Yesterday, I drove to Skater's Paradise in No. VA to be fitted for a new pair of skate boots. It was about an hour's drive each way (a little longer coming back b/c of afternoon traffic - since when does rush hour start at 4?). Anyway, flo was right - it was worth the trip. The fitter, Mike Cunningham, is the fitter/boot supplier for Michael Weiss, and as I discovered, now also for Elvis Stojko and Sasha Cohen - more on that later. He measured my feet (expressing exclamation over their dimunutive size- yeah, yeah, yeah, the story of my life - I actually wear a 5 1/2 shoe, so it's not like I can't find shoes or anything). He took out the sole pad from my current skates (I brought them along in case he wanted to see how I wore them in - it turned out to be a good idea) and he pointed out that they were actually a bit too long (and I had thought originally they were too short!) and were also too narrow (at last, confirmation that I wasn't crazy!).

He brought out SP-Teri and Jackson boots for me to try on - he said Harlicks and Riedells would not be good for me. The only SP-Teri boot he had in my size was a Super Deluxe, which he explained to me and emphasized that I was just trying them on for size. It's a good thing I don't do doubles - those things were cement! Aside from serious pain along my ankle bones, they fit fine. He brought out the Pro Teri and Super Teri styles, which were too big but I put them on anyway just to get an idea of their style. I also tried on the Jackson 2700 and 3100.

In the end, I chose the Super Teris, just b/c the Pro Teris felt flimsier and I figured that for 40 more dollars, I would purchase stronger boots that would last longer. The Jackson 3100s were OK, except that they were a smidge shorter than the Supers and my big toe has this weird shape where it sticks upward instead of lying flat on the ground - this is also why I occasionally need to get shoes a half size bigger and wear an inner sole. The Supers just felt better in the toe area. My size in the SP-Teris turned out to be a 4A, which was surprising b/c my current GAM Bs are too narrow, but I could see clearly that the sole pad from the SP-Teris was wider than the GAMs - go figure (no pun intended ).

But then, Mike brought out a Jackson boot - I'm almost positive that it was another 3100 - it was exactly like one that I had tried on, and he asked me to try it on. I put it on, he laced it up and asked me how it fit, and I told him it was fine - which it was. He then unlaced it and told me it was Sasha Cohen's boot. I assumed he meant that it was the type of boot she was wearing (he was a skate tech at Worlds and so he was filling me in on which skates various skaters were using and/or were switching to - it seems a lot of skaters are switching to Jacksons), but apparently, it was Sasha's EXACT boot. He turned it over to show me the sticker with her name on it - he was curious to see if we were the same size, which we are! Apparently, Sasha is trying out different boots - she has been in Klingbeils (I would have thought she would use a much stiffer boot than anything I would try on, but I guess not).

He also mentioned that he fitted Elvis for new Jackson boots and blades, and showed me the blade Elvis will be using as he and I were discussing which blade I would get - I chose the MK Professionals, as I now have Double Stars and I was looking to upgrade.

Another thing I learned is that my feet pronate to the inside when I skate - which seems odd b/c in shoes, I always wear out the outer part of the soles before the inner, but oh well. I also learned that my current skates are pieces of C-R-A-P. (I hope that doesn't get Adrian in trouble.) Apparently, the heels are uneven, so when I stand up straight in them and think I am on the flat part of my blades, I am actually on the inside edge on my left and the outside edge on my right. Mike pointed this out to me as he was looking to see how I had worn them in. Oh wonderful! (insert sarcasm) I asked him if that was the reason why I end up on an extreme inside ege when I do forward spins and he said it was. I imagine that also explains why I'm too far inside after my LFO turn in prep for my flip jump, and why I tended to flutz when we did the half lutz. And then there's the matter of my LBO and RBI edges - so that's why they're impossible? Arrrgghhh! $240 for that! I guess the lesson learned is that I should always check the heels to make sure they're built right.

Anyway, the boots could be in the store in as soon as 10 days, or as long as 6 weeks, depending if they're in stock at SP-Teri. Considering the state of my current skates, I guess my new skates' arrival will come not a moment too soon.

