Author Archives: Bev

What if I don’t have a scribe?

You can pace out a circle using bladelengths or steps. Mark the center of your eight and measure eight to ten bladelengths or about four paces. Make a mark. This is the center of your circle. Measure eight to ten … Continue reading

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How big should my circles be?

Ice In general, the diameter of the circle should be approximately three times the height of the skater. To set your scribe to the right length, calculate your height in inches and multiply by 1.5. A skater who is five … Continue reading

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There are no patch sessions near me! How can I do figures?

Look for poorly attended freestyle and public skating sessions. These may be early in the morning or in the middle of the day, depending on the time of year and your local rink culture. Then, go and do figures. The … Continue reading

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Blades for figures: Where to get them

Special blades designed specifically for figures are no longer made, but some stores still have old ones in stock. If your local skate shop has been around a while, it may be worth asking if they still have any. Here … Continue reading

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Blades for figures: Notes and specifications

Patch blades (blades that are designed specifically for figures) are not the same as freestyle blades. They lack the bottom toe pick and that they are sharpened to a much flatter radius of hollow. Both of these are modifications that … Continue reading

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Boots for figures on ice

Any old boots should work. The trick is that they need to be soft enough to let your ankle bend from side to side. New, stiff freestyle boots don’t allow this.  Back in the day, people used to use their … Continue reading

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Equipment for figures

You don’t have to have special skates for figures, but they can help you skate them better. It used to be that every ice skater had two pairs of skates, one for figures and the other for freestyle, and a … Continue reading

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