Congratulations and I bet you can't wait (especially considering the other thread about the rentals!) Out of curiosity, why the custom route? Did stock sizes of the various brands not fit?

Exactly, None fit me perfectly and my parents were willing to get me custom-made so I definitely wasn't going to setlle for stock if I could get custom

It's not physically possible to get custom made boots in 15 days. Harlick states on their website that custom boot orders take 8-12 weeks. I'm sure you're just 'custom ordering' a stock size. Not that it matters, I'm sure they'll be great.

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I'm a boy, and I can figure skate if I want to.

Men's skates pretty much always have to be custom ordered, most skate shops don't stock them. I don't know about Harlick, but Reidell considers any modifications to stock boots (including colors other than white) to be "custom", even though they may really just be stock boots with slight changes (color, shearling tongue instead of the foamy stuff, etc). Those changes don't take as long as something more involved.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Well, whatever is being done she said "custom" so I just assumed.
Fully-Customized Molded to my feet or not, I'm still REALLY excited for them!!

Does Harlick have an entry-level boot, then? They're not that usual in our area, thus, I always thought that they were a fairly high-end/advanced skating boot. Looking at the price of them vs. other models, they seem quite expensive, if the Classic or Competitor is supposed to be the entry level one - ?

Sorry for the thread hijack, I'm a skate-geek and I'm always curious about the different brands.

Although it's against what I should have done, I didn't really ask too many questions. She recommended Harlick's and warned us of the price and so forth, that's all I really learned about them. To be honest, I trust her knowledge much more than I trust my own, She's been skating for 50 years and I could tell by her personality that she wouldn't steer me in the wrong direction. I read online that Harlick's don't have "entry-level" skates but perhaps they were the only ones that fit my feet? She also advised me getting Good-Quality skates because I won't be outgrowing them (I'm 16) So, Harlick's may be good skates for me to have longer than other brands. They also don't come with blades (Which is usually a sign of Non-Beginner, Correct?) but she advised on getting "Comet Blades" because they were a nice middle and not too advanced for me, Because of that I think she was 100% aware of my Completely-Beginner-Level Status. That probably sounds intensely jumbled up and confusing, if it is, I'm sorry!

Hmmm. Typically, entry level boots aren't too stiff, as you want to be able to bend your knee and learn proper skating technique; too stiff a boot may inhibit that. The Comets are a good blade, they are "flatter" than others which makes jumps easier, but can make spins difficult for some, and they are rated by Wilson up to triple jumps (okay, okay, I know, there' a great debate on that one from some of the posters).

We have a coach ourselves who underboots to allow for flex, toe point, knee bend, and to minimize impact on jumping ... but you've a ways to go before you need to worry about landing jumps!

Different boots fit different feet. I'm not sure how Harlicks fit ... pretty much no-one around our area uses them, Jacksons and Riedells (Klingbeils for the more advance) are the standard boots, with a few in Gams and the occasional very rare SP Teri. I know in other regions Harlicks are definitely more frequently used.

If your fitter comes well recommended and your coach recommended you go to her, I'm sure you've got a decent boot. Did she chat with your coach after fitting you? Some skate shops do that, to be sure that they are putting you in something that will work for the coach's goals!

She's VERY well recommended and Very Respected with what she does, I trust her alottttt from what I heard (She also was kind enough to give me a tape of the Men's Free Program of the 2010 Olympics because I mentioned I missed the end ). She recommended a coach for me (Who I hope to be able to learn under) She was a Russian Jn. National Champion and a Bronze & Silver Medalist at the Jn. World Championships. I spoke to her VERY briefly and she's very nice yet strict (Which I always learn best from.)

FWIW, that's pronounced "Leena" (not Elena, not Yelena, not Elaina, not Yelaina). In Russia it's polite to address elders by their first and middle name, rather than Mr. or Mrs. LastName like we do here. I don't know how you'd find out what here middle name is though unless you just ask.

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I'm a boy, and I can figure skate if I want to.

The Comets should last you quite a while. They'll have bigger toepicks than what most beginners tend to learn on (i.e. the blades with the typical boot/blade combinations), but you're better off over-blading than over-booting.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Don't make any cultural assumptions about a former Russian competitor coaching in the US. Most coaches follow the rink's culture and prefer to be addressed the same way as all the other coaches in that rink. I know a few older coaches from Europe who go by "Mr. ()" or "Mrs. ()", but there isn't as much formality these days, especially among younger coaches.

Just ask the coach how s/he wants to be addressed.

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I'll definitely ask how to address her, first thing!
I'll probably call her "Mrs. Dostatni" at first, just greeting her, and then ask how to address her from there on.
She's 25 and speaks English without an overwhelming accent, I mean most people in America DO have accents now, So I'm sure that I'll be tempted to act really casual with her because she'll seem like a friend I'm just meeting up with. Although the fact that I've been warned how strict she is tells me to do otherwise.

"Strict" can take on different "expressions". My coach is known for being very strict, yet I also have loads of fun with him, with both of us gently (or not) teasing each other etc. His reputation of being strict is based on his expectations of his students, the insistence on things being executed just so, on not allowing to get away with any sloppiness, etc. Of course, I'm also an adult with my own family and a child, so my relationship with a coach is different than yours will likely be.

It is, however, very very important that the coach's personality and teaching style works for you, and you won't know it until you have several lessons with her. Try to setup "trial" lessons first, so there won't be any awkward situations or misunderstandings in case you decide that someone else might be a better match.

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--renatele

"Leena" is not the correct pronunciation, but might be short for Elena, like we would call a Michael "Mike". The correct Russian pronunciation is "Yelyena". Also, Russians do not use what we call a "middle" name. You are thinking of something we don't have in English, the patronymic, which is the father's first name with a suffix that indicates son or daughter of. These days, first name & patronymic are considered rather formal. I work with a lot of Russian coaches, and don't know one who goes by first name + patronymic, including the skating director.

ITA! There is no one coach who is right for everyone, no matter how highly regarded or successful.

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Not quite: There is an expedite service but you have to pay them extra $ for it.

Here is the page that explains all.

There is a difference between getting them "custom ordered" and "custom made." Custom ordered would be that they don't have it in stock but they can get it from Harlick and they probably already have a small batch of them made already. If you had it custom-made, you would have gone thru the process of getting your foot implant on some sort of mold. (You step into the mold to get a copy of your foot.) If it was custom-made, THEN it would take 8-12 weeks unless I put in a rush for it and I order their basic white or black boot leather... then MAYBE a little bit shorter.

I had my purple beauties in 2 months b/c they were out of my special purple leather and they had to reorder them. I already had a molding of my foot done and it's at their shop, so they don't need the extra time to wait for my molding to set before making the boots. (And of course, I also have the added advantage of living in the area where both Harlick and SP Teri skate factories resides! )

It's good that you're taking care of getting the boots now. During the summer or Christmas/New Years time is generally NOT a good time to get new boots.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!