My skates have suddenly become slightly too large for me, but for reasons that I won't go into now, I'm not yet ready to buy new ones, and won't be for another 3 or 4 months. When I first got them, many years ago now, I was given a pair of insoles to put in them if they got too large, but of course I can't find them! My coach agrees that I should put insoles in them, to keep them going until I'm ready to buy new ones; he said he used to do this and it always worked.

One of the coaches was saying something about trying out thermal insoles, and I wonder if anybody knows anything about these? Our rink can be very cold, and I'm not one of those whose feet sweat dreadfully when she's skating, so they might be worth a try!

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I have thermal insoles in my freestyle boots - to replace the orthotic I don't need after I had neuroma surgery. I don't find that my feet stay much warmer but they are more comfortable than the less-cushiony ones.

After a while the cushion packs down and I have to replace them but it's cheaper than new skates!

My coach who has very tiny feet and really old skates has used mouse pads and place mats to make liners for her skates. It's wortth a try anyway.

Good luck.

A few years ago I used Dr. Scholl's athletic insoles in daughter's boots, to take up some room and give a bit of arch support. I took out her boot insoles and used them as a pattern to trim the athletic insoles. This worked fine for her.

Someone once suggested Super Feet insoles which are sold at Rainbo. Her son used them, and he was a fairly high level skater. I don't know how thick they are, so not sure they will take up extra room.

I'm looking at my mouse pad, and think that's a pretty good idea to try, especially if you don't need arch support.
Wish I had heard that idea years ago!

I'm looking at mine too, though it's stuck to my laptop and kinda made out of metal. If I was to cut it up and shove it in my skates I'd probably cut my feet to shreds.

You should put a warning on that idea *SQUISHY MOUSEMATS ONLY*

__________________
http://www.yourphotoalbums.co.uk

mouse pads also make great knee pads and crash pads

As long as they are squishy...

And say if you mousemat crash pads on under your tights or something, it'd look a bit funny if it was "a bugs life" or something. Or one that made a sound and everytime you fell over your knee said a catchphrase.

__________________
http://www.yourphotoalbums.co.uk

Actually, that might be rather a good idea, as you'd do anything not to fall! But isn't that sort of mousepad frightfully irritating when you are using it on the computer?

(Come to think of it, the Bug's Life-type mousepads are rather too expensive to cut up to use for padding elsewere - I think I'd use the plain kind that cost less than £2.00 in Rymans!).

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I have no idea, I don't use mousemats, cos I have a touch thingy on my laptop, and on my dads computer the mouse is optical/laser/red light thing. So I have a mousemat free zone!

Oh actually, my friend used to have a Toy Story mousemat, and if you pressed it in a certain place about a million aliens said "He is the chosen one...OOOOOOH!" and it only worked if you pressed it with your finger.

About the not falling over thing, if you're in the process of falling, and you try to stop yourself, it can be way more dangerous. I'm always doing some sort of demented dance on my toe picks trying not to go down, but then I think "To hell with this" and down I go, BANG!

__________________
http://www.yourphotoalbums.co.uk