Hey I need to do that!!! I've been wearing Jacksons (nothing special - the cheap ones) but never felt right. I gave them away to my friend who skates a lot but has crap skates (they don't even have any kind of padding! ). I have tried Riedells and loved them (not the price though) so I might go with used ones..

My question is.. where do you go to have someone "fit" you? I would LOVE that because I don't know a dang thing about skates - just what feels right - and that is after someone has already worn them. In my area they don't have many skates that they see - mostly hockey stuff so I don't know how to find one that actually let's you try different boots to see what fits better.. *sigh*

I'm glad your experience taught you a lot. I've heard of the benefits of having your foot fitted to your boot. Let us know when you get your skates!

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Latino International Skating Coalition

Mike Cunningham is my skate guy! I don't let anybody else touch my skates.

He told me that Jackson offered a free pair of skates to every competitor at Worlds; they're trying to build their business among the elite skaters, so they're giving everyone a pair to try.

Well, my last skates were SuperTeri's and, while they are very well made boots, they were just not right for my feet. I'm now in Jackson 3700's and I absolutely adore them. They were great from day one.

My daughter skates in Jackson Competitors which she seems to like ... they offer enough support for her skating level, but not so much that it hinders knee bend ... and the price point is good for my pocket book.

-- sheilagh

Well, it depends on where you live! If you are in the NYC area and you want Klingbeils, you can go directly to Klingbeil in Jamaica, NY. I know someone who was fitted at the SP Teri place in California. Or you can go to Skaters' Paradise in Alexandria and have Mike Cunningham fit you like other posters have said. He fit me with my custom SP Teri's several years ago and they've been great. If you live in the CT area or around Delaware, you can have George Knakl fit you. I believe George was Handra & Sinek's sharpener while they were training in Aston, and he is down in Delaware every few weeks sharping the skates of many of the skaters around here, both elite and less-than-elite! He's the only person who I allow to touch my blades now, and he's great! If anyone lives in the area and wants to get in touch with him, send me a PM. (And no, I don't get any commision.)

Depending on where you live, you may have to travel to find a good fitter.

Pat

so while we're on the topic....

we need a boot change too...giggle...for our teeny girl. And we're having some trouble finding the right match.

We're looking for a good fitter in Southwestern Ontario area if possible.

Someone that can look at these baby sized feet ( she's 11 in a 13 junior sized skate)

since we are having tons of trouble yet again with the size/style/etc...given that she is ultra lite...

any recommendations for someone like the skate fitter referred to in this thread would be a good thing....

feel free to PM me....

Mike has fit me for every pair of skates I've owned... almost 20 years now.

Haven't yet had bad advice from him.

--jsl

Not to mention, that when I'd been out of the area for 10+ years, and made my first return trip to him, he remembered me and the boots.

My initial boot fitting was rushed for a custom pair, and I felt the pain of it for 1 1/2 years, until I was ready to toss my Sp-Teris in the Mississippi river. Then I went out to SF for the ISI Adult Championships and went directly to the source to make them fix what was wrong or replace them.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa! I met Mr. Spiteri and his son Aaron, who fixed me up to the point they were perfect. Even gave me a tour of the shop, and showed me step by step how they make custom skates. They even "souped" up my skates so they were like brand new, with a new tongue, laces and fresh coat of polish. They were so fantastic, they have a customer for life.

Once I wear pair out, I am hopping on a plane for a weekend in SF for sushi and boot fitting.

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

For those who asked about how to find a fitter....

I would ask the top skaters at your rink (or nearby rinks) where they go to get their skates. If you go to a competition - even Regionals or Sectionals - most boot companies send a rep there. They may be straight from the company, or they may be a local supplier that the company trusts enough to let them represent them to potential customers. When I was at Worlds, I stopped by the SP-Teri booth to look at the skates, and George and the sales rep told me (after they asked where I was from) that they would be at SA Regionals in October in Laurel (MD). When I asked them about fitters in the area who sell SP-Teris, they immediately recommended Mike Cunningham at Skater's Paradise and gave me his card. I had actually already heard about Mike from flo and some other coaches at my rink. Definitely ask around and you'll probably find that one or two names keep cropping up.

