Figure skate Boot and Blade Care

Athletes understand that well maintained equipment will prevent injury or expense due to negligence or damage. Proper care of figure skates and blades will keep them looking good and help them last longer. Remember: blades can rust and leather boots can rot. The following suggestions are provided to maximize your enjoyment of your figure skates.

• Protect your blades from nicks and gouges. Wear skate guards when off the ice. Cover blades with cloth blade covers or store in a boot bag in your skating bag.
• After skating, wipe and dry your boots and blades with a soft cloth.
• Between skating sessions, remove damp blade covers and skate guards to prevent your blades from rusting. Allow them to dry separately.
• Undo laces, open boots wide and air dry your boots after use. Damp leather can rot and mildew.
• Do not dry your figure skates near a heat source; the leather will dry out.
• Keep your boots polished to prevent leather from drying out.
• Some boots now have a factory coating to protect the leather soles. If the factory coating has worn through, your soles need protection. Treat leather figure skate soles and heels with leather protector every few weeks, or sooner if needed. Remove blades every few months and reapply leather protector to the complete sole to help prevent the leather soles from rotting.
• Check that bottom blade screws are tight - occasionally they will loosen allowing moisture to contact the sole.
• Dull blades will not hold an edge on the ice. If you feel your figure skates are sliding on the ice, it's time to sharpen them.
• Figure skate blades are different from hockey blades. Make sure your valuable blades are sharpened by a professional figure skate sharpener.

Proper Figure Skate Lacing
Lacing your figure skates properly prevents premature breakdown of your skating boot. Proper lacing will prevent injuries and extend the life of your boots.

To provide the proper support needed around the ankle, use a skate hook to pull the laces tight near your ankle.

Because you need flexibility, the laces are looser at the top of the figure skate. Your ankle has to be able to bend forward when you skate and jump.

If you lace the top too tightly, your boot will be under stress and will begin to form creases in the ankle area.

The arrows in the diagram indicate how to properly lace your boots.