Wrong skates? | Golden Skate

Wrong skates?

daenerys

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
I bought the Jackson Artiste five weeks ago when I was just starting out, thinking I would be at a beginner/recreational level for a while. I was strongly advised not to "overboot." Oops. I've totally fallen in love with figure skating, and now skate about six hours every week. I think I need a stiffer boot...

My question to you all is: at what level (USFSA or ISI) will it become absolutely necessary for me to upgrade my skates to continue progressing in the sport?

I spend my practices strengthening my crossovers/cutbacks and consecutive forward edges, and practicing the skills in USFSA Basic 4 and 5. Don't worry, I'm not self-taught, I am working with a coach. If this influences boot breakdown at all: I am 5'7" and weigh 115 lbs.

I know there are about a bajillion factors at play here that will influence the need to buy new skates, but if you could please share your opinion anyway, I would be very grateful!

Thank you.
 

FS.Addict

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Do you feel like you don't have enough support when you skate ?

The question is not at what level should we change boot, but : what skates do you need ? If you only practise edges, you don't need something very stiff, but because of your weight, if i were you i would have chosen something a little bit stiffer than for a kid who does the same things. More weight apply more stress to the boot so it will probably breakdown faster than it would have if you were younger, and the Jackson Artist are not very stiff.

This said, I think the best thing to do would be to ask the dude at the skate shop. Because i'm from Quebec, i can't suggest you some place to go, but there must be someone around your city who knows what he's talking about :)
 

daenerys

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Do you feel like you don't have enough support when you skate ?

The question is not at what level should we change boot, but : what skates do you need ? If you only practise edges, you don't need something very stiff, but because of your weight, if i were you i would have chosen something a little bit stiffer than for a kid who does the same things. More weight apply more stress to the boot so it will probably breakdown faster than it would have if you were younger, and the Jackson Artist are not very stiff.

This said, I think the best thing to do would be to ask the dude at the skate shop. Because i'm from Quebec, i can't suggest you some place to go, but there must be someone around your city who knows what he's talking about :)

I do feel as though I'm lacking support. Especially when I do crossovers at speed, I'm always afraid my foot will flop down because I don't have enough boot stiffness to support that much lean/a "deep" edge. My local skate shop agrees that I need a stiffer boot. I suppose my question is more: how much use can I squeeze out of these skates first? They cost me $150 and they're brand new, so it feels silly to toss them aside so soon.
 

FS.Addict

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Are you going to learn single jumps soon ? If yes then i think you'll need new boots before, and i think you should not tolerate skates that are not stiff enough or not right for your feet.

As they are new, you can ask to your local skate shop if they can sell it for a little less than 150$ and maybe you'll be able to keep the same blades if they fit your new boots.

And comfort yourself with this story : the woman selling skates at my local skate shop had no real idea how to fit skates properly. She didn't install my blades centered on the boot. I skated with the feet always dropping inward : my boots were a mess because of that. Later i went to a skate shop outside my city. The dude told me that my blades were too long for my boots. 3-4 months later because of this women, i had to buy new blades AND new boots for a total of 1350$. From now on, i always tell people around me not to go there. It's so frustrating... I had to pay 2500$ in total (and i'm a student at university, so my budget has been tight for a while)

Now do you feel better about your case :) ... What i mean is : don't always believe EVERYTHING people tell you.
 

daenerys

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Are you going to learn single jumps soon ? If yes then i think you'll need new boots before, and i think you should not tolerate skates that are not stiff enough or not right for your feet.

As they are new, you can ask to your local skate shop if they can sell it for a little less than 150$ and maybe you'll be able to keep the same blades if they fit your new boots.

And comfort yourself with this story : the woman selling skates at my local skate shop had no real idea how to fit skates properly. She didn't install my blades centered on the boot. I skated with the feet always dropping inward : my boots were a mess because of that. Later i went to a skate shop outside my city. The dude told me that my blades were too long for my boots. 3-4 months later because of this women, i had to buy new blades AND new boots for a total of 1350$. From now on, i always tell people around me not to go there. It's so frustrating... I had to pay 2500$ in total (and i'm a student at university, so my budget has been tight for a while)

Now do you feel better about your case :) ... What i mean is : don't always believe EVERYTHING people tell you.

