The minefield of new skates

My feet hurt, my ankles hurt, my bank balance really hurts. I just got new skates and new blades. Jackson Premier and Coronation Ace Parabolic.

I did my research, I chose skates and blades that were appropriate for my level. I didn't really need the parabolic version, but the store didn't have the regular ones in stock, so offered me the parabolic version at no extra charge. They assured me the difference was minimal and wouldn't affect sharpening or skating.

I got my boots and blades from different stores, because the rink shop at my home rink only stocks Jackson boots and Jackson Ultima blades. I didn't want the Ultima blades, so I got them from a different rink shop on the t'interweb. Both shops were very helpful, although the local one seemed personally offended by my choice of blades, but he still mounted them for me.

I anticipated the pain of breaking in new skates. I haven't fallen in them yet (which is surprising!) but fully expect to trip a lot when I start really pushing myself in them, cause I'm still taking it easy at the moment. I laughed at the questions non-skaters asked "what colour are you getting" and "so you use the toepicks to stop, right?".

What I didn't expect was having to justify my choice of boots and blades to other skaters. At my rink everyone has Jackson boots and Ultima blades. Well, like 95% of people anyway. There are a million kids with Jackson Freestyle, then a big group of Jackson Competitor and a smaller group with Jackson Premier. Nobody that I know of has Jackson Elite or anything higher, although in my opinion some of the ones with Premiers probably should've gone for Elite.

For an overweight adult skater struggling with loop to get the same skates as the kids landing doubles seems to strike some as weird. Never mind that I weigh at least twice as much as these kids, who may well need to be in higher level skates ideally anyway, or that increasing numbers of teenagers who haven't got their axel also have Premiers. Or that according to most online sources, they're aimed at my level. I must think I'm an amazing skater for getting these skates. And I'm not, clearly, so I must be full of myself.

As for blades.. the fashionable blades at my rink are Ultima Lite. All the cool kids have them. And apparently I should want them. I don't, and never have, partly because they're the "in" thing. Coronation Aces are the most popular freestyle blade in the world, but I should want the Lites because they have cool holes in them.

It isn't a fluke that opinions are so biased towards Jackson and Ultima at my rink. I'm not disputing them as an excellent make, and as I said, I bought Jackson skates! But the trend is very much led by one or two of the influential coaches. One of my friends has skated for twenty years and has had boots of half a dozen different makes. I've had Risport Antea, Edea Overture and now Jacksons. I would be shocked if some of the kids at the rink had even tried on anything except Jackson. And however good Jackson are, they're not right for eveyrone, and this prejudice towards them is bad for skaters who might find Reidells or Risport or Edea or Graf or Wifa or SP Terri or some other make I can't think of, to be a better fit.