Questions about figure skating and figure skates?

Question

Does anyone have any opinions on the low level Riedell figure skates like the yellow and white ribbon models? I am pretty much a recreational skater and I was planning on taking lessons in the summer if I have time. I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about these skates. Also is 17 too old to learn to figure skate because on one of the other post it said it is if you want to do any sort of competition. (Does this mean the movie Ice Princess lies because the main character is 17 and a begginer who goes on to win a competition.)

Answer 1

its never to old to start! I'm 15 and have only been skating 10 months. and before that i couldn't do any of the things you've mentioned above :) now I'm working on my salchow and scratch spin.. not the fastest progress but I'm very happy!

i don't know much about the yellow or white ribbon skates, but i have blue ribbon ones. talk to your pro shop people about what skate would be best for you.

lol ice princess is so unrealistic :D i do believe if you have a dream you should follow it and things, but it would be near I'mpossible for someone who was having trouble with single jumps to suddenly be able to land triples in so little time.... serious kudos to those who can!!! however no, its definitely not too late to start, and im sure you can enter competitions :) and probably win if you really dedicate yourself to it. there are competitions for adult skaters. or for the more relaxed approach, even some for skates school levels :) they are good because it gets you used to skating in front of people but there's not so much pressure on you. and you can still win medals.

good luck, i really think you should give this a go :D

merry Christmas and happy skating!!

Answer 2

yes if your just a recreational skater those are fine to skate in.and same if you want to begin skating soon. I have reidells also except mine are higher level skates since i figure skate. If you do take lessons then you will have to get new skate but not until you are past the basic beginning so you wont have to worry about that for a while. And ive answered this question about 19 times, YOU ARE NEVER TO OLD TO SKATE!!!!!!!! there is this lady that is like 65 at my rink and she can figure skate pretty well and competes in competitions and stuff a lot. You are more than capable to compete but probably not if your hoping to make it to olympic championsships or something. but you never know!!! Hope i helped! :D

Answer 3

no its not to late to learn or compete, but if u wanna be like national skater...yea its a little late...im 14 n  strted about 9 mths ago n thats late n ive alrdy landed my flip...also, yes ce prncess is just a fantasy kind of thing, the chances of that is pretty slim. n for skates, i recommend jackson glacier or softec. artiste is really good but more expensive.

Answer 4

Haven't ice skated in many a moon.  Don't know much about today's top skates, but I do know Ridell (or is it Riedell? Man, it really has been a long time!) always made a quality skate.  Make sure you keep your blades sharp.  If you're skating at a rink, they will have someone there to sharpen them for you.  Walk around on the regular floor as little as possible to keep them (the skates, not the people sharpening them) sharp.  17 is not at all too late to begin skating.  Don't get too frustrated, it really is a fun sport and recreation. Just hang in there and have a good time, and you'll be a whiz in no time at all.

Answer 5

You're never too old to start and never too old to compete if that's what you want to do.  Right now, I have a group lesson class with 2 high school aged girls and a husband/wife couple who are both 42.  You can compete in the USFSA (for example) standard track, or when you turn 21, you can compete in the adult track.

As for the skates, the yellow and white ribbon Riedells are for very new beginners.  Check reidellskates.com and look at their usage chart.  There they have their boots/blades listed by test level and group lesson level.  You'd probably be better off starting out with something from their medallion line.  Being 17, your feet are probably done growing and you will probably get through basics fairly quickly and you will need the ankle support that that ribbon series does not have for beginning jumps and spins.  Riedells are great skates for beginning though.  

The "Ice Princess" movie is a bit exaggerated, like most skating movies seem to be.  These movies appear to take place over a few month time span and show these skaters already doing double and triple jumps.  In reality, skating takes a lot of time and practice.  Even a new skater who progresses quickly may not even get to double jumps for a year or two....that doesn't include landing them and making them consistent.  Usually, for us skaters in reality land, it takes at least a year to get the basics down and to start beginning half and single jumps.  

Good luck!