No longer growing, playing hockey enough to justify the purchase, and because I was celebrating the end of a dozen years of student-loan hell, I decided last summer to buy my first pair of custom-fit skates.
Back when rinks were open, I played in early-morning and late-night leagues and snuck in afternoon pickup sessions. I miss it terribly.
I do not long for my old Bauer Supreme One60s. They lasted nine years before they finally cracked beyond repair. I thought they fit me as well as hockey skates could.
They weren’t even the proper size.
I had no idea, until I got a 3D scan, that my left foot is nearly a full size longer and wider than my right, that one arch is collapsed while the other is not, and my heels are both wide and deep. I just figured a pair of skates should hurt a little.
In the last decade, custom skates were only available to pros. Bauer, CCM, and True began offering them at retail shops. A 3D scan suggests a model and brand that best fits the particular shape of your foot. The skates are built around a stock footbed.
Advertisement
They can run north of $1,000, but for the avid player used to stock skates, they are well worth the upgrade. There is little to no space between the foot and the boot, so they respond to every muscle twitch. That means less fatigue, stronger strides and tighter turns.
It took a few hours on the ice with my Bauer Vapor 2X Pros before I was used to having that level of control. It was like driving a coupe after years in a minivan. I'm still no good, but I have never played better.
I just can’t wait to use them again.
Advertisement
Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports
"fit" - Google News
May 11, 2020 at 03:29AM
https://ift.tt/2Wi0ypj
A first-timer’s first impressions of custom-fit hockey skates - The Boston Globe
"fit" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2SpPnsd
https://ift.tt/3aP4lys
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "A first-timer’s first impressions of custom-fit hockey skates - The Boston Globe"
Post a Comment