I started skating on our back garden when it froze over after the deep frosts of November. I was 6 and my town had nothing in it of interest but a skating rink. Naturally, every kid in first grade was enrolled in skating. It was a pitiful learn to skate program on an overcrowded surface, and I was that kid who like to sample a little of each group. There I was, and there I wasn’t. It drove everyone mad. Little did they know, fifteen years later I’d be standing on the ice at Nationals with my partner by my side about to sample a completely different skating experience.

I had a lot of different skates over all those years of training. My feet are different widths, and a half size different from each other so stock boots never ever fit. After 12 years of bandaging my feet several times a day, every day, and watching scars get deeper and deeper, I finally got fitted for my first pair of custom Riedells. I can’t even describe how different skating became for me. I’d never had a moment on the ice before without pain.

The pair I took to Nationals are still the pair I wear today. They have lost half their polish and are missing chunks from partners’ ill-timed blades. After 10 years of coaching, they really haven’t lost their support or comfort. The blades are another matter! I’m about to hang up my old MKs to try the Eclipse. I may not be embracing change with my boots, but I don’t see why my blades need to stay the same.

Name: Stacey
Location: Canada
Boot Model: Custom

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