Editor’s note: In each issue of SKATING magazine, one of the country’s top skate technicians will provide their expertise on skating boots, blades and related industry equipment.


Custom insole orthotics can provide that desired comfort, support


BY MIKE FEARON For optimum skating comfort and performance,


a properly fitted pair of boots is a must. Equally important, I feel, is the skater being aligned and bal- anced correctly in those boots. Excessive pronation is a major cause of discom-


fort and a real impediment to good skating. If the skater’s arches roll in and flatten while standing, you will notice the knees also rotate inward. This puts excessive pressure on the inside portion of the foot and often causes blisters and even bony protrusions of the navicular bone (located just above the arch of the foot). Moving the blades to the inside of the center on the soles of the boot is a technique many skate technicians use to try and balance the skater over the center of the blade. This, however, can put stress on the boot and does not address the fundamental prob- lem. Proper arch support in the boot is a far superior solution. Over-the-counter orthotic arch supports may


provide some assistance to many skaters, but nothing


compares to a custom in- sole orthotic made exactly to the skater’s foot. These custom insoles are even better when they incorpo- rate a shock-absorbing material such as PORON® in their makeup. Skaters who do not suffer an overpronation issue


also benefit greatly by having perfect foot support. I have never found anything that makes my job of fitting skates easier than providing a perfect custom insole. Check with your skate technician to see if he/ she can offer you a product to make your skating easier and a more comfortable experience. Mike has been fortunate to have worked with some


of the best technicians and skate vendors in the field. His support team includes his wife, Opal, and their three golden retrievers: Lily, Ali and Winnie. He would be hap- py to pass along information to other techs on products he has found useful and tips on how to fit them. — Podiumskates.mike@aol.com


Editor’s note: In each issue of SKATING magazine, a skating equipment manufacturer will profile one of its products. This is not an endorsement from U.S. Figure Skating or SKATING magazine.


product spotlight:Picskate John Petell of West Springfield, Massachu-


setts, and PSA coach Nick Perna of Fairfax, Virginia, developed the patented Pic® Frame in 1996. Petell determined the correct angle, floor-to-pic, and Perna the forward location of the pic. All inline figure skaters rely on these two dimensions to perform figure skat- ing moves. Petell and Perna also created the patented Power and Ball pics in 2012 and 2014. In 2004 Jean-Pierre Faugere of Paris created the


Cup de Paris annual inline figure skating competition. The World Inline Figure Skating Association


(W.I.F.S.A.) was formed in Paris on Jan. 30, 2010, by coaches Elisabet Martin-Mora of Spain, Cathy Galliere, Georges Mac Clenahan and Jean Marie Montel of France, Delia Ancutza of Romania, Perna of the U.S. and judges Odile Barranco and Eric Desnoyers of Paris. Faugere was the founding president and Petell was a founding advisor. In 2014 Fernand Fedronic of Paris was elected


president of W.I.F.S.A., which has grown significantly. Rules governing competitions have been established and adopted by all W.I.F.S.A. members.


28 MAY 2017


ask the expert


MICHA EL CUNNINGHAM


SKATE TECHNICIAN U. S. OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATING TEAM


Q: How much time before a competi- tion should I sharp- en my skates?


— <Ăŵŝ, ϭϲ, ^ĞĂƩůĞ The seventh W.I.F.S.A.


Worlds will be conducted in Dijon, France, in June. Please visit


www.picskate.com or call 1-800-490-9334 for more information.


John Petell


A: I would say, on av- erage, most competitors like to have their skates sharpened a week or so before they compete. But everyone is different. I have a few competitors who want their skates done as close to an event as possible. I also have competitors who want their “tune-up” done a couple of weeks out. Assuming you use the same person to sharpen your skates every time (if you don’t do this, you should), after a while you and he/ she will have a better understanding of what works best for you. You will get to know what to expect from their sharpening and they will understand how you like your skates to feel after they have been done. My goal when sharpening someone’s skates is to make them feel as close as possible to normal but sharper than they were. Hope this helps.


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