Santos L Halper

Have become curious about this myself... With the resounding success (right? I mean...I think so? It's been hugely successful, right?) of the Sparx machine, you'd think that the company would want to capitalize on the goodwill in the marketplace right now and revisit some of the corners they undoubtedly had to cut (be it in design, production, whathaveyou...) to get into production. Since they're dealing with a (relatively speaking) closed audience of potential buyers, I suspect that eventually they're going to reach something of a saturation point where most people that are willing to purchase a skate sharpener will have done so; and, as a result, sharpener sales will fall off. Sure, they have the built-in recurring revenue from grinding ring sales, but I can't imagine the per-unit margin on those is all that high. Eventually, they're going to want to convince some of their existing customers to buy another machine...and to do that, they're going to have to give them a reason to do so. Wonder what that's gonna be...?

Hehehe...I intentionally neglected to ask that. But since you went there..... My feelings as a skating coach regarding the wisdom of purchasing custom skates for young skaters are well documented in this thread. For those that don't want to scroll through 160-odd pages of posts, put simply, I believe that, barring a significant physiological concern that can only be addressed by a custom product, ANY custom skates are a complete waste of money for youth players whose bodies (and feet) are still growing and developing. If a kid is still pre-pubescent and doesn't have a glaring 'fit issue', then, why on earth would anyone spend $800US (or more...) on a pair of skates that won't fit for longer than 6 months? To my economical (read: cheap-assed) nature, it just doesn't make sense. However, in the end, whether it's OP's money or another parent's, they can spend it however they want. If only custom will do, then you can't go wrong with True....but at least go into it with eyes open....they're gonna be heavy and they won't fit next year!

True skates are heavy. There is no getting around it. You say you knew this going in, yet are surprised? Not entirely sure I understand that.... Anyway. If you're asking 'why' they're heavier, it's mostly because the entire True boot is made of heat-moldable carbon fiber weave, while skates from Bauer and CCM use thermoformable composite plastics. True's carbon weave is MUCH stronger than the plastics used in other skates...but it's also quite a bit heavier. Also, steel makes a big difference - particularly now that all True skates ship with Step holders and Step runners. For all of its wonderful qualities, Step is notoriously heavy steel. In the end, there is absolutely a trade-off; comfort, protection, and performance vs. weight. Is it worth it? The answer to that will necessarily vary from player to player. For me, it's worth it. For 68 NHL players, it's worth it. For your son? Only he can answer that.... ________________________ N.B. By way of comparison, my Trues with a size 272 Step holder and Step Blacksteel runners are 21.8% heavier than my old Bauer TotalOnes... ________________________ Edit: Many people have fit issues (Haglund's Deformities, unusual foot geometry, flat or high arches, bunions, extreme pronation, etc....) that make off the shelf retail skates a virtual impossibility. For them, even the lightest skates on the market would feel like they weighed a metric shit-ton, simply because they'd be so damn uncomfortable. When the choice becomes a skate that weighs more vs not being able to play at all, most people will choose to deal with a few extra grams....

Oh god....car manuals. Ain't that the truth? My wife's Audi has all of these fancy sensors and automated systems which are detailed in the owner's manual with constant use of the phrase, "within the limitations of the system..." My reaction, of course, is "Ooh, there's yet another effort to avoid a lawsuit!" Look, I get that Sparx is a (relatively) new company, and I get how such a company has to weigh the risk of expensive lawsuits and negative media (social and otherwise) exposure against the desire to provide a fully functional product to their customers. Hell, back when I owned my business, I constantly wrestled with whether or not to even SELL a certain class of products, because I couldn't control how my customers would ultimately market it to THEIR customers. However, in the end, I did my best to give MY customers what they wanted and sold them the products and documented the shit out of all the inherent caveats. I just wish Sparx would do the same.

Oh, I know. And, don't get me wrong, all things considered, I love the machine. This is just one of those issues that prevent the Sparx from being what I would consider the perfect solution for those of us that live in 'sharpening deserts' and have neither the time nor the inclination to master a manual sharpening system.

