Is it me or my skates?

Question

i went to this iceskating rink, and we all got on the ice. since id only been there once, i figured i wouldn't be flying around the rink. but every time i tried to do a forward circle or try to get a little bit of speed, i would get my toepick stuck in the ice and fly forwards. i was the only one using my own skates, their chicagos and i got them for a really cheap price. i felt like the blade couldnt support me, my ankles were shaking! but the rest of the ppl w/ me were skating just fine, some of them were doing realy good. and they were using rentals.

is it just me whos slow, or is it a problem with my skates? should i get rid of them and use rentals?

thanks!

Answer 1

when was the last time they were sharpened? That might be the problem. Or they might just be bad skates. Try using rental skates next time and see if that helps. If you want to get better you could buy good skates and take some lessons.

Answer 2

Sounds like 2 problems here

Are the skates the right size? Did you tie up the laces tight around the ankles? Loosely tied ankles will cause the shaking you mention. Tight ankles, looser across the middle and then tight at the top. You might need one of the little lace tightener hooks you can buy in any skate supply shop.

Other problem could be your attempt to go faster. It's natural to lean forward to run, but it's not the same movement in skates. Lean forward yes, but only from the waist. Bend your hips and knees and keep your skates flat on the ice. Push out making a T shape between the back skate and the front one, and zigzag. The slight squat will help keep your skates on the ice and not tilting forwards, without the feeling of falling on your bum.

Answer 3

well i got my Riedell skates for my 12th birthday 3 months ago. and they fit me into them by skatebaking them and sherpenig the blades! did u order tem or buy them in person?! cuz ordering them can't ALWAYS give you accurate results, and if u bught them in person, then they SHOULD have done what they done to me!!!? and i can see that its just your skates and NOT you! so just tke them to your local ice rink's pro-shop and see whats going on!! ;) i take lessons at a really big rink im comitted to!! and they have a really big and nice pro-shop inside the arena building!! and like every couple of months, the coaches have a boot and blade check on the ice with their students to see if they need anything done to their skates! my coach said yesterday that my boot was perfect, and my blade just needed sharpening in the near future (which is like the next few weeks!) god luck with your problem though, and i hope the pro-shop can help! :D

Answer 4

Quite often, you are far better off using rentals than cheap skates. Of course, it depends on the quality of the rentals at your ice rink, but usually they are decent enough. Cheap skates are very flimsy (can you fold them over?) and so they provide no ankle support. This also makes them very dangerous to skate on, as you can potentially hurt yourself.

The other likelihood was that you were leaning to far forward, thus putting you up on your toes. Keep your knees soft when you skate, and don't lean forwards. Also, if the ice was bad, it's easier to catch your toes, but unfortunately there's nothing you can do about that! :-)