What Your Skate Bag Should Contain

What your skate bag contains is largely dependent on what level of skater you are. The following is a guide on what type of equipment is appropriate for each level and sources on where to find it.

CanSkate and Early Figure Skating

Skates The type of skates you choose to wear will reflect what discipline you are learning to skate for. Those interested in figure skating or recreational skating (particularly girls) will prefer a figure skate while those keen on hockey or ringette should be in hockey skates. Skaters in the Early Figure Skating Program must wear figure skates.

Whatever skates you do select to wear, there are some fitting guidelines to follow. New boots should be comfortable although one should expect some initial discomfort around the ankles and other "pressure points". Often these can be relieved by "popping out" the boot*. The skater's heel should fit snugly in the heel area. A quick test is to have the skater stand in the laced skate. Hold the boot down on the floor and ask them to try and lift their heel. If the heel slides up, then this boot is not right for the foot. Toes should not be cramped and there should be room to raise them slightly.

* This is one of the reasons that we don't recommend that skaters wear the solid plastic skates. They do not offer any way to make adjustments for fit and they simply do not permit the skater to bend properly.

For young skaters it never hurts to look at a pair of good used skates. Rarely do young children break down their skates. They grow out of them before that can ever happen. It is better to purchase a pair of good used skates rather than inexpensive new ones. Every September during CanSkate Registration Day, our club also has a used apparel and skate sale. Check our Calendar of Club Events to find the date and time of this sale.

Helmet All children are required to wear a helmet on CanSkate and Early Figure Skating sessions. While a bike helmet may be used, we recommend using a hockey helmet as it provides better protection. Parents should also consider helmets with face guards for young beginner skaters.

Skate Guards Save your skates and your sharpening. Skate guards are inexpensive and should be worn when skaters are walking in their skates off the ice. Be sure to label your guards with your skater's name.

Soft Rag Keep a rag handy to dry blades and skates after use. Do not put wet guards back on after drying!

Fabric Blade Covers (Optional but recommended) Skaters with figure skates should consider using fabric blade covers to put on their blades after they have been dried off with a rag. The fabric will absorb any additional moisture that wasn't caught by the rag and will protect the blades in the skate bag. These covers can be made or purchased at a skate shop (all colours and patterns are available now including ones with animal heads and legs!)

Screw Driver (for those with separate blades that are screwed to the boot). Always handy to have in case a screw becomes loose.

Hair Elastics and Clips. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to skate with your hair flipping into your face. Keep extras in your bag for rush days or the day after the new haircut that created more wisps than you could have imagined.

Clothing: Beginner CanSkaters should ensure that they are dressed warmly. Snowsuits or snow pants are appropriate for first time skaters. Once skaters can move about, clothing that permits more movement is in order. Nothing fancy is required. Just ensure that the clothing is not too loose and provides some warmth.

StarSkate and Competitive Skate

Selecting Skates becomes a little more involved now. While the basic fitting rules suggested above for CanSkate still apply, there are other considerations. Once skaters have entered StarSkate they will likely be purchasing boots and blades separately. It is highly recommended that you see a professional skate fitter to ensure the right fit and get a boot with the appropriate stiffness. There are now some blade considerations as well:

Freeskate Blades: as skaters add more rotations to jumps, they will require a blade with a substantially larger toe pick.

Dance Blades: skaters that choose to do dance exclusively or competitively will want a dance blade. Their most obvious attribute is the shorter length. The length of the blade generally does not extend past the heel of the boot.

Skate Guards Save your skates and your sharpening. Skate guards are inexpensive and should be worn when skaters are walking in their skates off the ice. Be sure to label your guards with your skater's name.

Soft Rag Keep a rag handy to dry blades and skates after use. Do not put wet guards back on after drying!

Fabric Blade Covers (Optional but recommended) Skaters with figure skates should consider using fabric blade covers to put on their blades after they have been dried off with a rag. The fabric will absorb any additional moisture that wasn't caught by the rag and will protect the blades in the skate bag. These covers can be made or purchased at a skate shop (all colours and patterns are available now including ones with animal heads and legs!)

Screw Driver (for those with separate blades that are screwed to the boot). Always handy to have incase a screw becomes loose.

Hair Elastics and Clips. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to skate with your hair flipping into your face. Keep extras in your bag for rush days or the day after the new haircut that created more wisps than you could have imagined. Clothing: Skaters should wear figure skating attire. For girls, a skating dress or skirt with leggings is appropriate. Check out our skate sales for used skating dresses. If you sew, then there are several patterns available. It is not difficult to make a simple dress for practice. Check out pattern companies like Kwik Sew at your local fabric store. Skaters should ensure that they do not wear loose clothing. There are several different stretchy skating pants on the market. Again, so long as they can move easily and the pants are not baggy, they are fine.