Boot and Blade advice for young son?

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Hi all,

Long time lurker but first time posting so if I miss anything out sorry and please let me know.

My son needs new boots as he's close to outgrowing his, and he will need new blades too. He has been in Edea Overtures which he loves and says are very comfortable, and he wants to stick with Edea. In the past he has tried Jackson and Riedell but he was very unhappy in them despite repeat fittings, different widths, moulding the skates, they just didn't seem to work for him, whereas Edeas he loved from the moment he tried them on.

Also, he currently has stock blades which came with his Overture boots. He is not currently sure whether he wants to do freestyle or ice dancing (he loves the idea of pairs), but he's ruled out synchro. I had been reading on here that the Coronation Ace blades were very good, would they be suitable for him at his stage?


Any advice would be great thanks, and apologies if I have any of the terminology incorrect

 

[Diana Delafield]

Oh, goody, another convert ! I'm neither a technician nor a coach, just a lifelong skater who started out at 5 (a small but opinionated and stubborn 5) with parents like yours who fully supported any and all of the activities I wanted to try. I know how valuable that was for you and how it will be for the rest of your son's life. You don't mention what his coach thinks of this boot question? Does he or she agree with you that your son's strong preference for Edeas should be the deciding factor? If so, I think the generalization that "most kids are fine with Jacksons or Riedells" doesn't apply here. Your son is tall for his age, and has some distinctive foot-shape features that need to be deciding factors as well as his preference. I wore various companies' boots over the years and when I found Jacksons as an adult, they were perfect for my narrow, high-arched feet from the first fitting. I wore them for about twenty years. Only this year did I finally switch to Risport because the Jackson fit had changed to something that didn't work for me anymore.

My three kids skated until they were into their early teens and when the two boys decided they wanted to be outdoors and ski instead, we listened to their coach about boots since we parents knew nothing about skiing and its equipment. If you haven't discussed this with your son's coach, I'd recommend doing that. The technicians know equipment, but you and the coach know your son, and if he has such strong feelings on the subject they should be one of the considerations.

I won't get into blades. They've proliferated in brands and styles so much since I started skating and I'm pretty much fixated on the Old Faithfuls I'm used to. Others here can give you much better advice on the blades, and on the boots as well. Your post was perfectly clear and "skate-literate". Do keep coming back!

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Oh, goody, another convert ! I'm neither a technician nor a coach, just a lifelong skater who started out at 5 (a small but opinionated and stubborn 5) with parents like yours who fully supported any and all of the activities I wanted to try. I know how valuable that was for you and how it will be for the rest of your son's life. You don't mention what his coach thinks of this boot question? Does he or she agree with you that your son's strong preference for Edeas should be the deciding factor? If so, I think the generalization that "most kids are fine with Jacksons or Riedells" doesn't apply here. Your son is tall for his age, and has some distinctive foot-shape features that need to be deciding factors as well as his preference. I wore various companies' boots over the years and when I found Jacksons as an adult, they were perfect for my narrow, high-arched feet from the first fitting. I wore them for about twenty years. Only this year did I finally switch to Risport because the Jackson fit had changed to something that didn't work for me anymore.

My three kids skated until they were into their early teens and when the two boys decided they wanted to be outdoors and ski instead, we listened to their coach about boots since we parents knew nothing about skiing and its equipment. If you haven't discussed this with your son's coach, I'd recommend doing that. The technicians know equipment, but you and the coach know your son, and if he has such strong feelings on the subject they should be one of the considerations.

I won't get into blades. They've proliferated in brands and styles so much since I started skating and I'm pretty much fixated on the Old Faithfuls I'm used to. Others here can give you much better advice on the blades, and on the boots as well. Your post was perfectly clear and "skate-literate". Do keep coming back!

