Hi all
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I have been skating for 18 months now. I started as an adult (35F), after loving the sport for years. I've never lived close enough to a rink to be able to learn properly until now.
Unfortunately, I am starting to think I have been incorrectly fitted for my first pair of boots. I was 'fitted' (I say that loosely), at my rink, and purchased Jackson Elle's in an 8 1/2 wide. These boots have been fine up to recently, when my coach mentioned that he wants to start me learning jumps (just baby steps for now, bunny hops, etc).
The issue that I'm noticing now, is that when ever I get up on the toe picks, my heels are not touching the back of the boot and I feel VERY unstable. The boots are only 12 months old, and I don't think they've broken down to the point of being unstable, I just have a sinking feeling that I've been fitted incorrectly. I did purchase insoles, which have helped somewhat. My coach suggested I shove cotton wool in the toes, (and then in the same breath, said this didn't work for him).
For context, my normal shoe size is an 8. I have a normal arch, and width. I'm around 85kg (187lbs).
I currently skate 3 times a week, for about 1-2 hrs at a time. Once is an adult group lesson, once is a 30min private lesson (with another 30 min practice time), and one is a Theatre on Ice Group where we skate from 12.15pm to 1.30pm once a week. I haven't started testing yet, but am currently working on inside and outside 3 turns, mohawks, backward and forward crossovers (when will they ever be consistent!), and various edge exercises, among other things. The last few weeks, my coach has started me on bunny hops, and mentioned that he is gearing me up to begin jumping.
With that in mind, and given the huge amount of expertise here, I would love some suggestions as to boots and blades, as I think sooner rather than later, I will have to bite the bullet and purchase a new pair. I do plan on selling the current (incorrect) pair once I get organised with new ones.
I also (like so many adults), spend a significant amount of time being quite hesitant in doing certain moves, and I can't help but feel that this is because my feet aren't properly fitting into the boots. I fear I have made the rookie mistake of trusting the guys at my rink shop, when I shouldn't have.
I'm not sure the Jackson in wide is correct for my feet, and I'm not opposed to trying out other boots/blade combo's., like Risport, or Edea. There is a lady in my skate group who swears by Ice Fly's, but I know I don't need anything near that level yet.
I don't drive, so the nearest place for me to get to for a fitting would be Sydney or Melbourne.
Any help or tips would be much appreciated. I am so cranky with myself that this happened.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I have been skating for 18 months now. I started as an adult (35F), after loving the sport for years. I've never lived close enough to a rink to be able to learn properly until now.
Unfortunately, I am starting to think I have been incorrectly fitted for my first pair of boots. I was 'fitted' (I say that loosely), at my rink, and purchased Jackson Elle's in an 8 1/2 wide. These boots have been fine up to recently, when my coach mentioned that he wants to start me learning jumps (just baby steps for now, bunny hops, etc).
The issue that I'm noticing now, is that when ever I get up on the toe picks, my heels are not touching the back of the boot and I feel VERY unstable. The boots are only 12 months old, and I don't think they've broken down to the point of being unstable, I just have a sinking feeling that I've been fitted incorrectly. I did purchase insoles, which have helped somewhat. My coach suggested I shove cotton wool in the toes, (and then in the same breath, said this didn't work for him).
For context, my normal shoe size is an 8. I have a normal arch, and width. I'm around 85kg (187lbs).
I currently skate 3 times a week, for about 1-2 hrs at a time. Once is an adult group lesson, once is a 30min private lesson (with another 30 min practice time), and one is a Theatre on Ice Group where we skate from 12.15pm to 1.30pm once a week. I haven't started testing yet, but am currently working on inside and outside 3 turns, mohawks, backward and forward crossovers (when will they ever be consistent!), and various edge exercises, among other things. The last few weeks, my coach has started me on bunny hops, and mentioned that he is gearing me up to begin jumping.
With that in mind, and given the huge amount of expertise here, I would love some suggestions as to boots and blades, as I think sooner rather than later, I will have to bite the bullet and purchase a new pair. I do plan on selling the current (incorrect) pair once I get organised with new ones.
I also (like so many adults), spend a significant amount of time being quite hesitant in doing certain moves, and I can't help but feel that this is because my feet aren't properly fitting into the boots. I fear I have made the rookie mistake of trusting the guys at my rink shop, when I shouldn't have.
I'm not sure the Jackson in wide is correct for my feet, and I'm not opposed to trying out other boots/blade combo's., like Risport, or Edea. There is a lady in my skate group who swears by Ice Fly's, but I know I don't need anything near that level yet.
I don't drive, so the nearest place for me to get to for a fitting would be Sydney or Melbourne.
Any help or tips would be much appreciated. I am so cranky with myself that this happened.