Okay. So. One genius ignores the safety literature, ignores the flashing light on his machine, and proceeds to fill his sharpening room with smoke. As a result, the company completely discontinues a hugely functional part of their machine. Talk about throwing the proverbial baby out with the bath water.... My kid's remote control truck's LiPo batteries can explode if charged incorrectly. The company that manufactures the batteries and chargers didn't stop selling them as a result of some dipshit starting his garage on fire - they included a warning in the literature. You don't read the instructions, sometimes you get to pay the damn price. At some point we, as a society, need to stop protecting people from their own stupidity.

Perhaps you can summarize for us. The only thing that I recall seeing is some vague notion that it clogged up the air filter 'too quickly'...whatever that means.

I don't disagree. But, that's kinda my point. It'd take a bunch of passes to get rid of this little nick/gouge...and this is one that really doesn't matter that much. If you have a bunch of nicks like that...or a bigger nick...then, what do you do?

This.....THIS is why Sparx discontinuing their consumer cross-grinding ring is such complete and utter horseshit. Apologies for the crappy phone pic, but this is my kid's friend's Step Blacksteel blade. This gouge in the blade, which would take maybe 4-5 passes to get rid of with a cross grind would take probably 20-25 passes to grind completely out with a 'regular' grinding ring. At $60/pop (plus shipping) for a grinding ring, it would honestly cost me less to take the skate up to my local big box retailer and have them grind it out than it would to grind it myself....which COMPLETELY defeats the purpose of having a skate sharpener at home.... Seriously, Sparx guys, I KNOW you monitor this forum. It is patently ridiculous that this is happening. Bring back the damned cross-grinding ring.

Completely understand where you're coming from with this and I don't necessarily disagree. That said, the central point of the True skate is that it IS customizable for different skaters' needs/wants, so I don't think you can definitively put a 'weight threshold' on the applicability of shot blockers to an individual skater. I (6'1", 225) don't have the shot blockers in mine and am very happy with the stiffness. A guy I coach with (6'4", about 240) is on his second pair of True skates. He didn't have the shot blockers on his first pair but does on this pair...and is MUCH happier with his second pair than he was with his first because he felt like the first wasn't quite stiff enough. Different strokes and all that...

Agree on the tongue. Thing about the shot blockers, they make the skates stiffer - particularly laterally. If you're a heavier player and want/need that extra support (or just like an extremely stiff boot...), they might be worth the extra weight.

This. Be aggressive kicking your heel back. The first time I baked, I was pretty namby-pamby with my heel kicks and wound up with zero heel lock. Not good. On both subsequent bakes, I rammed them back pretty hard and was much happier with the result.

True skates are used by players on 26 of 31 NHL teams. Doesn't get much more 'high level' than those teams. 77 NHL players use True skates. The True pro custom is the third most popular individual skate model currently in use in the NHL. Again, doesn't get much more 'high level' than that. Look, I'm not discounting what your son says about the skates. If they're not for him, they're not for him. And that's completely fine. They are (relatively speaking) heavy and, when compared with the Mako, are a little 'clunky'. What's more, every player is entitled to his/her opinion. However, you seem to be insinuating that True skates aren't for 'high level' players, and that's just not true. Some of the 'highest level' players in the world use True skates and seem to be doing so without 'getting slower'....

Presuming your X90s fit you reasonably well (and it sounds like they do - save for the width issue), skates made by True/VH will be pretty much the same physical 'size' as your existing skates. They will be narrower inside the boot, simply because the scan and build process creates a skate that is specifically built to fit your feet. But they really shouldn't be any longer...or shorter. And, unless serious wonk is introduced into the manufacturing process, they will use the same size steel. Oh. And they will be heavier. Quite a lot heavier.

The Clarino in my skates doesn't get tacky or slimy. It just gets wet.

