Do female skaters wear socks over their nylons? | Golden Skate

Do female skaters wear socks over their nylons?

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
This is a really flakey question. I know skating boots are tight, but wearing nylons alone looks as though it would leave your foot open to rubbing. So do they ever wear socks over their nylons?
 

tdnuva

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Johar said:
This is a really flakey question. I know skating boots are tight, but wearing nylons alone looks as though it would leave your foot open to rubbing. So do they ever wear socks over their nylons?


As I don't skate I don't know in general - but Jayne Torvill _wore_ socks.... There is a funny snippet in a backstage fluff where the costume guy complaint she wore them for far too long..... :laugh:
 

Johar

Medalist
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
LOL!

I always thought skates looked like they could make your feet sweaty and smelly :laugh:
 

dlkksk8fan

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Everyone is different when it comes to what they like to wear. I just wear my skating tights, but some people like to wear just a thin nylon sock or sometimes people go barefoot. I personally never wear a sock because it would be to bulky. I do wear what are called bunga's around my ankle, a sort of cushion that fits like a sock but has no feet.
I always thought skates looked like they could make your feet sweaty and smelly
Sometimes this can be true! :laugh:
 

IDLERACER

Medalist
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
The title of this thread reminds me of that old joke about people who wonder what Scottish men wear under their kilts. I've always assumed it was tartan colored jockstraps.
 

John King

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
IDLERACER said:
The title of this thread reminds me of that old joke about people who wonder what Scottish men wear under their kilts. I've always assumed it was tartan colored jockstraps.
Off-topic:What was worn under Phillipe Candeloro's kilt in his Braveheart program?Answer:Nothing was worn under it,everything's in perfect working order! :laugh:
 

rjulie510

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
I remember during SLC exhibitions, Sarah Hughes was shown adjusting her white athletic socks under her boots. Then she covered her boots with stockings. (I generally do not like when female skaters cover boots with stockings; it gives them the look of elephant ankles. It looks BAD. It DOES NOT make their legs look long.) I read at MKF that Michelle wears foot covering under her boots. I'm guessing wearing socks is a personal thing. Some may go barefeet, and some may wear socks.
 

sk8er1964

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I tried socks once, and it was horrible. I got bad blisters from the socks rubbing against my skin. I use the skater's equivalent of tight-like trouser socks - you can buy them from most skating tight suppliers. (Except when I test or compete, then I use footed tights.) Regular nylons like you'd buy at the drug store are too thin and too fragile.

However, as other posters have said, to each their own. I know of people who skate barefoot - to me the very idea of it is yucky because of the sweaty feet.
 

2loop2002

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
As mentioned above some skaters choose to skate barefoot, in tights, or in socks. The key to avoiding blisters is to be consistent in the choice. A professional skate fitter will ask to be sure that the skater is wearing the same type of foot covering when they have their feet measured for new skates as the skater plans to skate in. Likewise breaking in a pair of skates while wearing tights and then trying to skate in socks will likely cause problems. Skates fit very snuggly and changing the thickness of the sock or tight will also change the fit of the skate.

I always chose to wear thin tights to skate in. For practice I'd add a thicker pair of footless tights over them for warmth, but for competition I'd just wear the one pair. Luckily tights made for skating and dance are warmer than the nylon hose you buy from stores! :laugh:

edited to add:
Most of the girls I skated with wore tights; two or three went barefoot. Most of the guys wore socks. They tended to wear white socks, too. If their pants were getting too short, you would see black boot, white sock, then black pant leg when they practiced camel spins. :eek: The velcro or snap straps on the bottom of the pant leg do a great job of keeping white socks hidden during competition though! :laugh:
 
Last edited:

Lucy25

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 31, 2003
Nancy Kerrigan always wore white socks. You could see them over the tops of her skates.
 

skatepixie

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 2, 2003
I use just footed tights...basically so do everyone else at my rink, although some people wear over the boot tights with nylons or thin socks under.
 

icenut84

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
As far as I know, I don't think any elite skaters would wear socks *and* tights around their feet, because two layers can cause rubbing and slipping and is not good. I personally wear thin socks. Usually a skater in competition might wear OTB tights or tights that don't go round their feet if they wear socks, I think.

IDLERACER said:
The title of this thread reminds me of that old joke about people who wonder what Scottish men wear under their kilts. I've always assumed it was tartan colored jockstraps.

Real Scottish men in kilts don't wear anything underneath. :)
 

Isabelle

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
I personally wear just skating tights on my feet. (well, and skates of course! :) ) Most of the other girls I know just wear skating tights too. If a girl was to wear socks in her skates, it would be while wearing footless or over-the-boot tights, I'm pretty sure no one would wear tights AND socks on their feet.
 

Ladskater

~ Figure Skating Is My Passion ~
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
My answer is "no, not likely." I never wore socks. I usually wore leotards (or tights as they are now called) and I wore nylons only once in awhile - for tests. Socks would be too bulky. As someone pointed out, some skaters go barefoot - I did know a skater who did this. Personally, I would find that uncomfortable. Sometimes skaters put pads or even little compact puffs in their skates if the boot rubs. I did that for awhile when my boots were new.
 

icenut84

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Ladskater said:
I never wore socks. I usually wore leotards (or tights as they are now called)

:confused: Are leotards called "tights" in the USA? Very confused. Tights are what you wear on your legs, that usually go round your feet too and are very thin, and are stretchy and usually sheer - the skin-colour material skaters wear on their legs. I think maybe the US term is hose/pantyhose?
 

Isabelle

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
icenut84 said:
:confused: Are leotards called "tights" in the USA? Very confused. Tights are what you wear on your legs, that usually go round your feet too and are very thin, and are stretchy and usually sheer - the skin-colour material skaters wear on their legs. I think maybe the US term is hose/pantyhose?

Um...tights and pantyhose are 2 different things. (at least in Canada) Tights are usually stretchier, slightly thicker, and in my opinion way more comfortable than panty hose.

With regards to "leotards", I believe tights used to be called leotards, but now a "leotard" is another name for a bodysuit. I think. Hope this helps to un-confuse you! ;)
 

backspin

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 30, 2003
I skate barefooted. Feels great--you have total control & much finer, precise movement w/ your feet. Sometimes I wear footed tights, which aren't bad either. And of course, I'd die without my Bungas!!
 

Kyla

Rinkside
Joined
Jun 13, 2004
I wear thin stretchy socks in my skates. I just found footed (is that a word?!) tights to be uncomfortable. I too dislike boot-cover tights, but I have to wear them for synchro competitions. As far as practises and singles tests go, I wear stirup tights. I find they elongate my legs better than booted or footless tights do.
 
Top