Hi all,
I have been lurking here for a while and I am just generally looking for advice on boots/blades since I haven't had a great experience at my local pro shop and I would like to make an informed decision on my next skates. Please bear with me because I really don't quite know what I'm doing yet and I kinda rambled a bit below.
I am a 26 yo woman (5'4" and about 130-135 lbs) and have started skating about 2 months ago. I am taking classes at my local rink and my coach seems to think I will test to Adult 5 at the next testing day, which is in about a week. Now, I am skating with a pair of Jackson Excels that I am having all kinds of issues with - from what I read on this forum the person that fitted me didn't take any kind of measurements nor took into account my weight and size and as a result I have skates that don't fit properly and are already creasing, with barely 2 months of use (I skate 5 to 8 hrs per week, but usually on the lower end as life gets in the way). For clarity I definitely feel like they are probably at least one size too large, but I also feel like they don't hug my ankle well (I struggle to get a good ankle bend because to keep my heel in place I have to overtighten them quite a bit) and there's too much space on top of my foot with makes it hard to stay on my rocker - I am not sure whether these issues are only size related or if my foot just doesn't fit Jacksons. For reference I have fairly narrow and slim feet but my street shoe size is a women's 8.5.
Now, when I bought these skates I was told they would really only last me through adult 6 which I entirely did not expect would be coming up so soon. So I am kinda looking for advice on whether I should try to stick with these skates til I get to pre-freeskate or just bite the bullet and get a pair of intermediate boots sooner. Either way I would also like some recommendations on what to get. I am not sure what the right stiffness for me would be under these circumstances, and also considering that I think the most I will ever do is doubles. Right now I am considering Edea Overture or Chorus - would I overbooting too much with either of these? I would love to get a fair use out of these skates especially considering I seems to be advancing quickly. Also I know that Edeas might not fit me, and I am planning on trying as many brands as I can - I just wanted to give an example of what kinda stiffness I am considering. Any advice??
Also if anyone knows a good fitter in the Houston/Austin/Dallas area (or anywhere in Italy) I am desperate and all ears.
I have been lurking here for a while and I am just generally looking for advice on boots/blades since I haven't had a great experience at my local pro shop and I would like to make an informed decision on my next skates. Please bear with me because I really don't quite know what I'm doing yet and I kinda rambled a bit below.
I am a 26 yo woman (5'4" and about 130-135 lbs) and have started skating about 2 months ago. I am taking classes at my local rink and my coach seems to think I will test to Adult 5 at the next testing day, which is in about a week. Now, I am skating with a pair of Jackson Excels that I am having all kinds of issues with - from what I read on this forum the person that fitted me didn't take any kind of measurements nor took into account my weight and size and as a result I have skates that don't fit properly and are already creasing, with barely 2 months of use (I skate 5 to 8 hrs per week, but usually on the lower end as life gets in the way). For clarity I definitely feel like they are probably at least one size too large, but I also feel like they don't hug my ankle well (I struggle to get a good ankle bend because to keep my heel in place I have to overtighten them quite a bit) and there's too much space on top of my foot with makes it hard to stay on my rocker - I am not sure whether these issues are only size related or if my foot just doesn't fit Jacksons. For reference I have fairly narrow and slim feet but my street shoe size is a women's 8.5.
Now, when I bought these skates I was told they would really only last me through adult 6 which I entirely did not expect would be coming up so soon. So I am kinda looking for advice on whether I should try to stick with these skates til I get to pre-freeskate or just bite the bullet and get a pair of intermediate boots sooner. Either way I would also like some recommendations on what to get. I am not sure what the right stiffness for me would be under these circumstances, and also considering that I think the most I will ever do is doubles. Right now I am considering Edea Overture or Chorus - would I overbooting too much with either of these? I would love to get a fair use out of these skates especially considering I seems to be advancing quickly. Also I know that Edeas might not fit me, and I am planning on trying as many brands as I can - I just wanted to give an example of what kinda stiffness I am considering. Any advice??
Also if anyone knows a good fitter in the Houston/Austin/Dallas area (or anywhere in Italy) I am desperate and all ears.