Correct me if I'm wrong, here.... None of these suggested leather treatments prevent your feet from sweating - they just prevent the Clarino from absorbing a bunch of sweat. Can anyone speak to the benefit of adding the waterproofing, aside from protecting/extending the life of the leather?

Same. Reasons given were for durability and comfort. For what it's worth, however, I'm kinda wishing I'd gone for the wick liner - I'd never thought I had 'abnormally sweaty feet', but in my True skates, I sweat way more than I did in my TotalOnes....

Or when the stragglers come sliding into the group at the board and take your legs out from behind. You can tell groups of 6U and 8U kids 6,382,728 times "NO SLIDING" and, mark my words, whether on purpose or not, at least ONE kid will always come sliding into the group like s/he's playing baseball. It's gotten to the point where, if I'm not actively writing on the board, I make sure I'm well away from the mob until ALL of the kids are in.

Ugh. My specialty is skating backwards into an unseen tire or border patrol/foam pad and then tumbling over backwards. Usually right in front of the kids. Of course. Definitely be careful out there...

So...as promised, here's my detailed assessment after about a month of having True skates... (Sorry it took a little longer than expected - practice, back to school night, and a concert in LA all conspired to keep me away from my computer!!!) Anyway. First off, let's get the background demographic information out of the way, as it will affect how I perceive these skates vs. how someone else might. I'm a 43 year old guy - about 6'1", 225 lbs. This is my first pair of custom skates - my previous skates were Bauer TotalOne NXGs. FWIW, I've never worn the Easton Mako. I'm on the ice 2+ hours a day, 6 days a week as a full time hockey coach, both coaching teams and doing private lessons. Though I played NCAA hockey, I rarely play these days - beer league has no real appeal for me and, quite frankly, I spend enough time at the rink as it is. My feet (size 9.5, running shoe) are a little wonky, in that I have a wide forefoot, but a narrow heel and relatively high arches - I also supinate (walk on the lateral side of my feet) slightly. The Bauer scan voodoo machine recommends a Vapor in 8 EE for me. Whatever. The thought of my heels in a EE skate is nothing short of hilarious. I underwent the True scan process while I was working at a hockey camp in Canada over the summer - the scan was performed by an employee of True, NOT at a Fit Center or by an LHS employee. Overall Impressions (TL/DR version): Overall, I'm very happy. They really are the perfect skates for me. They're extremely comfortable while, at the same time, allowing me to perform at a high level when demonstrating both team drills and complicated edgework. It did, however, take three 'bakes' to get them where I wanted them - but now that they're dialed in....awesome. The skates are DESIGNED to put your body into the correct position, which means you don't have to think about it - as long as you don't fight the skates, your body 'just goes there'....which, for a coach that demonstrates stuff all the time, is awesome. That said, it cannot be disputed that True skates are HEAVY. They weigh almost 21% more per skate than my Bauers and I'm not sure I would like them as much if I were still playing. But for coaching, I can't imagine a better fitting, more comfortable, better performing skate. The Fitting/Ordering Process: As mentioned above, I was scanned in Canada by an ACTUAL TRUE EMPLOYEE, not a LHS employee. Does this matter? Maybe. I don't know. However, I presume that, as a representative of his company, he actually knows what he's doing. When scanning, he also took pictures of my feet and noted some areas where I have had discomfort in the past. Additionally, I filled out a form where I noted my height, weight, current skate size and model, blade holder size, etc...etc...etc... Now then, there has been much consternation as to whether or not True offers different models of their skate - while I can't definitively answer that; I CAN tell you that, as part of the process, I was asked if I wanted the 'pro' fit or the 'retail' fit. I asked what the difference was and was told that they're "basically the same skate", but the pro fit is designed to eliminate as much negative space as possible in the boot; while the retail fit leaves some room for thicker socks, etc...since I HATE negative space in my skates, I asked for the pro fit. Now, as mentioned earlier in the thread, I do have an acquaintance that works at a big box LHS, but since I didn't order my skates from him, I've tried to avoid talking in too many specifics about the actual process of ordering True skates from them. Put differently, I do not know if you can walk into an LHS or a True fit center and ask for a 'pro fit' skate. However, it was an option offered to me and I bring it up because it's possible that my experience may differ from that of another skater as a result of my being offered that option. Anyway. Moving on. The Delivery/Sharpening/Baking Process: My skates were delivered to my door about 2.5 weeks after I ordered them. First impressions were, "WOW, these are HEAVY!" And, "Oh look! The vent holes in the bottom of the boots were drilled by my 3rd grader!" I know it's tough to drill into carbon fiber, but good Christ, True - invest in some high quality drill bits, put a stainless grommet around the holes, and try to space them evenly. Other than that, fit and finish were fine. The stitching in the liner and on the tongue is exemplary and the blade holders (Step) are mounted securely and appear to be straight. Yes, there is some excess epoxy in a few places where the upper is joined to the carbon fiber, but you can't tell unless you're looking for it and, honestly, I chalk that up to the fact that they are a hand-made item. Anyway. The day after receiving them, I took them up to an LHS and had the blades cross-ground and got a 'preliminary' edge put on them. I then parked them in my Sparx and sharpened them up to my usual 1/2" FBV/Fire spec. That night, I baked them in my home convection oven at 180 degrees F for 15 minutes, shoe-horned them onto my feet, laced 'em up, and rested there for 20 minutes. Per the instructions that came with the skates and the videos out there on the internet, I had my wife crimp behind my ankles for the first few minutes of resting. I then pried them off my feet, cooled them, put them away, and prepared to skate on them the next night. The First Skate: The first skate was...weird. And, initially, frustrating. Not realizing it, during the baking process, I had allowed the eyelets at the top of the