I purchased my current boots in June of last year and my coach is saying that they appear to be too broken in for me - she said they'd be fine for a lighter skater, but I skate pretty aggressively (in terms of jumps at least) and she didn't feel as if these boots had enough support for me.

My question is - how do you know when boots are broken down? I have significant creases in both the right and left skate, more so on the right but the boots themselves feel pretty stiff. She gave me a pair of GAMS to try on and they seem to be about as stiff as my current boots, Jackson Competitors, but without the crease. Is having a deep crease a sign of breakdown? I don't notice other skaters having a crease like I do....in fact I don't notice many skaters having any crease at all. I always thought a crease on the ankle was a good thing, but maybe it's not?

Also, if they are broken down after only 5-6 months (I took 3 months off) skating about 4-8 hours a week should I invest in a much stronger boot? I don't want to keep buying boots every year. Help!

One sure sign : having to retie your skates - constantly. A crease is ok - a deep crease is most likely not good.

Reasons for quicker break down of boots (aside from choosing the wrong stiffness)- improper fitting. When the boot is too large, and/or have not been tied appropriately - this will break a boot down quickly.

I am thinking about trying the hinged boot - theoretically, no crease. No breakdown?

I just re-read your post on the boots & blades thread, and noticed that you're pretty tall. I'm in Competitors (as is Skate @Delaware and some others on this board), and I believe that after 2 (or 3 or 4 years in some cases), our boots have no creases at all. Scars, marks, dings - all of these (and plenty of them); but no creases. (There was some discussion on another thread a while ago where we compared notes about our lack of creases, which is how I know about it...)

Maybe your height coupled with the fact that you're an aggressive jumper might mean you need a stronger boot? While I'm not a jumper at all, S@D and some others are, so maybe they could comment?

I noticed my old pair of skates had broken down when there were deep creases and my feet ached every time I stepped on the ice. In general, I'd be wary of the support offered by a boot with a deep crease. I've had Royals for 9 years and still don't have much more than minor creases--granted, the skates have millions of other wear-and-tear marks.

A light crease is fine, but a very deep one is trouble. What kind of skate are you in right now (the problem skate)?

My daughter was in a lower level Gam and it is only 6-8 months old, broken down. It has very deep creases, but the tell-tale sign is the total lack of support for her when she jumps and spins. She says she feels like she is wearing ballet shoes! When she puts them on and laces them up, she can move her feet sideways at the ankles (not just front and back). There is no support left at all.

I have Jackson Competitors and they have no crease at all.... I guess that's the way they are supposed to be.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Count me in as another Competitors wearer with no crease. Plenty of nicks and scars though. Then again, I hurt my knee right when I began to get the hang of jumping so I haven't done too much jumping in them now. I'm starting jumping again, so we'll see if creases show up.

Hmmm....sounds like my coach is right based on what you all are saying - not that I really doubted her, but "second opinions" are always good before investing another 200-300 bucks.

I have Jackson Competitors and when I skate I usually have to tie and retie and tie again during a session. In fact during my group lesson last week, which is 45 minutes, I had to retie each skate twice. Also, my jump take offs and landings are skiddy - I thought it was just me but maybe it's the boot too. I do seem to have a lot of wiggle room in the ankle as well, but I thought that this was just from the leather stretching over time.

I'm sick right now - have the flu something awful - so I didn't go to my lesson today but when I see my coach again on Wednesday I'll speak to her about getting new boots. My old coach put me in the competitors and I love them as far as comfort but he said that they would last me a couple of years at least. Hmmph. He balked when I told him I wanted to get Jackson Elites because I was worried about early breakdown but nooooo

Just for reference, does anyone recommend a nice sturdy boot for someone working on jumps up through the lutz and spins up to the camel? I'm 5'9" and weigh 165 (although I am trying to lose some weight). I have a wide ball of the foot and a narrow heel. I know I have to try them on to really see, but if someone has a "starting point" for me that would be great.

I'm sorry you don't feel good-there is a stomach bug going around my area...feel better soon!

I also have to re-tie my skates after about 30 minutes of skating. I really hate it. And, every 30 minutes I'm re-tying.....It's annoying. I think it is also because my boots are too big (new ones are in, just waiting on the blades).

The Elites would be the next ones up if you would stick with Jacksons, but with your feet, you might want to try Reidell (a higher level like Silver Star) or non-stock Jacksons (they would be expensive, though).

My daughter has very weird feet and they are mis-matched-6.5 but one is C the other is D width so we have to go "semi-custom" and for that they charge an extra $65!!! And, to top it off, she was mis-sized previously (a common thing at my rink) and is down a whole size so she must get new blades (I was getting her new ones anyway as her skating warrants it). I put her in Gam 0095 boots and the woman at the proshop protested saying "your daughter has only been skating 1.5 years!" Yeah, but she is starting her doubles and she is 150 pounds at that. So, by the time we are done with her, I will be about $500 poorer...

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

personally I don't have a high opinion of Jacksons, but I only had a very entry level model, the Mystique. They were too long for me, and developed deep creases within 6 weeks of skating 2 hrs per week, and I wasn't working on any jumps and only 2 foot spins.

I bought Gams for my daughter, again an entry level model, the Esprit. Our coach and I are very impressed with them as entry level, so I imagine their upper models are good.

I'm in Graf Galaxy, though struggling because of my huge bunions. Otherwise very comfortable and good support for my single jumps. Others have recommended the Graf Richmond Special though for the bigger jumps.

That's my 2c worth.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Golly, she must be all muscle because when I saw her at the seminar this summer, she did *not* look like 150 pounds!!

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Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

Mika, she has gained about 15 pounds since you've seen her (too many trips to McD's), but yes, she is a muscular girl....I think she is coming up to the edge workshop again (she has her flip!).

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!