Taking Care of Skates

    • Skates should be sharpened after approximately 20 hours of skating or at least once every 2 months
    • Skates should be sharpened by a recognized figure skate sharpener
    • For new skaters, the type of sharpening that should be done is called a combination sharpening. This type of sharpening is acceptable for all disciplines of skating
    • Once a skater has a chosen discipline, there are specialized sharpenings (freeskate, dance etc. that you may want to consider)
    • Please note that you should always sharpen your skates one week before any competition, ice show or test day
    • Plastic skate guards should always be used when you are walking on your skates off the ice surface.
    • Plastic skate guards should never be left on your skates for extended periods of time. Moisture collected in the grooves of the guards will cause your blades to rust and this will ruin your sharpening.
    • When taking off your skates, always loosen the laces sufficiently so that you don’t need to force your foot out of the boot. This will prevent the lining of the boot from breaking down unnecessarily.
    • Always thoroughly dry your blades and boots with a cloth or chamois after each skate.
    • Always store your skates with cloth blade covers to help prevent your blades from rusting, chipping or damaging your skate bag and its contents.
    • Never leave your skates and locker or a bag. This will not allow the skates to dry properly and will cause the boot to become mouldy and/or break down very quickly. Let you skates air dry at room temperature outside of their skating bag.
    • When your feet perspire, loosen the laces as far as possible, pull out the insoles and let them dry out. This prevents the insoles from getting mouldy and/or sticking to the inside of the boot.
    • Check your blades routinely to make sure the screws are tight. It is a good idea to keep a screwdriver in your skate bag at all times. As the type of screw varies with different skates, make sure you have the right screwdriver for your particular skates.Adapted from Figure Skating: What Every Parent Needs To Know complements of Skate Canada