boot to fold over too far, so getting them laced up in the coaches' room was an unmitigated disaster. I finally had to pull them off, lace them up OFF my feet, then shoe-horn them back on. Ugh. Not a good start to the evening. And then I stepped on the ice.... ...and STOPPED. DEAD. IN. MY. TRACKS. It was like I'd skated into a patch of sand or superglue or play-dough. I had NO glide at all. I was completely non-plussed and didn't know what to think...so, in classic hockey player fashion, I put my head down and plowed through it. But, everything was weird. I wasn't gliding. I felt like I was falling forward. I couldn't feel my edges, so I could barely turn - forget about stopping or transitions. I felt like my right toes were jammed into the front of the boot. And my heels were skyrocketing off the footbeds with every stride. Honestly, after about 5 minutes, I thought I'd made a giant (and very expensive) mistake. But I kept going. Once I finally RELAXED into the boots, a semblance of glide returned and I could start to feel my edges again. I tentatively tried hockey stops, transitions, and cross-overs...no falling, no disasters. I then tried single foot pivots and Mohawks and came to the startling realization that, biomechanically speaking, these skates are designed like they are for a reason. If I simply relax and 'go with the skates', my body will naturally settle into a 'good skating position'. I don't have to think, "bend ankles...bend ankles...bend ankles" when doing a single-foot inside to outside edge pivot, because if I'm not fighting the skates, my ankles are already properly bent. Same with my knees and hips. Encouraged, I kept them on for my second of two back-to-back practices and, by the end of it, I was less worried that I'd made a mistake....but my heels were still shooting off into the stratosphere with every stride. Also, my feet were SOAKED. Like, REALLY SOAKED. Like, wetter than I've ever seen them, coming out of a hockey skate. If I'd wanted to be gross, I probably could have wrung sweat out of my socks onto the floor of the coaches' room. But it was late and I didn't want to piss off my buddies, so I shoved them back into my bag, went home, and vowed to rebake in the morning and see if there was anything I could do about the heel-lock problem. Rebaking...and rebaking again: So, I did a rebake and REALLY jammed my heels back into the boots. I also tied the mid-foot curve tighter to try to lock my ankles back further. Additionally, I slid some wooden dowels in-between the upper eyelets and the tongue, so that I could keep them from folding over so far. The next time on the ice was better on the heel lock front and WAY better on the lacing up front, but the overall fit was still not where I wanted it, so I hopped on MSH and read almost all 150-odd pages of the True/VH forum, figuring I'd find some insight. MSH (of course) did not disappoint and, I discovered that a combination of tensor (Ace) bandages and small ratchet clamps could be used to press the areas of negative space out of the boots and really emphasize that heel lock. Equally helpful were posts recommending against baking with the skates laced to the top eyelet, as it can actually CREATE heel-lock problems. So, I fired up the oven and baked again. Hoping the third time was the proverbial charm, I wrapped, clamped, left the top eyelet undone...and crossed my fingers. Oh, and I also sharpened them at a 5/8" FBV/Fire ring because there was NO WAY I needed that deep of a hollow anymore! On the ice that night, it was honestly like skating in really well fitting slippers - no heel lock issues and zero negative space left in my skates! I had finally found the perfect coaching skate!!! Final Thoughts: Now, I'm willing to stipulate that at least some of my positive feelings about the skate may be due to the improvement of the StepSteel runners over the stock Bauer runners; and that an additional portion may be because of the placebo effect - i.e. I did SOMETHING (spent money on skates), so my brain is telling me that there was a correlating positive effect. Whatever. I'll take a placebo, because, for me, the best thing about the True/VH skates is that they make it easier for me to do my job. I find that in my Trues, my 43 year old body effortlessly slides into proper ankle, knee, and hip alignment with very little in the way of conscious thought on my part. When I demonstrate drills and complicated edgework, I'm far more confident and I've found that I have to think WAY less about what I'm doing than when I'm in my Bauers. Now, please don't misunderstand - they won't take a crappy skater and miraculously make him/her a good skater; but if you allow them to do what they're designed to do, they will get out of your way and allow you to 'just skate'. But it takes some work to get there. You have to be willing to bake several times and MacGyver with the fit until you're happy. Yeah, yeah, I know - You True haters are foaming at the mouth as you prepare to frantically bash at your keyboards in order to regurgitate everything you keep saying in these threads. Let me save you the effort. "Shouldn't they just fit out of the box?!?!?!" "Why bother with a foot scan if the end product doesn't fit your foot?" "WHAT'S THE POINT OF PAYING FOR CUSTOM IF YOU HAVE TO TINKER??!??" And, quite frankly, maybe you have a point. In most cases, if you buy a 'custom' product, you don't have to attack it with a hacksaw and blowtorch to get it to work. In this case, however, I'm happy to do all the customizing in the world because I'm able to tweak the fit to what *I* like. You undoubtedly have a different idea of how a skate should feel than I do...so the fact that we each CAN take a pair of True skates and tweak them to work with our ideas of how a skate should fit is...well, it's pretty damn cool. Now then, it's not all roses with True, because there is no denying that they are heavy. True apologists are great at throwing about platitudes -- "a hundred grams per skate isn't much...and if it is, don't skip leg day!" Yeah. Okay. That's funny and all, but it doesn't change the fact that, over the course of a game or a hard practice you have to multiply that "100 grams per skate" by however many strides a player takes. And it adds up! Your muscles still have to lift that extra hundred grams and, though I don't notice it while coaching, if I were still playing at a high level, I'm pretty sure I WOULD notice it over the course of three periods. Anyway. Once again, it's off to the rink for me (and let's face it, this is long enough as it is...😉) In the end, I suppose it all comes down to one simple question: "Would you buy True skates again?" For me, the answer is, "Absolutely....."

