Apologies in advance for this lengthy post.
This forum has been a wealth of knowledge and I have learned so much from reading here over the past few months.
Relevant background: I (re)started figure skating in January of this year, after a 20+ year hiatus. As a child, I only really got to the end of CanSkate (Canadian learn to skate program). Essentially I learned waltz jump and 1 foot spin and that was about it. Because I didn't get all that far, I've more or less had to start from scratch as an adult. What began as a once-weekly adult session (basically just a bunch of adults messing around for 45 minutes) quickly morphed into private lessons and testing StarSkate levels (Canadian figure skating program). Currently skating 3 times a week (3 hrs total weekly). I've got waltz jump, salchow, toe loop, loop, flip and will soon be working on lutz. Passed Star 1-3 skills and dance recently (and Star 1 free skate a few weeks ago). Spins are a different story--they're a mess. One foot is fine, but back spin is a disaster (very slowly getting better) and I can't seem to find the sweet spot for sit spins so I get max 2 revs before I lose balance and have to stand up.
Anyways, that brings me to the point of the post. In January when I first started I was using a pair of very old rec skates that had no support, so I quickly started looking into my first "real" pair of figure skates. Unfortunately, my city (and province) does not have a fitter, and of course as a total beginner I didn't know anything, so I went to a sports store that mostly deals with hockey skates but had a few Jackson figure skates. I went with the Jackson Freestyle (the highest model they carried) and in the store they seemed to fit snugly with some toe wiggle room. Got them heat-molded and off I went. Within a few weeks, however, I noticed that my heel was slipping in the boot. After reading on this forum, I realized they are too big (now that the padding has been compressed, I have tons of room in the front). I was able to temporarily mitigate the problem by wearing lace-bite gel pads at the ankle and tightening the crap out of the flex crease eyelet and first few hooks. Still doesn't feel awesome with the amount of space I have in the front but at least when I do toe jumps my heel isn't coming out as much. I wonder as well, if the improper fit (as well as the Aspire XP blade) might be contributing to my difficulty with spins. The boots themselves still have lots of support.
So I know that I need a proper fitting boot. Coincidentally, I will be moving at the end of June to a city where there are actual skate fitters--oh the luxury! I am hoping to get some advice on here about what models in particular I should be looking at, so I have some kind of idea when I go for a fitting. My feet are all kinds of messed up. I have a wide forefoot, courtesy of juvenile bunions (had them since childhood, but thankfully they don't bother me), as well as hammer toes and a flexible flatfoot. I have a greek-style foot, with a narrower heel. The Jackson Freestyles I'm currently in are an 8 wide (normal shoe size for me is 8-8.5, or 9 if I'm using the sneakers for running). My guess is the heel lift comes from either the heel being too wide or the overall length being too long, or both. 33 female, 5'5", approx 130 pounds. Strong legs from spin and running, although I’m not sure if my knee bend is super strong. I'm looking for a boot that will carry me through axel and beginning doubles, hopefully for 2+ years. From reading on here, it seems like I have a "Jackson" foot, and if I were to stay with that brand I think I'd be looking at the Premieres (please chime in if you think that is "overbooting" for me). But I'm wondering about other brands too, just so I have more than one option in case the Premieres don't fit right. Would Risport work for my foot? Perhaps the Royal Pro or RF3 Pro?
I think I've included all the relevant information in this post... if you read through to the end, major kudos and thank you. I appreciate any insights from this knowledgeable group!
This forum has been a wealth of knowledge and I have learned so much from reading here over the past few months.
Relevant background: I (re)started figure skating in January of this year, after a 20+ year hiatus. As a child, I only really got to the end of CanSkate (Canadian learn to skate program). Essentially I learned waltz jump and 1 foot spin and that was about it. Because I didn't get all that far, I've more or less had to start from scratch as an adult. What began as a once-weekly adult session (basically just a bunch of adults messing around for 45 minutes) quickly morphed into private lessons and testing StarSkate levels (Canadian figure skating program). Currently skating 3 times a week (3 hrs total weekly). I've got waltz jump, salchow, toe loop, loop, flip and will soon be working on lutz. Passed Star 1-3 skills and dance recently (and Star 1 free skate a few weeks ago). Spins are a different story--they're a mess. One foot is fine, but back spin is a disaster (very slowly getting better) and I can't seem to find the sweet spot for sit spins so I get max 2 revs before I lose balance and have to stand up.
Anyways, that brings me to the point of the post. In January when I first started I was using a pair of very old rec skates that had no support, so I quickly started looking into my first "real" pair of figure skates. Unfortunately, my city (and province) does not have a fitter, and of course as a total beginner I didn't know anything, so I went to a sports store that mostly deals with hockey skates but had a few Jackson figure skates. I went with the Jackson Freestyle (the highest model they carried) and in the store they seemed to fit snugly with some toe wiggle room. Got them heat-molded and off I went. Within a few weeks, however, I noticed that my heel was slipping in the boot. After reading on this forum, I realized they are too big (now that the padding has been compressed, I have tons of room in the front). I was able to temporarily mitigate the problem by wearing lace-bite gel pads at the ankle and tightening the crap out of the flex crease eyelet and first few hooks. Still doesn't feel awesome with the amount of space I have in the front but at least when I do toe jumps my heel isn't coming out as much. I wonder as well, if the improper fit (as well as the Aspire XP blade) might be contributing to my difficulty with spins. The boots themselves still have lots of support.
So I know that I need a proper fitting boot. Coincidentally, I will be moving at the end of June to a city where there are actual skate fitters--oh the luxury! I am hoping to get some advice on here about what models in particular I should be looking at, so I have some kind of idea when I go for a fitting. My feet are all kinds of messed up. I have a wide forefoot, courtesy of juvenile bunions (had them since childhood, but thankfully they don't bother me), as well as hammer toes and a flexible flatfoot. I have a greek-style foot, with a narrower heel. The Jackson Freestyles I'm currently in are an 8 wide (normal shoe size for me is 8-8.5, or 9 if I'm using the sneakers for running). My guess is the heel lift comes from either the heel being too wide or the overall length being too long, or both. 33 female, 5'5", approx 130 pounds. Strong legs from spin and running, although I’m not sure if my knee bend is super strong. I'm looking for a boot that will carry me through axel and beginning doubles, hopefully for 2+ years. From reading on here, it seems like I have a "Jackson" foot, and if I were to stay with that brand I think I'd be looking at the Premieres (please chime in if you think that is "overbooting" for me). But I'm wondering about other brands too, just so I have more than one option in case the Premieres don't fit right. Would Risport work for my foot? Perhaps the Royal Pro or RF3 Pro?
I think I've included all the relevant information in this post... if you read through to the end, major kudos and thank you. I appreciate any insights from this knowledgeable group!
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