Mike has fit my last three pairs of skates. Loved every one, and as Jennyon said, never have gotten bad advice from him.

Oddly though, I don't like the way Mike sharpened my blades. But I've always loved the way JP (who also works at Skater's Paradise) did it, so I go to Mike for fittings and JP for sharpenings.

Strange how sharpenings are so personal...

I agree manleywoman! JP is the man for sharpenings!

J.P. does a great job on sharpenings.... I go only to him or Mike.

But Mike has always done my boot fittings...

I don't really have much to add but that's a cool story!! You got to try on Sasha's skates..wow!! I wish there was a pro shop like that around here...I do go to the one at the rink where Tim Goebel used to skate when he lived in Rolling Meadows, IL. Maybe the guy there fitted Tim too..I'd feel weird asking tho

Hope you love your SP-teri's...I fit perfectly in a stock boot with a combination width of AA/AAA, so I understand how an A width might be wider that you would expect. I've had my super teri's 3 1/2 years, and probably need new boots soon....I hate to give these up as they are so nice for dance since they are nicely broken in. I loved them from day one, although the ankle areas have given me some grief. I still wear bunga sleeves.

My coach would think your feet are big.....she wears a size 3 or 3.5 shoe! She's always worn harlicks.

Good luck with your SPTeri's. I have customs and was measured by George. They have been pure torture. I've had them punched so much they look diseased. The only plus is this is the first boot I've owned that actually keeps my right heel down.

JD,

What kind of boot are you looking for? Are you anywhere near Windsor? I had very good luck with Joe at Brian's in Windsor for my Grafs. He was willing to split up a set to fit my different sized feet. He's a bit of a name dropper, but he did a good job fitting my boots. I wouldn't recommend having him mount blades (I had mine redone), but I know others that swear by him.

I know lots of people have been very happy with Mike at Skaters Paradise in VA, but I haven't. As I've learned over the years, my foot is shaped like a wedge, with an extremely narrow heel and wide ball (bunions from pointe work). The boys at Skaters Paradise first put me in a Riedell! You can imagine the fun. <ouch> So the next time, Mike put me in the Jackson 3500 Elite Supreme in a combination width. It *never* fit. Not sure if he measured wrong, or if Jackson made the wrong widths, but they were enormous, especially the right. Mike adjusted a couple of times and shoved all kinds of extra junk into the right one to take up space, but they never got better. I later discovered that the right boot was also warped, with an unbalanced heel. This contributed majorly to back problems I now have.

Also, I always felt like I was getting the "bum's rush" when I went to the store. It's a 4 hour drive for me, so that meant it was a Saturday trip. On the last few trips, I never felt like I was getting the attention I should be. They were too busy. I think after driving a lot of miles and plunking down $800 for new blades & boots that didn't fit, he could give me a little more than 3 minutes. After a year and a half of trying to make them work, I gave up. I now own Klingbeils, which are a much better fit.

Now that Jackson is a sponsor of the USFSA, they are giving every medalist at the US Figure Skating Championships (not Adults or synch) a free pair of Jackson skates.

Actually, my friend found a great guy in Downer's Grove, IL at a booth at Adult Nationals. Unfortunately, he didn't show up this year to AN's, so I'm going to have to cart myself down there this summer for "axel skates".

So if you're at a big competition or expo, check out the booths--you may find someone! Plus, representatives from different skate manufacturers are there to sell their product. If you keep in mind that you're talking to a salesman, you can get great information. And if you're competing, your coach is there with you and can help you out.

Erin

Arsenette,

How far away are you from New Haven, CT? George Spiteri will be at Skater's Landing in a couple of weeks to do personal fittings. I think he'll also be at the shop at Skating Club of Boston.

Actually... I'm in SOUTH Jersey.. like 3 minutes across the bridge from Philadelphia, PA. I'm 2 hours south from NYC.

