Any figure skaters on the board? Argh! How do skater parents keep up?
Figure skates, even for beginners are so expensive! I mean to say, I totally understand that given the abuse the skates take and the technology involved in supporting the ankle and foot the skates are worth it but boy was I ever surprised when I bought my son his BEGINNING skates and they cost about $250.00---that's just the skates, we won't discuss coaches and ice time---no, we won't discuss those puppies.
I just met a mother of a very talented girl who has been skating for only 9 months, and the mother told me to be prepared for the $500.00 skates on the near horizon!
And $500.00 is CONSERVATIVE, my friends. Of course I have to remember that the boyo is 12 years old and is therefore, still in the growing stage as far as his feet are concerned and you can see the roots of my terror.

I LOVE figure skating. It's a gorgeous sport, Pete would skate every day if he could---actually I feel lucky that he plumps for honing these athletic skills over computer games. He's really progressing and has gotten back into ballet in order to improve his line on the ice! That kind of enthusiasm makes me more motivated than ever to support him in these pursuits.
Between skating, ballet, and swimming the little chap is certainly in no fear of turning into a couch potato, I just never dreamed that skates cost so MUCH!

Experienced figure skaters can feel free to point and laugh at my naivete. I admit, I'm just stunned by how quickly this little hobby has become a major expense.
Has anyone else gone through this?

Don't they have used skate exchanges here in the states? They did up in Canada when I was a child - you would bring in your old pair you grew out of and swap them for another used pair. I would think while he's still growing you'd want to buy used.

Wow, I'll ask the local figure skating club about that. I haven't heard of any such thing, of course we are kind of new to the skating scene (five months) or maybe it's just that so few boys do figure skating, most are funnelled into hockey.
I will ask about skate exchanges, thanks for the tip!

I've been ice-skating for a year now. Not the most common sport in South Texas! I was age 44 when I ice-skated for the first time.

I bought a new, hefty pair of hockey-style ice-skates, with laces. After having used them for a year, I'm starting to be curious about how figure-skating skates might feel... Maybe I'd be lighter on my feet? Manoeuvre more easily with the shorter, curved blade? Maybe I'd appreciate that little spur in front?

I used to be a pretty good rollerskater back in the Seventies... possibly the halcyon age of skating, no? The great disco and funk music alone made you skate better.

Where I skate now is actually a quite nice facility with two rinks. They Zamboni it every two hours. While one features an open-skate, the other will host hockey teams as they practice. Amazing to see these tiny little boys skate brilliantly like carefully guided missiles!

The biggest difference between rollerskating and iceskating is this: with rollerskating, the surface beneath your feet (waxed wood) remains the same anywhere on the rink. It's always predictable. managing your traction is a "one stop" correction. On an ice rink, the quality of the ice beneath your feet is always changing... Here it's "dry", there it's "wet", here it's snowy, there it's hard and icy as a mirror. These anomalies get worse as the little kiddos start deciding to skate laterally to-and-from the center, rather than follow around the oval. They create perpendicular furrows which can REALLY trip you up, if you aren't watching-- and adjusting--- very carefully.

Sure builds the muscles in your ankles, calves, thighs and bum, though, doesn't it? Lower back, too...

I wonder if our accolon in Sweden is a good ice-skater? My guess is Yes. They probably learn it as babies over there...

I'm surprised nubka hasn't replied to this thread. She is a big time figure skating fan, although her knowledge may be all about the skaters themselves and not their gear.

It's interesting that you should bring this up during the Olympics. I've been watching every day, and I never cease to be amazed by the amount of familial sacrifice, both financial and otherwise, that goes into the making of a world class athlete. It really is tremendous, and requires the buy-in, if you will, of everyone connected with the child.

I hope that you find a way to keep the growing boy in skates! Who knows--he may have "the right stuff!"

Custom boots can easily cost over $500, and blades over $350.00. Later on you'll be spending money on custom costumes (fittings, fabric, beading all add up). Transportation to competitions in other states is probably on the horizon. Besides ballet you can add a PT to design and monitor an exercise program. Pilates. Gym membership. Sports psychologist. Choreographer. You might end up with 2 pairs of skates and 2 blades- one for freestyle, another for dance. Or, 2 pairs for freestyle or 2 pairs for dance (in case one is being adjusted by the maker). Besides ballet, coaching by a ballroom dancer may be in the future. Hotel rooms and meals during competition. Sending skates to another state for a "good" sharpening. Orthotics. Massage. Gifts for coaches. 4-6 hours of ice time/day. Ultimately tutors instead of teachers. Travel to an out-of-state coach on the weekends. Moving to another state and renting an apartment. Hmm- I'm sure there's a bunch of stuff I'm forgetting.

Of course, your son could always go into ice dance and get the girl to pay for some of it ;-)

Good luck and have fun!

A few others come to mind- publicity photos, business cards with photos, competition fees, nutritional supplements, home exercise equipment, club memberships, music editing, test fees, video-related fees, international phone calls, medical expenses....

The dream, and the joy in realizing it, are the other side of the equation.

Yikes, those skate prices are horrifying!

I took figure skating for 3 years when I was in my teens, but never got into it seriously. Ballet was my main sport for 12 years. I always remember my parents commenting on how much more expensive it was for my brother to be in hockey than it was for me to take ballet.

Hearing those skate prices, I wondered what a set of toe shoes cost now. A quick Google search showed prices of $35-75.

So ballet is still relatively inexpensive. I'd be encouraging him to focus on his ballet classes!

My new NIKE/BAUER MEN'S HOCKEY STYLE SKATES, Size 12, cost me $235.00