laser model is now called RF4), and only wears tights or knee-hi's in her boots. She's complaining that they're getting too tight. I removed the laces completely and had her push her foot as far to the front as it would easily go, and I could still see daylight down the back of the heel, so I'm guessing the boots are not too short. However, they do look much too tight across the foot, right from the toes to the midfoot, and that's where she says they are tight.
I took her to the local sports shop - our pro shop closed years ago - and tried her in the Jackson Mystique skates (the only non-Risport figure skates they keep). These fit her really well because they're generally wider and rounder (rather than pointier) around the toes.
When I tried to work out which other lower-level Jackson models might be available, the bunny at the shop had no idea that Jackson even makes anything other than the Mystique :frus: (the few skates they do sell are mostly for hockey), so there was no help to be had there. I asked DD's coach, who said that she honestly does not know - most of her kids skate in Risports and that's the brand she's familiar with (no surprise as that's also the brand most commonly available here).
My own coach's lightweight 11yo daughter, who's sometimes landing double axels, is wearing Freestyles (with Gold Seal blades, forsooth!), as are a couple of members of our adult synchro team, so I'm guessing they're too stiff for my DD, and I'd be looking for the next one down from Freestyle.
I looked on the Jackson website, and came across the following 4 models which I gather are all below Competitor: Freestyle, Classique, Mystique and Artiste. However, I can't work out which is which in terms of boot rigidity. Does anyone have any idea of the model order?
Thanks!