Thank you so much

Yes I've discussed it at length with his coach, and he said that he thinks our son should stick with Edea, he said his skating is markedly better in the Edeas, and that he looks so much more relaxed and confident on the ice in them, I am paraphrasing but it's like he "trusts" the skate if that makes sense? In the others even to my eyes he looked slightly wary, or cautious, like he was holding back. Not sure that makes sense, but I can't think how else to describe it. His coach apparently doesn't usually recommend Edea, and doesn't like them much himself, but thinks they are best for our son. The skate techs both said coaches don't know skates, but surely if his coach can see it's making that much difference there must be something in it?

It is a steep learning curve as a parent, I think, but so far this forum has been invaluable during my lurking

 

[Minz]

What kind of skate techs are these? Are they pro-shop skate techs or are they actual skate techs who specialize in figure skates?

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

What kind of skate techs are these? Are they pro-shop skate techs or are they actual skate techs who specialize in figure skates?

They are skate techs who specialize in figure skates, and who are used by the club and coaches. Again not sure if it's relevant but our son, other than one of his coaches who is male, is the only male skater in his club. Figure skating is not popular with boys in our area, we had quite a drive to both of the skate techs, which we don't mind at all, but we want to make sure he's got the right boots and blades for him.

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thank you so much

Yes I've discussed it at length with his coach, and he said that he thinks our son should stick with Edea, he said his skating is markedly better in the Edeas, and that he looks so much more relaxed and confident on the ice in them, I am paraphrasing but it's like he "trusts" the skate if that makes sense? In the others even to my eyes he looked slightly wary, or cautious, like he was holding back. Not sure that makes sense, but I can't think how else to describe it. His coach apparently doesn't usually recommend Edea, and doesn't like them much himself, but thinks they are best for our son. The skate techs both said coaches don't know skates, but surely if his coach can see it's making that much difference there must be something in it?

Also, not sure if it's relevant, but our son has always been a cheerful, calm, polite and good natured boy, he's always been open to advice and although he's very focused and dedicated he has never been stubborn or set in his ways, it is unusual for him to be so insistent on something the way he is on his Edeas.

It is a steep learning curve as a parent, I think, but so far this forum has been invaluable during my lurking

Then go with the Edeas! And extra points for a coach who recommends a boot he doesn't much like himself -- you've found one who puts the pupil first ahead of his own ego.

I know just what your son feels, although I don't think I could put it exactly into words. For me, the former Jacksons fit so perfectly I didn't feel I had equipment attached, impeding my feet and getting between me and the ice as other brands did. The Jackson boots, plus the MK Pro blades I've used for decades, felt like part of my feet. I felt a direct connection to the ice such as I had in my dance classes with soft slippers on the floor, and I was in control of what I was doing, not my boots controlling my feet while not quite agreeing with what my mind wanted them to do. By the time I switched to Risports this year, I was no longer conscious of attached equipment and didn't really think anymore about who was in charge, my boots or me.

You've got lots of new experiences and the occasional speedbump ahead of you, but it sounds to me as if you and your son make a good team . And yes, you'll get lots of good advice and help here when needed. I did with my boot change earlier this year and I'm grateful for it every time I step on the ice now

 

[WednesdayMarch]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Sounds to me like your son and coach are happy with Edeas for his feet, so it makes sense to stick with them. Get the coach's opinion on whether Overture are still okay or whether an upgrade to Chorus would be better. The coach will know better than anybody about this as he knows your son's skating.

Blade-wise, I'd switch him up to Coronation Ace. There's a reason they've been the world's most popular blade for so many decades and they are great for learning both freestyle and dance and as he's keen, disciplined and progressing quickly, he deserves the equipment that will best help him in that.

 

[MCsAngel2]

Agree you should switch to Coronation Ace, or MK Pro, now. If you can find them in his size!! There's an issue at the maker with the equipment and there have been shortages while they prepare for new machines.

Also agree you should stick with Edea, absolutely. I myself would never wear them, but they clearly work well for your son and that IS the most important thing.

Overture vs Chorus is a really tough call. On the one hand, he's ready to start jumping and he's quite tall for his age, but on the other he's so light and he's still growing and he potentially could get another pair of Overtures and outgrow those before the jumping is frequent enough to be an issue. How long did his current pair last him?

