Fateful Questions
Just another day of summer clinic season, drop-off, pick-up idle chatter about what happened and how it went. Today was no different until the fateful words spilled from my daughter’s mouth, “Coach was asking about my skates.”
I can hear the grim background music start to play in my head, the ones that foretells impending doom, but casually reply, “What did he say?”
“He asked if they were too small, if my toes felt pinched and if they hurt.”
Yup, there is it was, the dark cloud of gear replacement loomed closer on the horizon, it was nearing rapidly, but hadn’t quite yet engulfed the car in its soupy fog.
“Did he say you needed new skates?”
“No.”
“But he asked you those specific questions?”
“Yup.”
I got it, she didn’t. Coach, in this case, while not her primary private coach, is his brother and NEITHER one asks a question just to make random small talk especially during a clinic. They speak/ask with purpose and thought in every word they utter, nary a syllable wasted.
He was, in my mind, telling her clear as day that she needed bigger skates. I wasn’t surprised mind you, she had grown an inch and a half in about a months time and while her feet hadn’t stretched as much as the rest of her, I knew we were on borrowed time. She already skated over a year in her old skates and she is in the rapid growth spurt Bantam years, but still, I wanted to double check.
Double Conversation in One
I hand her my phone and dictate a text to her primary coach (who was on the ice for one session of said clinic) to ask about the skates and if my interpretation of the conversation was correct.
Not three minutes later I get a call from both brothers, who happen to be in the car together, to have a speaker phone conversation on the matter. Yup, even though E said they don’t hurt, she needed new skates, hers were simply too small to balance out the taller height and it was going to continue to hurt her skating. I decided to name this phenomenon “Barbie Syndrome” – where your foot size and in this case skates are disproportionate to your height.
Okay, I was right, new skates were the order of the day.
Then they get their delightful form of vagary again (read the Great Stick Hunt – it explains this ongoing phenomenon in detail). I really thought I was out of the woods on this one.
“They need to be a little big, but not too big and they should be tight on the boot but not too tight.”
“Great, okay, see you tomorrow.” I click the end button half with resignation, half determination.
We are the type of people that if a professional gives their opinion and something needs to be fixed, we fix it immediately.
Who Has What Skate NOW!
I call my favorite skate shop up by our home (she skates out of a rink an hour away) and went through the fun conversation of what she wears now, needs a bigger size (they had measured her a week or two prior, but without pain they said to leave the skates be), what did they have in stock and what was it going to cost me.
They had a couple options, of course they could bake them today and would put them aside until we got there and pick the one that fit best. I am still driving (thank you to headsets) and dealing with the sticker shock. Her very first pair of skates were non-baked, second hand skates since we assumed her desire for hockey was going to be a short-lived blip. My bank account today reflects how much that wasn’t the case. Her next pair were maybe $59, again it was year one and she isn’t Wayne Gretzky.
Today was the sudden jump (and still very small by skate cost standards) Her skates were going to be at least $159 and up. YIKES. That momentary WTF crossed my mind and then the resignation set in. Oh wait! They have a nicer pair that are on sale in her size. Sure set them aside too – let’s face it, it’s about fit not finances in that moment.
Pro Shop vs Coaches
My favorite part is that the pro shop guys, who are a pretty fun, very knowledgeable trio feel the need to explain that they are often in conflict with coaches on the skate issue. They believe if it doesn’t hurt, don’t change it. Coaches, they felt the need to point out, tend to lean toward having them “a little big, but not too big” (why does that sound familiar).
At the end of the day, my daughter has new, larger skates all ready for the next days clinic. She claims they feel good, but weird different (she’s clearly adopting the vague statement trend), but Coach is happy and with any luck we can stay in these for a hot second before new ones are needed. My naïve optimism is fun, right?
