Boots for skates or soft skates?

[Inaee413]

What I mean by saving cash myself is that I could go get skates for myself without my parents, as ultimately it is money in my hand.
With the other statement I was referring to my mum's money.
I do have my own money from work, it goes to my mum's bank account which means I still need her permission to spend it. I did ask before we went if I could use ~400 of my money to spend on skates, but she said that I didn't need skates that expensive.

I get that returning the skates would ultimately save more money. However my mum seems really happy with the skates, and I don't want to hassle her with refunds and cancellations.

 

[kelpen]

Hi!
I'm roughly 160 cm in height. My foot has a normal arch to it and my toes slope down in a line (not sure if there's a name for that). I live on the east side of Markham, in Ontario.
Thank you for the advice.

Where are you signed up for lessons? I am also in Markham.

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

Hmmmm.... I don't think it's up to strangers in the internet to comment on family/parents dynamics, but I can't help wondering how someone as young as you is working and you work, get paid for the work, then your salary is taken from you without freedom to spend as you wish? Different cultures/countries, different habits, perhaps.

You mention that the skates you owned prior to the new recreational skates were too big. if these recreational ones are the correct size, I wouldn't return them at all, why return them? You would need to go back to skating to skates too big, which is even more terrible. Saving all the money you can yourself ASAP and buying the correct equipment would be what I'd do. Or sell something I don't need, unwanted gift, something that has some value but I don't need any longer. Ebay and other online markets, to add to the money saving.

Do you receive a money allowance or money gifts from parents, grand parents and other adults in your family (I come from a country/culture where is common to have money allowances and receive money as gift from adults in the family). If you can just not spend this money in anything else, and save it all, you should be able to freely buy the skates you need.
Seeing your commitment, not only to skating, but with managing own finances and saving towards a goal might make your parents change their minds/behaviour and support your skating endeavours!

 

[Inaee413]

Personally I'm okay with it. My mum does know that it is my money. I think it's just that she doesn't want me to spend all of it willy nilly. She typically does give me money to spend with friends (usually a 20).
I do also get cash for lunar new year and my birthday.

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

Excellent! Hopefully you can save your allowances and other money gifts and get yourself proper skates for your feet ASAP.
Again, I wish you great luck and great skating

 

[silverlily1]

Don*t let encourage you and enjoy your first lessons. Normally coaches have a look on the equipment and will let you know if there are exercises that you shouldn't do with your boots. My daughter started also with a cheap boot&blade set (I don*t remember the brand) than changed to Jackson Freestyle, learned all doubles in that boot. Then she changed to Risport RF3 and now RF1 to jump triples. I spend now more for the blade than for the boot, around 1.000 € the set (seems like figure skating shoes are much cheaper in Europe than in North America). I don't know anybody spending 2.000 € for some skates. Biggest problem is the availability of equipment. We had to wait 8 weeks for new boots.
And please tell your father that figure skating is the perfect sport to support an academic career -
you have to repeat everything one million times, you have to analyize each detail to get a good result, you have to stand up immediatley after fall, you are alone in front of the judges. All this abilities are very helpfull in "real" life.

We're in Canada. An RF1 and high level blade is $2000 here ($900-$950 for the boot, same for the blade, plus 12-15% tax when you aren't in Alberta, which she's not). So actually up to about $2185. For non-custom. Nobody said anything about Euros.

And at my club there's a girl learning lutzes wearing boots that fold completely at the ankle (inside and out, they're 30-year-old rec boots that are just two layers of leather) and nobody has told her anything about it. And a 12-year-old girl doing doubles on mark iv blades. These aren't even beginners. A lot of coaches won't say anything about your skates, especially in a beginner class. Half of the people teaching beginner classes are kids and teens themselves because that's who they can get to teach.

 

[lilimum]

We're in Canada. An RF1 and high level blade is $2000 here ($900-$950 for the boot, same for the blade, plus 12-15% tax when you aren't in Alberta, which she's not). So actually up to about $2185. For non-custom. Nobody said anything about Euros.

I thought you are talking about US$, 1 US$ is round about 1 Euro.

 

[Inaee413]

Where are you signed up for lessons? I am also in Markham.

I'm signed up for lessons at the city under the teen age group. They have courses for adults but I believe they're all full now.

 

[LolaSkatesInJapan]

The euro is worth a little more than the american dollar USD but I agree with the rest @lilimum
It's seems that figure skating goods are much, much more expensive in North America, especially USA. And if you are importing anything from there, the parcel prices are way, way too expensive. Prices in Europe are more cheaper (more than here in Japan) and it doesn't cost much to import (parcel cost). Except for skates + blades which I do buy in person at my fitter, for correct fitting purposes and mantenaince (they won't service equipment not bought there), I import everything else skating related from a few shops in different European countries I buy from. Buy as many items that can fit in the lowest parcel cost and I save money.
Also ice time fee and coach salaries are so, so expensive in north america compared to here, (and here we also have very high level coaching) and a few European countries I've researched. Even my own country costs a little more than here, but far from being as expensive as north america.