When is the right time to upgrade my boots and blades?

[Ihave2braincells]

Hi, I’m a 15F currently primarily working on half-rotation jumps (waltz, half-toe loop, half-salchow, Euler, etc), spirals, basic spins, and turns (Mohawk, 3-turns (both forwards and backwards)). I am around 170 cm tall (5’7) and weigh 70-72 kilos (154-159 pounds according to google) and I‘m currently using Jackson Elle Fusion skates with mirage blades. I was planning to upgrade my boots and blades around when I got to single rotation jumps since my current skates don’t seem to be stiff enough for my weight for single rotation jumps (according to Jackson’s guidelines) and was wondering if I should stick to this time frame or upgrade earlier or later, I was also wondering what boots and blades I should be looking at next.

My current boots fit my feet pretty well and are quite comfortable to wear, although they are a tad loose around my upper foot and heel and I have to tie my laces as tight as physically possible in that area, to the point where the eyelets look distorted (elliptical) and are getting wrinkly in the direction they’re pulled in, for them to hold my heel in place comfortably (is this normal?), although they fit perfectly around the ball of my heel and around my toes. For my blades, they’re fine, I can turn and jump on them without difficulty and they were helpful when learning backwards edges because on their stability, but darn I can’t spin on them, I just cannot seem to find the sweet spot (especially for one-foot spins), I think the best spin I’ve ever done was a two-foot spin with maybe 3 revolutions. I’m really hoping my spins do improve with more practice and better technique, but that sweet spot is really hard to reach. Overall my current skates are still in good condition and haven’t yet started to break down.

Any input will be greatly appreciated, thanks

 

[sashavis]

If your boots are getting wrinkly, that is usually a sign that they are breaking down or have already broken down. Of course, the best thing to do is go to a pro shop and speak to an experienced fitter, and see what they think. In addition, I would talk to your coach or teacher--ask them for their advice. After all, they are the one who sees you skating, and they will be able to (hopefully) give you good advice. As for next boots, I've heard good things about the Jackson Freestyle, and if Jackson boots work well for you, that might be a decent next step. I'm sure Ic3Rabbit will be able to correct me on that one if the boot is too stiff! Ultimately though, ask your coach(es), and go to a pro when it's time for you to upgrade.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Hi, I’m a 15F currently primarily working on half-rotation jumps (waltz, half-toe loop, half-salchow, Euler, etc), spirals, basic spins, and turns (Mohawk, 3-turns (both forwards and backwards)). I am around 170 cm tall (5’7) and weigh 70-72 kilos (154-159 pounds according to google) and I‘m currently using Jackson Elle Fusion skates with mirage blades. I was planning to upgrade my boots and blades around when I got to single rotation jumps since my current skates don’t seem to be stiff enough for my weight for single rotation jumps (according to Jackson’s guidelines) and was wondering if I should stick to this time frame or upgrade earlier or later, I was also wondering what boots and blades I should be looking at next.

My current boots fit my feet pretty well and are quite comfortable to wear, although they are a tad loose around my upper foot and heel and I have to tie my laces as tight as physically possible in that area, to the point where the eyelets look distorted (elliptical) and are getting wrinkly in the direction they’re pulled in, for them to hold my heel in place comfortably (is this normal?), although they fit perfectly around the ball of my heel and around my toes. For my blades, they’re fine, I can turn and jump on them without difficulty and they were helpful when learning backwards edges because on their stability, but darn I can’t spin on them, I just cannot seem to find the sweet spot (especially for one-foot spins), I think the best spin I’ve ever done was a two-foot spin with maybe 3 revolutions. I’m really hoping my spins do improve with more practice and better technique, but that sweet spot is really hard to reach. Overall my current skates are still in good condition and haven’t yet started to break down.

Any input will be greatly appreciated, thanks

You are beyond needing new boots/blades if that is what you have to do to keep them on and they are still not fitting correctly and if you don't feel they are holding you well on half rotations you shouldn't be doing so on them and definitely no single rotations on them.

