We Interrupt This Blog

So last Thursday - April 18th - I skated a virtual test of one of my Silver dances: The American Waltz.

We sent it in and the jury is still out!  My last test we got the results within a few days so this has been a hard wait.   Hopefully I will know and post the test by the next entry.

Meanwhile .. back at the ranch as they say; my coach noticed that my blades looked off.  The tail of one of my blades didn’t even pass the heel of my boot.  We had a long discussion of trying a new blade.  Which I would be more than happy to try .. but trying means spending $400-700 dollars and then what?  It’s one of the many quandaries of the sport.  Everything is merely a recommendation from a coach or fellow skater.  Feet and skating are SO UNIQUE to each individual - especially adult skaters -  it’s impossible to have a best boot/blade combo for every scenario.

Just like golf beginner and mediocre skaters want the best equipment they can afford even if it’s an advanced boot or blade.  (Guilty) I bought custom 3 ply boots and Phantom blades as an adult skater doing only single jumps.  But I ‘had to have them’.  I was denied good skating equipment as a child since we had no money.

Frustrated from not being able to spin as well as I could on my freestyle skates I decided to go on the hunt for new blades.  Kind of like when you desperately want to cut or color your hair but your regular stylist isn’t available so you just say “what the hell”.  

I took my boots and blades (all 3 pair) to a Pro Edge Sports/Discount Skatewear in Phoenix and showed them to their tech Kelly.  He is pretty sure the blades are not too small for the boots but that they were mounted incorrectly. The boots are custom from Horlick and he says one of my boots is larger/longer than the other.  He felt that foots’ blade should have been set back 1/4” and the other foot he said was not centered.  He is going to pull the blades, plug the holes, remount them and sharpen them.  

I will give them one more chance before throwing in the towel on MK Dance blades.

So today I skated my lesson on my Phantom blades.  Yes I tripped while just skating around about 3x on the toe pick, but didn’t fall.  And I didn’t fall during the lesson and the lesson went pretty well.  🤔 

I have been in this dilemma before.  Wondering if I should just keep skating on FS blades.

Well this was a very long post.  My apologies.