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ASK MR. EDGE

June/July 2005

Mr. Edge is a qualified skate technician with years and years of experience. He can answer your questions on boots, blades and foot problems related to your equipment. Questions will be answered in SKATING magazine and later posted on the web site.

I'm going to be “Mr. Not-So-Nice Guy” in this issue and do a little ranting — I hope you understand!

Over time I've kept track of all your e-mails to see what the most often-asked questions are. I'm saddened to say that there still remain big problems across the country. Two of the topics I have to answer most often are:

How often should skates be sharpened?
Various questions about fitting and boot support

Let's start with the boots first. Far too many skaters are being over-booted, not to mention improperly fitted. I keep hearing horror stories of boots being over a year old and not a crease in them. To make things worse, very young children working below the Axel are in boots strong enough for an adult to be doing doubles in. From the e-mails I've been receiving, the problem is always in the ankle and heel and not so much the length.

There is really no way for me to tell you what boot you should be in without measuring your feet myself. The best I can do is to insist that you first ask some of the other skaters where they purchased their skates.

Also remember that you may need to spend some big $$$$ in order to get the proper fit. If you're having no luck, call the boot companies and ask for a referral. Don't be surprised if the nearest dealer is a couple hundred miles away. There are only a handful of dealers across the U.S. that are well-qualified enough to fit boots properly.

Moving right along to the sharpening question ... The easiest way to tell if your skates need to be sharpened is when you start slipping on moves, spins, or jumps with which you normally have no problem.

Depending on how well your skates have been sharpened, your level of skating, and how many hours a week you skate, it could be as little as two weeks or as many as six weeks on average between sharpenings. Of course, there is always the odd one in the group.

OK, enough of that. Every once in a while I try to bring a little humor to this column while at the same time trying to be serious. I'm not going to mention any names or where these e-mails came from, but I'll let you read into them what you may and hopefully have chuckle or two. These might give you an idea of the difficulty I have sometimes in answering your questions!

My laces come loose often during sessions so I take them home to completely re-lace them. After about one month of skating, the sides of the laces become uneven and one side of the lace is shorter than the other — I can hardly tie my skates. What should I do?

Ask mom to show you how to tie your laces again. But remember, these are NOT tennis shoes!

When I turn into a spin I sometimes fall, and there are a lot of chips on my blades. When I do that is it because of the chips or what? Please help me

Please be more specific about the chips. Chocolate chips? Peanut butter chips? Ice chips?

I've grown out of my boots. What should I do now?

Hmmmm ... take a wild guess! Perhaps buying a larger pair would be a good idea.

Once again it's time to end another column of Ask Mr. Edge. Of course you know I'm always here if you need me. No matter what the question might be, please feel free to ask. There is no such thing as a stupid question, although some of them may be rather funny.

Until next time, happy skating!

Mr. Edge and all related elements are property of Arena Sports & Consulting Services, Inc. ©2013. Send your questions to Mr. Edge via mail (Ask Mr. Edge, SKATING magazine, 20 First Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80906); FAX (719) 635-9548 or e-mail them online.

The opinions of Mr. Edge are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Figure Skating or SKATING magazine. Remember, if you have problems with your feet, check with a doctor – the problem may very well be with your boot, but it could be more serious. Check with your local pro shop for more information about boots and blades.