New boots unexpectedly back ordered what is my best option?

[kaitlyn.skates]

Hello, I’m a beginner/high beginner adult skater (working on scratch spin, have a decent waltz jump, and a hit or miss half flip) that takes a 30 minute LTS lesson once a week and due to local rink schedules during COVID only gets to do 1-2 hours of on ice practice a week outside that.

I realized a couple months ago that I would need a new skate setup soon because I was finally starting to progress past what my beginner skates are rated for, but I didn’t actually go in until last week. I’m currently in Jackson Elles with the stock blade that I bought when I was just learning swizzles/crossovers/etc. I went to see a local skate tech that specializes in figure skates to get an upgrade and we settled on Jackson Debut boots with MK Professional blades to get me through my single jumps. I’ve just started trying to learn salchow/toe loop in lessons, but have currently been sort of marking/walking through them because I don’t trust my current boots to support the full jump and I don’t want to risk injuring myself.

I was satisfied with my decision to upgrade to the debut boots and like the fit of Jacksons, but the issue is that I got a call today and there was a miscommunication with Jackson and apparently the debuts are currently completely sold out in my size and won’t be back in stock until approximately mid august.
My current options are to just suck it up and wait for the debuts to come in in a month and just not practice much in the meantime, or choose a different boot that wasn’t the first choice and risk wasting my money and time.
What should I do?

about me and my feet:
•5’3”
•~125lbs
• 29 yrs old
•Greek/Celtic foot type?- 2nd toe longer than 1st, 3rd toe equal to 1st, 4th toe barely shorter than 1st, 5th toe drastically shorter than the rest
•Med/high with some pronation issues
•Slightly stronger ankles than average due to doing ballet/Irish dance recreationally for over 20 years
•weaker than expected knee bend due to naturally hyperextended knees and subsequent history of knee surgery several years ago
•narrow heel with more medium width ball of foot so a split width option feels the best out of the boots I’ve tries
•live on the east coast of the US

The shop stocks Jackson, Riedell, Risport, Graf, and Edea. He had me try on Riedell (felt god awful and shoved my 5th toe into the side of my 4th toe), Risport (the only ones in stock in my length felt way too wide in both the toe box and heel and felt so much less stiff than even my broken down Elles so it was hard to judge if I really liked them), and a too stiff style Jackson just to test if I liked the fit which I did. The options he gave as alternatives that would come in quicker than the debuts were a model by Graf which I’ve never tried on and don’t really know anything about, or a Jackson Premiere which he wouldn’t put me in without doing something to break them in some first because neither of us want me to be overbooted. I believe he originally mentioned that Risports also currently have a fairly long lead time on getting boots in due to pandemic supply chain issues/import time.

I’m open to all of your expert opinions even if the best option is to just not skate much/not jump until I can get my original boot pick in.

 

[marcopolobear]

Hi,

It's nice that you found a brand that fits you well and a shop that can try you with different brands. To me, it sounds like you and the shop have made a good decision. Are you current skates completely broken down, or just not good enough for jumps?

If they are still good enough for general skating, I see no reason not to just delay your jump practices and wait for your new boots. There are so many important skills besides jumping. Have you passed any of the adult moves tests? Those would be good to practice -- any you have already passed and the next level skills. Compulsory dances and dance skills are also very good to practice. A short list you could work on in your class or with a coach:

Beginner level compulsory dances
Waltz 8
Consecutive edges
All the 3 turns
C steps
Brackets
Double 3's both forwards and backwards
Chasse
Swing roll
Russian stroking

Now I want to go skating!


M

 

[bostonskaterguy86]

I'm in the Debut / MK Pro combo myself! (Although due to a combination of an ankle injury and the pandemic, I haven't actually skated in them in far too long). I'm sure you're going to love the MK Pros - I started out in GAM Concepts which I think have the same blade as the Elle (the Mirage), and the switch was really great for my turns and spins.

It sounds to me like your best option is to wait for the Debut to come in, if the fit is right for you. Boots are expensive, and it'd be a bummer to buy something else that was less than ideal, only to have it not work out for you and end up stuck with them, or spending even more money on the boots you wanted in the first place!

Another thing to think about - a different pair of boots may need a different blade length than the Debut (I believe Risport and Edea in particular usually take a shorter blade than similarly sized Jacksons), so if you were to buy a different boot and end up switching back to the Debut, it may mean needing a second pair of blades in the right size.

I know a month seems like such a long time to wait, especially when you're itching to learn new skills (I know I was stoked to start learning toe and sal!) but in the grand scheme of things, I think it's worth the wait. There's plenty you can practice in the meantime without jumping!

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Wait for your Jacksons to come in, and do not attempt anything else in your old boots.

 

[Sibelius]

Well, we know the feeling. I ordered a pair of Jackson customs for my skater that were supposed to be in by the end of July. They have now been pushed to the end of August because of material sourcing delays and Jackson's vacation schedule. Luckily her current boots still fit and she can do everything in them without issues.

So, as far as your situation I would stick with the boot that fits your foot. You are a bit "under booted" now based on your skills, weight and Jackson's fit guide (not much though). If you still feel secure enough for edges and spins you might be able to work on those. I'd ask the LTS instructor to observe and see if the boots offer enough support for the basics for another month. Don't risk damaging an ankle though, a month wait is better than 2 in a cast plus rehab!

