treesprite
Active Member
- Messages
- 498
On a regular basis, like every time I work at the rink, I have to explain the difference between hockey skates and figure skates to people.
I actually own a pair of hockey skates, but only skated on them briefly a few times. I keep them where my fellow figure skater rink guards can play with them if they want (there is a place where most of the guards keep their skates - I would not dare keep my real skates there). One co-worker there used them because her coach wanted her to practice stroking in hockey skates, to learn how to not push with toe picks.
The blades are shorter, are thinner, are curved differently, and of course have no toe picks. They move with greater ease, but are harder to control as they seem to move on their own, and pick up speed more easily.
The front of my shins really feel the difference in hockey skates. I have to stand differently. I tend to step onto the ice on a toe pick, which will get you hurt if you try it in hockey skates. I am afraid that if I fall in hockey skates, I won't be able to get back up, since I always push up on a toe pick.
The first time I skated in hockey skates, when I put my figure skates back on, I thought there was something on my blades because my feet didn't move when I got on the ice. Then I realized that figure skates take a lot more effort to get and keep moving.
At the rink's rental skate exchange, we tell rental customers to get figure skates instead, until they are sure of their balance on the ice in figure skates. About 65% of the time, the ones who didn't listen, come back to trade for figure skates.
I have seen some amazing things done on hockey skates. I wish the rink would encourage hockey skaters to participate in the shows, because there are some cool things that can't be done on figure skates. Maybe there is concern that they will mess up the ice which will affect any figure skaters performing after the hockey, but then, the hockey skaters could be put last.
I almost forgot to say that the worst thing about hockey skates, is that good skaters rip up the ice in them. Even the rink guards who use hockey skates can't resist putting curved ruts into the ice, it's just part of skating to them. I'm sure most of us feel very annoyed about those ruts. Sometimes if your blade gets stuck in a long one, you have no choice but to ride it out!
I actually own a pair of hockey skates, but only skated on them briefly a few times. I keep them where my fellow figure skater rink guards can play with them if they want (there is a place where most of the guards keep their skates - I would not dare keep my real skates there). One co-worker there used them because her coach wanted her to practice stroking in hockey skates, to learn how to not push with toe picks.
The blades are shorter, are thinner, are curved differently, and of course have no toe picks. They move with greater ease, but are harder to control as they seem to move on their own, and pick up speed more easily.
The front of my shins really feel the difference in hockey skates. I have to stand differently. I tend to step onto the ice on a toe pick, which will get you hurt if you try it in hockey skates. I am afraid that if I fall in hockey skates, I won't be able to get back up, since I always push up on a toe pick.
The first time I skated in hockey skates, when I put my figure skates back on, I thought there was something on my blades because my feet didn't move when I got on the ice. Then I realized that figure skates take a lot more effort to get and keep moving.
At the rink's rental skate exchange, we tell rental customers to get figure skates instead, until they are sure of their balance on the ice in figure skates. About 65% of the time, the ones who didn't listen, come back to trade for figure skates.
I have seen some amazing things done on hockey skates. I wish the rink would encourage hockey skaters to participate in the shows, because there are some cool things that can't be done on figure skates. Maybe there is concern that they will mess up the ice which will affect any figure skaters performing after the hockey, but then, the hockey skaters could be put last.
I almost forgot to say that the worst thing about hockey skates, is that good skaters rip up the ice in them. Even the rink guards who use hockey skates can't resist putting curved ruts into the ice, it's just part of skating to them. I'm sure most of us feel very annoyed about those ruts. Sometimes if your blade gets stuck in a long one, you have no choice but to ride it out!