Skates Make the Difference!

[Isk8NYC]

I've said for years that well-fitted, quality skates are the ONLY piece of equipment you need for figure skating.
Everything else can be done on the cheap, except maybe ice time and lessons.

I was watching a sychro practice last weekend and one of the skaters was struggling with the footwork. She tripped on a mohawk and took down one of my own daughters. I felt so sorry for the kid.

Another skater's mom was sitting next to me and she wondered out loud if a few private lessons might help. I mentioned that the girl's mother had mentioned that they joined at the last minute and her DD was wearing an older sister's hand-me-down skates. I said "Maybe the skates are too long for her - that could do it."

After the practice, the other skater's mom mentioned it to the skater's mom. They asked me to take a look, so I pulled out the insole and had the girl stand on it. With her heel at the back of the insole, the front of the insole was at least 1-1/2" too long!

The skater's mom took her for new skates that very day and voila!
Yesterday's practice was AWESOME - everyone skated their best.

[Schmeck]

Ouch! Hope both girls are OK - my daughter's old team had some nasty collisions and falls over the years, just the thought now makes me cringe!

Good for you for helping out - and for the mom to take it in a positive way. Sometimes synchro parents are a bit touchy...

[katz in boots]

Skates that are too big really do cause problems. At our skate school, there was one girl who was so shakey, really struggled. Looked at her skates afterwards, they were huge on her. After a while the mother bought another pair, still too big though not as bad, and she still struggled.
Some parents buy too big so they kid'll grow into them, and some just don't understand the importance of fit. :roll:

[Query]

I've also noticed that most of the beginners with very serious balance problems simply lace them too loose, or wear skates way too large.

A few other balance problems trace back to equipment too - if the bottom left-right profile of the skate doesn't match that of the foot (so the skater often "falls" onto the unsupported side of a foot, or is constantly having to use muscle strength to support the foot shape), balance becomes really hard.

What surprises me is how few people are willing to experiment with simple procedures to refit the insides of their boots to their feet. It probably took me a few years to work up the courage. When I did, a lot of things worked better, and were more comfortable too. I honestly think fit is much more important than skate quality. Of course, I don't do high jumps - perhaps if I did, quality would be more a factor.

Do you think many people decided they were left or right foot spinners and jumpers because their initial skates balanced one foot better than the other? I bet it happens pretty often.

[sk8tmum]

Pet Hatreds:

Skates that are sold with movie or cartoon tie-ins, usually printed on the skates themselves, that are cheap and badly made; kids get on the ice for the first time with these, and get frustrated and quit.

Skates that "convert" from skates to roller-blades with click in blades: there is a particular one that has a rocker on the skate blade that looks like a half-moon, and kids cannot skate on it, however, trying to convince the parents that their "practical choice" for "flexibility in use" is not a good one is often impossible.

Figure skates that are so flimsy that the ankles flop over from day one.

Used skates that don't fit properly, but, were a real bargain.

When you put kids on to LTS or even just public skate with skates that are so badly designed that they can't skate on them, then, you turn them off of a sport that they could really love; and for the LTS instructors, it is so upsetting to see the kids struggle in the badly designed equipment.

end of rant :giveup:

[sk8tmum]

A few other balance problems trace back to equipment too - if the bottom left-right profile of the skate doesn't match that of the foot (so the skater often "falls" onto the unsupported side of a foot, or is constantly having to use muscle strength to support the foot shape), balance becomes really hard.

Do you think many people decided they were left or right foot spinners and jumpers because their initial skates balanced one foot better than the other? I bet it happens pretty often.

A slightly different but related thought: when we used to purchase skates with factory mounted blades, we found that the blades sometimes weren't mounted straight. My kid was struggling with skating in new skates; when the blades were checked, they were crooked on one skate by a fair margin. Once replaced, the problem in skating vanished. The badly mounted skates weren't cheap ones, either, they were a decent quality from a good manufacturer.

[londonicechamp]

Hi

The skates do make a difference. When I first learnt how to ice skate, over 10 years ago now, my dad got me a pair of skates, a size too big. That caused a lot of problems, such as in my backward crossovers (had an extra step), and spins etc. So when I changed coach later on, my mom bought me a pair of skates that exactly fitted my feet, and then my problems were gone. :D

londonicechamp

[Query]

I've said for years that well-fitted, quality skates are the ONLY piece of equipment you need for figure skating.

:lol: Rinks around here would frown upon wearing nothing but skates. Your rink must have looser standards. :lol:

Interesting that all the examples given so far in this thread relate to fit, not quality. Quality has many definitions. Things like sew and glue quality, waterproofing, and how the leather is tanned and polished might have more impact on longevity than on short term skating ability.

Of course, many people equate quality with stiffness. But I've seen some very good skaters (mostly ice dancers, mostly from Eastern Europe) use ultra thin (about 1/16 inch) leather skates that provided much less support than high top tennis shoes - but they fit well.

When I've tried thin skates with little support I've had problems - but maybe that is because I am used to the support, so my feet aren't in good enough shape to do without? Many skaters, ballet and modern dancers practice off-ice jumps and other moves barefoot.

What you said implies you have good strength and endurance training exercises that don't require equipment. What do you use?