Skates were stretched, new problems

[hopskipjump]

Dd was skating in skates were her toes were starting to curl.  She needed more width so her feet could lie flat again.  The were punched which helped a little, but after a couple weeks she needed them stretched.  After they were stretched she said they felt too loose.  After her long skate day, she now has bright patches -soon to be blisters- at her Achilles tendon area.  She currently skates in tights.  Any thoughts on how to make her skates fit comfortably again?  She usually has a big spurt at the end of August, I need the skates to last through that time.

[sarahspins]

You might try a bunga achilles pad?

Were these skates heat moldable?  It might be possible to heat mould them and tighten up the heel a bit.

[hopskipjump]

I think to do that we have to go to the town we bought them - thanks for the idea - I'll call today.  I knew heat was used when she first got them, but I didn't think that heat could help later.  I looked at bunga pads but it says the small is a ladies 7 and she is in a girls 1.

[Sk8tmum]

If she has Achilles problems, check to see if her heel is staying down in her boots. If the heel is coming up, you need to address that - as it will cause problems with jumps AND her Achilles. The heat moulding won't make the heel tighter ... but, you could perhaps have inserts put in.  I'd be careful with that however.

If you've already punched and stretched, you may be at the end of the life of the skates ... the punching and stretching may have made them "off balance" over the blade ...

Bunga pads are used by lots of tiny little girls.  You can certainly get them - but, again, that won't help if the issue is the heel is too loose around her foot.

[hopskipjump]

She has already removed all pads from her skates (she got them with an extra insert because of heel slippage) because of growth.  I think we will just have to go to the main shop out of town this weekend to have him take a look.  Every August she has gone up one size so I really need to get another month or so out of these -anything I order now won't fit by October.

[FigureSpins]

The curled-up toes make me think of Cinderella's stepsisters trying to force their honking big feet into the glass slipper, lol.

Just buy the poor kid new skates now.  If she had to wear a double insole in the beginning, she'd had them for quite some time.  Skates are outgrown every 6-8 months, although stretching and tricks can extend their life.  Aren't these the too-big bargain skates you bought her or is that a different pair?  In either case, I'm sure you've gotten your money's worth from them by now.  Her toes are curled up - these are least a size too small, maybe two sizes.  I have two parents who feel guilty that they put off buying skates.  (Both needed 2 sizes bigger skates)

Too small skates affect the skater's balance and control, plus they can cause injuries and bad temperment.  Pain turns one of my girls beastly.  She would groan when I woke her for synchro practice.

I didn't know you could schedule an "August growth spurt," but the calendar's already in the middle of July.   If you buy her skates that fit properly now, a 1/2 size sudden growth just means the clock starts ticking earlier on when you have to replace it. 

It could be worse: I have twins to shoe!  My kids had sudden growth spurts like this - sometimes you don't get eight months to a year out of a pair of skates.  I once had to replace four-month old skates after it seemed one girl grew overnight and rats!  They were then wearing the same size skate, so I couldn't even use them as hand-me-downs. 

When I looked at her poor feet and toes, I could not in good conscience force her to wear them anymore, so I paid full price for new ones.  Just resign yourself to a few bumps in the road with equipment and growing children, but know that you've done everything you can to make these skates fit a little longer.  There really is no magic left to make them less painful. 

[hopskipjump]

LOL - we make dates on her skates for each change - and oddly it has always been the end of August!  This is the first time these have been stretched and the only reason I had anything done was because she never complained but I noticed she was walking kind of oddly in her skates when she was done with a lesson.  In the past we have got 1/2 a size in her skates from stretching with no problems.  But I'll take her in and see what the skate guy says.  That is a dilemma too - we can go back to place A where we got her skates (they sno-seal) or to place B (they varnish).

Place A put her in these skates but they didn't fit perfectly (she had problems in the same back of her leg spot), but they sno seal and were $40 dollars cheaper.

Place B put her in her last pair of skates and they had no problems.  But I've read varnish isn't good for skates and they are more expensive (guessing as much as $100 more when adding in blades too).

[hopskipjump]

But when I do get her skates - I don't think I would buy Reidell again.  She has a narrow heel and these just didn't give her the best fit from the first day.  She is learning her double jumps.  Just based on hearing things I am very confused.  I am not sure what boot to get her...

