Was down at my neighborhood skate shop today for sharpening... Got to see and try on one of the redesigned boots that Jackson has been working with UDel on. This pair didn't have blades, so didn't get to try them on the
ice, just sitting/standing in the shop. Also, this pair was a model made before Jackson/UDel added the buckles. The non-buckle version was fitted with 2 pairs of laces per boot...one pair for the shoe part of the boot, and one pair for the upper/ankle part of the boot. Which made me wonder if I could get something approaching some of the benefits of the new boot design by using 2 pairs of laces for each boot...

Some comments....

1. Very comfortable. I reckon there will be next to no break-in with a pair of these, compared to what most of us are used to, with the current traditional boots. One has "instant" knee bend and toe point (great for dancers) and I felt (standing w/o blades) like I had good lateral support. I will comment that I wouldn't know 100% for sure about the amount of lateral support unless I had a pair fitted for my foot with blades mounted that I could try out on the ice. But I could clearly imagine skating the mid to upper level dances in them, and in fact, would love to do the Blues and Paso in them.

On another chat board, there was a big discussion about the stress on the buckles... From what I saw, trying these on, because of the hinge and the tongue design (which is
much different than a traditional skating boot tongue), there won't be nearly as much stress put on the front of the boot because of the hinge, as with the boots we're wearing now. I reckon that there will be a lot less
"lace bite" and stress of the tendon that runs down the top of the foot. From a looks perspective, I would have to see what the boot with the buckle actually looks like, to comment on that. The boot I tried on had the metal
hinge pivot point very noticeable on both sides of the boot, and the skate shop technician commented that one of the complaints with this design came from dancers with neat foot placement. Supposedly the company is modifying
the hinge appearance so that the metal "screw" or pivot is covered over somehow. I'm not a freestyler, so I can't comment totally on stress against the front of the boot, but with easier ankle bend, I would think that there would be less stress against the front of the boot.

3. I could clearly see that a skater would have some adjustment issues for these boots, when first changing over to them. Because of all the ankle flex (and resulting knee bend) available with these boots, it would be very easy to have the weight too far forward on the blade. I think also that it would also be a bit of adjustment in terms of using the rocker of the blade together with the enhanced knee/ankle bend, especially for 1-foot turns. I would reckon that these boots would work best with a flatter blade, such as Pattern 99, or Coronation Comet, or any of the Ultima blades. (As I recall, Patterns and the Ultimas all have 8 foot radii, and Comets have 8 1/2' radii.)

I said to the technician that I would be interested in trying a pair when they become commercially available (supposedly the big marketing push will come around the time of US Nationals).

The new skates sound interesting. What pro shop was this? I'd be curious to see them, since I'm in your area.

Thanks!

Skaters Paradise.

I don't like the sound of a 'hinge' at all ..... yet another thing to fail! And BUCKLES??? Maybe I need to see a picture of these things but my imagination is telling me UGLY UGLY UGLY I don't understand the reason for having two laces either.

IMO for a 'hinge' to be supportive enough it wouldn't be flexible enough to give the supposed benefits.

Do you have a photo?

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The best whisper is a click

No photo...

I'm skeptical of the look of the buckle (this pair didn't have the buckle) from an esthetics view.

Think of the "hinge" as being like the pivot point in a pair of ski boots that flexes in the ankle. It's not a hinge like a door hinge, more like 2 big rivets that are set to allow rotation.

The really ugly part I thought was that as the boot top bends forward, the top section of leather moves, and there can be a bit of a gap in back (the top of the boot around the ankle and the foot part of the boot are 2 separate assemblies fastened together).

I know they've been testing these boots on high-end freestylers and dancers...would be curious if they've expanded the sample populations to include low-test/beginners and adults. Since, IMO, low-test/beginners and adults have totally different fit/wear/use issues than kids/early 20s doing triples and quads and international dances on a daily basis.

I've seen a couple of skaters wearing them, and I didn't think they looked that bad. Of course, they were just in practice outfits --leggings etc. -- so maybe they wouldn't look good with a competition costume. I wonder if you could solve that problem by using boot covers or over the foot tights.

Anyway, both people were high level freestyle skaters, and both liked the boots.

Pat

I'm not touching them until somebody else besides Jackson makes them. I hate Jacksons! When Don Klingbeil says they'll make them, then I'll think about it.

Here is an article plus picture about the new design.
http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2004/skate042904.html
Cid

Urgh, they are one HUGLY skate

But don't most people land toe first anyway? Don't they point their toes?

Another thing that worries me is that it's the design is going to make for weaker ankles where the boot is doing most of the supporting.

IMO the injury problems stem mostly from:

• poor technique
• multi rotational jumps being expected too early and at too young an age
• the continued obsession with jumping rather than focussing on skating as a whole
• and the imbalance caused by only jumping/spinning in one direction (I was always fairly well balanced before I started skating because, as a dancer you have to do everything in both directions, now I am significantly stronger on one side)

I wouldn't trust the buckles either, it's just another point of weakness.

Oh, and I agree with skaternum, I, personally, wouldn't touch Jacksons with a barge pole. Same feelings as you but I skate in Harlicks.

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The best whisper is a click

Actually, in person I didn't find them that ugly. And yes, people are supposed to land toe first, but then you do essentially end up with your ankle flexed I think, because of the knee bend we are supposed to have! I think the boots make it easier to bend and point.

I also have heard that actually current skating boots make for weaker ankles because the boot is supporting you. So, in the absence of deliberate work to strengthen your ankles, the current boots will weaken them. I've seen skaters working on their ankles with those therabands. I don't know if that will be true with the new boot as well.

Pat

Yes, I guess that is true, especially if you have super-concrete boots winched right up! I like the stronger boots but I have quite strong ankles (years and years of ballet probably helped), I found this out yesterday when I went to check my laces after 20 minutes skating to find that the right one was completely undone ....... I thought that it had loosened off a bit Mind you, I hadn't jumped at that point, I doubt that I could have jumped with them undone!

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The best whisper is a click

I remember seeing those skates on a little blurp on skating injuries during the World Championships. True, they do look rather...un-skating-like, aesthetically, but I agree with sk8pics: boot covers or over-the-boot tights could easily solve that problem.

I'm heading to the Winning Edge shop in Omaha in a few weeks; I'll ask about those skates. I'll probably need a new pair within the next year or two, anyway. Depending on how expensive they are, and how far along I am in my skating, that is.

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Instant burglar...just add pants!
Pants?
Well, it took him five hours to find them.
Really.
Yes, really.
You should have stuck with Gloria Mundi. Then you couldn't make crude jokes.
Sure I...wait, how was that crude?

--My muse and me

ot but I have gotten my dd, ds and my boots from Deb at that shop online.She helped me get sized online as well and great service.
we have no proshops here :{ hard to pick a skate

OT: I have extremely angular feet (AA/AAA) and need my boots custom-fitted, so I have to go to the shop. But then I also get to see their sales and such. No proshops around here, either. [/OT]

If anyone has personally tried skating in the new boots by Jackson/UDel, please, do tell!

__________________
Instant burglar...just add pants!
Pants?
Well, it took him five hours to find them.
Really.
Yes, really.
You should have stuck with Gloria Mundi. Then you couldn't make crude jokes.
Sure I...wait, how was that crude?

--My muse and me