Searching for new ice boots

I'm an adult skater and I've had a single pair of boots during my whole 10 years of skating... Riedell, intermediate level (model 220), that I loved.

Now, looking to buy new boots I thought Riedell was the obvious choice. My bad luck of finding that the not one, but two pairs of Riedel boots were defective, and having to return them, may have been a blessing in disguise because I don't think they fit me well.

I always thought I had narrow foot. When I bought ski boots, my foot was called low volume... whatever that means. I'm finding now that I have medium forefoot, medium heel, medium arch... but low instep, and toes slim in height, hence the low volume, AND I have compressible forefoot. My toes squeeze in narrow boots by compressing. While I don't hurt, that is not good from a medical point of view, but also, because my forefoot doesn't lay flat in boots I cannot control the edges very efficiently.

Now, for the new boots. Riedell has recently redesigned the toe box by to make it more comfortable. All Riedell boots have now a high toe box. Well... it is too high for my slim, or thin toes. I had two insoles in the new Riedell boots I've bought and returned, and I still felt that my toes lifted and I wasn't in control, for example when turning from backward to forward, so when I needed to rock from the front of the blade to the back of the blade. 

My bootfitter said, I'm quoting "You may just have to resign yourself to the fact that there is nothing out there that is going to be exactly what you are looking for, and internally modify some stock boot in the best possible way. "But he does not have a clear suggestion on what boot, or boot brand to go to to modify. Riedell doesn't work because of the high toe box. Jackson supposedly also has high toe box and it's wider. I tried Edea and I wasn't crazy about the concept of not feeling the boot snug at the ankle, plus the only model that felt comfortable was the ice fly, that may be too stiff for me. Risport I never tried but it's said to be similar with Edea. Harlick and SP Teri are traditional boot manufacturer that mostly make custom boots. They do have some stock boots. They both are said to have lower toe box but the fit it's different. Different how? How can I try these stock bots? Harlick stock boot is build to order, so I cannot try it, and... it if it doesn't fit, it cannot be returned even if not modified. SP Teri recently changed ownership and supposedly have quality problems so my bootfitter doesn't work with them anymore. These are all the stock boots options... 

The next option is semi custom. A stock boot is modified in the factory like in width or stiffness. I called Riedell and they said they cannot modify the toe box as a semi custom option...

The next option is full custom. I'm unclear about this option, can it be ordered by the local bootfitter or will I have to go to the factory? Anyway the custom option is pricey, over $1,000... It will also take few months to get boots. My biggest problem is that is seems it is not certain that custom boots are always a good fit, as per two of my friends that ordered custom boots in the past.

I've decided to do what I did when I was looking for skiing boots, to ask around and to ask in forums. I'm describing my foot shape and hopefully somebody that has a similar foot will have some suggestions.

Mid month ice skating update - social skating

I'm still skating... but... less...

Just before the pandemic I used to skate 5 sessions per week, 1 private lesson, 3 training sessions and 1 slow and easy in the studio rink. After the pandemic I was able to get back to 4 session, 1 private  and 3 training sessions. I had some interruptions and changes of rinks but I had a rhythm.

Now because of the buying and the returning the 2 pairs of boots after I put the pain to break each them for 2 weeks and I took a whole month off of skating, I've lost muscle and stamina, motivation and... hope.

I'm back on my old boots and they don't feel quite right. The blade on the left feels misaligned and I've changed the insole and it is too low in the heel. But I don't want to spend more on the old boots.  I'm actively looking to buy new boots (and have these old boots transfer to roller skating).

For now, I'm finding myself trying to skate in my old boots. In an effort to motivate myself I put the cell phone on recording during doing the exercises to Pre Juvenile MITF test. I thought if the video looks good, I may try to test virtually. Yes... tests could be recorded (there are rules about it) and sent in to be judged. Anyway, while the video shows I do all the moves reasonably well, I just looked lethargic... beaten up... and I think that could translate as unconfined. This filming experience ended up cutting even more from my motivation.

Well, I still went skating and luckily more and more of my old skating friends showed up skating and we used the time to chat and skate a little and chat again and... it is all actually pleasant.

I do hope the time to skate for progress will come again, but I'm thinking it will come with the new boots, and I don't know when that is gonna happen...

Until then I'll take the social skating!

Roller skating and roller boots

 I did have those strap on roller quads as a kid and enjoyed them a lot. I was just skating forward outdoors. I wanted to buy some last summer but everything low to mid price got sold out quickly and I didn't want a more expensive boot without trying it on, and I didn't know how to choose a plate. And all the stores were closed... So I gave up for the moment. Then I realized that I needed ice boots, and I would have my old boots for rolling! You know that my try to buy ice boots didn't go well... Then the plan was to rebuild the tongue of my old boots so I can still use them for ice skating and buy new rolling boots.

