Pixie's Skate Rant Thread | Golden Skate

Pixie's Skate Rant Thread

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
I went to get my skates fitted in march the day before my 1st group lesson. We decided on Reidell Gold Medallions. I was fitted as a size 7 extra wide, but she let me try on reg width. They felt fantastic. When I removed the skate, my foot was a little red, but thats not a problem to me (I have normal ball of the foot and narrow heals). She said no no no, you have to get X wide. So we have to wait a month. I try them on and they feel waaaaay wide in the heal. She says theyre my size and my mom agrees and it turns into a thing of my mom saying she wont let me buy the reg skate (even with my money). So I buy xwide.

The break in went well, however my heal has always slid. I have to spend a long time lacing them tight in someplaces and loose in others in order to jump. Landing is really rotten becuse they are to thick (the meausrement other than legnth and width) in the ball of the foot and so I dont always settle back in fast enough.

Now Im having a hard time with keeping the laces tight and I get irritated often.

i was talking to my friend and she said that the girl who fit my skates is known for just going by #s and not how it feels to the skater.

I dont think I will have them too much longer (ie we will call harlick when I get xmas $). I just wanted to rant...
 

Yazmeen

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Pixie: I think your fitter should have taken more measurements. My husband got new Gold Stars about three weeks ago. His foot TECHNICALLY measured out to a 9 and 1/2 wide--but his joints below his big toe are slightly enlarged. Our skate goddess took a bunch of measurements all over both feet, and he could have worked with either a wide or medium width. She told us that the woman she works with at Reidell would be able to work with the measurements and would send the right boot. Sure enough, she send a 9 and 1/2 M (medium/average) and the boots fit great and he's very happy with them. Sorry that yours have not worked out--is there any way you could work with the shop so they'd cover at least part of the cost of a replacement since their fitter goofed? Good luck.
 

blurrysarah

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 21, 2003
I think if it's possible, get fitted from two or more places to check if they are consistent.
Today I tried on a pair of Risport RF3's. I've currently been wearing an old pair of Cristallo's in size 255 (I'm almost 18, my foot hasn't grown for several years now, so it's not a growth issue), when the guy measured me today he fitted me with a 260. 5mm difference, I know, barely anything. The rest of the boot was very stiff and "hugging", but the toe box seemed a little..well...free, more than what I'm used to. He said they fit well and my heel didn't move, but because he didn't actually have a pair of 255's to try on, I'm rather apprehensive about the fitting and am going to try at another place next week. It's not exactly a cheap investment, and boot fitting is vital to your progression.
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
Like i said Im going to halick next time. Customs. Which what I planned to do after xmas anyway even before I tried on these boots. So I dont think the pro shop will or should have to pay for them. i want to get a job there so I might not want to make a huge stink. Im simply getting too advanced for them. I like my boot stiffer that the description says for the levels....
 

Norlite

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
My daughter had this problem as she got older. She needed a wider width which in turn was too wide in the heel. We did finally, after a couple unsatifactory pair, have to go to customs, and it has been smooth sailing ever since. :)

How old did you say you were? 15? Your feet are probably finished growing now, and you'll be able to get around 18 months out of them, if you go custom. If you were growing as fast as my daughter, and other kids at her rink, you were probably lucky to get 10 months out of your old ones, right?

Yazmeen, you sound like you have a dream fitter! Lucky you!
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
actually..the thing is...I DONT need the wide width...its too wide in the ball of the foot too...
 

ouridol

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Aww..that's too bad Pixie. :( I had that problem too, where the fitter just went by what size my foot was. They lasted for a couple of weeks until the pain was just unbearable. I finally switched to boots that were much more comfortable.
 

peachstatesk8er

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
skatepixie said:
Like i said Im going to halick next time. Customs. Which what I planned to do after xmas anyway even before I tried on these boots. So I dont think the pro shop will or should have to pay for them. i want to get a job there so I might not want to make a huge stink. Im simply getting too advanced for them. I like my boot stiffer that the description says for the levels....

