Youth Profile Test Write-up

We recently reached the point where my son needed new hockey skates. Since he had brand-new steel on his new skates, we decided to buy an extra set of steel and conduct some profile testing over the weekend. It provided an excellent opportunity to test a sharpened stock blade against the SSM Natural Curve, followed by the Quad XS. He has been skating for 6 years and playing hockey for 5. I wanted to see if a youth player could tell a significant difference in a performance profile.

To start, both he and I hopped on the 400 M rink at the Utah Olympic Oval and skated a few rounds. We picked a small spot where he would focus on various moves and hockey stops. His first hockey stop, I actually caught on film as he saved himself from a forward tumble to the ice. After spending some time on the ice with the stock runners, it was time to swap both our runners out with the SSM Natural Curve.

My son, in his excitement and urgency, jumped on the ice before I was laced up, so it wasn't possible to get a picture of that moment, but I could tell in his first turn back towards me that he was surprised. His eyes widened, and he had a massive smile on his face. He could not believe how different his skates felt! I had the same thought as soon as I started skating on the Natural Curve. The Natural Curve profile felt very balanced and steady, with a higher top-end speed and better glide! Having never skated on an advanced profile runner myself, I was also amazed at how different the experience was.

The first question I had for him after we spent enough time on the profiled steel was, "Now that you know how this feels, would you ever want to go back to the other?" His answer was a resounding, "No way!" We confirmed that the Natural Curve was superior to the stock, so I suggested we use the stock steel to try the Quad XS.

We left the rink, headed home, and I began profiling his stock runners to the Quad XS profile. About two hours later, we headed back to the Olympic Oval to try again. This time, I had him spend more time on the ice with the Natural Curve profile before swapping out for the Quad XS, allowing him to compare the two more easily.

Initially, he did not recognize the significant difference between these two profiles as he had when switching from stock, but as he spent more time and tried various moves, he began to feel the difference. I noticed, because I was behind him, that his acceleration had improved. Before, I could have kept up with him more closely. On the Quad XS, he outran me decisively. Where he really began to notice a difference was in his agility and quick hockey stops. Once he realized how much better his quick stops were, he wanted to keep on doing them. I've never seen him do so many before.

He couldn't say for sure which was his favorite, but without a doubt, he did not want to go back to stock runners. I told him to practice and play on them a little more. With enough ice time and play, I'm sure one will become the favorite. I have a feeling it will be the Quad XS, but we'll see.

If you are on the fence about profiling your blades, I wouldn't be. It may require some testing, but the performance benefits are undeniable!