Editor’s note: In each issue, one of the country’s top skate technicians will provide their expertise on skating boots, blades and related industry equipment.
Avoiding the boot and blade blues Boot manufacturers have made tremen-
BY JOHN ROHSKOTHEN
dous strides in recent years in regard to foot comfort, ease of break-in and reducing the weight of boots; they all make good products as well. However, the design of each line of boots and the patterns used vary greatly. A boot design that fits one skater may not work well for another skater, so it is important, when choosing a new boot, to find an expe- rienced dealer and skate tech who can help you find the boot that most closely matches the structure of your foot. Try on different models and sizes. Many boots can be easily heat molded; sore spots can be popped out for comfort, and some brands use heat and pressure to customize the structure of the boot for a better fit. Blade mounting is best done on ice so
your skate technician can make adjustments while watching you skate. Blades are manu- factured with slotted screw holes for just this purpose. When this is not practical, it is best to use a minimum number of screws for safe- ty and go skate. One-foot glides along the
blue line and moves in the field will help de- termine proper blade alignment. If the edges don’t feel clean, you hear an undue level of scratching or the skate is not tracking prop- erly, the blades may need to be moved. With smartphone technology, a video of this trial skate session can help your skate tech make the necessary adjustments. The biomechanics of each skater can vary
greatly, and individual hip, knee and foot align- ment may require drastically different mount- ing positions. Likewise, common problems such as pronation or supination of the foot coupled with the tremendous forces high-lev- el skating exerts on a skater’s body can have long-term consequences if not addressed. Arch supports, heel wedges, high-quality sport insoles, or in more severe instances, doc- tor-prescribed orthotics may be needed when there is persistent hip, knee or foot pain. Skate performance problems can some-
times be related to skate sharpening, edge levelness, radius consistency or blade mount- ing. Chronic pain or repeated injuries can also
ask the CUNNINGHAM
expert MICHA EL
SKATE TECHNICIAN U.S. OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATING TEAM
product spotlight: Crasche
Editor’s note: In each issue, a skating equipment manufacturer will profile one of its products. This is not an endorsement from U.S. Figure Skating or SKATING
magazine. Crasche New York LLC has
been manufacturing and selling protective sports headgear for five years. Our primary market had been skiers and cyclists. In 2013 we were approached
by a woman, Jill V., who was active in U.S. Figure Skating and whose 13-year-old daughter was an avid skater. Jill’s daughter is actually the model for the Crasche Figure Skating Middie featured on the
32 FEBRUARY 2017
Crasche.com website. Jill asked us if we could
adapt our product to suit the fig- ure skating community. And we did.
It took us more than nine
months and dozens of proto- types before we finally launched the Figure Skating Middie. The engineering challenge was to produce a comfortable, stylish protective headband that would reduce the impact in a fall, and stay on the skater’s head in vir- tually all of his or her rapid head movements. The outer layer of the pro-
Q: Why are some toe pick patterns straight and some cross-cut?
Jenny, 14, New York City
relate to improper boot fit, inadequate foot support or poor blade mount- ing. In rare instanc- es, a defect in the boot can be the problem. For example, when a boot is lasted, and the sole is applied to the upper, the sole may not be attached perfectly perpendicular. Grind- ing or shimming the sole and/or heel can often solve minor to moderate defects, but a severe defect should be returned to the man- ufacturer. Remember, a professional skate techni-
cian can be a skater’s best friend. John Rohskothen has been the lead skate
technician for Rainbo Sports located in North- brook, Illinois, one of the oldest figure skate retailers in America, and
shoprainbo.com for 38 years. He recently became co-owner. Over the years John has trained with all the major boot manufacturers and worked with many nation- ally ranked and international Olympic skaters.
I believe that the general consensus of opinion is that cross-cut toe picks have less tendency to slip sideways when doing the flip, toe loop and Lutz jumps — the three jumps that are done from toeing into the ice. That said, major championships, including Worlds and Olympics, have been won on blades with straight-cut toe picks such as the Pattern 99, so the theory that you need cross-cut toe picks to do advanced jumps doesn’t hold true. As a skate technician, when it comes to skating, I would be more concerned with the sharpening of your blade than the toe pick design.
tective element is a superstrong polycarbonate plastic. The inner layer is 1/4 inch of skin-friendly, impact-absorbent neoprene rub- ber. The Crasche Figure Skating Middie is not designed to replace a helmet, but it is ideal for figure skating, since helmets are not al-
ways suitable. It allows skaters to skate with confidence. We at Crasche are proud
that all of our products are made in the U.S. (in New York). At less than $40, it’s a practical solution for head protection in the figure skating community.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60