In the end, this is USA Hockey's attempt to put 10U youth hockey in the proper perspective and attempt to promote DEVELOPMENT; as opposed to winning. You hit on a lot of the reasons why (accommodate multi-sport athletes, promote retention, develop organic talent). However, underpinning all of those is the fact that it's not lost on anyone in Colorado Springs how hypocritical it sounds for USA Hockey to expend a giant amount of time and energy promoting long term athlete development - while at the same time hyping their Tier system, national championships, and elite level teams. Those teams and events are SO elite that you simply can't be a part of them if you're not a single sport athlete, devoting multiple hours a week towards on-ice training...AND multiple MORE hours a week to hockey-specific off-ice training. USA hockey knows this...and they know how much it costs to make anything approaching this level of commitment. And, what's more, they know that, in the end, it is ABSOLUTELY BATSHIT CRAZY for ANYONE to be making that level of commitment as a 10U (or younger) player. It is an incontrovertible truth that NOTHING a player does (or doesn't do) at the 10U level really matters when it comes to his/her chances of 'going somewhere with hockey'...unless s/he gets so fed up with the game that s/he quits, of course. As a coach, I see coaches of 10U 'elite' and 'travel' teams doing absolutely horrifying things like teaching 1-2-2 or 1-3-1 trap style forechecks to kids that don't have the mental capacity to understand either the tactical or strategic implications of a specific forecheck system - instead of letting them develop the actual SKILLS that will translate to their games as they get older. "But, knowing where the weak-side wing goes in a 1-2-2 is a skill," you say. No. It isn't. You know what you call the 14 year old that 'knows where to go in a 1-2-2'? A Bantam B player. The player that has developed the individual playmaking ability to step outside that 1-2-2 box and create magic is the AAA player. You simply can't develop as a scorer...as a puck moving defenseman...as a weapon for your team...AS A HOCKEY PLAYER if all you're doing from 10U on is chasing team letters ('A', 'AA', 'AAA', 'Elite') as a result of pressure to 'be on the best team'. USA Hockey is throwing down their gauntlet and telling organizations/clubs that they need to forget about comparing themselves against the teams from the next town, remove the pressure to 'letter chase', and start developing their kids - ESPECIALLY at the 8U and 10U levels. Kids quit because they (and their parents) feel all this pressure (both time and financial) to start chasing letters at a young age, instead of allowing development to happen organically. The mindset of "10 year old Johnny isn't going to get better if he doesn't spend 8 hours a week on the ice" simply needs to go the fuck away. BenBreeg is absolutely right when he says, NONE! THERE IS NO BENEFIT TO 'TRAVEL' AT THE 10U LEVEL! Personally, as a coach, I freaking LOVE this. I wish all state level associations would ban all 8U and 10U participation in all post-season tournaments, there-by removing the vast majority of the incentive to engage in this stupid nonsense. I wish club hockey didn't start until 12U, there-by allowing the good hockey players to continue being good ATHLETES, instead of gradually turning into robots that only play hockey. And most of all, I wish that the damn parents would look at 10U hockey less like 'the first step to a college scholarship' and more like 'something my son/daughter does to get some exercise, learn life lessons, and have a Zamboni room full of fun while doing.' Just my $0.02....😉 ______________________ N.B. Speaking of pressure - the worst, most despicable things that coaches and associations do are reserved for these ridiculous birth-year Brick tournament teams that become all-encompassing, psychosis inducing all-star teams that turn ordinary, normal hockey people into raving, salivating lunatics. It takes about a picosecond for these teams to become 'pay to play' entities. "Want to be on my Brick team? Well, that means committing to two private lessons a week and at least three extra sessions of ice time. Oh, you can't afford that? Sorry..." Kids quit EVERYTHING to be on these Brick teams - they quit school and start home-schooling, they quit all other sports, they quit being kids. All for what? A $15,000 trip to Edmonton the summer after their Squirt Minor year? What. The. Ever-loving. Hell? "Oh, but Connor McDavid played in the Brick Tournament..." "News flash. Your kid isn't Connor Fucking McDavid...and if he was, you'd already know it." If you told a parent of ANY other youth sport what happens with the Brick teams, they'd laugh in your face at the absurdity of it all. There is a special place in hell for the organizers of the Brick Tournament...and for the coaches/organizations that have perpetuated it and allowed it to get to this level of insanity.

