Consulting boot manufacturer personnel at competitions | Golden Skate

Consulting boot manufacturer personnel at competitions

Flying Feijoa

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 22, 2019
Country
New-Zealand
Just wondering if anybody has gone as a spectator to a major competition and visited the boot/blade manufacturer stalls which are often set up there (e.g. Edea, Jackson, John Wilson) to get advice on their own skate fitting?

I got a nosebleed ticket to Worlds in Montreal, and am hoping to go see the Jackson stall, ask their technicians directly for advice and maybe use their 3D foot scanner to get a recommendation on improving fit.

FYI as a follow-up to my first-ever post about miserable foot problems: I switched to a semi-custom Jackson Premiere a few months ago (was the best option for my budget at the time), to some degree of success :) Haglund's deformity is still present (I don't think bone will go away by itself...) but it's much less inflamed now. Bunionettes aren't aggravated as much due to the wider toebox. But there are still a few issues that I would like a third opinion on (my fitter and sharpener both have different views...) so I'd like to ask the Jackson people directly. Popping over to their stall seems the most convenient option, since it's not urgent and I will be around anyway.

I want to take my skates with me, but since the Bell Centre has restrictions on baggage size I'm not sure if this is allowed. I don't know if the restrictions apply to the area where the stalls are, though?
I emailed the Worlds organisers about this, but they didn't respond (maybe too busy with virus contingency plans...)

P.S. Not sure if this should go into the Edge or Lutz Corner threads, but as it's more about personal equipment I decided on the latter.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
No idea but, like you, a friend and I are hoping to visit the boot manufacturer stalls. We especially wanted to see Harlick (she may actually require custom boots and I am sorely tempted by a pair in pink suede with my logo in purple) but they've already told me that they won't be there. :( My friend also really wants to see Jackson as she feels they may be the best option for her particular feet dimensions.

I'll be watching for replies!
 

sandraskates

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
I have not attended a World Championships in many years but when I did there were no trade booths; it was strictly a spectator event.

I am in the US and have seen trade booths at the various National competitions and at the PSA conference.
My suggestion is for you to contact Jackson directly and ask if they're going to have a booth at Worlds, and if so, will they be taking their 3D scanner.
Have a nice time!!!
 

Ducky

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
Oh drat, I was so hoping that Harlick would be there. I'm hoping to go to visit Riedell and talk to them about 1) correct sizing and 2) whether or not they still carry the Aria as I see that it's out of stock on their website.

Side note: is there a thread about going to Worlds and any meetups that may or may not be taking place?
 

sandraskates

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
Not that I've found. And I'm too wimpy to start one in case it's against the rules...

Maybe a board moderator could answer yours and Ducky's question if you e-mail them. I know some boards do allow meet-up posts. It's fun to put faces to postings and meet new friends!
 

ribbit

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Oh drat, I was so hoping that Harlick would be there. I'm hoping to go to visit Riedell and talk to them about 1) correct sizing and 2) whether or not they still carry the Aria as I see that it's out of stock on their website.

Side note: is there a thread about going to Worlds and any meetups that may or may not be taking place?

Although there isn't a thread in the Worlds sub-forum of the competition forum yet, there often are threads about meet-ups in the individual competition sub-forums. So unless the GS rules have changed recently, it should be fine to start one there. (You'll need a current GS Season Pass, if you don't have one already.) I'm not sure whether the mods would permit a thread to be started in The Edge, but sandraskates' idea of emailing a mod sounds good to me.
 

SmallAminal

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2016
Related question about manufacturer booths at competitions:

Are they just there to do some light promotion or do they sell product and/or provide fitting and technical advice? Do people find them generally helpful or is it like the auto-show where its hit or miss whether you get someone who has deep knowledge of the products or someone babysitting a booth.

I've always kind of ignored the booths at e.g. Nationals (mostly because I didn't have time to stop by or we were busy chatting with friends). I'm curious if I should be carving out time to check it out next time.
 

WednesdayMarch

Nicer When Fed
Medalist
Joined
Mar 24, 2019
Country
United-Kingdom
Related question about manufacturer booths at competitions:

Are they just there to do some light promotion or do they sell product and/or provide fitting and technical advice? Do people find them generally helpful or is it like the auto-show where its hit or miss whether you get someone who has deep knowledge of the products or someone babysitting a booth.

I've always kind of ignored the booths at e.g. Nationals (mostly because I didn't have time to stop by or we were busy chatting with friends). I'm curious if I should be carving out time to check it out next time.

Jackson are going to be at Worlds, with their 3-D foot scanner. This gives me the impression that they are there to at least provide fitting and technical advice.

Graf, unfortunately, will not be having a stand, although they have indicated that they "will have a presence"... :(
 

Flying Feijoa

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 22, 2019
Country
New-Zealand
Thanks Wednesday March! I definitely plan on giving the foot scanner a go, for curiosity's sake if nothing else :)

About whether skates are permitted in the manufacturer stall area, I emailed Worlds but they redirected me to Bell Centre Customer Experience, who then told me to call them. Nobody answered when I did yesterday... will try again sometime!
 

Sunshine247

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
I can say that we visited the Jackson tech rep(Kevin) At a competition and he was super helpful. He did a fix on the fit for one of my DDs and then gave some fit recommendations for both that was amazingly helpful! I highly recommend talking with a rep but YMMV.
 

Flying Feijoa

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 22, 2019
Country
New-Zealand
So Bell Centre told me that skates other than those of the 'production team' (sic) aren't allowed in the venue as they are potential weapons. A bit funny considering John Wilson will lay out a table full of knives...

Jackson says their tech rep Adam will be attending. He's also the local rep for Ontario - if you live in that area you might have already met him.
I might as well drop by, since I'm there. If skates aren't allowed, I'll bring photos of them. And my feet :)
 

tstop4me

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Country
United-States
So Bell Centre told me that skates other than those of the 'production team' (sic) aren't allowed in the venue as they are potential weapons. A bit funny considering John Wilson will lay out a table full of knives...

Jackson says their tech rep Adam will be attending. He's also the local rep for Ontario - if you live in that area you might have already met him.
I might as well drop by, since I'm there. If skates aren't allowed, I'll bring photos of them. And my feet :)
That policy is more than just a bit bizarre. But, in case you're mainly interested in an assessment of the fit of your current boots, you could consider demounting the blades.
 
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