As we wrap up the Summer Skills & Drills program, camp participants are recieving a free skate sharpening at 815 Skate Shop in Rockford IL.
During an earlier session at the camp, we recommended to our Peewee, Bantam, and High School groups to consider a "less sharp" approach for their next skate sharpening. By this, we meant that if you usually sharpen your skates at 1/2 hollow, you could experiment with a 5/8 hollow for the next sharpening. The goal of skate sharpening should be to maximize glide while maintaining the necessary bite for stopping and turning on the ice. Sharper skates provide better grip on the ice, but they also dig deeper into the ice, leading to increased resistance. This minor adjustment could have significant long-term effects to your speed and deceptiveness on the ice.
Ultimately, individuals should determine what works best for them. Ice conditons can also play a role into what sharpening is prefered. It may require some adaptation initially, so we recommend trying it out during a practice session or public skate. Below is a chart of standard ice skate sharpenings.
