Risport and wide feet

[SkateTip2]

Why does Risport have the reputation of being SO very narrow?

Because the pro shop is a distance away, I tried to do all the research beforehand (skating forums posts were great)  For people with wide feet, everything on the internet suggests avoiding Risport.  For this reason, I walked into the pro shop sure it was going to be Jacksons, GAMS, or Teris.  To my amazement, the very experienced owner told me lately wide footed people have been preferring Risports to those other brands.  My jaw dropped.  I had completely ignored researching Risport because of the reputation.

She was completely right.  I tried on nearly every brand and fell in love with the Royal Super.  Huge toe box (which may just make someone go down a size) and a very anatomical shape around the ball.  Although it is a very stiff rated skate (85), it was light and not inhibiting.  It felt less cement-like than beginner Riedells I have tried.

I especially wanted to share this with adult skaters, who tend to have wider feet but also who have the benefit of feet that have stopped growing.  The price may just be worth it if the boot can suit you anywhere from freestyle 3 or 4 all the way up through triples.  I am an 130 lb adult returning to the sport and without an axel, and this particular boot feels secure but does not intimidate.

Also, I was wearing a B width, but apparently that is misleading because Risport has AA, A, and B...so it is still the widest.  Maybe they changed the last recently.

[spiralina]

The stock RF4s are very narrow. For *beginner* skaters with wide feet they're not ideal but from RF3 and above, they are very nice skates.

[Sk8tmum]

Risport is considered the "go to" boot for people with wide feet by local fitters.  They seem to fit quite a few of them neatly; I know that back in the day when my guys were still working thru boot choices they swam on their narrow feet.  I think it's simply that old "the last that fits your feet" issue - I know people with wide feet who fit what are purported to be the "narrow Riedell last"; and people with narrow feet that ended up with a C width in a properly fitted Jackson!

Whatever works for you is what works for you ...

[sarahspins]

I think there's a variety of "wide" feet... I've had a pair of Risports in the past and they fit me okay as a teenager, but since my feet have filled out fromt he time I was 14, I doubt they would fit me well now.

Wide is also relative.. there are plenty of us with feet wider than any stock width.  My last two pairs of Jacksons have had an E ball.

[Orianna2000]

Wide is also relative.. there are plenty of us with feet wider than any stock width.  My last two pairs of Jacksons have had an E ball.

I agree with this. The thing is, the foot is three-dimensional, so everyone's feet are shaped differently, not just in width and length, but in height, too. You have to consider the width of your ball, arch, and heel. There's also the height of your instep, as well as your arch. All of these elements combine to create a unique foot, so you have to figure out which brand and style works for your exact needs.

Jackson skates fit me much better than Riedell. Every Riedell skate I tried on was uncomfortable. But even though Jackson skates fit me better, they still were too narrow across the ball and the arch. When I sent my foot measurements to Jackson, they said I would need a 5-E width--much wider than anything they make. But when I visited a pro-shop in California and actually had a professional fitter examine my feet, he said that wasn't strictly true. Yes, I do have extremely wide feet, but they're also very thick, which is why my measurement seemed so big. I also have a high instep, a flat arch, and narrow heels. Because of the unique configuration of my feet, I ended up needing custom skates.

In any case, it's possible that some people with wide measurements actually have thick feet, and that's why the narrower stock boots fit them. Or there may be some other difference. People with bunions, for instance, will need wider skates to accommodate the bony knob that sticks out at the base of their big toe.