I'm aware how crazy that jump sounds but bear with me. I couldn't find much when I was looking into getting these skates so I wanted to put my experiences with them and how I decided on these skates out there in the hopes it can help someone else.
For a little background, the artistes were my first pair of skates and I'd had them for pretty much exactly 2 years and I loved them. I was fitted by a reputable fitter and was very happy with them. I solely do dance and, as of right now, I am reasonably comfortable with all my steps/turns except back counters and twizzles, and I have never really tried loops. I am working towards a scratch spin and sit spin. I have passed my first skills test and first two pattern dance tests pretty comfortably and I have my pattern dance 3 and skills 2 on Tuesday (fingers crossed). Just to give you an idea of where my skating is at.
In November, I accepted that my artistes needed to be taken out back and shot - the crease was over an inch long on either side of my ankle, they had absolutely no support and I could feel my feet moving a little in the boot. I also just felt really restricted by the blades. I was struggling with backwards brackets because the blade was so flat and there was such a small margin for error. This also made me nervous to try back counters and I just felt generally restricted by my skates. I felt like I had gotten as much out of them as I could and it was time to move on.
Because I was committed to doing dance, I started looking into dance skates. I knew I didn't need them at my level but I thought if I know that's what I am solely doing then I might as well switch now rather than later on. I spoke to my coach about his thoughts but he doesn't really get involved with that kind of equipment talk. He skates in leather free-skating boots that are older than me and falling apart at the seams on the dullest coro aces I have ever felt so his advice was to make sure I can bend in them and that dance blades/boots are overhyped. He also believes that due to dance blades being slimmer, they can be dangerous on poor ice or when sharing the ice with free skaters because it is easier to get caught in their ruts and said they're an option but 'you've gotta be strong or you've gotta be brave'. I was really set on dance skates though and I booked to get fitted properly.
I did my research on the different boots and blades available and had my heart set on the Jackson supreme low cuts because I liked my jacksons and that is the only low cut boot they make in black, but tried not to get my hopes up because of how stiff they are.
They were the first boot I tried on when I got there and I loved them. They didn't have the low cuts in so I tried on the regular Supremes and they felt great. They felt so much more supportive around my feet and were so comfortable - and I could still bend my ankles. I tried on Edeas - I think the choruses? and they felt awful. they felt really restrictive and when I tried to bend, it felt like the tongue of the boot wanted to bend in a different place to my ankles and it felt like I was damaging the boots and was just uncomfortable. I tried on two risport boots too. I can't remember which risports but I really didn't like them either. They felt like they wouldn't last and I hated how they felt on my feet. They didn't hurt and in theory they fit well but they didn't feel natural.
There was a mix-up and the dance boot wasn't ordered so I ended up with the regular boot which I decided to keep and I am so happy with them. I decided to keep them rather than exchanging them because they were still a lot lower around the ankle than my artistes and I had already been waiting for 4 months for them to arrive and was tired of waiting.
The first 20 hours were absolutely brutal though. I could not keep them on for more than 30 minutes because they hurt so much. My feet were cramping really badly and I was worried for a bit that I'd gotten the wrong size but in the past 15 hours of use, they have very quickly gotten better. My feet still hurt after wearing them for 3 hours at a time but its much more mild (and I can actually keep them on for 3 hours) and I think most of the pain is just my toes going numb from the cold. They are also getting more comfortable each time I wear them. My actual skating adjusted pretty quickly though - I even tested in them the second time I wore them. I was worried about my knee bend but I think it has actually improved. I feel so much more stable and supported and feel like I can really push into the tongue of the boot without losing some stability. I definitely feel it in the muscles in my lower leg and ankles the day after a long session though but it feels like the type of soreness you get after a workout - not concerning pain.
As for the blades, I opted for the ultima finesse synchro blades which have a 7ft rocker, a regular toepick, and a short tail - but are the same thickness as my old blades. I have noticed such a big difference in the softness and fluidity of my turns, and counters/ back brackets are a lot smoother and less of a deathtrap. I found the transition to the shorter blades really easy and I feel more balanced and stable overall now that I have adjusted than I ever did in my old skates. I feel limited by my own skill only now, rather than feeling restricted by my blades - which I think is a good thing because I can feel what I am or am not doing and try to correct it. The first two weeks in the new blades, I felt like I had to work harder to control my turns and edges and it took me a minute to figure out how to get pressure into my edges in the right way and use draw again, but once I figured it out it's better than it was in my old skates.
Spins have been interesting but I pretty much never practiced spins prior so I didn't have anything solid to carry over.
Overall, I am very happy with them and I have felt a difference and I've had a few people tell me they can see a difference in my skating since them. I almost didn't try them on because I was so worried about over-booting and I thought that because I had only been skating for 2ish years, they would definitely be wrong for me. I think it is important to be receptive and open to the input of professionals and more experienced skaters and this jump definitely is not for everyone and I would never have done it without trying them and other boots on, but it worked out really well and I'm glad I trusted myself.
