Going down a level in blades

I have a brand new pair never worn/sharpened Coronation Ace parabolic blades - an intermediate blade. They are the correct size for my daughter's new boots (Riedell silver). The have a 7ft rocker and 7/16th radius of hollow.

Currently she is in Ultima Supremes - considered an "advanced" blade.

Will stepping down a level in blade effect her skating? (juvenile level)

Coaches are okay with trying, my daughter says the toe pick on the Ace is much bigger and she thinks she will catch it. She will have to adjust to the rocker change (she has had 7ft before).

thoughts? Would you sell the Ace and put the money towards the Supreme again? or do you think the Ace will be fine for doubles/learning triples?

What rocker is on her current blades? Every skater has some preferences, someone prefers rocker 7 and someone rocker 8. If someone is used to rocker 8 and suddenly starts on rocker 7, they may feel like being very unstable (constantly rocking forward/backwards) and that can be a bit of a problem when skating (and landing jumps). Rocker 8 is supposed to be more stable because the blade is not as curved. On the other hand, someone being used to rocker 7 may find it difficult to spin with rocker 8 because the blade is flatter. Some skaters adjust quicker, some take ages. I wouldn't probably worry about her catching the toe pick (at her level she should be able to cope with the toe pick) but adjusting to a different rocker can be hard. I probably wouldn't worry as much about getting from advanced blades to intermediate blades, but about whether it involve the change of rockers.

ETA: Ups, just noticed that you mentioned that she will have to change the rocker. Hmmmm...well, you can try it. The worse can happen is that you will sell them and get different ones... I changed from 8 to 7 and my spins miraculously improved. But I heard plenty of stories about people changing from 8 to 7 and feeling extremely unstable...

She had a 7ft rocker 2 years ago. It was the MK Pro. It is hard to know how long it took to adjust to the rocker change because at the same time she had to adjust for new boots.

My biggest worry is going from advanced level blades to intermediate level. Aside from rocker, I don't know how they differ.

I went from a Ultima Freestyle blade which is similar to a Phantom down to a coronation ace blade. After a few weeks I could do more heaps more revs in my spins, I could do turns and steps easier and I found doing my jumps (doubles) easier as I was not leaving big holes in the ice.

The Coronation Ace is a good enough blade for anything she wants to do. However, the rocker shape will probably be a little different so she will need to get used to where the "sweet spot" is for spins and turns. In particular, a different rocker shape will affect an axel (or double axel) takeoff. Also, the 7' radius may make the blades feel a little less stable on backward stroking at first, since they aren't as flat in the back as the 8' blades she's used to.
Out of curiosity, why is she switching to Coronation Ace blades? If it's due to price, it begs the question of how may hours of expensive lesson and practice time will be spent just getting used to them. . . ?

It is due to price - the blades she is currently on went up 100 dollars in cost. And I have the new blades (no cost). So it's over $350 vs free.

loopy said:

It is due to price - the blades she is currently on went up 100 dollars in cost. And I have the new blades (no cost). So it's over $350 vs free.

Click to expand...

I know that $350 versus free sounds like no brainer, but vlaurend did raise interesting question. How much does she pay for lessons per week? If, let's say, she would spend 2-4 weeks getting used to new blades and wasting her lessons on trying to get back something that she currently has quite solid, those $350 may be better invested on blades and she won't loose the skills, therefore not waste the money for lessons to pay for something that she already has.(Saying that, 2-4 weeks was a guess - it can be shorter or it can be longer. So whatever you decide, it is a risk you are taking.) Although, if you have the lower blades free, you may as well try them (you have nothing to loose by trying) and if they don't work out, sell them and get the more expensive ones.

I will try my luck on ebay and see what happens. If I can get a fair amount, I will get her the higher ended blades. I wish Jackson did not tell its vendors that they couldn't sell under the list price! It really hurts skaters with a smaller budget.