The First Block  - EQUIPMENT

I know this selection is generally based on your prior experience and success with a particular piece of equipment. My own personal preference as to figure skates is the Italian Atlas figure skate or the Star figure skate. I also prefer Hudura for loops. The present World Class Ladies Figure Champion prefers the Star skate.

My preference as to mounting is: at the ball of the foot and slightly to the inside. The mounting of the skate will depend on the anatomy of the foot and legs of the skater. In other words, is the skater flat-footed, or does he/she have a very high arch; a weak ankle or a strong ankle? Do their legs try turn in or out? For instance, if you have a student with a problem with inside edges, you should try to find a chiropodist with a sports medicine background.  They can recommend orthotics to be put in the boot to compensate for a foot or leg problem. In some cases, you can have boots built up in order to compensate for this problem.

You can also pick the quality of boot you desire. My preferences are Harlick, S.P. Terri, and the Risport. In general, I like softer boots for the little kids and stiffer boots for the older students. The fit should be like a glove; not more than ½ inch in the toe, and the heel should fit snugly for proper balance. The wheels that I prefer are Valdecks or Waldecks.  The Hyper and Star wheels are also good and can be mixed for more or less grip on the floor.

Costuming and grooming are very important in competition figure skating. In large figure events you don’t want your student overlooked because of his or her hair style or costume. You want your student neat and clean and have a costume that helps his or her appearance. Several things could help your skaters particular problem; you can raise the side of a girls skirt (not exaggerated) to make her legs look longer; a heavier girl would wear a V neckline rather than a strapless or boat-neck. A short boy or girl would be better in a solid color trimmed with vertical lines. Boys pants, to have a neater, tailored look, should have a stirrup, which fastens under the boot and a hook that fastens in front to hold it to the boot lace. The important point here is that the student stand out in a large group without being exaggerated or offensive.