I'm happy to answer any questions
For a little background, the artistes were my first pair of skates and I'd had them for pretty much exactly 2 years and I loved them. I was fitted by a reputable fitter and was very happy with them. I solely do dance and, as of right now, I am reasonably comfortable with all my steps/turns except back counters and twizzles, and I have never really tried loops. I am working towards a scratch spin and sit spin. I have passed my first skills test and first two pattern dance tests pretty comfortably and I have my pattern dance 3 and skills 2 on Tuesday (fingers crossed). Just to give you an idea of where my skating is at.
In November, I accepted that my artistes needed to be taken out back and shot - the crease was over an inch long on either side of my ankle, they had absolutely no support and I could feel my feet moving a little in the boot. I also just felt really restricted by the blades. I was struggling with backwards brackets because the blade was so flat and there was such a small margin for error. This also made me nervous to try back counters and I just felt generally restricted by my skates. I felt like I had gotten as much out of them as I could and it was time to move on.
Because I was committed to doing dance, I started looking into dance skates. I knew I didn't need them at my level but I thought if I know that's what I am solely doing then I might as well switch now rather than later on. I spoke to my coach about his thoughts but he doesn't really get involved with that kind of equipment talk. He skates in leather free-skating boots that are older than me and falling apart at the seams on the dullest coro aces I have ever felt so his advice was to make sure I can bend in them and that dance blades/boots are overhyped. He also believes that due to dance blades being slimmer, they can be dangerous on poor ice or when sharing the ice with free skaters because it is easier to get caught in their ruts and said they're an option but 'you've gotta be strong or you've gotta be brave'. I was really set on dance skates though and I booked to get fitted properly.
I did my research on the different boots and blades available and had my heart set on the Jackson supreme low cuts because I liked my jacksons and that is the only low cut boot they make in black, but tried not to get my hopes up because of how stiff they are.
They were the first boot I tried on when I got there and I loved them. They didn't have the low cuts in so I tried on the regular Supremes and they felt great. They felt so much more supportive around my feet and were so comfortable - and I could still bend my ankles. I tried on Edeas - I think the choruses? and they felt awful. they felt really restrictive and when I tried to bend, it felt like the tongue of the boot wanted to bend in a different place to my ankles and it felt like I was damaging the boots and was just uncomfortable. I tried on two risport boots too. I can't remember which risports but I really didn't like them either. They felt like they wouldn't last and I hated how they felt on my feet. They didn't hurt and in theory they fit well but they didn't feel natural.
There was a mix-up and the dance boot wasn't ordered so I ended up with the regular boot which I decided to keep and I am so happy with them. I decided to keep them rather than exchanging them because they were still a lot lower around the ankle than my artistes and I had already been waiting for 4 months for them to arrive and was tired of waiting.
The first 20 hours were absolutely brutal though. I could not keep them on for more than 30 minutes because they hurt so much. My feet were cramping really badly and I was worried for a bit that I'd gotten the wrong size but in the past 15 hours of use, they have very quickly gotten better. My feet still hurt after wearing them for 3 hours at a time but its much more mild (and I can actually keep them on for 3 hours) and I think most of the pain is just my toes going numb from the cold. They are also getting more comfortable each time I wear them. My actual skating adjusted pretty quickly though - I even tested in them the second time I wore them. I was worried about my knee bend but I think it has actually improved. I feel so much more stable and supported and feel like I can really push into the tongue of the boot without losing some stability. I definitely feel it in the muscles in my lower leg and ankles the day after a long session though but it feels like the type of soreness you get after a workout - not concerning pain.
As for the blades, I opted for the ultima finesse synchro blades which have a 7ft rocker, a regular toepick, and a short tail - but are the same thickness as my old blades. I have noticed such a big difference in the softness and fluidity of my turns, and counters/ back brackets are a lot smoother and less of a deathtrap. I found the transition to the shorter blades really easy and I feel more balanced and stable overall now that I have adjusted than I ever did in my old skates. I feel limited by my own skill only now, rather than feeling restricted by my blades - which I think is a good thing because I can feel what I am or am not doing and try to correct it. The first two weeks in the new blades, I felt like I had to work harder to control my turns and edges and it took me a minute to figure out how to get pressure into my edges in the right way and use draw again, but once I figured it out it's better than it was in my old skates.
Spins have been interesting but I pretty much never practiced spins prior so I didn't have anything solid to carry over.
Overall, I am very happy with them and I have felt a difference and I've had a few people tell me they can see a difference in my skating since them. I almost didn't try them on because I was so worried about over-booting and I thought that because I had only been skating for 2ish years, they would definitely be wrong for me. I think it is important to be receptive and open to the input of professionals and more experienced skaters and this jump definitely is not for everyone and I would never have done it without trying them and other boots on, but it worked out really well and I'm glad I trusted myself.
I'm happy to answer any questions
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. Enjoy your new ice dance career!
