I finally broke down and ordered a pair of boots from hockeymonkey.com's liquidation - I was nervous about ordering since they couldn't be returned, but I finally decided to go for it. I have been skating in Riedell Gold Medallions up until now . . . (my first real skates after entry level Riedells) at first they were excrutiatingly painful and then once they broke in, they REALLY broke in . . . they ended up being too large for my foot. Also, it became pretty obvious that I needed split width boots since my ankle & heel became progressively more "free" as the boots broke in. I had been able to compensate somewhat with bungas, thicker socks, etc. but it finally just got to the point that I said ENOUGH ALREADY! and took a chance. I am SO glad that I did. I now have Riedell Bronze Star boots in a 1/2 size smaller boot and a split width that will accommodate my narrow feet and narrower heels. And although I was dreading the thought of a STIFFER boot . . . these are actually very nicely padded and actually feel pretty good! And my MK Pro blades still fit (barely!) . . . I definitely won't be able to go any smaller with the boot and keep the same blades!

I have skated on them twice, tested the temp mount and put in the rest of the screws . . . I do feel like Frankenstein though, as far as jumps go . . . that WILL get better, right??

Congratulations! Yes, the Frankenstein feeling will go away as you break the boots in.

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