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Then go with the Edeas! And extra points for a coach who recommends a boot he doesn't much like himself -- you've found one who puts the pupil first ahead of his own ego.

I know just what your son feels, although I don't think I could put it exactly into words. For me, the former Jacksons fit so perfectly I didn't feel I had equipment attached, impeding my feet and getting between me and the ice as other brands did. The Jackson boots, plus the MK Pro blades I've used for decades, felt like part of my feet. I felt a direct connection to the ice such as I had in my dance classes with soft slippers on the floor, and I was in control of what I was doing, not my boots controlling my feet while not quite agreeing with what my mind wanted them to do. By the time I switched to Risports this year, I was no longer conscious of attached equipment and didn't really think anymore about who was in charge, my boots or me.

You've got lots of new experiences and the occasional speedbump ahead of you, but it sounds to me as if you and your son make a good team . And yes, you'll get lots of good advice and help here when needed. I did with my boot change earlier this year and I'm grateful for it every time I step on the ice now

Thank you - that makes me feel a lot better, and confirms what I was thinking. From my uninformed point to view I just don't think it makes any sense to take him out of Edeas, and you put it so much better that I did - he feels that in his Edeas "everything just works" his words not mine.

Yes we have been very lucky, his coach is a really nice guy who seems to put the wellbeing of his skaters above everything, our son gets on brilliantly with him too.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Sounds to me like your son and coach are happy with Edeas for his feet, so it makes sense to stick with them. Get the coach's opinion on whether Overture are still okay or whether an upgrade to Chorus would be better. The coach will know better than anybody about this as he knows your son's skating.

Blade-wise, I'd switch him up to Coronation Ace. There's a reason they've been the world's most popular blade for so many decades and they are great for learning both freestyle and dance and as he's keen, disciplined and progressing quickly, he deserves the equipment that will best help him in that.

Thank you for your reply. I spoke to his coach today and will update below in a bit, I'm still getting the hang of replying/formatting on here.

Thank you, we're going to switch him to Coronation Ace, he puts his heart and soul into his skating, and that's just it, I feel that he deserves the equipment which will help him progress too.
He already gets a lot of nasty and homophobic comments about his skating, the rink and club are great about cracking down on it, and he doesn't let it bother him, he just shrugs and says mean people will always find something to pick on, but it's hard to watch him go through that. He has lots of friends in the club, but his friends outside skating don't really understand why he wants to spend so much time skating either (none of them are really into any sports) and get frustrated with him that he is often skating when they want to play or do something. I feel that he's getting a bit of a tough time, and if there's anything we can do to help him we want to be able to do it

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Agree you should switch to Coronation Ace, or MK Pro, now. If you can find them in his size!! There's an issue at the maker with the equipment and there have been shortages while they prepare for new machines.

Also agree you should stick with Edea, absolutely. I myself would never wear them, but they clearly work well for your son and that IS the most important thing.

Overture vs Chorus is a really tough call. On the one hand, he's ready to start jumping and he's quite tall for his age, but on the other he's so light and he's still growing and he potentially could get another pair of Overtures and outgrow those before the jumping is frequent enough to be an issue. How long did his current pair last him?

Thank you, we are going to switch to the Coronation Ace, I'll start looking for his size and hope we can find some

Thanks, he is the only one in the club who wears Edea, and most people around here seem to dislike them, but he absolutely loves them. My physiotherapist best friend says he stands better in them too, and that his foot print on the insole was much better than in the Jacksons or Riedell.

He is very light, and his coach says he lands very softly but decisively from jumps too. His coach has also commented that he never seems to have any trouble coming out of jumps, even to my eyes they just seem to flow. His current Overtures have lasted seven months, he's just had a big growth spurt.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Following all of your advice, I have spoken to our son's coach again, and he thinks the Chorus would be better. He said that our son is advancing quickly and that he could probably make use of the Chorus before he outgrows his next pair of skates, he also thinks the Coronation Ace would be a good idea.
Thank you again, it is difficult as a parent trying to learn because everyone seems to say to trust the skate techs, but we are going to stick with what his coach thinks is best, its working for our son and above everything we want him to enjoy himself

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thank you for your reply. I spoke to his coach today and will update below in a bit, I'm still getting the hang of replying/formatting on here.