Wait. You had your first group lessons in March? And you want customs already? I think your mom would be nuts to let you order custom Harlicks when you haven't even been skating for a year. If you're unhappy with the Reidells, fine, but try another brand's stock boot before your parents shell out the money for customs that, IMO, you have no use for.
 

blurrysarah

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 21, 2003
If you've got the cash for custom Harlicks and want to splurge, you might as well. They probably won't last any longer than stock boots, especially if your foot is still growing. Just keep in mind that customs are kind of excessive unless you have very wonky feet and/or have tried every other boot make there is.
Or of course, if you want leopard print skates.
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
I havent grown sence 4th or 5th grade...lol. And I buy my own skates. BTW, I have two singles already and my foot is kinda wacked out, so customs arent that bad an idea, esp sence Ill be even better by december.
 

peachstatesk8er

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
skatepixie said:
I havent grown sence 4th or 5th grade...lol. And I buy my own skates. BTW, I have two singles already and my foot is kinda wacked out, so customs arent that bad an idea, esp sence Ill be even better by december.

I think that's wonderful. Just be careful in getting a boot that is too stiff for your level; that can cause a whole different set of problems for your feet.
 

Yazmeen

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 29, 2003
Actually, I agree with Peach--be careful. One of our younger skaters who's only just getting into singles was sent for new boots, with coach requesting Reidell Silver Star or similar ones. I don't know what bill of goods she and her Mom sold the fitter, but she came back with a super stiff boot meant for someone doing triples and now she has a stress fracture. Her coach was less than pleased as you might guess. You're progressing well, Pix, and you will continue to progress but don't risk anything that might hurt your feet. (By the by, I'm kind of guessing by your board name that you're a petite little thing to begin with!!!)
 

StillBlueLake

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Maybe peach can advise here, but aren't Harlicks' the stiffest skates mostly for the very advanced? Two singles aren't going to require that sort of stiffness. I have all of my singles and am working on the axel and I see no need for custom boots. That's really for the more elite level. Different boot brands have different feels, I've always used Riedell and didn't have issues but am thinking about SPTeri's, anyone have an opinion on those?

BTW this is Lanternlight, I picked a new name for the new GS.
 

peachstatesk8er

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 1, 2003
My suggestion for you if you absolutely have your heart set on Harlicks and you want a stiff boot is to try their stock boots. Save yourself $100+ off the top and go with the Comp. Plus. If you really want a stiffer boot, then order the High Tester, but seriously IMO customs are going to be too much boot for you at your current level.

You're obviously going to do what you want, opinions and advice be darned, but I really think you'll be wasting your money at this point to go with custom boots. Save that $ for when/if you do need them.

And I think the best advice is before you order anything to check with your coach who will be able to advise you what boot will be best. It may not be Harlick at all. There are many boot manufacturers out there and they're all a little different. We've never seen you skate, never looked at your feet, have no clue how tall you are, what you weigh. All those things affect what kind of boot will be best. Talk to your coach before ordering.
 

sk8er1964

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
........And I think the best advice is before you order anything to check with your coach who will be able to advise you what boot will be best. It may not be Harlick at all. There are many boot manufacturers out there and they're all a little different. We've never seen you skate, never looked at your feet, have no clue how tall you are, what you weigh. All those things affect what kind of boot will be best. Talk to your coach before ordering. [/B]


This is really good advice.
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
I have. My group coach was all "Well, Ive only had Harlick. They're good boots." My private coach was all "these are still godd." And I said "But they dont fit." and she said "Oh. Well, Harlick are good" She uses SP Teri, but I simply know of too many stupid errors (such as measuring my friend a size too small and then telling her that it would be a month to fix it) for me to ever even consider giving them a cent. Also, my feet are impossible to fit with stock (normal ball, narrow heal, kind weird, indiscribable toes) boots, one of the reasons that I want customs. Also, you can get custom as soft or as hard as you want, so i fail to see how they are "too much boot", esp when I know people who arent too much more advanced than me who us them.

Also, the darned riedells have no stripped again. The bar stitch that holds the tounge is rubbing my skin off on my toe as well.
 
Top