I looked for roller skating shops and one of them was in a roller rink. I made an appointment for boot fitting close to the time they had public skating session so I could get to skate too. 

The bad news is that Riedell, the brand I'm in for ice skating boots, has the same update for roller boots as for the ice boots, the high toe box. That didn't seem to work for me on the new ice boots I've tried. So what roller boots then? The bootfitter said that the artistic roller skaters mostly use Edea... He gave me to try an outdoor (read inexpensive) set of boots that came with the plate and wheels. Well, the size that fit in length, felt large in width. So, the bad news is that I don't have a plan in what rolling boots to buy...

The good news is that I roller skated in rental boots and I loved it and I did quite well, considering the modest equipment. The public session was 3 hours long and split in "play" segments, like 15 minutes man only, then women only, then reverse the direction, then skating backwards... and more. But what it is more attractive to me would be artistic skating, dancing and figures, and especially outdoor skating.

A friend that already has roller skates went to another rink where there is an artistic rolling club with cheap monthly membership for training and she found a dance instructor. Oh, I sooo want it! And I'm aware that a group was meeting last summer weekly for rolling in my local park. And another group was meeting in another park...

I'm back to my old plan to buy ice boots and have my old boots as roller boots... I cannot wait...

Monthly skating review: progress and goals adjustment

To put it very shortly... no progress and... no goals.

After I've decided to return the second new pair of boots, defective too (and just a parenthesis, I don't have my money back yet), I've spent the most of last month adjusting and settling into my old boots. I've also had to rebuild, again, my muscles and stamina, as I haven't skated at all in January after I returned the first pair of new boots, and then I worked to break in the second pair of new boots.

I'm still not quite happy with my old skates. I've had their tongues rebuilt as they were really thinned out and the laces were cutting badly into my ankles. I'm happy with that. Then I've adjusted the alignment of the blade by playing around with adding wedges under the frame of the blade. I think I've got some improvement there, but it's either that I've messed up something else, or the boot is so deformed that it cannot be "helped" anymore. I've decided to stop adjusting the blade and try to adjust myself to this alignment. There is still one thing I need to adjust: the height of the insole heel.  My old insole, superfeet, got damaged by a boot fitter while adjusting the new boots. They were very thin in front and had a built in heel rise after the arch. I bought the Riedell insole that came with all kind of adjustable feature, only the exact part I needed, a wedge that can be added rise the heel... was missing. So I'm now on an insole that's thinker in the front and lower in the back compared with what I used to have. This is affecting my spin, I'm always on my toe pick while spinning. I cannot think of anything I can add there, under the heel, and not feel it. I'm exhausted of trying to find solutions. I also dread to think about buying new boots again.

These annoyances, the fact that I don't totally trust my boots and the worry about my muscles hurting again, made me lose motivation. I think, more precisely, I don't find my goals motivating anymore. My goals were progress and enjoyment. I really really love to skate, but when I pushed for progress, sometimes I've got frustrated and I've lost the enjoyment. Now, it is something else. I feel I CANNOT push for progress (because of the boots)  and, on the other hand, I definitely don't enjoy just stroking around in public skating style.

I've asked my skating friends is they have any suggestions. One of them said to take a break. I considered it, and when the skating day (I have prepaid ice) came, I actually felt that I wanted to go. But as I get to the rink I don't have the energy to even think what I want to do on ice. So I thought I'll allow myself just to be there. Some old skating friends came skating after long breaks and I found myself happy to catch up while just stroking around. And then I did some of my skating exercises without putting any thought into them, any corrections, or even evaluating them.

Another friend suggested I take some group lessons. The group lesson schedule really doesn't fit in my schedule. But it happened that I found out about a syncro clinic coming out soon. I plan to go. I appreciate synchronized skating but I was never interested in it for myself as I feel it is a big time commitment (and time taken from skating for progress) plus, honestly, I'm afraid by skating so close to other people. Covid may be a way to ease into that, as now the teams have to social distance... Then they have try out for  the team. My skills are the minimum required, so I may not make it to the team even if I would decide to try. I'm happy for the opportunity to try something new and hopefully energizing. I'm also happy that I'll get to meet new adult skaters.

I think I'll somehow have to "work" again at the Pre-Juvenile moves test, I have to get that out of the way. I was ready to test it 2 years ago... The fact I haven't tested it makes me feel that I haven't progress at all during the last 2 years, and that probably it's not true, but that's how I feel. The problem is that I'm so bored of it I don't find the desire to improve it anymore. The skills are there, but I have to perk up and find the desire to "present them".