HP #20 - ... And thus began my quest for new skates (part 1)

Usual disclaimer applies: this is an old event I'm recounting. See my first HP post for the full notes on these.

Background: I was a lesson or two into my time with the Tammasaurus when she ambushed me during my warm up exercises...

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"What boot and blade have you got on?"

I winced slightly knowing that my Graf 500 boots were just beginner level, which, while technically passable for the level I was at, would really need an upgrade to continue. I'd only got them about six months ago and had fully expected I'd have to upgrade in about a year or so, but I hadn't expected to progress this fast. I didn't know how much further I had left in them, but I knew I'd have to do some damage management with my response here as the Tammasaurus trains all the young, elite skaters and I didn't want to get a disapproving look.

"Urr, they're Graf 500s. The blade just came with the boot, I think it's just a standard Graf one as well. I know they're just for beginners, I'm not sure when I need to upgrade them, or what to, so I'm open to suggestions," I waffled as best I could given that I was in the middle of doing backward cross rolls.

Before we get to her response, we need to go on a short detour into my life as a law student when I was at university. As with most UK, degree-level education, you attended seminar groups with set reading and questions to have prepared for. When it came to discussing these questions then seminar leaders fell into one of two categories when you answered a question incorrectly:

• Category A: "Well that's right if you mean that because of X we have Y and that would lead to Z. Do you see how I got there?"
• This type of seminar leader would take your wrong answer and gently twist it into the right answer as a way of thanking you for contributing to the class even though you were patently wrong.
• Masters of this technique could link even the most grievously incorrect of answers back to the right path.

• Category B: "Uhhhhh... No." -silence-
• This type of seminar leader is cold and uncompromising. They believe you're doing a tough subject and you need to live in the cold, harsh reality of your mistakes. This type of seminar leader doesn't ease off just before the Christmas break.
• I had one such seminar leader for one of my modules. She was a strong, fierce, all-round diva that I held undying adoration for (my crippling weakness for strong, independent women, etc. etc.), which meant I kept quiet and hid behind my laptop screen at all times for my own safety.
• We had a mature student in my seminar who tried very hard to think of clever answers to some of the questions. Every time he over complicated things (basically every question) and got it wrong then our unforgiving seminar leader would roll her eyes at the rest of the class before snapping her face towards him and and uttering: "Uhhhhh... No." -silence- "Someone else?" He stopped coming to her seminar group after a few weeks.

The Tammasaurus opened her response with a brief but troubled, "Hmmm" and I dreaded the appearance of a Category B answer when, mercifully, she moderated up to Category A.

"Well we'll see how we go, but we might have to look at changing those. I'm concerned you'll need more ankle support for progressing in jumps."

JUMPS? She'd said the 'J' word, like music to my ears, I would do anything for them.

"Oh yes, of course, absolutely, I'll look into it, do you have any suggestions?" I babbled back.

"I usually like the Edea brand, something like the Overture would be fine. You'd get a more advanced blade with it as well."

And thus began my quest for new skates. If I had known then how much pain this would involve... Well, I'd obviously still have done it but I'd be a lot wiser for it now!