I managed some garbled posts/replies myself at first, not being tech-savvy (and I've had kind and helpful advice in that area here also .) I learned quickly how to Edit when I spotted a mistake after hitting Post, and the first tech question I asked was how to find those cute emojis .

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thank you for your reply. I spoke to his coach today and will update below in a bit, I'm still getting the hang of replying/formatting on here.

Thank you, we're going to switch him to Coronation Ace, he puts his heart and soul into his skating, and that's just it, I feel that he deserves the equipment which will help him progress too.
He already gets a lot of nasty and homophobic comments about his skating, the rink and club are great about cracking down on it, and he doesn't let it bother him, he just shrugs and says mean people will always find something to pick on, but it's hard to watch him go through that. He has lots of friends in the club, but his friends outside skating don't really understand why he wants to spend so much time skating either (none of them are really into any sports) and get frustrated with him that he is often skating when they want to play or do something. I feel that he's getting a bit of a tough time, and if there's anything we can do to help him we want to be able to do it

You've probably mentioned this pre-bullying to his teacher and/or the principal at his school, in case he faces any problems there. My mother was a child psychologist who worked for some years (in the 1960s and 70s) at a school in Vancouver with custom-made timetables for kids heavily involved in competitive sports and the arts. Many of her "clients" were kids in non-typical activities -- boys in ballet or skating, but also girls in sports like wrestling or weight-lifting -- who had to deal with those kind of comments. Your son sounds like he's already got a mature attitude towards that, pretty good at 8 !

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

I managed some garbled posts/replies myself at first, not being tech-savvy (and I've had kind and helpful advice in that area here also .) I learned quickly how to Edit when I spotted a mistake after hitting Post, and the first tech question I asked was how to find those cute emojis .

Thank you and how do you find the emojis please?

 

[Diana Delafield]

Thank you and how do you find the emojis please?

Whee, a computer question I can answer for once! Up at the top of the page there's a row of symbols (beginning with a B on my screen). At the end right after the one that's a picture of a mountain or whatever, there are three little dots in a vertical row. Not the other three dots at the very end by themselves, the ones in the row ending with the paper clip/picture/dots. Click on the dots and you get a new bar of symbols, etc below that top line. Click on the smiley face and you get the group of emojis. At first I misinterpreted what some of them meant, but nobody laughed at me and I eventually got the hang of it. I know I overuse them now, but I'm still having fun with the novelty, and they're so cute!

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

You've probably mentioned this pre-bullying to his teacher and/or the principal at his school, in case he faces any problems there. My mother was a child psychologist who worked for some years (in the 1960s and 70s) at a school in Vancouver with custom-made timetables for kids heavily involved in competitive sports and the arts. Many of her "clients" were kids in non-typical activities -- boys in ballet or skating, but also girls in sports like wrestling or weight-lifting -- who had to deal with those kind of comments. Your son sounds like he's already got a mature attitude towards that, pretty good at 8 !

Thank you that's brilliant advice, and yes we spoke to them when he started figure skating as I had some concerns. So far they have been good about it, and crack down hard on anything which flares up, but I have started picking him up and dropping him off rather than have him take the bus, it works better with his skating schedule anyway, and the bus ride seemed to be where most of the problems kicked off.

Thank you, he has always been very sensible, and he is always so cheerful and good-natured about everything, he's almost impossible to rile up. I do feel frustrated sometimes that he's found something he adores but he comes in for hassle because of it, it is part of life, but feels so much more unfair when its directed at him rather than when I went through it as a child.