[Skittl1321]

Every August she has gone up one size so I really need to get another month or so out of these -anything I order now won't fit by October.

Has she gone up a size every August because she outgrew them in July?  I know kids grow like weeds, but I'm not sure they grow like clockwork.  If her feet are bigger now, they are bigger now.  (Not saying they won't be bigger still.. but they don't just wait until August to grow.)

Good luck- boot problems are awful.

[Sk8tmum]

But when I do get her skates - I don't think I would buy Reidell again.  She has a narrow heel and these just didn't give her the best fit from the first day.  She is learning her double jumps.  Just based on hearing things I am very confused.  I am not sure what boot to get her...

Riedell is actually one of the brands that often suit a narrow heel; we can order a split width, at not cost, to accomodate my DD's A forefoot and AA heel ... and we could get a AAA heel if we need to. That said, as is in tons of threads here, there is no "narrow foot" skate etc etc etc - everyone's feet are differently shaped. The idea is to find a brand that works and stay with it ... because every brand has a different last, heel height, cant, etc, and it's hard to shift around models ...

That said.  Money saved on buying too big skates or skates that need "extra inserts" is often offset by wasted money spent on lessons or ice time because the kid can't skate properly in them. A good fitter who puts your kid in the right skates is far more cost effective than one who saves you a bit of cash but doesn't fit your kid properly ...

In terms of the sno-seal/varnish thing: Riedell includes sno-seal with their skates for use on the heels. It works well.  Varnish is unusual these day.

[hopskipjump]

Lots to think about!  I emailed her coach for thoughts too.  I think I will take her to the more expensive place (where her coach sent us the first time - live and learn!).  These are stock boots maybe she just can't wear boots from off the shelf anymore.

[Query]

When you say her toes are curling, do you mean from pressure up front, from the sides, or from the natural shape of her feet?

Jacksons fit many people with narrow heels and wide toes. So said the Gam and Riedell company reps yesterday at the Liberty competition - though I was advised customs would be better for me. Major competitions are great places to get fit for boots, often by the same people as do factory fits and/or make the boots, who understand extremely well exactly how to fit people to their own brand of boot. All the custom boot reps except Reidell said they could accommodate me in customs, though someone I trust said someone with my feet might be best off in Harlick or Jackson. Driving to the competition to talk to boot reps was well worth my time, and gave me lots of things to consider.

[hopskipjump]

First they were squished from the sides so she couldn't like the pad of her foot flat (her feet were arching kind of like an arch from side to side).  They were punched and she felt better.  Two weeks later, she was getting blisters from curling her toes under (blister on toe joint).  So they stretched the boot.  Now her foot is flat in the skate again, but her heel now slips.

She only mentioned the pain the first instance and it was all at once.  One day she was fine, the next day she was kind of limping off the ice.

I noticed the little blister from on the top of toes rub, she didn't and had no pain.  So then they were stretched.

The new blisters areas only show up after skating two hours+.  At her hour session she was fine.

[Query]

It's hard to diagnose this remotely. One can certainly tighten up the heel by adding stuff into the boot. It's also possible that she eventually sweats enough that her feet starts to slip. But it might be one for a good boot fitter to handle.

This is all stuff that happens fairly frequently on boots.

[sarahspins]

someone I trust said someone with my feet might be best off in Harlick or Jackson.

Don't you wear Reidells, and have for a very long time?  Unless I'm thinking of someone else

[Query]

In response: No, I wore Reidell 220's over 10 years ago, but since them have been in a pair of Klingbeil boots.

Modern Reidell boots are a different shape and don't fit me. Besides, my old Reidells only fit me because they were thin and soft enough to do a stretch fit. I tried to use boots that were as thin and soft as the 220's at one point. Although I'm still a perpetual beginner, my edges are just deep enough or my microscopic jumps just high enough that anything that thin and soft breaks down in a week or two.

But this has nothing to do with the current topic. I simply can't tell from the descriptions of the O.P. what the problem is, aside from the fact that the child is growing. Without better descriptions, I'd rather leave it in the hands of an experienced fitter, who can actually see what is wrong. Blisters are usually a sign that the skin is slipping against something, which probably means space needs to be taken up at the rear, so there is more pressure against the skin - but I'm not sure in this case. But blisters can also happen in a number of other circumstances, like if the skin is too wet from sweat - perhaps she builds up sweat inside the boot.