In a perfect world, these things wouldn't happen...but, as we all know, the world isn't perfect and asshats that shouldn't coach all too often wind up with a helmet and a whistle. It's just your lousy luck that you got to experience this at 10U. While I agree that intensity and accountability are important things to teach at any level, cursing at 9 year olds and teaching systems play to kids that don't have the mental capacity to understand is simply inexcusable. On behalf of GOOD coaches everywhere, I just want to say that I'm very sorry you and your son had to go through this at such a young age. Anyway. Moving on. As an objective observer, the only thing I would say about future hockey plans is that I would caution you guys about making any decisions while these wounds are still raw. Let the bad feelings dissipate and encourage your son to embrace his new team as a fresh start. Then, see how this year plays out and, as the season winds down next spring, you can start talking about what's next as far as hockey goes. Maybe he'll have an absolute blast on the B team and will be raring to go for his 10U major season...maybe he'll be done with competitive hockey. Either way, it sounds as if you'll be fine with it...which is AWESOME...but I would definitely wait a while before making any decisions there. Finally, regarding in-house hockey: There is a stigma that gets attached to in house hockey that really freaking irritates me. Let me lay it out simply - There is nothing WRONG with in house hockey! The kids that play in house don't love hockey any less than the AAA kids - in fact, they probably love it a hell of a lot more, because there's almost no pressure and there usually aren't any overbearing adults around that are treating every ice touch like it's Game 7 of The Stanley Cup Finals. The kids playing in house hockey are playing hockey because they derive JOY from playing the game! No, those kids are probably not going to play in the NHL; but....news flash...the vast, VAST, VAST majority of the AAA kids aren't either!!! And, let me tell you, as a coach, the in-house kids are (usually) infinitely more fun to work with than the AAA kids that have been told since they were 6 that they're the next Connor Fucking McDavid. There is precious little in this world that is more irritating than a 12 year old that never hears the word 'NO' and has been enabled by every adult in his life into thinking that it's okay to be a insensitive, self-important, prick. Create a team full of 15 of those kids and their obnoxious, know-it-all parents, and, ugh...there's a reason I turn down AAA coaching opportunities. Anyway. Have a blast with hockey this year!!! And next year, regardless of whether your son wants to play football, soccer, or in-house hockey, I hope the both of you march in there with heads high!!! Best of luck!

