skates-beginner vs. advanced

[icesk8r1]

alright heres the deal i know i need new skates but my mom and dad are hesitating to buy 230$ dollar skates because they dont really want to spend that much money on them
when i first started skating i got the really cheap kind for beginners now that im more advanced they offer no support for the moves im doing i moved up so fast that my parents werent planning on new skates so soon but im saying i need them and heres why:

1. spins- i can feel my ankle wobbling on one-foots
2. jumps- more support needed
3. general- tongue never stays in places, they are broken in too much, the laces always come loose
4. blisters- without the necessary padding, my feet get covered in blisters

any clue what i can say to them to get me some soon? my comp is in june and my exhibition is is april and i need to break them in!

[axelkid]

I remember by parents blanched when I asked them to get me 200 dollar Riedells. Then I got older and got a job and bought a pair of Harlicks myself. And I have to say...you'll be able to do so much more with the better boot and the better blade. Not to mention that not having enough support may leave you more prone to injury. One disclaimer though, new boots will leave you covered in blisters usually...so there won't be an end to those...<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON STOP-->
good luck!

[icesk8r1]

axelkid- what level are you on? u sound pretty good

thanx for the info!<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON STOP-->

[axelkid]

Hey Megan!

No problem. I love to babble on about skating. In fact, I probably do it way too much...like...when I should be studying. I don't compete or take tests, so I don't know exactly what level I'm on. but at the rink where I skate, I'm in the Freestyle V and above class for adults. (I'm 23...definitely belong in a nursing home by figure skating standards <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON STOP--> ). But it's not about the level and competition for me, I skate 'cuz it's fun and it's good for me!

[susan ba]

axelkid...how long have you been skating? and what kind of things can you do now. what is your comfort level? how often do you pratice and do you take lessons...if so, do you take group or private lessons. what kind of skates are you wearing right now and did you have to go to a better skate.

i'm just starting out so please tell me all about it if you don't mind.

[axelkid]

Hee hee, I get to talk about the history of my skating. Since it's like 2:30 AM and it's my weekend off, I figure I'll give you all the long version. :) Hope you guys don't mind.

So lessee, I picked up skating freshman year college when my friend said "Ken, take figure skating with me". (At our school we were required to take two semesters of PE). Being that I had just come off "Kung Fu" and was full of machoness and testosterone, I wrinkled my nose and said "eeewww!" and headed my way over to try and sign up for Emergency Medical Technician training (yes, that counted as a PE class, don't ask me how). Thankfully, they were full and I ended up taking skating with my best friend.
And guess what? I completely loved it. We started with forward and backward skating (and I rollerbladed so I was able to start with learning crossovers). And that was cool and all and I was having a really good time.

And then she taught us how to jump...

I was completely floored by this new feeling of leaving the ice (no pun intended). I would gather up lots of speed across the ice, hurl myself up into the air and come crashing down on the ice. And this was on a waltz jump. Eventually I did learn how to control my landings and I became less of a menace to the ice skating society.

But to make a long story less long. I ended up practicing about 3 times a week during two and a half years. I bought a pair of 200 dollar Riedells. By the time college was over, I'd learned a decent sit spin, one foot spin, all the single jumps minus the axel, three turns, mohawks, and stuff like that. I kind of took a break from skating my senior year.

I took a year off and skated while I was working in California. It was fun because I skated with this group called the "Dull Blades" and it was a group of adult skaters who did a lot of formation kind of movements. During this time, I started working on axels and double jumps, camels, and stuff like that. I was skating about 2-3 times a week during this time. Since I was making my own money, I had the opportunity to purchase another pair of blades. So on the recommendation of skating instructor, I bought a pair of Harlick's with Gold Seal blades for about 750 bucks. Ha ha...that was kind of crazy. A skater of my caliber probably doesn't need a boot quite that fancy. It's like having to rent a ferrari so that you can walk across the street.

Which takes me to now, I'm in my first year med school..I can't really skate much more than once a week for about an hour or two. My axel can almost added to my "semi consistent" list and gets decent height and flow when I'm energized and non tired (which is not often). I'm working on the double sal, double loop, and double flip..and there are nights when I've been able to land these jumps, but they never happen consecutively or with any regularity. I'm trying to make my doubles consistent. My camel needs work but for some reason my flying camel is much better. (I seem to get better position on the back camel). I'm working on combo spins, better footwork, combination jumps. A formerly competitive skater in california taught me how to "hydroblade" like Nicole Bobek and Tim Goebel and it's become one of my favorite moves. The nice thing is that if you mess up, you were only 2 inches from the ground to start with so you don't have very far to fall.

OK, thanks for putting up with me guys! :) Good nite!

[susan ba]

axel/ken

thanks for the long version. wow, that sounds great all that you've accomplished... but most importantly, you sound like it's still a lot of fun and that you are still challenged. LOL about renting a ferrari to walk across the street! but sometimes, you just have to indulge on something special that you love. i'm setting goals for myself for when i can buy a new pair of skates. i have cheapy cmc skates..which are fine with me for now. but as soon as i can really skate backwards and forwards with crossovers and do half jumps and that sort of beginner stuff...