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ASK MR. EDGE
May 2008
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.
For most parents this is the last thing they want to hear from their children, especially if they recently (within six months) purchased new skates. No need to worry, though. If you recently purchased new skates, chances are your child hasn't grown out them just yet. It may be just the way they are putting them on their feet.
Remember skaters, these aren't tennis shoes. Take the time to put them on properly and your feet will thank you at the end of each session.
How do we check to see if your skates fit or not? First and foremost, check to see that your child is putting them on properly. This can be done by following this simple check list:
- Loosen the laces all the way down to the tips of the toes
- Pull tongue forward
- Place foot into the boot and kick back into the heel of the boot
- While the foot is still pointed upward, begin lacing from the bottom. Do not put your foot flat down until you've totally laced them up.
If you've grown more than a half size, stretching your boots will not make them well again, but only help to ease the pain until your new boots arrive.
It's time now for something a bit more confusing. The tips of my toes don't hurt, just the sides of them.
Don't confuse feeling tight in the width with growing in length. Many times I have skaters tell me that their feet have always felt tight in the width but just recently have gotten worse. Most often it is because they have been fitted longer in length to accommodate the width of their feet, and now that they have grown in length, the widest part of their foot is closer to the front of the boot, making it tighter. When this happens, parents are often surprised to hear that their kids still need the same length boot, but much wider. When this occurs, there is no telling how much a skater has grown.
I think I have enough space for one question.
Emily wants to know if blade color matters. Is a gold blade faster than a silver blade? Does it get dull faster?
It depends on who you ask. I'm sure there are people who would argue that color matters, but science disagrees with that theory. When you see a gold-plated blade, that's exactly what it is – gold plated. When the blade is sharpened, the gold plating is removed from within the hollow of the blade and you end up skating on the original steel that the blade was made from.
If by chance you have someone tell you that they can skate faster on their gold blades than another skater can on their silver pair, then maybe the skater with the silver pair should have them sharpened by the person who does the gold pair. They might also want to take a few lessons on power skating.
Mr. Edge
If I can be of service to anyone, I'll be at the Ann Arbor, Mich., competition this month.
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.