Alternatively, and I say this with input from my skater who went through 2 Debut's and now 2 years in a Premiere, they aren't that much different. They are both very stiff boots. She's not broken any of them down. She's 13 and barely 100lbs and works on doubles every day. When she went from Debut to Premiere there was literally no transition or break in. The only thing that was done was the initial heat molding and a couple of punches. I don't think you would be that much "overbooted" in a Premiere over a Debut, but trust your tech.

And lastly, another suggestion would be to look into having that MK Pro blade mounted on your Elle's, if, and it may not be, it is the same size blade for old and new boots. Getting used to new boots AND blades is a challenge, and we prefer not to change both at the same time.

 

[Aimee-01]

Hello, I’m a beginner/high beginner adult skater (working on scratch spin, have a decent waltz jump, and a hit or miss half flip) that takes a 30 minute LTS lesson once a week and due to local rink schedules during COVID only gets to do 1-2 hours of on ice practice a week outside that.

I realized a couple months ago that I would need a new skate setup soon because I was finally starting to progress past what my beginner skates are rated for, but I didn’t actually go in until last week. I’m currently in Jackson Elles with the stock blade that I bought when I was just learning swizzles/crossovers/etc. I went to see a local skate tech that specializes in figure skates to get an upgrade and we settled on Jackson Debut boots with MK Professional blades to get me through my single jumps. I’ve just started trying to learn salchow/toe loop in lessons, but have currently been sort of marking/walking through them because I don’t trust my current boots to support the full jump and I don’t want to risk injuring myself.

I was satisfied with my decision to upgrade to the debut boots and like the fit of Jacksons, but the issue is that I got a call today and there was a miscommunication with Jackson and apparently the debuts are currently completely sold out in my size and won’t be back in stock until approximately mid august.
My current options are to just suck it up and wait for the debuts to come in in a month and just not practice much in the meantime, or choose a different boot that wasn’t the first choice and risk wasting my money and time.
What should I do?

about me and my feet:
•5’3”
•~125lbs
• 29 yrs old
•Greek/Celtic foot type?- 2nd toe longer than 1st, 3rd toe equal to 1st, 4th toe barely shorter than 1st, 5th toe drastically shorter than the rest
•Med/high with some pronation issues
•Slightly stronger ankles than average due to doing ballet/Irish dance recreationally for over 20 years
•weaker than expected knee bend due to naturally hyperextended knees and subsequent history of knee surgery several years ago
•narrow heel with more medium width ball of foot so a split width option feels the best out of the boots I’ve tries
•live on the east coast of the US

The shop stocks Jackson, Riedell, Risport, Graf, and Edea. He had me try on Riedell (felt god awful and shoved my 5th toe into the side of my 4th toe), Risport (the only ones in stock in my length felt way too wide in both the toe box and heel and felt so much less stiff than even my broken down Elles so it was hard to judge if I really liked them), and a too stiff style Jackson just to test if I liked the fit which I did. The options he gave as alternatives that would come in quicker than the debuts were a model by Graf which I’ve never tried on and don’t really know anything about, or a Jackson Premiere which he wouldn’t put me in without doing something to break them in some first because neither of us want me to be overbooted. I believe he originally mentioned that Risports also currently have a fairly long lead time on getting boots in due to pandemic supply chain issues/import time.

I’m open to all of your expert opinions even if the best option is to just not skate much/not jump until I can get my original boot pick in.

I don’t know if the boot is made for different levels as you get older, but I currently have the debut, and I am doing double axles. I am the same height as you and around the same weight, but when I was in the Elle boots I was landing axles trying early doubles. Maybe I was the one that was doing it wrong so if anyone that knows more can tell me that would be great. If it makes any difference I am in my early teens

 

[Sibelius]

I don’t know if the boot is made for different levels as you get older, but I currently have the debut, and I am doing double axles. I am the same height as you and around the same weight, but when I was in the Elle boots I was landing axles trying early doubles. Maybe I was the one that was doing it wrong so if anyone that knows more can tell me that would be great. If it makes any difference I am in my early teens

Mine was in a pre-Fusion Elle and it was a great boot. Pretty sure she was learning her Axel in it, but she was pretty small at the time (ETA: and fearless, as you likely were/are and not necessarily paying close attention to your boot). Both of our boot fitters are very conservative and don't like their skaters in boots that are too stiff. There was a debate at the time about getting another Elle, or moving to the Debut, but since it was time to get a better blade the sensible choice was the Debut. As I said, it is a very stiff boot, far stiffer that advertised and can obviously take you pretty far.

As far as the OP's Elle, part of getting a new boot is losing confidence in your old one. If you lose confidence in what you've got (mine lost it in her Debut, not feeling support for 2Lz) it's in your mind. We went with the Premiere because it wasn't a radical change, but gave her a little more support and...confidence. Her new customs will be the same stiffness (with a stronger tongue because that's what's breaking down), and hopefully get her through 2A and lower triples.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

Why didn't you try the Graf if the fitter had it in your size?

In the absence of that, I'd suggest waiting for the Debut/MK Pro combination you have on order. There is a difference between an experienced, higher level skater moving up to a Premiere from a Debut and a beginner (even an adult one) just going straight to Premiere from an Elle. Personally, I wouldn't advise it. (I've seen an adult skater convince herself it was fine and she's totally stalled in her progress because she can't use her ankles enough.)

In the meantime, I'd absolutely suggest doing what @marcopolobear suggested above, and work on basic skating (you should always be working on that anyway), moves and dance. Working on dance will most likely take your skating to a level where you're finding the jumps you're just marking at the moment surprisingly improved when you actually get your new skates. I can't stress enough that ice dance is always a good idea!