You are viewing as a Guest.

Welcome to skatingforums - over 10 years of figure skating discussions for skaters, coaches, judges and parents!

Please register to be able to access all features of this message board.

Author Topic: 'Recreational' skates....  (Read 4701 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline 4711

  • Punching Out Boots
  • ****
  • Joined: Mar 2013
  • Location: Bama
  • Posts: 858
  • Total GOE: 3
  • Gender: Female
'Recreational' skates....
« on: August 14, 2013, 01:28:20 PM »
you know, the ones that look like they screwed sneakers to the blades.

Question: Aside from not getting those if you are halfway determined to climb up ranks and test/compete, etc...

What would be the things you can do with them easily and what would push their limits?
I am guessing you'd be alright doing your steps, spirals, some spins, but limited jumping?

It is a hypothetical question, literary inspired, might yet be stricken, but the plot bunnies let me down the trail, making my fictional skaters buy a pair on impulse....
:blush: ~ I should be writing~ :blush:

Offline Skittl1321

  • Swizzle Royalty
  • ******
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Posts: 2,314
  • Total GOE: 121
    • Skittles Skates
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2013, 03:12:00 PM »
I went through Basic 6 with rec skates. Not the ones you mentioned, but ones with no sort of toe pick and terrible cheap, bolted on blades.   I could do spirals and a two foot spin.  I didn't do any real jumps on them but did side toe hops and bunny hops.

However, I was a very light young adult.  At the weight I'm at now, I don't think I would even do those little jumps. These skates had no support and the blades were not made for much.

Offline AgnesNitt

  • Asynchronous Skating Team Leader
  • ********
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Location: East o' the sun; and west o' the moon
  • Posts: 5,384
  • Total GOE: 516
  • Gender: Female
    • The ice doesn't care
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2013, 04:33:07 PM »
I've seen an elderly (my age or older) former olympian at my rink who coaches in what I think are jackson softechs. Essentially, sneakers on blades. Of course he's just using them to push himself across the ice.

I think Skittl's right, they'll last you for a while, but if you're heavy, that 'while' may only be a few months.

I started out in Jackson rec figure skates. Mystique blades. I could never get anywhere past stroking forward. It wasn't until I switched to MK Pros that I started making progress. I shouldn't blame the blades though. I had a lot of issues everywhere.
Yes I'm in with the 90's. I have a skating blog. http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/

Offline 4711

  • Punching Out Boots
  • ****
  • Joined: Mar 2013
  • Location: Bama
  • Posts: 858
  • Total GOE: 3
  • Gender: Female
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2013, 05:23:51 PM »
so really not much more than doing laps.

Thanks.
:blush: ~ I should be writing~ :blush:

Offline AgnesNitt

  • Asynchronous Skating Team Leader
  • ********
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Location: East o' the sun; and west o' the moon
  • Posts: 5,384
  • Total GOE: 516
  • Gender: Female
    • The ice doesn't care
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2013, 05:27:30 PM »
so really not much more than doing laps.

Thanks.

Laps , crossovers, 3 turns, edges. I really ' needed' a 7 foot rocket.
Yes I'm in with the 90's. I have a skating blog. http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/

Offline jjane45

  • Clean Skate
  • ********
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Location: Chicago, IL
  • Posts: 3,881
  • Total GOE: 162
  • Gender: Female
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2013, 05:58:59 PM »
I used rec skates up to isi delta, or whatever level that had bunny hop. it's doable, but looking back I think the progress could have been faster if the boots provided any ankle support.

Offline rachelplotkin

  • Prerotation Society
  • **
  • Joined: Sep 2012
  • Location: Midwest
  • Posts: 152
  • Total GOE: 7
  • Gender: Female
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2013, 06:01:25 PM »
I think it depends very much on the skater.  My coach can do pretty much anything in his recreational skates he can do in his high powered skates.  He's worn both for private lessons and group classes.  Unless I look I really could not tell you which he is wearing . :D  But maybe that is the difference between someone learning to skate and a skating professional.

Offline 4711

  • Punching Out Boots
  • ****
  • Joined: Mar 2013
  • Location: Bama
  • Posts: 858
  • Total GOE: 3
  • Gender: Female
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2013, 09:43:04 PM »
Just for clarification:
http://www.purehockey.com/jackson-softec-classic-st2000-womens-recreational-skates-10-18704

something like those...
(dang, 15 bucks?!)

But those were the first to pop up. I believe I have seen more sneaker looking ones.
:blush: ~ I should be writing~ :blush:

Offline sarahspins

  • Passed Silver MITF 4/7/13!
  • Swizzle Royalty
  • ******
  • Joined: Feb 2011
  • Location: Somewhere very hot
  • Posts: 2,312
  • Total GOE: 131
  • Gender: Female
  • CER-C
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2013, 09:53:54 PM »
Most of those are best suited for pond skating or occasional recreation use by someone who doesn't skate well or often.  Primarily because the blade is cheap and isn't going to hold much of an edge for long, and the boots themselves will not hold up for long either.  I see kids in LTS all the time in similar skates and they really do seem to break down VERY fast compared to low-end figure skates (which don't cost much more) - some of the rec skates are basically unusuable by the end of a single 8 week session.

That said, a good skater can manage to skate well in just about anything - kids at my rink used to wear rentals and hockey skates just to play around and they'd even do doubles in them (yes, in hockey skates).  There was one lady at our rink last year who skated to a fairly high level as a child in another country come and skate in rentals and some of the footwork, jumps AND spins she was doing was astonishing, especially since she said she hadn't skated in several years.  I think the rentals she happened to get not only fit her well but were in fairly decent shape compared to most and recently sharpened, which helped.

Offline blue111moon

  • Freestyle Skater
  • ***
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Posts: 328
  • Total GOE: 34
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2013, 07:42:34 AM »
I personally went through the first year of group lessons in a pair of Sears vinyl rec skates with aluminum blades that my father had bought in a box of about a dozen assorted pairs at an auction a decade earlier.  I was a then-thin adult skating only about an hour and a half a week and I learned up through a one-foot spin and a waltz jump in those floppy skates.  Evidently my ankles were much stronger then! :)

It wasn't until I wanted to start private lessons and join the local club that my coach suggested I upgrade to decent skates.  My first pair were Oberhammers but I don't remember the model or the blade. 

Offline AgnesNitt

  • Asynchronous Skating Team Leader
  • ********
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Location: East o' the sun; and west o' the moon
  • Posts: 5,384
  • Total GOE: 516
  • Gender: Female
    • The ice doesn't care
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2013, 03:32:41 PM »

It wasn't until I wanted to start private lessons and join the local club that my coach suggested I upgrade to decent skates.  My first pair were Oberhammers but I don't remember the model or the blade.

Dating yourself dear.  ;)  Although you can still find people selling vintage Oberhammer roller boots. 
Yes I'm in with the 90's. I have a skating blog. http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/

Offline sarahspins

  • Passed Silver MITF 4/7/13!
  • Swizzle Royalty
  • ******
  • Joined: Feb 2011
  • Location: Somewhere very hot
  • Posts: 2,312
  • Total GOE: 131
  • Gender: Female
  • CER-C
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2013, 03:35:49 PM »
Oberhammers were good quality boots though :)

Offline icedancer

  • Custom Skates
  • *****
  • Joined: Aug 2010
  • Location: USA West Coast, Left Coast
  • Posts: 1,820
  • Total GOE: 143
Re: 'Recreational' skates....
« Reply #12 on: August 15, 2013, 07:44:28 PM »
Oberhammers were good quality boots though :)

I had Oberhammers - nice boots! ;)