Ice Skates for 14 year old DD who occasionally goes ice skating for fun

[unicorngirl]

My DH and I want to surprise our teenage daughter with her own skates so she does not have to rent skates every time she goes to the rink with her friends (about once a week). We are on a very tight budget. Does anyone have any advice on where to find a good deal on skates?

 

[akcire]

I've never used them, but LLBean has 20% off their winter gear. They would probably be okay for a casual skater, as long as she is not doing jumps. If she is jumping you need to go to an ice pro shop and spend the money to get her skates that fit her feet perfectly (or end up with a bunch of orthopedic bills later). The blades don't have to be the best, but the boot needs to fit her foot if she is jumping.

Also make sure they get sharpened at least every season if not twice.

I have really expensive custom skates, but my mother (40 years ago) was a competitive skater. She had me in lessons for about 10 years, until they finally realized I was not blessed with the grace of Dorothy Hamill. Luckily, my feet have not grown, since the last pair my parents bought me 20 years ago--and I can take them on the ice a couple times a year. The cost of skates has skyrocketed, and I can sell my blades today for much more than my parents paid 20 years ago for custom boots and blades. The guy at the pro shop where I get them sharpened has been trying to buy them for years.

 

[Hannathy]

Do you have a sports store that handles used equipment? We have a chain called play it again sports and they buy and sell used equipment and you can get things like skates at a very good price. that is where I got both my DD's and my DS's.

Also check thrift shops many times kids out grow them before they are over used and you can take them and pay for the blades to be sharpened and they are good skates. Also keep an eye on Craigs list.

Seriously most people who get skates hardly use them and they are some of the best sports equipment to find used.

 

[raenyny]

My daughter is a skater...We see kids all the time with floppy sports authority skates...I bought skates for my boys who are casual skaters from ebay for about $35...you can get older model never worn Reidells for pretty inexpensive...at 14 her foot has probably stopped growing so I would definetly think it is worth it to get her a pair that will hold up...you can get a low model brand new from the pro shop for around $60...its so important that the skates are going to give her ankles support even if she is only a casual skater

 

[shelly3girls]

Check the pro shop at the rink for used skates. You could also check to see if the figure skating club has an equipment exchange or used skates for sale. You could get a great deal on awesome skates. Also, don't be afraid to buy used boots. A recreational skater can use very inexpensive blades that can mounted on the used boots.

 

[Dizneydaz]

I look at Goodwill every time I'm there for bowling shoes for my DD211 (haven't found yet) but I have seen ice skates there several times. Maybe you could check Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. for a pair.

Also, I just ran an ad on Craigslist saying I was looking for bowling shoes. Have you checked Craigslist? If you can't find an ad selling ice skates, put in your own ad under "Items Wanted" I just looked in our area (So Cal. so no snow) and found quite a few listings for skates.

Good luck!

 

[tapplebapple]

I have always sold my our outgrown skates on craigslist. I would definitely take a look there - you will probably be able to find a nice pair for cheap money.

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

http://www.usaskates.com/clearancesection.html

http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/si...013FF087-475A-BAC0-52868D915945931E/killnav/1

Here are a couple of good companies. DD skated in Jacksons for a long time when she was just starting out.