youth skates

[SolarWind 23]

my son is 7 years old, and is in his 3rd year of hockey

he isn't very big (4'1", 55#), but is a fairly strong skater

it's time to get his 3rd pair of skates, and before he was always in mid-range easton models (S15 seems to be somehow mid-range at least based on the price?!) so I was wondering is shelling $$$ for something like yth X60 would actually make any positive difference for him by making him more agile or faster?

Also most kids skates are fairly flexible, so would going up stiffness acutally impede my son's ability to flex the skate?

Another question I had was about skate profile - youth Easton models feature something calles PSP (Parabolic Stability Profile) - does anybody know what that actually means?

Thanks!

[Hradsky 1]

my son is 7 years old, and is in his 3rd year of hockey

he isn't very big (4'1", 55#), but is a fairly strong skater

it's time to get his 3rd pair of skates, and before he was always in mid-range easton models (S15 seems to be somehow mid-range at least based on the price?!) so I was wondering is shelling $$$ for something like yth X60 would actually make any positive difference for him by making him more agile or faster?

Also most kids skates are fairly flexible, so would going up stiffness acutally impede my son's ability to flex the skate?

Another question I had was about skate profile - youth Easton models feature something calles PSP (Parabolic Stability Profile) - does anybody know what that actually means?

Thanks!

Only thing I know is that when your that young, you need a new pair of skates at least every year, in my opinion it's not worth it to shell out like $250 on a pair of skates at that age, since you'll be getting new ones soon.

I'd stick in the mid-range skates that won't hamper his performance. Really only worth investing in skates after his puberty growth spurt is finished at age 14 - 16.

But that's just my opinion. My whole life I had maybe four pairs of skates worth $100 each, now that I've stopped growing as much (15 now) I feel like I can invest maybe $200 - $300 in a pair skates and they'd last me a few years.

I also know that all kids who play AAA always have top of the line equipment, so maybe it is necessary, I don't know.

But if you have the money, then sure, do whatever you want :lol:

[schrempsky 0]

that parabolic stability profile is a steel that is much flatter. its designed to make the transition to skating easier for kids by giving them more steel and more surface area on the ice.

[Bucky25 0]

The skate will not make him faster or more agile. High end may be lighter but his mechanics and a proper fitting skate are much more important IMO.

[Hradsky 1]

The skate will not make him faster or more agile. High end may be lighter but his mechanics and a proper fitting skate are much more important IMO.

I agree, although the lighter the skate, the less resistance to the stride, the less energy he loses, and the more he can put into the stride itself.

[crazy4gear 0]

I've noticed in buying youth skates that the main differences in the skates seem to be the materials used. From going from the top of the line ccm(vector 10) to the bottom (U02), I 've noticed differences in eyelet reinforcement, footbeds, outsoles, and holder and steel, lightness and a slight increase as you go up the line in stiffness. Lighter might help your child fatigue less, but they are little and they take forever to tire anyway. :) With the way kids grow out of skates, I would go mid-line. Proper fitting being the most essential element in helping the child's skating and with the fun factor.

[goblue9280 33]

I've been going with the previous years midline models (when they go on clearance) for my 6 year olds last two pair of skates. Mechanics wise, he's one of the best skaters on his mite team. However, as far as speed, he doesn't have the motor or the focus yet to justify top of the line youth skates. And I agree, I don't think they'd make much of a difference on fatigue because he has little of it during games/practice as is.

[VakarLajos 5]

The skate will not make him faster or more agile. High end may be lighter but his mechanics and a proper fitting skate are much more important IMO.

+1

I've seen kids progress wearing well fit One35s more than kids wearing big One95s.

I'm also not a fan of ultra-stiff skates for younger kids. Muscles need to develop and putting them in tanks don't allow that to happen sometimes.

[SolarWind 23]

thanks everyone for the feedback - it reaffirms my thoughts that fit is the most important aspect of the skate selection, and then comes the rest

re Easton PSP - conceptually I get the idea that there's more blade on the ice, the question becomes how is it accomplished? have they simply gove with 10' or 11' profile, or it's actually a combo like 9/11 or comething?

the reason I wanted to know was because if I were to switch him to other brand I'd need to adjust accordingly...

[SirJW 207]

Back in my day, most of the time I would get used skates at the skate swap. Do they still do ski / skate swaps at the cold weather schools?

[skarbro 0]

We're talking about 7 year olds, not 17 year olds. This is a time where skill development is far more important than performance. I'm a firm believer in NOT letting them develop in the lightest skate out there. Comfort and fit are the two most important factors. For 7 year olds, fatigue isn't even in their language.

[OldNSlow 3]

thanks everyone for the feedback - it reaffirms my thoughts that fit is the most important aspect of the skate selection, and then comes the rest

re Easton PSP - conceptually I get the idea that there's more blade on the ice, the question becomes how is it accomplished? have they simply gove with 10' or 11' profile, or it's actually a combo like 9/11 or comething?

the reason I wanted to know was because if I were to switch him to other brand I'd need to adjust accordingly...

Does anyone know more about this PSP concept? I got a kid on my team that is skating in EQ50 skates and he can not use his edges very well. I was thinking of having him get his skates profiled to 11 radius (for greater stability) but now I'm not sure if the Easton's already are. All I know is he can barely turn -- he has been skating for 1.5 years (13 y/o). I know longer radius makes tight turns harder, but he needs balance more than anything right now. It's possible that the boot is too stiff so lateral movement is restricted. But Easton claims the skates allows for flex, etc etc.

[AIREAYE 248]

The boot stiffness is definitely a factor, they have lower end skates for lesser skilled players. However if they're youth, the stiffness jump isn't as substantial compared to JR or SR skates. Other than that, give him more practice and forget about the radius, in this case, it's more the skater than the gear.