You need to see a professional experience figure skate fitter/pro. I can make suggestions for you, but I'm going to tell you flat out that from your description above you are going to need two different widths in one boot since it sounds like your heel is more narrow than your toebox part of your foot. If Jackson ends of working for you after your fitting, then I'd look at the Debut 2450/51. The freestyle which @sashavis mentioned above would not be stiff enough for you. The Debut that I suggested will get you through your singles or at least should, then you'll need new boots when it comes to doubles, if not before. You will need blades to go with the boots and I'd suggest a MK Pro or John Wilson Coronation Ace, which are both intermediate blades but you should be ok, they will help you with your spins because they have a better rocker. The blades you are currently using aren't that great and the rockers are flat.

I can suggest other brands and if you are interested in anything else like that feel free to come to the my inbox and leave me a message.


Good luck!

 

[Ihave2braincells]

If your boots are getting wrinkly, that is usually a sign that they are breaking down or have already broken down. Of course, the best thing to do is go to a pro shop and speak to an experienced fitter, and see what they think. In addition, I would talk to your coach or teacher--ask them for their advice. After all, they are the one who sees you skating, and they will be able to (hopefully) give you good advice. As for next boots, I've heard good things about the Jackson Freestyle, and if Jackson boots work well for you, that might be a decent next step. I'm sure Ic3Rabbit will be able to correct me on that one if the boot is too stiff! Ultimately though, ask your coach(es), and go to a pro when it's time for you to upgrade.

Thanks so much, I’ll definitely go talk to someone at the pro shop just wanted some more outside opinions, unfortunately the coach who knows me the best is currently undergoing surgery so I can’t talk to him (I do LTS) but I’ll talk to however I get next, thanks

 

[Ihave2braincells]

You are beyond needing new boots/blades if that is what you have to do to keep them on and they are still not fitting correctly and if you don't feel they are holding you well on half rotations you shouldn't be doing so on them and definitely no single rotations on them.

You need to see a professional experience figure skate fitter/pro. I can make suggestions for you, but I'm going to tell you flat out that from your description above you are going to need two different widths in one boot since it sounds like your heel is more narrow than your toebox part of your foot. If Jackson ends of working for you after your fitting, then I'd look at the Debut 2450/51. The freestyle which @sashavis mentioned above would not be stiff enough for you. The Debut that I suggested will get you through your singles or at least should, then you'll need new boots when it comes to doubles, if not before. You will need blades to go with the boots and I'd suggest a MK Pro or John Wilson Coronation Ace, which are both intermediate blades but you should be ok, they will help you with your spins because they have a better rocker. The blades you are currently using aren't that great and the rockers are flat.

I can suggest other brands and if you are interested in anything else like that feel free to come to the my inbox and leave me a message.


Good luck!

Thanks so much, this is very helpful, although unfortunately really good fittings (with tracings as well, but we do get measurements) aren’t available to me since the sport isn’t very big where I live, but I’ll go talk to some people at the pro shop as they can very likely help me out. I was also thinking I might need to go split-width with an even smaller heel but I wasn’t sure if the difference was big enough to require going down a size in the heel but I’ll definitely look further into it. Thanks so much for the suggestions too it’s really helpful to know where I should be looking. Thanks

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Where are you, if you don't mind saying? I might be able to suggest somewhere to go for a pro fitting.

Thanks so much, this is very helpful, although unfortunately really good fittings (with tracings as well, but we do get measurements) aren’t available to me since the sport isn’t very big where I live, but I’ll go talk to some people at the pro shop as they can very likely help me out. I was also thinking I might need to go split-width with an even smaller heel but I wasn’t sure if the difference was big enough to require going down a size in the heel but I’ll definitely look further into it. Thanks so much for the suggestions too it’s really helpful to know where I should be looking. Thanks

 

[Ihave2braincells]

Where are you, if you don't mind saying? I might be able to suggest somewhere to go for a pro fitting.

I live in Western Australia, near Perth

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I live in Western Australia, near Perth

@karne, are you able to help her please with where she can get a pro fitter in that area?