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Latino International Skating Coalition

Well, actually, it was just the right one. At first I thought, "Hey, if I see Sasha wearing these skates in comp, I'll know that I wore the right boot first." But then I realized that if she really is skating in the 3100s, they'll probably break down after a few months, so any boots she'll be wearing in comp in the fall will probably be different ones. It seems odd to me that she wouldn't be in the stiffest boot possible, since I thought elite skaters would need those given the jumps they do and the amount of practice hours, but I guess maybe since Sasha's small and doesn't bear a lot of weight as she lands, a softer boot might be OK, but I imagine she'll still have to replace it several times a season. Of course, she's only trying out the Jacksons, so she may go back to Klingbeils, or switch to yet another brand.

That's too bad about your experience skaternum. Maybe Saturday isn't the day to go. I (obviously) went on a Thursday, and I was the only person in the store at the time. Someone came in to pick skates up, but that didn't involve Mike. Although he did tell me that Michael Weiss had been in the store about an hour before I got there - I think COI had some days off this week. Oh rats - why did I have to eat lunch before I went?

Arsenette, if you come to South Atlantic Regionals in October, I would think a lot of boot reps will be there - it's possible Mike will be there too - although he may be there in a skate tech capacity like he was at Worlds. A more convenient option for you might be to see if there's a fitter at UDel - it's a big training center, so there must be someone in the vicinity who fits skates that the skaters trust. See what the skaters in your area do.

Aw, you poor thing...have you yet had a boot you really liked since your antique Harlicks? It's so difficult.

This just goes to show that boots are a terribly individual thing--I have SPTeri's, the super-deluxe or whatever their concrete monsters are called, and I love, love LOVE them. I did have to get them punched out a few times, because no amount of just skating was going to touch those ankles, but that's par for the course. My only problem is that they're just a hair too narrow at the mid-foot, and there's not much that can be done, but then, I wasn't professionally fitted for this particular pair--it was something the shop had overstocked, so I got a great deal, and I've had enough boots fitted that on initial try-out, they felt wonderful. They actually still do fit like a glove everywhere else, and have never given me pain anywhere but at the ankles and edge of the mid-foot. And, it may seem like I'm in too much boot for my level (I don't even have all the singles yet, and I'm not a large person), but for me, stiffer is lovely. I trash softer skates.

If I have to get new skates (a good possibility, if my feet have spread), I'll probably get fitted for another pair of these, only with a split width to accommodate the mid-foot. My heels have never been happier in a skate.

After the 1975-model Reidell Gold Stars that I carted around for about twenty years (not skating most of those years) until it was necessary to replace them, I went to the Super-Teri Deluxe which felt great when I tried them on bladeless, but as soon as I had the blades mounted I could not stand in them for more than five minutes at a time without severe pain because the arches were too high, and obviously the angle was different with blades than without.

I did get the arches "softened" at a pro shop and they were fine after that, but eventually they too had to be replaced, and Skater's Paradise (I *think* it was Mike, but I don't remember for sure) recommended Reidell Royale. They were very comfortable to break in because of the notch at the ankle.

However, I'm not too fond of the Professional blades they recommended, although I was happy at the time because they were relatively cheap to go with the expensive boots. But now I'm going to have to save up to get back to Pattern 99s again when I replace the current boots. So that will be expensive on both sides.

Aresenette,
I sent you a PM.
Pat

Thanks!!!!

BTW.. is there someone at Aston as well? Any information? I could see someone in Delaware.. just not sure if there is someone closer.. Thanks guys. You would swear I'm the one that started the thread

Hey Debbie S - did you get your new skates yet?

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Latino International Skating Coalition

Flippet,

I actually liked the Grafs, but they were pretty much trashed in 8 months. Since I'm not rolling in money, I decided to try something that would last a bit longer. The SPTeri's are OK. It just took way too much work to get them that way. I found out I have bones in my feet I never knew existed before. My coach actually ended up pouring boiling water into the boots before punching them. That did the trick, and amazingly, didn't do anything to weaken the strength of the boot. I still like the feel of the custom Harlicks the best, but they just couldn't fit my right foot.