When Should Skaters Move to Advanced Blades

Hi All,

I raised this at the tail end of a comment below, but I want to post as a separate query. My sense is that once my little skater lands and stabilizes her Axel and moves on to doubles it's time to move on from intermediate. Is that a reasonable transition period? Believe me I'm not looking forward to the $400-$500 level for a growing foot, but how long can a skater improve on a Coro Ace/MK Pro level blade? Also, since competition season is ending for us next month that might be a good time to transition before the next season starts. Last boot change we squeeked by and she was able to test and compete without any disruption, but I don't really want to risk that coming back to bite us in the future.

Sibelius said:

Hi All,

I raised this at the tail end of a comment below, but I want to post as a separate query. My sense is that once my little skater lands and stabilizes her Axel and moves on to doubles it's time to move on from intermediate. Is that a reasonable transition period? Believe me I'm not looking forward to the $400-$500 level for a growing foot, but how long can a skater improve on a Coro Ace/MK Pro level blade? Also, since competition season is ending for us next month that might be a good time to transition before the next season starts. Last boot change we squeeked by and she was able to test and compete without any disruption, but I don't really want to risk that coming back to bite us in the future.

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My daughter moved to mk pro after/around learning her axel - night and day experience for her - she had faster spins, better footwork and more secure edges with a better quality blade (she was in stock blades prior). Mk are not super expensive, I remember the blade being about 220? The boot was $350ish.

Pretty sure the CoroAce/MK Pro are good until learning double axel and triples.

Especially with growing feet that need new pairs of skates as they grow.

We had to move up in blade midway through doubles. Our coaches move you to the freestyle blade.

We switched my daughter's blade right around when she was landing her axel. We did it simply because it was the blade they had in stock and we got a great deal on it. It ended up being a good decision for us because as she has moved through levels, she has never had to transition to a new blade or boot. It worked well for her to do that switch before she started learning doubles so that it wouldn't hinder her progress on the harder jumps.

axel/doubles.

I'm confused. What blade is OP skater using now?

treesprite said:

I'm confused. What blade is OP skater using now?

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Unless I'm reading wrong, the OP's child is currently in an intermediate blade (Coronation Ace or MK Pro) and wants to know when to move to a more advanced blade.

^^In that case higher doubles/triples.

i moved from my old boots / blades (riedell blue ribbon? (i think its the edge now) / coronation ace) to my new ones (riedell bronze stars / jackson matrix legacy) when I started working on my loop / flip. Now that I'm working on doubles, I might need to switch boots to the silver stars, but my blades shouold be ok until triples

It seemed to me like OP is saying the kid is going to be working on doubles, not doing them yet. Intermediate blades are fine for double jumps. The skater doesn't need blades ratd for triples and quads when not even doing the easiest doubles yet. I know skaters who are working on triples on intermediate blades.

Be practical and go with what the skate expert says. Coaches are not usually as knowledgeable about equipment as you would think. They know how firm of a skate a skater would need, and they know if a skater needs skates/blades rated for certain elements. But when it gets down to specific models, they start going on personal preferences and trends rather than experience and knowledge.

She's using the Eclipse Mist, "clone" of the MK Pro/CA. Had a chat with her fitter this morning and she says mine is good in those until doubles, but we could always try something else. We saw the Mist replacement, the 440 stainless Aurora, which she highly recommended. Seems very sold on the Eclipse line for quality control purposes. I suppose from a business standpoint it makes sense, less rejected blades than those from Wilson/MK.

Also asked about the Sp-Teri/Jackson difference, says if you fit into a stock boot there's no reason other than fashion/choice to go elsewhere, plenty of elites skate Jackson. Custom Jackson's are available, but since we live where Sp-Teri and Harlick factories are located they would be a better choice if/when we need a custom boot. Saw a lovely Elite with the LCF sole, really light, but STIFF, recommends those over the Supreme for cost reasons. Mine's not close to needing anything like that for a long while, but I think we'll go with the LCF sole on her next Debut/Premiere. Skater friend was there, in her old Elle's, new Sp-Teri's aren't working for her, Mom's ready to sell them on Ebay. Something to be said for our fitters (and my) VERY conservative approach.

So, boots being stretched to buy a few more months then we'll move up to the Debut Firm or Premiere. As far as blades, I have one more Mist in the next size up for her next boot, but we might give the next level blade a try (Infinity, P99 profile, or Pinnacle, Gold Seal profile) and take advantage of the Eclipse 60 day NQA return once she lands her Axel (said she was close again this morning!) If they don't make a difference we won't lose anything and we can go back to the Mist until she outgrows her boots again.

On a sad note, I had to give one of the girls in her Axel class an ice pack this morning for what sounded like a broken ankle, I hope not, but she was hurting pretty badly.

