Skate question - fsf

[JimStanmore]

skatingmonkeys
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Post Title: Skate Question
Posted: 03-17-2010, 12:33 AM

my youngest dd started taking figure skating lessons last fall right after she turned 4. The skate fitter at the time put her in a Jackson Classique and she has progressed fairly fast for a 4 year old. A few weeks ago she started complaining that her skates hurt her and we found our self being fit for new skates tonight I was assuming that we would keep her in Classiques for a while longer since she is just starting to jump. She has her Waltz jump and her Salchow. I have to say that her jumps and spins are pretty impressive for a 4 year old. The skate fitter recomended moving her in to a Jackson Freestyle with the cornation ace blade. Needless to say Im a bit shocked.

I have been reading this fourm for a while and keep thinking that this is putting her in too much of a boot and blade for a 4 year old.

any opinions? 

Tennisany1
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Posted: 03-17-2010, 12:47 AM

IMHO this is way too much for any 4 year old. She doesn't need an Ace blade until she is working on an axel. The classique or one of the entry GAMS with a GAM blade is really all she needs. I'm sure Riedel would also have something appropriate (I don't know much about them.) Actually, a plastic sole is great at this age because she doesn't need to be a careful when she dries them off. Heck, she really doesn't even need a real freestyle blade until she working on a flip. Most kids get one before that but a Coronation Ace is way more blade than she needs. For heaven sakes, she could decide next month that she want to do something else and never skate again!

I haven't seen your daughter skate, but you should be aware that lots and lots of 4 year olds can do a waltz jump and a salchow. The technique is usually questionable and it really doesn't mean a lot at this point. I'm not being nasty, I just don't want a boot fitter or coach to lead you down the "your child is the next Michelle Kwan" path - especially if it means forking out a couple of hundred dollars for blades!

Here is a link to the GAM website just for your info. http://www.gamskates.com/en/index.as...4D5E1A2B3C4D5E
You will see a range of boot/blade combos that could work for your dd. The toe picks all look fine (except the Fantasia.) I'm not pushing GAM, just that you can see that there are skate/blade combinations available with a freestyle toe pick at a much more modest price. 

ukmum
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Posted: 03-17-2010, 04:25 AM

My daughter is 9 has axel and double salchow and only moved up to a stiffer boot and the ace in the last month. The Jackson Freestyle are very very stiff and very heavy. Way too much for a four year old. Even my daughter found the freestyle too stiff. My daughter was in the classique before and would have stayed in it if it wasn't for the jumps at that level being a bit too much for the boot. Her classiques lasted 18 months with barely a mark on them and hadn't broken down at all. I think the fitter is just encouraging you to spend. There is a girl at our rink who is 10 and has all her doubles and off to the British championships this year who still skates in the classiques because she is so light. There is plenty of time to go before needing to spend this kind of money. 

cazzie
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Posted: 03-17-2010, 05:40 AM

My 7 year old son is in beginner boots and landing loop combinations, working on flip and lutz. His boots are about 4 months old and are only softening a little bit now. (He is very thin...)

Beginner blades are absolutely fine for small little kids. Many kids at son's level starting to think about Coronation Ace but my older daughter only went into these when she started working on axel .

One of the boys my son's age went into Coronation Ace and seems to fall a lot over his toe picks. 

sk8tmum
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Posted: 03-17-2010, 07:33 AM

I agree with all of the above, and, in fact, I would find the Jackson Classique to be too much boot for a typically-sized 4 year old. We have a few tiny tots wearing them, as they are easy to get, and I've yet to see any of them able to bend their knee, and they are "jarring" themselves on the landing of the jumps because they have to come down straight-legged, which is not a good thing for a small body or for a good technique.

What seems to work somewhat better are the Artiste or the Mystique, which are lighter boots in the Jackson line and also easy to get. I know our fitters would never put a small child in a Classique ... we were told unequivocally NO when we were booting our tiny tot until she was bigger and taller and skating with more power and flow. We use Riedells ourselves (plus, Jacksons don't fit her feet )

However, perhaps your child is unusually tall, heavy, or muscular for a 4 year old. Has she been able to bend the boots when skating?

I also echo the opinion of the first poster: be wary of measuring ability and progress on the waltz and the sal. Skating skills are critical to skating success, and for that, you need boots that are light enough and that she can bend so that she can develop good stroking technique. 

skatingmonkeys
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Posted: 03-17-2010, 03:04 PM

Im glad that my gut feeling about jumping in to the Freestyles was correct and that there is no need for a 4 year old to have that boot and blade. I just ordered the proper size classiques for her and they should be here next week. Our coach did say that she prefers moving skaters on to the ace blade sooner than later. For now I will hold off for a while and see where she goes in this sport 

Tennisany1
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Posted: 03-17-2010, 04:58 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by cazzie 
...One of the boys my son's age went into Coronation Ace and seems to fall a lot over his toe picks.


This is a very important consideration. Falls over toe picks are very scary and hurt a lot - especially for small kids. The size of the pick on the Ace is huge compared to the beginner skates. A couple of bad falls and a four year old could be totally turned off.

ITA with the Mystique being a good beginner boot. My dd started in that one when she was four and we only switched to GAMS because the boot fit her better. 

Mrs Redboots
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Posted: 03-19-2010, 07:26 AM

I don't know whether Coronation Aces have changed much in recent years, but here they were thought to be the blade you went to once you got past the beginner, bolted-on blades, and stayed on until you started working on doubles, at which point you upgraded to something better. So I would definitely be thinking of Coronation Aces, or a similar-level blade, for your skater. 

Tennisany1
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Posted: 03-19-2010, 11:47 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mrs Redboots 
I don't know whether Coronation Aces have changed much in recent years, but here they were thought to be the blade you went to once you got past the beginner, bolted-on blades, and stayed on until you started working on doubles, at which point you upgraded to something better. So I would definitely be thinking of Coronation Aces, or a similar-level blade, for your skater.


Coronation Aces are about $230.00 a set here. Not really what I would put on a child working on early singles. Perhaps they are less in Britain because they are made there? Generally kids here move up to Aces or an equivalent when they start landing an axel. Some move up when they start working on it and some not until they have a double. It depends on the coach and parent's finances. 

Mrs Redboots
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Posted: 03-20-2010, 04:10 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tennisany1 
Coronation Aces are about $230.00 a set here. Not really what I would put on a child working on early singles. Perhaps they are less in Britain because they are made there? Generally kids here move up to Aces or an equivalent when they start landing an axel. Some move up when they start working on it and some not until they have a double. It depends on the coach and parent's finances.


Yes, I think they are much less here. They are a very good all-purpose blade, though, and can take many skaters as far as they're going to go. 

BlueSkate
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Posted: 03-20-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tennisany1 
Coronation Aces are about $230.00 a set here. Not really what I would put on a child working on early singles. Perhaps they are less in Britain because they are made there? Generally kids here move up to Aces or an equivalent when they start landing an axel. Some move up when they start working on it and some not until they have a double. It depends on the coach and parent's finances.


I think most people here move up to Aces (or similar) when they're starting NISA levels, I believe that's around the same level as pre-pre in the US.

I got a new pair of Coronation Ace blades a few months ago and they cost me £80 (~$120) so definitely much cheaper over here.