 

[Sibelius]

Thanks so much, this is very helpful, although unfortunately really good fittings (with tracings as well, but we do get measurements) aren’t available to me since the sport isn’t very big where I live, but I’ll go talk to some people at the pro shop as they can very likely help me out. I was also thinking I might need to go split-width with an even smaller heel but I wasn’t sure if the difference was big enough to require going down a size in the heel but I’ll definitely look further into it. Thanks so much for the suggestions too it’s really helpful to know where I should be looking. Thanks

You don't say what size your Elle is, but If you stay in Jacksons I recommend using their "rapid custom" option and getting a true split width. My skater is in the Premiere and we ordered a C/A (C ball/A heel) through the RC program. It took about 4 weeks and cost a whopping $50 extra. I'm not sure what the limitations as far as split combinations are, but for mine it was an easy and cheap fix. You'd definitely have to go to a good shop who knows what they're doing though.

 

[Ihave2braincells]

You don't say what size your Elle is, but If you stay in Jacksons I recommend using their "rapid custom" option and getting a true split width. My skater is in the Premiere and we ordered a C/A (C ball/A heel) through the RC program. It took about 4 weeks and cost a whopping $50 extra. I'm not sure what the limitations as far as split combinations are, but for mine it was an easy and cheap fix. You'd definitely have to go to a good shop who knows what they're doing though.

I’m in a wide (D-ball, C-heel) currently, and I was looking into that but will definitely consult with some more experienced people at the pro shop about it, thanks so much

 

[WednesdayMarch]

I'm sure Ic3Rabbit (aka The Oracle) will correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a wide ball and not particularly wide heel and have found that Risport are a great fit for me in the C width.

ETA: I'd second the blade recommendations for MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace. I am strongly of the opinion that Coronation Ace is almost always the right blade. I remember what happened to my spins when I upgraded to my first pair.

 

[Sibelius]

I’m in a wide (D-ball, C-heel) currently, and I was looking into that but will definitely consult with some more experienced people at the pro shop about it, thanks so much

Mine was in that size in her Debut. The heel was never right. Although she has other issues in her Premieres the ball and heel are a perfect fit.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

I'm sure Ic3Rabbit (aka The Oracle) will correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a wide ball and not particularly wide heel and have found that Risport are a great fit for me in the C width.

ETA: I'd second the blade recommendations for MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace. I am strongly of the opinion that Coronation Ace is almost always the right blade. I remember what happened to my spins when I upgraded to my first pair.

The Oracle approves lol! I would suggest other brands like Risport to OP, had they took my advice to come to my inbox, I don't feel like typing everything out here.

 

[Ihave2braincells]

I'm sure Ic3Rabbit (aka The Oracle) will correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a wide ball and not particularly wide heel and have found that Risport are a great fit for me in the C width.

ETA: I'd second the blade recommendations for MK Pro or JW Coronation Ace. I am strongly of the opinion that Coronation Ace is almost always the right blade. I remember what happened to my spins when I upgraded to my first pair

Thanks, I’ll see if I can try on some Risport when I get a chance to at the pro shop

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

Thanks, I’ll see if I can try on some Risport when I get a chance to at the pro shop

Look at the RF3 Pro.

 

[karne]

I live in Western Australia, near Perth

@karne, are you able to help her please with where she can get a pro fitter in that area?

As far as I know, the only two are the mySkates shop at the Cockburn Ice Arena. There is a smaller pro shop at Perth Ice Arena but I don't know much about it and it looks like it's mainly hockey.

 

[Ihave2braincells]

Look at the RF3 Pro.

thanks , RF3 Pros are stocked there so I should be able to try them on

 

[Ihave2braincells]

As far as I know, the only two are the mySkates shop at the Cockburn Ice Arena. There is a smaller pro shop at Perth Ice Arena but I don't know much about it and it looks like it's mainly hockey.

Thanks for the reply , that is the pro shop I normally go to and I’ll be talking to their staff as soon as I can

 

[Sunshine247]

I’ll second, or fifth, IC3Rabbit’s recommendations.

My older daughter was in aDebut fusion with a coronation ace at about your level and size. I’ve had two skaters in them actually. If you do like the rest of the fit of the Jackson, a fitter might recommend getting a rapid custom to get the heel locked in a bit more. It’s a relatively small investment but well worth it from what I’ve read.

They haven’t had a chance to even try a Risport but that might have been our next step if they were available in our area. I’ve heard good things about them.

 

[natashafarhannf]

Look at the RF3 Pro.

yup, they are good