I have the Eclipse Aurora and I love the blade. It'll last twice as long between sharpening as well.

treesprite said:

It seemed to me like OP is saying the kid is going to be working on doubles, not doing them yet. Intermediate blades are fine for double jumps. The skater doesn't need blades ratd for triples and quads when not even doing the easiest doubles yet. I know skaters who are working on triples on intermediate blades.

Be practical and go with what the skate expert says. Coaches are not usually as knowledgeable about equipment as you would think. They know how firm of a skate a skater would need, and they know if a skater needs skates/blades rated for certain elements. But when it gets down to specific models, they start going on personal preferences and trends rather than experience and knowledge.

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Yes, still working on Axel, not started doubles yet. We're sticking with the intermediate blade for now, but maybe just for a "placebo" effect, might try the next one up in the next few months. Like I said, Eclipse 60 day NQA is pretty tough to turn down if the opportunity presents.

You're right about coaches, many stick with what has worked for them and previous students. Unfortunately that sometimes isn't the best--see my comments about daughter's friend with the new $1100 Sp-Teri/MK Gold Stars rec'd by her coach that aren't working. She was happy in her Elle's and could have moved up the Jackson line for a stiffer boot (same boot last all around now) with less cost and less transition difficulty. Her mother left it to the coach who went with "what she knew", and $1100 later she's back to her Elle's which are nowhere near stiff enough for her level and size anymore.

Our coaches defer to the fitter/tech for specifics, just gives us general advice, not too stiff, etc. They trust the fitter and know she will take care of my skater and get her what works for her. This morning was a good example, fitter always says yes, you could do that, but why? She doesn't need more than what she has, but I'll happily sell it to you if you want to try it out! Combine all that with the input I get from skaters here and we've done pretty well for ourselves so far. I guess I've got more time than money to research options. For other's it's the opposite, just tell me what's "best" and I'll write the check!

I’ve been wondering about blade upgrades myself. I’m an adult skater working on Basic 3-4 skills, skating in GAM Concepts with the stock Ultima Mirage blades, and spins/turns just somehow...don’t feel right. The rocker almost feels like it’s under my arch instead of the ball of my foot, and I’m wondering if this is just a quirk of the Mirage, or if the blade is too long for the boot (it’s a 10 1/2” blade on a men’s 7.5C boot).

From what I’ve read, the CA/MK Pro profile has a more aggressive rocker that’s placed a little further forward - do I have that right? I wonder if there’s any value in a blade upgrade if I plan to work a lot on spins in the future?

bostonskaterguy86 said:

I’ve been wondering about blade upgrades myself. I’m an adult skater working on Basic 3-4 skills, skating in GAM Concepts with the stock Ultima Mirage blades, and spins/turns just somehow...don’t feel right. The rocker almost feels like it’s under my arch instead of the ball of my foot, and I’m wondering if this is just a quirk of the Mirage, or if the blade is too long for the boot (it’s a 10 1/2” blade on a men’s 7.5C boot).

From what I’ve read, the CA/MK Pro profile has a more aggressive rocker that’s placed a little further forward - do I have that right? I wonder if there’s any value in a blade upgrade if I plan to work a lot on spins in the future?

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Well, when my little skater went from the Mirage blades on her Elle's to the Mist spins were instantly better, and I mean from the first session, centered, more revs and much faster. I don't know if that would hold for an adult skater, but you won't know until you try. Her old blades are in a closet somewhere, but I remember comparing the two and it didn't seem like there was much spin rocker on those Mirages at all. Her biggest transition was to the toe pick, it was a monster compared to the Mirage. She caught it a few times and her knees were a mess for a couple of weeks.

bostonskaterguy86 said:

I’ve been wondering about blade upgrades myself. I’m an adult skater working on Basic 3-4 skills, skating in GAM Concepts with the stock Ultima Mirage blades, and spins/turns just somehow...don’t feel right. The rocker almost feels like it’s under my arch instead of the ball of my foot, and I’m wondering if this is just a quirk of the Mirage, or if the blade is too long for the boot (it’s a 10 1/2” blade on a men’s 7.5C boot).

From what I’ve read, the CA/MK Pro profile has a more aggressive rocker that’s placed a little further forward - do I have that right? I wonder if there’s any value in a blade upgrade if I plan to work a lot on spins in the future?

Click to expand...

I felt the same way. I switched to the Eclipse Aurora which is a CA clone in stainless steel, and my spins improved a lot. If you are sure your boot is 100% the correct size, and you're going to stick with the same boot manufacturer it's a good investment. Also check style etc. For example Edea and Jackson Fusions use shorter blades because of the higher heel. When you replace your boots, you can bring your blade with you as long as your new boots use the same size blade.