Jeremy's boot?

ivy · Jan 30, 2011

Sorry if you guys have been through this before.

Can anyone explain what Jeremy's boot problems were and why it took almost a year to settle it? Are his feet so odd no one could make a custom boot that fitted and supported his ankle.

I skate a little and have some decent Reidell's (nothing like the elites' need) so I know what good skates can mean, but I can't really imagine loosing so much time fussing with fit, blade placement et al.

Layfan · Jan 30, 2011

I wish I could help shed some light.

I remember how difficult it was to get the right pointe shoes in ballet. Some brands were just impossible to break in. Don't know if skates are same.

Incidently, this isn't the first year that Jeremy has had boot problems is it? Maybe he does have weird feet.

dorispulaski · Jan 30, 2011

Thinking about the health history of Timothy Goebel, & Michelle Kwan, I wonder whether Jeremy is actually having hip problems (Michelle Kwan & Tim Goebel) or back problems (Tim Goebel) or stress fractures somewhere (Michelle Kwan).

When these "boot problems" seem to go on and on, I always hope that the skater sees a really good orthopedic doctor to make sure the problem is with the boot and not the skater. Calling Dr. Debi Thomas anyone?.

Serious Business · Jan 30, 2011

doris makes a good point about boot problems really being bone problems. I am now worried for Abbott. Are there any skaters who genuinely had boot problems that were solved?

blue dog · Jan 31, 2011

Serious Business said:
doris makes a good point about boot problems really being bone problems. I am now worried for Abbott. Are there any skaters who genuinely had boot problems that were solved?

I'm far from an elite skater, but I had boot problems last summer. Actually, the problem was I had a very stiff and small pair of SP Teri's that made me cry after fifteen minutes on the ice. I made the switch to another boot/blade combo (Klingbeil and Ultima elite blades), and eventually, it made things a lot easier.

Serious Business · Jan 31, 2011

blue dog said:
I'm far from an elite skater, but I had boot problems last summer. Actually, the problem was I had a very stiff and small pair of SP Teri's that made me cry after fifteen minutes on the ice. I made the switch to another boot/blade combo (Klingbeil and Ultima elite blades), and eventually, it made things a lot easier.

How much training time did it cost you and did it cause any ongoing technical problems for a while?

blue dog · Jan 31, 2011

Serious Business said:
How much training time did it cost you and did it cause any ongoing technical problems for a while?

I couldn't train spins for a while, which is where my problems were. This also hurt my edging, but my jumping was fine.

If I had to measure the time, I'd say three weeks I didn't do either moves in the field or spins.

CARA · Jan 31, 2011

dorispulaski said:
Thinking about the health history of Timothy Goebel, & Michelle Kwan, I wonder whether Jeremy is actually having hip problems (Michelle Kwan & Tim Goebel) or back problems (Tim Goebel) or stress fractures somewhere (Michelle Kwan).

When these "boot problems" seem to go on and on, I always hope that the skater sees a really good orthopedic doctor to make sure the problem is with the boot and not the skater. Calling Dr. Debi Thomas anyone?.

Kim Yuna had her boot problem during the 1st year of her senior season. Given what Doris mentioned, however, I wonder how much her herniated back problem was due to her boot problem. Or could it be her bad back that showed as her boot problems?

ivy · Jan 31, 2011

Thanks for the replies - hopefully the conversation will continue. Since the quad seems to be the most effected I wondered if he was having problems with his left foot and the boot wasn't supporting/protecting it enough when he tapped in - just grasping at straws here really. Recently I wondered if it was more mental - something to fixate on when things don't feel quite right.

I know skaters at this level have relationship closer to a what concert violinists has to their instruments then a basketball players have to their sneakers. Still, they are only skates and there is only so much you can change on them - maybe I'm wrong. And it seems like at this level Jeremy could get whatever skates he needed.

Joesitz (RIP) · Jan 31, 2011

If it is spinal stenosis what I suffer from, it just gets worse as the years go by. Surgery is very delicate and when successful does not bring the spine alignment back to 100% but 80% is considered excellent.

blue dog · Jan 31, 2011

A lot of the issues many of us face, whether you skate or not, are alignment-related. This is why it is stressed that you use the proper edge for jumps/spins, etc. However, these edges are compromised when equipment is bad. And it's not just faulty manufacturing of the boot and blade that comes into play, but how centered the blade is on the boot once it is mounted. If it is even slightly off, many skaters, rather than returning the boot to get tapped over to the left or to the right, just make adjustments with their own alignment, which, over time, can pinch certain nerves (or, if you're a beginner like me, make easy things difficult). Since skates can be expensive, mounting and remounting blades can be costly, especially since you're drilling holes.

Also, if skaters gain/lose weight during the season, this can, unbelievably, wreak havoc on your balance, which, in turn, throws off alignment.

In short, boot problems can lead to back problems. Remember the year Michelle had a Riedell endorsement, and she wore them for a year, instead of the usual stock SP Teri's she normally wears?

sidwich · Jan 31, 2011

ivy said:
Thanks for the replies - hopefully the conversation will continue. I know skaters at this level have relationship closer to a what concert violinists has to their instruments then a basketball players have to their sneakers. Still, they are only skates and there is only so much you can change on them - maybe I'm wrong. And it seems like at this level Jeremy could get whatever skates he needed.

It's a sport based on balancing on a blade about a 1/4 inch wide. Coming down out of a jump and balancing on a blade means that the pressure exerted is somewhere in the neighborhood of conservatively, maybe a couple of tons per square inch (someone should check my quick in the head math, though) which is only being supported by the skater's body and the landing boot. (I'm assuming Jeremy weighs about 140 lbs). Just from a physics perspective, it's really no wonder that skaters get freaky fanatical about their skates, and why boot problems can be such an issue.

Tinymavy15 · Jan 31, 2011

Boot problems can really ruin a season as we have seen time and time again. It is such a pity because Jeremy's FS this season was such a masterpiece. Hopefully he will keep it next season and get these boot issues worked out. I have skated in bad boots before and it just ruins your confidence and if they continue long enough, your technique because you try to change the way you do things so your boots feel right.

Hopefully he can fix this asap and get a new SP and come back strong next year.

Jeremy's boot?

ivy

Layfan

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

Serious Business

blue dog

Trixie Schuba's biggest fan!

Serious Business

blue dog

Trixie Schuba's biggest fan!

CARA

ivy

Joesitz (RIP)

blue dog

Trixie Schuba's biggest fan!

sidwich

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win

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