Heating boot ?

[littlekateskate]

After reading this post in another thread... I didnt want to threadjack but wanted to ask. I am assuming then, it is beneficial even for young beginning skaters to have their boots heat molded? My daughter who recently turned 4 had an awful time breaking in her new skates. After 6 months they are finally getting broke in. We arent ready for the new pair yet thankfully but even at a beginning level does it really help that much? (she is 4 years old 35lbs and isi beta)

We love Freestyles here at our rink. You're right on the rigidity progression. The main reason why they jump to the Freestyle is that you can put a blade on it ... but even the stock blade isn't too bad. If you want, they can order it boot only, which cuts down on cost, wasted blade, and excessive holes in the sold.

the annoying thing is that there is no male Competitor boot, and the jump from Freestyle to Elite is huge. Elite is quite a bit more rigid. grumble.

DS is landing doubles and axels, working on Sr Bronze and Juvie test (weighs about 95 pounds). Our coach likes to underboot as much as is safe, esp. with the kids, but, I know other coaches would be moving him out of the Freestyle to a stiffer boot. They took my DD out of Freestyle and moved her to a softer boot, because she couldn't flex the Freestyle and it was causing issues with her skating due to lack of kneebend (she's light, and had a power problem). They're only now looking at putting her back in the Freestyle (she's working on axel and double salchow) because she's getting down in her knees.

Baby skater is in the Classique, but, we had it broken down for her by the skate fitter so that she could flex it. When they are thistleweight ... you do what you can.

What you can do, which looks quite weird: have the boot heated (they're heatmoldable) by your skate fitter. Put it on. Have the kid do deep knee bends while the boot is on. Repeat a few times. That makes the boot more flexible very quickly.

(now, all of you who disagree with my Freestyle stuff, please don't jump on me ... this is just what works for our family).

[jenlyon60]

If the boot isn't designed to be heat-molded, it really can't be heat-molded (well you could stick it in the oven, but you'll run the risk of damaging the leather).

[Sessy]

I think it's beneficial for everybody to get their skates heat-molded (hey, I just got my first heat-molded pair and it's designed for doubles and I'm not jumping right now and it's already almost broken in after a week!) but it is the sad truth that most skates only come heat molded in the higher up types. And it's not very beneficial to get a harder boot than you really need.
But I think Jackson has some heat molded shoes from the hardness of about Risport RF4 onwards, which isn't that hard at all - like for singles, axels, maybe small doubles.

[aussieskater]

Jackson boots are heat-moldable from Freestyle up. Risport boots are heat-moldable from rf3 up.

[Lmarletto]

After reading this post in another thread... I didnt want to threadjack but wanted to ask. I am assuming then, it is beneficial even for young beginning skaters to have their boots heat molded? My daughter who recently turned 4 had an awful time breaking in her new skates. After 6 months they are finally getting broke in. We arent ready for the new pair yet thankfully but even at a beginning level does it really help that much? (she is 4 years old 35lbs and isi beta)
What boot is she in? Six months is an awfully long time, especially for a 4yo. My daughter has been in a boot that is about 2 levels below what the manufacturer recommends for her level of skating for the last 3 years now because she still isn't breaking that boot down before she outgrows it. Her *break-in* time is a week or two. The last two years she's been in a model that can be heat molded but it's hard to say it it's made a difference because the heat molded boot is stiffer than the one before.

[3skatekiddos]

I may catch some flak for this but...... DD, who is four, doesn't have a problem "breaking in " her skates because we buy her used skates. That someone has already very nicely broken in for us. It takes her a few lesson to get used to the new skates but they don't need to be broken in per se.
I buy her skates from other people in our club so I know they are taken care of and I run them to our sharpening guy so he can straightening out any weirdness a previous sharpen might have put in and then we are good.
Helps with the cost since apparently I am going to have to shell out money I don't even care to contemplate for DS.

[sk8tmum]

Why would you catch flak for used boots? It's a great idea ... esp when feet are growing so fast. Baby DD is 5, she's in used skates for exactly that reason, because she weighs 30 pounds dripping wet and with her helmet, and it's hard to find, at least here, a lightweight skate that isn't totally without support in her shoe size (she wears an 8 and that's after a growth spurt) - so the used that another skater broke in was a great solution. At that size, they're usually thru the skaters fast, so they generally look pretty good; our skateshop does a trade in at the lower end so there's a constant supply, yippeee.

My only kvetch about used skates: they need to be fitted properly. We have a skate exchange at our club, and parents come in (who don't know better) and just grab for size, and it's often a disaster.

[sk8tmum]

What boot is she in? Six months is an awfully long time, especially for a 4yo. My daughter has been in a boot that is about 2 levels below what the manufacturer recommends for her level of skating for the last 3 years now because she still isn't breaking that boot down before she outgrows it. Her *break-in* time is a week or two. The last two years she's been in a model that can be heat molded but it's hard to say it it's made a difference because the heat molded boot is stiffer than the one before.

The trick that I was quoted about: when they heatmold them, put them on the kid, and then have them do deep-knee bends. Repeat a couple of times; it breaks them down faster. We've had great success with this, and our fitter does it, no problem . I agree; the heat molds can be stiffer, because they can be higher end than the non-heat molds, we ran into that as well, but, the comfort and fit was so much better in the heat-molds than in the non. (we have had to underboot for the same reason with older DD).

[littlekateskate]

Definetly no flak to be caught!! My dd is only 4 and i would have loved a pair of used skates. But like another poster said. Its hard to find them in smaller sizes. And maybe she had them broke in before i noticed. But they are just now starting to seem like they are a bit more flexible. :) I hope to goodness i can get her next pair broken in for her used but its hard. I did look for used off ebay but it made me nervous..

[3skatekiddos]

I think my DD has big feet LOL. She will be 5 next week and she is currently skating in a 12.5 Jackson Classique. We have a 13.5 waiting in the wings because at any moment I expect her to me that they are starting to feel tight.
DS is 10 and he will be going into a 4 or 5 depending on what make of skating boot we decide on. Again, we will go the used route IF we can because I imagine I will have to buy new for him from then on. Boots bigger than that, esp. black ones, don't seem to survive more than one kid. Darn.

[phoenix]

In my book, "broken in" = "no longer causing pain", and then in the next degree "no longer a distraction while skating."

[littlekateskate]

HA, no no no.. My dd was in 12.5 last christmas and she was only three.. And i mean just 3.5... Luckily we are still in the same pair as she just turned 4!!

I think my DD has big feet LOL. She will be 5 next week and she is currently skating in a 12.5 Jackson Classique. We have a 13.5 waiting in the wings because at any moment I expect her to me that they are starting to feel tight.
DS is 10 and he will be going into a 4 or 5 depending on what make of skating boot we decide on. Again, we will go the used route IF we can because I imagine I will have to buy new for him from then on. Boots bigger than that, esp. black ones, don't seem to survive more than one kid. Darn.