Hi. I'm an adult skater who's about to start Freeskate 1 (usfsa). I need to order a pair of skates. My toes are wide but my heel is not particularly wide. Are "wide" width skates typically wide all over or are they mainly wide in the toe box? I read that GAM and Jackson are better for wide feet but they are made for people with higher arches, which I do not have. So I'm not sure whether those will work or not. I'm also considering the Riedell skates but I don't see a type made for Freestyle 1. The closest I found were the 223 Stride (for Basic 5-7) and the 229 Edge (for Freestyle 3-4). I'm concerned about the Stride not being advanced or stiff enough for jumps but I'm afraid the Edge might be too stiff. Any thoughts? If someone can recommend a brand that I haven't mentioned please let me know. I'll be happy to provide more info. about my foot if I need to. Thank you in advance for your help!
I also agree that the best thing to do is to go to a decent pro shop, get the recommendation of a decent skate tech, and try some on. This won't always be possible, however. I won't recommend specific models, but here are answers to some of your questions, plus some tips.
(a) In general, a "wide width" means wide along the whole length of the foot. Some boots, more typically advanced models (such as the Jacksons using the Elite last), come in a split width, with a different width in the toe than in the heel [stock models have the toes one width wider than the heels; special order for larger differences]. Sometimes available in lower-level boots on special order. It is critical that the heels fit snugly, but the toes are not cramped. Jackson tends to use a more rounded toe box than other manufacturers.
(b) The Jackson insole (footbed), even on their top models, does not provide much support. In particular, if you have flat feet, you will need to replace the stock footbeds with more supportive ones (either commercial or homemade). I have flat feet and use homemade arch supports in my Jackson Elite Suedes.
(c) Since you are an adult, don't shy away from certain boots because you're afraid they may be too stiff. I mean, don't go crazy and buy top-of-the-line boots spec'd for triples and quads, but you should at least consider higher-grade boots. Here's one of my previous posts that gives a fuller discussion:
http://skatingforums.com/index.php?topic=7115.msg85042#msg85042(d) Don't get too hung up on stiffness ratings. There's no industry standard. You can't compare ratings among different manufacturers. Even for a given manufacturer, there's no indication of how the scale ranges (that is, how much stiffer is an 80 compared to a 60?). So try them out, rather than rejecting certain models outright based on a stiffness rating.