I don't think I'm near single jumps yet :-o And my skates are fine for now, I suppose I'm just obsessing! Still worried they'll break down on me more quickly than I'd like, but I guess we'll have to see!

That is frustrating that you had a bad fitting experience! I'm sooo lucky to have a good shop in my area, especially in a small city like mine.
 

FS.Addict

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Right now, my skates are Edea Concerto and i really like them. According to Edea, you can't overboot a skater with these boots, and i think they are right (mine are for double or triple jumps, and i practise up to double axel/triple salchow, and i think i should have gone with the Edea Ice Fly). I really like them and if you want something stiffer but not too much and not too expensive, maybe you can try Edea Overture (up to singles jumps) of Edea Chorus (up to double jumps), they are around 250-350$ in Canada. I'll tell you right now, boots around 150$ will always be too smooth, as they are beginner boots. But this is just my opinion, you should also try to put on the others (Jackson, Gam, Risport, Riedell are all good quality, but once again it depends on what you need, your type of foot, etc.)

And i think a small city like yours is still bigger than a small city like mine hahahaha :) (I live in Trois-Rivières.. you probably never heard that name before !)
 

daenerys

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Right now, my skates are Edea Concerto and i really like them. According to Edea, you can't overboot a skater with these boots, and i think they are right (mine are for double or triple jumps, and i practise up to double axel/triple salchow, and i think i should have gone with the Edea Ice Fly). I really like them and if you want something stiffer but not too much and not too expensive, maybe you can try Edea Overture (up to singles jumps) of Edea Chorus (up to double jumps), they are around 250-350$ in Canada. I'll tell you right now, boots around 150$ will always be too smooth, as they are beginner boots. But this is just my opinion, you should also try to put on the others (Jackson, Gam, Risport, Riedell are all good quality, but once again it depends on what you need, your type of foot, etc.)

And i think a small city like yours is still bigger than a small city like mine hahahaha :) (I live in Trois-Rivières.. you probably never heard that name before !)

Thanks! I've heard of Edea, but never talked to someone who skates on them :)

Also... Your city has 126,325 people. My city has 25,088 people ;) I googled it.
 

Jeff_Kenya

Spectator
Joined
Feb 15, 2014
Hi there! I would say, as long as you just practice edges and turns and do not do jumps, Jackson Artiste are god enough.
The problem you were talking about - that you think you lack support to hold the edge - is not really the issue of the boots (at least not in this case because Artiste are really offering enough support in comparison to typical recreational skates). Till some time ago I also tended to think, my boots are about to loose the support while jump landings, until my coach told me, that one really have to hold ones feet in a proper position with his muscle strength, not only relying on boots.
So my tip: you can easily skate a year or two in those Skates ;)
PS. I made a mistake to buy directly Graf Prestige as I was practicing single jumps as I thought, it would be ok since I'm not a child :) but in fact I haven't even manage to break them in during the whole season :(
 

daenerys

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2014
Hi there! I would say, as long as you just practice edges and turns and do not do jumps, Jackson Artiste are god enough.
The problem you were talking about - that you think you lack support to hold the edge - is not really the issue of the boots (at least not in this case because Artiste are really offering enough support in comparison to typical recreational skates). Till some time ago I also tended to think, my boots are about to loose the support while jump landings, until my coach told me, that one really have to hold ones feet in a proper position with his muscle strength, not only relying on boots.
So my tip: you can easily skate a year or two in those Skates ;)
PS. I made a mistake to buy directly Graf Prestige as I was practicing single jumps as I thought, it would be ok since I'm not a child :) but in fact I haven't even manage to break them in during the whole season :(

That is true! I should be be building my strength instead of relying on the boot to do all the work ;)

Thank you for your input! :)
 
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