Dude! Awesome! I'm so glad this worked out for the best! Have a fantastic season and, win, lose, or tie; never forget to let your kid know how proud you are to be his dad! ____________________ Behind the cut, one thing that I'd add - it may be worth doing the mental gymnastics of considering how you're going to handle it if you guys get put on the previous coach's team next year...or two years from now...or five. Obviously, your kid will mature and develop and your and your family's attitudes to youth hockey will evolve...and, in the end, perhaps it'll be a complete non-issue. But, if you at least put it on your 'mental map' now, you'll have somewhere other than 'OH SHIT! WHAT NOW!??!?!!' to fall back on if it does, indeed, happen.... Just food for thought...

Yep. While I don't go out of my way to recommend Trues for most youth players, I don't actively recommend against them. As alluded to earlier in the thread, unless a skater has a biomechanical issue that is best addressed with custom footwear, when asked about Trues, my response is generally something along the lines of: "Hey, if you want to spend the money for customs, you can't go wrong with True. However, go into it with your eyes open. Your 9 year old's $800 skates WILL NOT fit him next year...and MAY not fit him by the end of this year; so you must be prepared to upgrade earlier than you otherwise might have to. As a parent of a kid with a relatively 'normal' (albeit, wide) foot; I wouldn't go that route...but I can't deny liking my True skates and, in the end, it's your money!"

At risk of veering wildly off topic, I'd just like to say that, as a coach that does a fair bit of skating/edge-work with private clients, I couldn't agree with this more. Parents ask me all the time, 'what skates should I buy?' - except in VERY rare instances, my response is always, "whatever NON TOP OF THE LINE skate fits the best". Top of the line skates are simply too stiff for the vast majority of youth players.