Parent

			    WOMEN-IN-HOCKEY Digest 25

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: In-Line Skates
	by "Andria L. Hunter" 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 	Mon, 3 Jul 1995 19:19:28 -0400
From: "Andria L. Hunter" 
To: email@hidden
Subject: Re: In-Line Skates
Message-ID: 

>I am a beginner when it comes to in-line skates, so I thought I would ask
>a few questions before I purchase.  Here goes:
>
>1.  Are there certain brands that are better than others (durability,
>    price and ankle support are all big considerations)?
>2.  What kind of wheel bearings should I look for?
>3.  What else should I look out for?

I think the most important thing is to make sure that the skates are
comfortable.  If it means paying a little more, I think it's definitely
worth it.  My boyfriend purchased a cheaper pair from Canadian Tire for
about $80 or so, and didn't end up wearing them because they hurt his
feet so much.  The wheels and bearings were not of the best quality 
either.  He was kicking himself that he didn't pay a little more and 
end up with something that he'd actually be able to use, and something 
that would last.

I am very happy with the Inline skates that I have.  They are very
durable, offer a lot of support, have good bearings, and are very
comfortable.  I think those are probably the most important things to
look for.  The pair that I have are made by Bauer (I don't know the
model number, but the boot is the same as the Bauer 2000 hockey skates
and they have a Power-clip on the inner side for added protection and
durability).  They are quite expensive (although luckily I received a 
complimentary pair from Bauer), but I would say they are well worth the 
price.  I've had them for three years, and they are still in great 
condition.  They are very comfortable to wear for extended periods of 
time (more than a few hours), and for playing roller-hockey games which 
tend to involve a lot of twisting and turning.

Also, if you have an old pair of hockey skates that you really like,
you might be able to find a sports store that will install a set of
wheels on your old hockey skates.

In summary, I'd say that it's important to get something that's
comfortable enough that you'll actually be able to wear.  Also,
make sure that the bearings are of good quality and that the wheels
spin freely.  If you don't plan to use the skates very much, then
it's probably not worthwhile paying the extra money to get a good
pair, but if you do plan to use them a lot, then I would recommend 
paying more.

Also, there is a very good guide to buying Inline Skates on the
world wide web.  It's located at URL:
  http://garnet.acns.fsu.edu/~adchen/skate.3.1.html

If you don't have a web browser, send me mail, and I'll send you a 
text copy of the article.  Here is the table of contents of this
buying guide:

  1.Before you go to the store 
     Deciding on your skating needs 
        What type of skating will I want to do? 
        What's most important to me? 
     Deciding on your price range 
        The Crummy Skate Threshold 
        Remember you'll also need safety gear 
        Mail order versus local stores 
        Some mail-order shops 
     Learn the terminology 
        Wheel terms 
           Diameter 
           Maximum wheel size 
           Durometer 
           Rockering 
        Bearings and ABEC ratings 
        Braking systems 
  2.At the store 
     Bring the right socks 
     Ignore the sales hype 
     Trying on skates 
     Things to look for 
        Liner fit 
        Closure systems 
        Shell design 
        Wheels and other stuff 
  3.After you buy 
     Testing out your skates 

Hope that helps!

Andria

==============================================================================
|       ...  She shoots!     ......    She scoooooores!!!                    |
|                                                   _                 __     |
|      ~o          ~o           ~o             ~o  |        ~o     __|\ )_   |
| \____/|)         <|>          (|\_____/     \/Y\/|      `#(|\0__/ /| \__)  |
|      />          /> \         />       .     /\           ('\\---' | .| |  |
|     z z   .     z z  \_.     z z            z  z           \_\_\      | |  |
|                                                             `  `      |_/  |
|    TEAM CANADA - WOMEN'S WORLD ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONS - 1990, 1992, 1994     |
==============================================================================
|  For women's hockey info via the world wide web:                           |
|       http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~andria            (several inline images) |
|                                                                            |
|       http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~andria/plain.html (only 2 inline images)  |
|                                                    (much quicker to load)  |
==============================================================================
|  You can also access this info via anonymous FTP to ftp.cs.toronto.edu.    |
|       My files are in the pub/issac/test directory. (see the README file)  |
==============================================================================

------------------------------

End of WOMEN-IN-HOCKEY Digest 25
********************************