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

Whee, a computer question I can answer for once! Up at the top of the page there's a row of symbols (beginning with a B on my screen). At the end right after the one that's a picture of a mountain or whatever, there are three little dots in a vertical row. Not the other three dots at the very end by themselves, the ones in the row ending with the paper clip/picture/dots. Click on the dots and you get a new bar of symbols, etc below that top line. Click on the smiley face and you get the group of emojis. At first I misinterpreted what some of them meant, but nobody laughed at me and I eventually got the hang of it. I know I overuse them now, but I'm still having fun with the novelty, and they're so cute!

Thank you! I've got them now, there will be no stopping me

 

[SK4T3]

(Based on you and your son's information, level and experiences)
Here (In Europe); EDEA Overture(s) attached with Rotation blades are sold as a pré-mounted kit. For an Extremely Reasonable price (in my opinion) USD235~255 you get an enormous quality boot with a no nonsense blade.

My kids always love them (the fit) (they skate in very different levels)

Most People around here start with this kit. Some upgrade their blades to John Wilson Coronation Ace and keep buying the Overtures; some upgrade to Chorus.

I'm a male Skater myself; former Aggressive Inline Skater. Started with 2nd hand Risport Laser with John Wilson Coronation Ace blades.
It isn't very easy (when you're growing (up)) to find black boots in your (high)size in different choices. Luckily I had the chance to fit EDEA Overture with the stock blades and Risport RF3 Pro with my beloved John Wilson Coronation Ace blades at my pro-shop. I chose the Risport because of their Stifness and possibility to choose my own beloved blades. (Concerto and Up where unavailable)
Later on I had the chance to try on some EDEA Ice Fly at an Ice rink nearby. Will definitely give it a try when my RF3 are broke down and skate at a higher level. These felt great on my feet and on ice.

About the homophobic comments; Please keep in mind he has a scarce / rare talent. I'm sure he is proud about himself and you're proud about him! (That's most important) I'm sure some people with these comments are a bit jealous about what he is able to achieve.
I'm around Forty-ish; never got any comments, only compliments. At our Rink there are 3 Male coaches; 6 Male Members. We are included as "One of the Girls"

 

[IllMetByMoonlight]

(Based on you and your son's information, level and experiences)
Here (In Europe); EDEA Overture(s) attached with Rotation blades are sold as a pré-mounted kit. For an Extremely Reasonable price (in my opinion) USD235~255 you get an enormous quality boot with a no nonsense blade.

My kids always love them (the fit) (they skate in very different levels)

Most People around here start with this kit. Some upgrade their blades to John Wilson Coronation Ace and keep buying the Overtures; some upgrade to Chorus.

I'm a male Skater myself; former Aggressive Inline Skater. Started with 2nd hand Risport Laser with John Wilson Coronation Ace blades.
It isn't very easy (when you're growing (up)) to find black boots in your (high)size in different choices. Luckily I had the chance to fit EDEA Overture with the stock blades and Risport RF3 Pro with my beloved John Wilson Coronation Ace blades at my pro-shop. I chose the Risport because of their Stifness and possibility to choose my own beloved blades. (Concerto and Up where unavailable)
Later on I had the chance to try on some EDEA Ice Fly at an Ice rink nearby. Will definitely give it a try when my RF3 are broke down and skate at a higher level. These felt great on my feet and on ice.

About the homophobic comments; Please keep in mind he has a scarce / rare talent. I'm sure he is proud about himself and you're proud about him! (That's most important) I'm sure some people with these comments are a bit jealous about what he is able to achieve.
I'm around Forty-ish; never got any comments, only compliments. At our Rink there are 3 Male coaches; 6 Male Members. We are included as "One of the Girls"

Thank you - that is extremely helpful, and sorry about the late reply I missed the notification! We're going to get him the Chorus and the Coronation Ace blades, his coach thinks that combination would be best too.
And thank you - he doesn't care about the comments (he genuinely doesn't care, he's not just pretending not to), but its infuriating to watch it as a parent and his coach and club all get very angry about it too. We are extremely proud of him, and he loves every second on the ice, he is proud of himself too, that his focus and dedication are paying off.