skatingforums

Six of my children first skated in late December for a holiday outing. Within a month, they all had used skates from various sources and were skating regularly. Within a month the oldest five started LTS classes 3x/week, and a 2-3 months after that switched fully to private lessons, once four of them had passed all the Basic levels. It's now been a solid six months, and quite the adventure trying to juggle all the expenses and trying to balance cost with value/need. Here's a current update:

Oldest son (11):

• Started in used Reidell boots with MK Professional Freestyle blades, old and badly sharpening-damaged. Used these for a few months but caused pain and he outgrew them. But used these through the Lutz.
• Moved to SP-Teri split-width boots with "new" old stock Gold Seal blades - discovered more recently that one is bent which surely happened before purchase somehow. These worked better but did not accommodate his very high arches well - more pain. But working for consistent axels and an occasional double.
• Moved to barely-used custom Klingbeil boots (scored for $10 consignment!) which he found comfortable, using the same Gold Seal blades. Did some of his best skating ever on day one with these. Coach says the mounting that I did is optimal.
• New Aura Sky 50 boots ordered, along with Phoenix Gold blades. The plan was to order Jackson Supremes - unfortunately not available for boys in his size so we were going to order a girl's set and have it painted black. We had already considered Edea and Risport options which were less comfortable. The Jacksons were not perfect but a Bauer insole seemed like it would help. But when we returned he saw they had Auras also and opted to try one on a half size off and found them very comfortable. So we decided to order a set of those in the proper size. Decided to go with the lightest possible blade to match the light boots to explore that extreme end of the spectrum.
• Planning to complete pre-preliminary tests this summer and enter first competition at pre-preliminary level in September.

Oldest daughter (9):

• Started in used Risport Electra Lites with Coronation Ace blades in good condition. Used these until about a month ago without issue. They were getting a bit tight so we switched.
• Switched to used Jackson Supremes with Matrix Elite blades. The boots well-worn, but still very solid/stiff. The blade runners look like new. She struggled with spins when switching to these, but is a good spinner and has recovered well. These are pretty good skates but ultimately have too many compromises - a lot of wear on the boots, the blades a little too short for the boots, and a bit too large of a size for her anyways.
• New Jackson Premiere boots ordered, and she'll inherit the oldest boy's Gold Seals. The bend in the blade doesn't seem to have held him back so we'll see how it goes for her... Coaches prefer Edea but we don't...
• Consistent Lutzes, working on Axel but can't get the rotation fast enough yet. Planning to complete pre-preliminary tests this summer and enter first competition this September also.

2nd-oldest son (7):

• Started in used Reidell boots with Reidell Capri blades. Used these boots until recently.
• Inherited the oldest's MK Professional Freestyle blades when he upgraded, as despite the wear on these they were better than the Capris.
• Moved to SP-Teri boots very recently, currently using the Professional Freestyle blades still, but will switch to the Matrix Elite blades since they are the right size and in very good shape.
• Can also land Axels, though not as consistent or stable as the older siblings. Planning to compete at whatever level he's at this September.

3rd-oldest son (6):

• Started in used Reidell boots with Capri blades. Still using these but not for long...very well worn at this point...
• Moving to SP-Teri boots as soon as new blades (new old stock Four Aces) are delivered.
• Smaller and not as capable as his older siblings, but doing exceptionally well for his age. Planning to compete at whatever level he's at this September.

2nd-oldest daughter (5):

• Started in used Risport Venus boots with MK Flight blades. Still using with no plans to change in the foreseeable future.
• Had only completed Basic 4 by the time her older siblings had passed Freestyle 1, but enjoys skating and doing great for her age. Planning for even her to compete for fun this September.

Youngest daughter (3):

• Started in used Klingbeil Rental skates.  Only skates once or twice a week.  Expected to keep using until she grows into her older sister's current pair.