Do we have the right skates?

My daughter is currently skating in Jackson Artistes. She is doing single jumps, upright spins, etc. She's about 60 lbs and about 4.5' tall and currently skates 2-3 hours per week (expecting that will go up next season).
Everything I'm reading is leading me to believe that she should be in a more of a skate than an Artiste at this point, but on the other hand, she has been in these skates for 6 months now and they are in great shape. The ankles are not breaking down at all, so does that mean they are supporting her well? These were the skates that were recommended by the local shop and we were warned about overbooting if we went with anything stiffer but they really didnt explain it any more than that. But I cant help but wonder why we seems to be completely out of sync with any of the comparison charts I can find.

skydancer said:

My daughter is currently skating in Jackson Artistes. She is doing single jumps, upright spins, etc. She's about 60 lbs and about 4.5' tall and currently skates 2-3 hours per week (expecting that will go up next season).
Everything I'm reading is leading me to believe that she should be in a more of a skate than an Artiste at this point, but on the other hand, she has been in these skates for 6 months now and they are in great shape. The ankles are not breaking down at all, so does that mean they are supporting her well? These were the skates that were recommended by the local shop and we were warned about overbooting if we went with anything stiffer but they really didnt explain it any more than that. But I cant help but wonder why we seems to be completely out of sync with any of the comparison charts I can find.

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My best advice is to ask her coach and to find a professional figure skate fitter and make and appointment to go out and see them, not a local pro shop that probably specializes in hockey. Good luck to you and your daughter.

It was a professional figure skate shop that recommended the Artistes. They do seem to be working for her. My biggest complaint it that the lace hooks are flimsy and bend and break far too easily. But other than that, they have been standing up to what she has been using them for. I'm not a skater myself, so this is all a huge learning process for me and I can't seem to find anything online that says "this is how you know you need a stiffer boot" or "this is how you know your boot is too stiff". What to look for, that kind of thing.

skydancer said:

It was a professional figure skate shop that recommended the Artistes. They do seem to be working for her. My biggest complaint it that the lace hooks are flimsy and bend and break far too easily. But other than that, they have been standing up to what she has been using them for. I'm not a skater myself, so this is all a huge learning process for me and I can't seem to find anything online that says "this is how you know you need a stiffer boot" or "this is how you know your boot is too stiff". What to look for, that kind of thing.

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What jumps etc is she doing?

Singles only. Toe Loop, Salchow, Waltz jumps. She's been learning a couple of others I think but i dont remember which ones. LOL

skydancer said:

Singles only. Toe Loop, Salchow, Waltz jumps. She's been learning a couple of others I think but i dont remember which ones. LOL

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Your daughter needs to get out of the rec/beginner level skates she is in now, they aren't really designed for the jumps shes progressing to, and they only provide light support and have basic chrome blades. I would hate to see her hurt her ankles or something worse.
She needs to look into a lower level firmer boot like a Jackson Debut or Competitor boot and a blade that will match up with her skill level and her near future skill level. You should talk to her coach regarding that.

It's been a long time since I've been in low level boots and the quality and names etc have changed so much since I have been. I'm an elite level skater and my boots are a level 95 stiffness level which is as stiff of a skating boot that you can get(I do triples), so as long as you aren't trying to put her in a boot that's too stiff for her and for multiple rotation jumps etc that she won't be doing for a good long time, then I don't see the fear of overbooting her at this point.

Talk to figure skate pros and they will be able to help you pick the correct boot/blade combo and make sure they are fitted to her correctly.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Ic3Rabbit said:

Your daughter needs to get out of the rec/beginner level skates she is in now, they aren't really designed for the jumps shes progressing to, and they only provide light support and have basic chrome blades. I would hate to see her hurt her ankles or something worse.
She needs to look into a lower level firmer boot like a Jackson Debut or Competitor boot and a blade that will match up with her skill level and her near future skill level. You should talk to her coach regarding that.

It's been a long time since I've been in low level boots and the quality and names etc have changed so much since I have been. I'm an elite level skater and my boots are a level 95 stiffness level which is as stiff of a skating boot that you can get(I do triples), so as long as you aren't trying to put her in a boot that's too stiff for her and for multiple rotation jumps etc that she won't be doing for a good long time, then I don't see the fear of overbooting her at this point.

Talk to figure skate pros and they will be able to help you pick the correct boot/blade combo and make sure they are fitted to her correctly.

Best of luck to you and your daughter.

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Thank you! What you're saying sounds a lot like what I've been reading elsewhere. I was expecting that we'd have to get her new skate soon due to size, so I will definitely make sure she gets the support she needs!

My guess is the Jackson Freesytle would be a good match. They are usually the first pair of "serious" skates for Jackson wearers

I'd also thought it was time for my daughter to step up to a stronger boot, based on the jumps she's working on, but my pro, who is a very good elite level pro who fits the people going to Worlds and the Olympics, said that her current boot (Jackson Freestyle) isn't breaking down, so for now, it's fine until maybe summer. So it's possible your current boot is okay for now. Your daughter is very light, and the boot isn't breaking down, by your observation. It's also possible that she may need to step up to the Jackson Freestyle. It's been six months since you saw the skate pro, yes? Make an appointment to have a good skate pro look at her skates and make recommendations.

I wouldn't dismiss the Artistes for such a light weight skater. The coach and expert fitter kept my son in those through a well-landed loop and into the lutz since he was only 60-65 pounds.

Good point! Little light weight skaters need less of a booth than a fully grown adult doing the same tricks.

Even my 12-year old 75 lbs skater still wears lesser of a boot than how the boots are officially rated.

Ok, brand new here but your situation is exactly the same as mine. I don't skate either, and I hesitate to comment in contrast to those who are obviously experienced skaters, but I'll share where we are with my daughter. She is the same height and weight and same level as yours. She skates 8-10 hours per week between private lessons, group lessons and practice. Her skates are the same Jackson Artistes fitted to her by the best fitter in the area (who also fits her coach, a former olympian, and from what I can tell several of the coaches and skaters at her home rink, where unfortunately the pro shop is all about hockey). We went from Jackson SoftSkates to the Artiste without any break in issues at all, once they were bumped out a bit they fit perfectly.

She's been in them for 3 months now and her fitter told me last week when I asked the same questions you are that those skates are plenty of skate to get her through single jumps up to axel or until she outgrows them. The blades are fine as well. I'd hesitate to post the fitters comments without consent but the gist was that stiffer boots at this stage are not beneficial and that the mfg. recommendations as far as boot stiffness v. skating level are not hard and fast rules and tend to overboot. If she skates until she outgrows them and they aren't broken down they are the perfect stiffness for her.

I agree that the hooks are flimsy and somehow got bent outwards, which I still can't figure out! Other than that and some mildew on the insoles now that the weather has warmed, we and her coach are perfectly happy with them.

Anyway, we are trying to get them stretched out for her to keep using another few months. We will address new skates when she starts learning her axel. She loves the look of the Jackson Debut coming out in the fall, however when it's time we'll trust her coach and her fitter to recommend the best boot and blade for her size and ability.