I got my skates about a year ago, they are Riedels (sp?) and they said they go up to freestyle 1. I am into freestyle 2 and I'm working on salchows...so my first question is: Is there really a certain point at where skates can only do so much?
and also my blade literally came loose last week and I had to tighten the screws... so my second question is: Why is this happening? and is it because of the level my skates go up to?? If someone could help me that would be great!

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Those are only recommended levels for the boots, not absolutes. It also depends on how big you are and how hard you skate in them.

You are getting water and snow on the bottom of your skate when you skate (obviously). If they aren't varnished as the method of waterproofing but someone used sno seal on them, it needs to be redone every so often. Because it hasn't been, the holes where your blades are are starting to strip out. Your sharpener should be looking at that when you go to see him/her.

What model number/name are the Riedells? It's kind of hard to answer that question if we don't know which Riedells you have.

I started out in Riedells when I first began skating. I had the rec model - I think 117. I think they were officially supposed to last through Basic 8, but I got new (real) skates when I was in Basic 5 or so, b/c I realized that I needed stronger skates to do the skills I was working on, plus I needed a better fit - they were a bit big b/c I'd been fitted with heavy socks b/c I told the fitter that I was only going to use them for rec skating. That was the plan, until I started lessons - lol.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

Do you feel secure in your boot when you land your jumps? That was always the way I could best tell when I needed a higher-level boot (or when my boot was too broken down).
Also, if you have a coach, she/he might be able to give an opinion on whether you need a stiffer boot.
As others have said, your size and how hard you are on your boots have an impact on what kind you need. A 100 lb skater won't necessarily need boots as stiff as a 150 lb skater, even if they are working on the same level.

Thanks for all the tips! I am gonna talk to my coach this week about it. Thanks again!

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