So I've been skating in Jackson Competitors with the Ultima Mirage blade (8' rocker) and I'm having huge troubles with spinning. I swear that my weight is on the ball of my foot, and I still scrape the toepick - all the time!!! Also, there is a chance that my blade is flattened because of a bad uneven sharpening that had to be corrected.

I'm thinking of switching to a blade with a 7' rocker - Coronation Ace or MK Pro. I am working on USFSA Adult PB and single jumps (waltz, half-flip, toe loop, and salchow). Is this a good idea, will it help with spinning, and is it appropriate for my level?

Also, can I just unscrew my current blades and mount the new blades myself? Or should I take it to a professional since it would be a different blade brand and possibly different pattern for the holes??? And would I buy the same blade length?? (9 1/4in)

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I know lots of skaters your level who are in Coronation Aces- it's a great blade for a beginning freestyle adult. Other skaters have told me that the 7' rocker helps for spins, but I'm comfortable spinning on the 8' rocker that the Mirage has. (Though switching to a better blade helped my turns immensely. They were bought used so I just got new blades again, I'm nervous about the switch but stayed with the 8' rocker.)

I've been told by a former coach that he has a love/hate relationship with the Mirage. Generally when a skater gets it, it's a HUGE upgrade- from a rental quality blade. He's so happy to see them in real equipment, but then as they get better, even midly, he wishes they'd get what he calls "real" blades. That said, supposedly the mirage

Also- a few skaters here said that it is not difficult to mount your own blades, but having read about it- I was too chicken and have set up time at a pro-shop. If the blades have a flat mounting plate, you sometimes need to sand the boot, or risk warping the blade. I was told to NOT line up the old holes, but to line up the blade, and if they happen to fall in the same place it is mostly okay to use them as long as there are fresh holes too, and to fill the others with epoxy.

The director at my length told me that blade size is consistent, as it's measured in inches. Some skaters order the longest possible blade to fit on their boots so they can use them when they go up a size, but if you are an adult that's probably not an issue. Just be careful when you order them to make sure they know you are ordering a blade size. I ordered an 8.5" blade, and ULtima (the rink swears they placed the right order) sent a blade for an 8.5 size boot (I wear a 3 in Jacksons).

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From what you're saying, I'll bet you'll be able to find--and stay on--the sweet spot much better once you start spinning on a new pair of Coronation Aces or Professionals. But definitely get them mounted by a professional if possible.

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My pro shop charges $25 to mount blades, so considering the cost of boots and blades it's a no-brainer to have them do it. Plus it's good to support your local pro shop (if they are good).

I know not everyone has a good pro shop available, though, so if not I'm not sure what I would do. Our pro shop usually temporary-mounts the blades (just enough screws to hold) until your coach checks the alignment.

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I'm probably about your skating level. A few months ago, I switched from Mirage to MK Pro and after a few weeks of feeling seasick (4yo sharpened-until-flat Mirages were somewhat different to brand-new MK Pros! ), I love the new ones...with one rider - I find the straight-cut Mirage toepick picks the ice more "solidly" than the crosscut MK Pro for doing my chicken-weeny jumps. But I'm focussing on dance and have found turns, twizzles etc much cleaner and less toe-picky on the MK Pros. So I wouldn't change back now.

I bought the same length of MK Pros as the original Mirage, and had the new ones professionally mounted on my existing boots. When the mounter took the old blades off, it was obvious that the boots needed a bit of repair work on the soleplate to make a solid mounting (several adjustments of the Mirages when I first got the boots left plenty of holes in the sole). If you're mounting them onto existing boots, I'd get the mounting professionally done if you can, so that any necessary repair work can be done properly.

Enjoy the new blades, whatever you get!

I felt the same way about the cross cut toepick on the Gold Seal when I switched from the Mirage- it was like the cross cut pick just slid across the ice. It took a few months to get used to, but now I don't notice the difference at all. (However, I'm switching back to straight cuts soon- but I didn't pick the blade based on that)

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-Jessi
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I skate on Aces and love them. I went from a crappy Club 2000 to the Aces and had little to no adjustment.

I can't say they've helped my skating all that much -- I'm still pretty bad, LOL!

Does anyone have Paramount blades and if so, what do you think of them compared to your old blades? (Other than the colors, which I know are cool!) The Paramount guy at the PSA conference told me that the biggest advantage is to those doing double jumps and above, which I need to save for another lifetime; but the one person I know who has them is at my level and really likes them. Any suggestions?

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There's bunches of threads on Paramounts if you search for them. I know I was interested in Paramounts a little while ago but ended up getting something else.

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I've always had cross-cut toepicks (Professionals, then Gold Stars) so I haven't been able to compare, but that's a very interesting observation. I wonder if it might be the rocker just as much as the toepick shape, though? I've noticed that whenever I get a new pair of blades (even the exact same type of blade), my toepicks always slip on pick jumps for the first few days. It could be because the new blades have a rounder rocker just behind the toepick, so if I don't point my toes hard enough, only the bottom pick goes into the ice and then slips onto the ball of the blade. As long as I remember to point my toes harder, the toepick digs into the ice nicely.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

I adore my Paramounts. I switched from Coronation Aces and definitely noticed a difference in my skating. They do stay sharp for ages (if you get the 420 or 440s). I've had mine for months I think, and still don't need to sharpen them. There really is a difference in the weight as well. I didn't think I'd really notice, but I went to do a spiral and my leg practically flew up.

I also noticed a difference in my jumps. My doubles felt much easier. But I did notice a difference on my singles too--especially loop flip and lutz. I fell on the first flip I did because I got so high! I was at the top of the jump when I would usually be landing. It was like my mind went "Uh shouldn't you be on the ice by now? WHERE'S THE ICE? WHERE'S THE ICE?"

But seriously, I love them. My spins got better when I got them, but that's more because my old blades had basically no rocker left after a bad sharpening.

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