Hi,
Anyone have any opinions on this boot? DD will be outgrowing her Classiques and we were suggested to go to Freestyle boot. DD has a sensory disorder and that boot has tounge padding that gives her the same heebee geebies as someone scratching their nails on a blackboard. The Premiere is nicely lined but its new so I have no guidance with it.
Thanks in advance

What level is your daughter again? How old is she? How much does she weigh? Who suggested the Freestyle boot? Was it a fitter? Her coach? The Premiere looks pretty stiff and the reccomended levels are pretty high. If I remember correctly(forgive me if I am wrong!) but your daughter is still in the Basic levels of skating, no(ie: basic 1-8)? If so, I definately would not recommend a boot even as stiff as the Freestyle. All kids are different, but my daughter moved into Freestyles when she was landing most of her single jumps and learning more spins. She's now landing axels and has been wearing her Freestyles for nearly a year and while they are broken in, she has not broken them down. I noticed more creasing when she started to land the axel. To be honest, if she has been comfortable in the Classiques and they aren't breaking down... I would be tempted to keep her in those instead of moving to a stiffer boot. JMO! If your coach is suggesting she move out of her current skate model and your daughter doesn't like the feel of the Freestyles, I would opt for another brand. Maybe Riedells won't bother her as much? I would be very concerned about the stiffness of the boot you posted. Good luck! Finding skates can be so difficult!

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skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven

I thought it may be too stiff. A lot of the basic 6 7 8 kids at the rink are in Freestyle (not Premiere). She is working on basic 5-6 now and has all the elements except the basic 6 3 turn and the backward crossover going on her bad side (again with the 3 turn and I still don't get the difference between the one she did in basic 4) and she has 7 weeks to learn it. I think she can make it through the summer with her skates now, but I want to try to research since that tounge material is not working. Riedells were too narrow. Even her Classiques are the wide ones and they had to be widened some more.

Why not have someone cover the tongue with a material that doesn't bother her? A decent shoemaker could do it.

The Premieres are way too stiff. IF money isn't an object, then contact Klingbeil. They will custom make her skates that can be nice and light (not stiff at all) and suit her age, weight and skating level. They have a wide choice of tongue materials, and you can get a growth insole put in that gives you a much longer lifespan on the skates. Plus, they will be wide enough. And they will look nice .. Klings are pretty skates.

If money is an object ... then, maybe contact Jackson and ask if they can do something. They do do custom-ish work, I believe.

BTW: ignore what other skaters are wearing. We couldn't figure out why we were getting a rash of overbooted little skaters at the rink. The reason why? One mom despite the fitter's recommendation bought the EXPENSIVE boots, and then the other moms who had to be COMPETITIVE IN MONEY SPENT bought them too ... and everyone started thinking that the EXPENSIVE ones were the right ones! It took coaches a while to sort that one out Ask a coach and/or a fitter what boot to put your kid in ... overbooting will frustrate her.

I think the premier is *above* the freestyle and the competitor... just one step below the Elite.. which would make them essentially concrete if she's not doing doubles.

You can get the tongue padding covered on any boot... it's an easy simple thing, most shoe repair places can do it for you in a couple of days, or you *may* be able to order them directly from jackson with leather-lined tongues (I know the lining is an option on the higher level boots, not sure about the freestyle).

Years ago when I worked at a rink I almost always saw skaters being overbooted (I never was, but I've always been super hard on my skates)... it's not only a competition between the moms of who spent more, but between the kids as well - the good old "my boots are better than yours" routine... it was the same with blades. If the Classiques were working for your daughter and you don't think she needs a stiffer boot, you could just buy the same thing in a bigger size.

oh my,
I thought since price wise they are between the Freestyle and Competitor, it wouldn't be higher/stiffer than the Competitor. I'm glad I asked here!

Going back to an earlier query: who suggested the move to the Freestyle? Was it a coach? If the coach says that you need a stiffer boot because the Classique is not at the right level for what she's landing/skating, then, that needs to be thought about.

I do agree though, kids seem to be more often overbooted than underbooted ... lots of reasons why, but, the problems that it causes are very real ... it's funny to explain to some parents that my 5'9 135 lb kid landing 2A and the other doubles, is skating in the stiffness equivalent of S1 Klingbeils!!!! [The coach directing the Klingbeil specifications being a rabid underbooter ... but, her skaters do have beautiful knee bend, toe point, soft landings with soft knees, and skate deep into the ice, and rarely have knee and hip problems ... ]

BTW: for those who get confused by some of the posts I make, I have two skaters, with two different coaches, and they are in two different skating streams ... but, are the same size in terms of height and weight! Plus of course tiny LTS skater ...

I'm not exactly sure about the levels because in Canada we have a different system, however, it seems to me your dd is still at what we would consider a CanSkate level, perhaps moving into a bridging program. At that level the Classiques or Artistes should be just fine. Unless she is particularly heavy or hard on the boots there really is no need for anything more. Most kids around here don't even move to a true freestyle blade until they are working on the flip and lutz and she appears to be a long way from that. At this level softer boots will actually help her progress faster because she will be able to better bend her knees and she is less likely to have blisters and other break in issues.

IMHO, save your money for lessons and practice time. The basic Classiques or Artistes are all she needs.

I will find out. I think it all started with the blade, and the Freestyles are the first without a blade. I did notice the website that the Classiques have a better blade now, so the issue may be resolved.