New Skates.... Finally!

Well ladies and gentlemen I finally made my way out to the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills to pick up my skates. I had an incredible experience with Sue Jones at the Skate Shop within the skating rink.

After visiting her shop a couple weeks ago to try on some skates, I decided I would purchase a new pair in about a month after saving up some moola $$ But as you can see I couldn’t wait a whole month, so I decided to agree to babysit (which I haven’t done in almost a year now!) so that I could afford them.

On my second visit to the shop I came in with the notion that I would try on the used pair, and if they felt okay, I’d get them. But that just wasn’t the case, I even tried on the competitor again, the higher end boot that was way out of my price range and it still didn’t feel right. So I ended up going with the Jackson Freestyle that I had fallen in love with on my prior visit. At first I tried on the boot with the socks that I normally skate in but they were way too tight. And unfortunately they didn’t carry the boot in the C size and I’d have to wait for them to come in. So, naturally my patience was growing thin. I couldn’t wait to be in new skates and a tighter fit was clearly not going to stop me. Sue suggested I try on the boots with the nylons (that most female skaters skate in) so I did and they fit really well. Just snug enough!

After officially deciding on the boot, Sue and I discussed doing a heat mold to help me break in the boot. This was an excellent idea, the skates were in the “oven” for about 10 minutes and then she tied me up and they sat on my feet for about another 10 minutes. Next, she helped me take them off and said that she would be mounting the blade for me. Having zero experience in this field, I asked how long it would take thinking that it might be a week if she has to have someone come in to do it. But surprise surprise for me, it only took about 10 minutes!

My biggest fear going into this is probably the transition. These boots are like 10 steps up from my current skates, so I will likely die of pain in the coming days.

First Skate Fitting

I had my first skate fitting today! I was super excited for it, maybe a little too excited because it wasn’t really what I thought it would be. I guess I went in thinking it would be this great horah event, but it was a skate fitting, haha!

The skate shop I went to is inside an ice arena, specifically the one that Meryl Davis and Charlie White trained at...the Detroit Skating Academy! I couldn’t help but think that the same women who fitted me also probably fitted them for their skates! I walked the same floors, soon to be skated the same ice...blah blah blah. Nestled in a fairly large arena is a very small skate shop.

In the 35 minutes that I was in the shop, I believe I tried on at least 6 or 7 boots. Sue helped me put each pair on, which I felt bad about, but I guess it’s her thing. She ties and puts each pair on to help me figure out the best boot for my foot.

In the end I walked out with three potential pairs. My coach had suggested Riedell or the Jackson equivalent of the Motion 255, Edge 229, or Flair. Riedell boots are a lot more expensive and are made for narrower feet, so they were pretty much out of the question for me. The three skates that fit the best were the Jackson Elle (Used 6.5), Jackson Competitor (6B), and the Jackson Freestyle (6B). I felt that the competitor probably had the most support, but they were the most expensive, the freestyle were the most comfortable but had less support. The Jackson Elle fit fairly well, but are scuffed and definitely felt used...because they are.

Time to weigh in on the pros and cons:

Jackson Elle - cheapest option (used), probably a good idea to drop $150 instead of $300-$400 on the first boot. Only single jumps.

Jackson Competitor- most expensive option, will last a couple years, can be heat molded to fit my foot better. Single and doubles. $360

Jackson Freestyle- most comfortable of the choices, will last a couple years, can be heat molded to fit my foot better. Single and beginner doubles. $310

Right now I’m thinking that I will probably try the Jackson Elle on the ice first to get a feel of it. I forgot to mention that all of these boots were super chunky compared to the recreational skates that I am using now. I’m pretty sure any transition to competitive boots is going to suck for me at first. After feeling out the Jackson Elle’s I will reconsider the new boots. Ultimately it’s going to probably be between the Elle and the Freestyle, but if I can manage to drop the $$ on the competitor I will do it since it has the most support. Such a difficult decision to make!! Any suggestions are welcome!