About Us

ASK MR. EDGE

August/September 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.

This sure has been a summer full of problems for skaters of all ages. The amount of e-mails I've received all boil down to one simple issue: properly putting on your skates and lacing them up correctly.

I think it's time to get on my soapbox and preach to the choir!

The first thing to remember is that your skates are not tennis shoes. You actually do have to unlace your skates in order to make it easier to put them on and take them off, not to mention that by doing this they will also feel much more comfortable while skating.

How to tie your skates correctly:

1. Loosen up your laces down to the toe area of your boot so that you can pull up the tongue as far as possible.

2. Place your foot into the boot. It's amazing how easy it is now!

3. Kick back on the heel of your blade —back, not down. Be sure the back of your leg is flush up against the back of the boot.

4. While the toe of your skate is still pointed upward, begin lacing starting at the bottom. Do not put your skate flat down on the floor until you have finished lacing to the top.

5. When finished skating for the day, take an extra minute and loosen your laces up again, pulling the tongue out as far as possible. Now see how easy it is to get your skates off!

6. Do not pull your laces up tight. Leave them loose and everything will be ready for the next time you go to skate. Your skates will go on very easily, and your feet will feel much more secure in your boots.

Can you guess what problems this solves, assuming that your boots were properly fitted? Game on! Let's see how many know the correct answers to this one. Now it's time to have some fun with your questions.

Which jumps can you do in sneakers? From a 13-year-old

High jump and hurdles

When I am skating I sometimes get blisters on the bottom of my foot. Is there any way that I can prevent this from happening in the future?

Yep, just read the introduction to this article. Properly lacing your skates should help.

I want to get skating lessons, but my mom thinks I am going to fall and she does not have enough money for my lessons. I was wondering if you could help me convince my mom that I won't fall, I will stick to my lessons, and I could do extra chores to help pay for my lessons.

You seem convincing enough that you honestly would stick with your lessons and help pay for them. However, would anyone else care to answer the rest of this question?

When I skate, the bottom of my foot hurts in the arch, sometimes to the point of forcing me to leave the ice. I bought new skates more than six months ago. Could it be my skates or is something wrong with my feet?
Aubrie, Bismarck

Nothing is wrong with your feet. The arch in the boot is not appropriate for your feet. You'll more than likely need some sort of arch support or even orthotics. Worse case is that your boots are too narrow for you through the arch area, not allowing your foot to relax in the boot. If this is the case, you will need a wider or even maybe a different brand of boot. Try the arch supports first. Any good shoe repair shop will be able to help with this.

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.