Hello all!
I'm looking for people to talk me into or out of buying new skates next weekend. I signed myself up for lessons as an adult because I feel like my attempts to re-learn skills independently have plateaued. Group lessons for now; perhaps adding private lessons in the future. My current skates are Risport Antares.
I am currently deciding between two options:
1) Buy new skates now so they are broken in by the time my lessons start (in about a month). New skates would almost certainly be Jackson Freestyles.
2) Wait until one of the following occurs: my current skates are broken down, a coach tells me to get new skates, or I start learning waltz jumps. New skates would be decided with coach feedback.
Follow-up question for option 1: as an approximately 150lb adult woman with no jumps beyond bunny hops, would Freestyles be appropriate? I know some people manage to do early jumps in Mystiques and Antares even as adults, so I am assuming Freestyles would not be underbooting for my current skill level. I have also seen some adults just starting out having Freestyles suggested to them, so I am assuming they would not be overbooting either. The fitter mentioned that Evos could take me through early jumps, but she may have been thinking of people in the 80-100lb size bracket.
I'm an adult returning to skating. When I decided to commit to re-learning to skate, I went and got fitted for Risport Antares. I purchased them knowing they are not suitable for jumping and would need to be replaced; this was fine because when I quit as a preteen I had not started learning jumps so I did not anticipate jumping within the first year. They work fine, but I'm having some minor issues; nothing I can't work through or fix with padding/lacing adjustments (or attribute to skill issue and/or insufficient warm-up), but still annoying. They are also only two months old. They are a bit soft, but I don't think they are broken down. I plan to keep them to use as outdoor skates as long as they still have some life left in them when I replace them. Based on my research I am planning to switch to Jacksons for my next pair of skates; Jackson Evos were the runner up when I went to get fitted for my current skates so I know the Jackson Fusion Series fits. I have also worn Jackson skates before, but they were Softecs and Classic 200s that were not professionally fitted so they are not good data points.
The only reason I went with the Antares over the Evos is they were more comfortable than Evos out of the box and were likely to have a shorter break-in period due to the softer tongue. Based on how I felt skating the past couple of months, what I remember about the fit and what people have shared about their experiences, Jacksons will fit my current preferences better. I may ask to go up a half size though; my left foot is slightly bigger and my left toes end up pressing against the end of the boot if my heel comes even slightly out of the heel pocket. Not even using a lace bite pad and tight laces stops it entirely, though adding the lace bite pad helped a bit. I don't feel any noticeable heel lift, so I don't think that the heel pocket is too big. I was fitted for my smaller foot since the difference measured as less than a half size; if I was a current or future high level skater I'd probably stick with the same size but since I am an adult doing this for fun I think a half size up will alleviate the issues with my left foot without being too detrimental. I do remember the Evos fitting more snugly than the Antares out of the box, hopefully that means broken in they will hold my foot better.
Freestyles are as high level as I am willing to commit to without a coach's input. I am okay with upgrading again when starting jumps. I would want any skates I buy now to at least take me through the remaining learn to skate levels. I do not currently have reliable back crossovers or 3 turns, so jumping is not imminent. I have no plans to ever go past singles (+/- axel).
My local skate shop carries Risport, Jackson, Riedell, and Edea. I am not considering Riedell or Edea at this time. Riedell is out because my feet are technically not wide but are certainly not narrow; in shoes I seek out wide widths. Edea is out because of the looser ankle fit; I am finding I prefer a tighter fitting ankle. I might consider RF3s in the future; my foot shape suggests that Risport should be fine, but my lived experience says to switch at least for now.
Thank you for any advice!
I'm looking for people to talk me into or out of buying new skates next weekend. I signed myself up for lessons as an adult because I feel like my attempts to re-learn skills independently have plateaued. Group lessons for now; perhaps adding private lessons in the future. My current skates are Risport Antares.
I am currently deciding between two options:
1) Buy new skates now so they are broken in by the time my lessons start (in about a month). New skates would almost certainly be Jackson Freestyles.
2) Wait until one of the following occurs: my current skates are broken down, a coach tells me to get new skates, or I start learning waltz jumps. New skates would be decided with coach feedback.
Follow-up question for option 1: as an approximately 150lb adult woman with no jumps beyond bunny hops, would Freestyles be appropriate? I know some people manage to do early jumps in Mystiques and Antares even as adults, so I am assuming Freestyles would not be underbooting for my current skill level. I have also seen some adults just starting out having Freestyles suggested to them, so I am assuming they would not be overbooting either. The fitter mentioned that Evos could take me through early jumps, but she may have been thinking of people in the 80-100lb size bracket.
I'm an adult returning to skating. When I decided to commit to re-learning to skate, I went and got fitted for Risport Antares. I purchased them knowing they are not suitable for jumping and would need to be replaced; this was fine because when I quit as a preteen I had not started learning jumps so I did not anticipate jumping within the first year. They work fine, but I'm having some minor issues; nothing I can't work through or fix with padding/lacing adjustments (or attribute to skill issue and/or insufficient warm-up), but still annoying. They are also only two months old. They are a bit soft, but I don't think they are broken down. I plan to keep them to use as outdoor skates as long as they still have some life left in them when I replace them. Based on my research I am planning to switch to Jacksons for my next pair of skates; Jackson Evos were the runner up when I went to get fitted for my current skates so I know the Jackson Fusion Series fits. I have also worn Jackson skates before, but they were Softecs and Classic 200s that were not professionally fitted so they are not good data points.
The only reason I went with the Antares over the Evos is they were more comfortable than Evos out of the box and were likely to have a shorter break-in period due to the softer tongue. Based on how I felt skating the past couple of months, what I remember about the fit and what people have shared about their experiences, Jacksons will fit my current preferences better. I may ask to go up a half size though; my left foot is slightly bigger and my left toes end up pressing against the end of the boot if my heel comes even slightly out of the heel pocket. Not even using a lace bite pad and tight laces stops it entirely, though adding the lace bite pad helped a bit. I don't feel any noticeable heel lift, so I don't think that the heel pocket is too big. I was fitted for my smaller foot since the difference measured as less than a half size; if I was a current or future high level skater I'd probably stick with the same size but since I am an adult doing this for fun I think a half size up will alleviate the issues with my left foot without being too detrimental. I do remember the Evos fitting more snugly than the Antares out of the box, hopefully that means broken in they will hold my foot better.
Freestyles are as high level as I am willing to commit to without a coach's input. I am okay with upgrading again when starting jumps. I would want any skates I buy now to at least take me through the remaining learn to skate levels. I do not currently have reliable back crossovers or 3 turns, so jumping is not imminent. I have no plans to ever go past singles (+/- axel).
My local skate shop carries Risport, Jackson, Riedell, and Edea. I am not considering Riedell or Edea at this time. Riedell is out because my feet are technically not wide but are certainly not narrow; in shoes I seek out wide widths. Edea is out because of the looser ankle fit; I am finding I prefer a tighter fitting ankle. I might consider RF3s in the future; my foot shape suggests that Risport should be fine, but my lived experience says to switch at least for now.
Thank you for any advice!
