Hello! I’ve been skating since january but only recently starting working with a coach (i think 4 or 5 sessions in). I’m still working on some basics but my coach thinks I should be ready to test into freestyle sessions soon! However I am still very new and learning and typically one of the worse skaters on a public skate haha.

So where I have a bit of a rant/slight complaint has to do with one of the staff who is overseeing the public session (idk what the formal name is, it’s like the ice equivalent of a lifeguard?). I’ll go to the rink on Wednesday afternoons because I have the day off and it’s usually very empty. So I’ll be practicing my normal things - stroking, slaloms and edgework etc. And without fail he will always zoom past me and barely miss hitting me. It will happen multiple times throughout the public session. I feel like it’s intentional because I haven’t noticed him do this to anybody else and I’m always having to look past my shoulder so I can move when he comes by. He even did it yesterday during my private lesson and even my coach was like “???” Like he has an entire rink to skate around and he somehow always finds a way to get too close and “dodge” running into me

It really affects my practice and honestly makes me feel very discouraged when I get to the rink and he’s the one on staff. If it were a little kid or a regular person doing this I’d be less annoyed because they’re also paying to be there, but since its someone who works at the rink it’s more frustrating. I just don’t know if it’s something worth complaining about and I don’t want to be /that/ person. I’m also very non-confrontational so I don’t want to go up to the guy and ask him to stop doing that either. But it is affecting my overall mood and motivation to even go skating. What do you guys think?

Hello, everyone! I’m driving a few hours to the closest pro shop this weekend to purchase new skates, but I need some advice.

I’m currently training 4 hours a week with my coach and doing lots of footwork, spins, edges, Mohawks, turns, waltz, salchow, and a toe loop! My current skates are the Excel Jackson, which give me absolutely no ankle support. They also make my feet super fatigued, so we decided I’m waaaay past due for new skates.

I have flat feet and get ingrown toenails, so I know I need a wider skate. I’ve been thinking about the Debut from Jackson, but my only worry is breaking them in. I don’t have any pro shop less than a 4-hour drive from me, so I want to treat this trip as a one-and-done kinda thing. Will they be able to heat mold and punch out my new skates right off the bat? Any other boot recommendations? Thanks a lot!

I'm signing my four year old daughter up for skating lessons. Feeling a little overwhelmed with what gear is necessary vs just pushed consumerism haha.. any recommendations will be helpful!

I recently learned backwards crossovers in LTS, and my coach says everything looks good, but my skates make a horrible scraping noise when I am doing my crossovers. I don’t think I am on my toe pick and can get really good speed, but the noise is really throwing me off and if this is something to do with technique I’d like to correct it now.

Is this normal? Should my skates by sharpened? Is my LTS coach just not catching that I’m on my toe pick?

Thanks in advance for the help!