Haglund's with 9 year old

[ID Rollerpop 4]

One of the kids I coached during roller hockey this summer was already starting to get some serious Haglund's deformities probably from the crappy hand me down inlines he was wearing. He is a darn good little ice player who was going to try and play on a travel Squirt team so will likely be skating 2-3 extra days a week this season. His parent's are getting ready to get him some new skates but have very little faith in the staff at the only LHS. I have been a ski boot fitter and tech in the past and they trust me so they asked me to help them in their search. My question is Is there a particular fit feature to look for in trying to deal with the haglund's problem? In boots I would look at something with a deeper heel pocket and maybe even punch that area a little to relieve that presure. And any suggestions on what to tstart with the foot in general is a little wide but not unreasonably so.

[fiimb 1]

you want something with the best heel lock possible, so best fitting skate. its not so much a matter of a skate with enough room to relieve pressure but something that's tight and locks in the heel so it can't slide around and won't cause friction, which leads to the bumps.

some pro-shops do skate fittings online for a fee. www.pro-skate.com is a local edmonton shop that does this.

[JR Boucicaut 3815]

some pro-shops do skate fittings online for a fee. www.pro-skate.com is a local edmonton shop that does this.

And anyone I know who has done their service ended up with horrible-fitting skates.

[SolarWind 23]

And anyone I know who has done their service ended up with horrible-fitting skates.

which wouldn't be surprising at all since the fitting process is quite a bit more complex then filling up a simple form! (looking at the site it's hard to even figure out WHY they're asking questions about weight, height, age, # of games per week etc - like it has ANY relationship to the sizing of one's feet?!)

in addition as I recently learned first hand (thanks to JR for opening my eyes on the complexity of this process!) the fitting process isn't just about interpreting the measurement #s obtained at different points on one’s feet – taking measurements themselves is a task by itself that requires skills & knowledge: where exactly do you measure, what’s the feet position for measurements, do you measure snug vs. tight etc. LOTS of variations & subtle nuances that can not be overlooked if the proper fitting is desired.

[troy 12]

which wouldn't be surprising at all since the fitting process is quite a bit more complex then filling up a simple form! (looking at the site it's hard to even figure out WHY they're asking questions about weight, height, age, # of games per week etc - like it has ANY relationship to the sizing of one's feet?!)

in addition as I recently learned first hand (thanks to JR for opening my eyes on the complexity of this process!) the fitting process isn't just about interpreting the measurement #s obtained at different points on one's feet taking measurements themselves is a task by itself that requires skills & knowledge: where exactly do you measure, what's the feet position for measurements, do you measure snug vs. tight etc. LOTS of variations & subtle nuances that can not be overlooked if the proper fitting is desired.

From that information they will probably be more able to determine a budget of the player seeking skates and recommend a model priced accordingly, maybe a little cynical, but coupled with poor skate matches, seems pretty plausible. Or maybe fitting skates through a subjective internet questionnaire is not that great an idea, I dunno.