Finally back after almost 4 months off!

[slcbelle]

Ahhh, it felt good to be in the ice this week!  I stopped skating in late August after my Pre-Bronze tests because I was getting Haglund's deformity from my boots.  I went to Michigan in late September and bought new boots but then it took 2 weeks for them to arrive at my house in SLC and another 3.5 weeks to get the blades mounted.  Then, they KILLED me. I couldn't bear being on the ice for more than 10 minutes.  For the past 3 weeks, I've been working with a local ski boot fitter and physical therapist to get them adjusted properly (a punch here, some changes to the footbed there).  This week I've skated 1-2 hours each day and I'm SO happy to be back!  I switched from 8' rocker blades to 7' rockers and it's made a huge, positive change in my skating.  Coach says she sees a noticeable improvement in my performance in the new boots and blades even with being on the ice for the 1st time in 4 months.  I feel it, too. 

Looking forward to reconnecting with all of you again!

slcbelle

[techskater]

Awesome!  I love my 7' rockers and totally understand.  It makes jumps and spins much easier for me.  Some people feel that an 8' rocker gives more speed and stability but, for me, it's not appreciably different.  Have fun and enjoy.

[Rachelsk8s]

Awww good to hear!!!  Welcome back to the ice:)  And I agree, I too have 7" rockers, haven't skated in 8" ever and I am truly very happy with them; I'd be hesitant to ever switch to 8" rockers only because of the transition time I know it would take!!  Looking forward to reading more posts of your skating experiences in new skates

[twokidsskatemom]

sorry we missed you when we were down before sectionals.what boot/blade did you end up buying.
Did you see your coaches pic in the nov usfsa mag, a small article about slc. The kids are in the pic as well but very small.

[sarahonice]

I also just recently switched from 8' to 7' rockers and have noticed a huge improvement. I don't like to blame my equipment when it's more likely that it's just my lack of skill holding me back, but this was one definite, noticeable upgrade and my spins were immediately much better. Hope your new boots work out for you!

[sarahspins]

Glad to hear you're back on the ice   Sorry to hear about the boot problems though - hopefully you've got most of the big problems behind you with them now.

[Janie]

Yay for being able to skate again! I hope all your skate related woes are over!

[slcbelle]

Thank you!  Nice to know a lot of you also love your 7' rockers.  They are so much more fun and reactive than the 8'.  I'll never go back.

I ended up buying the Riedell 375 Gold Stars with a Coronation Ace blade.    I'm not 100% convinced these will prevent that "pump bump" but I can flex them!  I'm skating with moleskin on the heel bumps to see if that helps.

sorry we missed you when we were down before sectionals.what boot/blade did you end up buying.
Did you see your coaches pic in the nov usfsa mag, a small article about slc. The kids are in the pic as well but very small.

Sorry I missed you, too!  I did see your kids one day when I was up at the rink to meet Lisa about my boots and I saw your son on Icenetwork.  :-) Awesome!  I couldn't find the video of your daughter.  And, NO!  I didn't see the photo of my coach.  I just received 6 issues of Skating magazine on Friday.  Seems USFS had my address wrong and after months of not receiving a single issue, I had to reach out to them.  I'll go look right now.

[jjane45]

I stopped skating in late August after my Pre-Bronze tests because I was getting Haglund's deformity from my boots... Coach says she sees a noticeable improvement in my performance in the new boots and blades even with being on the ice for the 1st time in 4 months.  I feel it, too. 

Welcome back!!

The pump bump bothered me so much that I half dropped freestyle! Punching the boot out seemed to help, it's still there but no longer bothers me.

Very happy the new boots are working for you. I hope I'll have similar luck with the upcoming transition