Whether you own an ice skating rink or a retail store that sells ice skating gear, getting trained in ice skating products and equipment is vital to your business success. While formal ice skating equipment education and training, such as college degrees or courses, is not required, there are several ways you can get educated in ice skating equipment.

There are a variety of live workshops and online classes you can take to learn more about ice skating equipment. Ice skating equipment manufacturers and distributors also provide online educational product guides and manuals for everything from ice hockey skates to an ice skate sharpening machine. When pursuing ice skating equipment education and training, consider the following:

1. Learn about ice skating training equipment through Internet articles and manufacturer websites.
   
2. Get trained on maintaining ice rinks and equipment for ice skating products through classes and workshops.
3. Join industry associations to get educated before buying ice skating equipment for sale.
   

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Get educated in ice skates using online guides

If you want to know what makes great ice skates so superior, you can find the answer online. Reading ice skate buying guides and articles on manufacturer sites is a great way to educate yourself on ice skating gear, which is crucial when you own a business in this industry.

I recommend: Eopinions.com provides educational information on fitting, purchasing and sharpening ice hockey skates. Fogdog.com offers a guide on how to buy figure skates, which includes training in sizing, fit and selecting skates according to each skater's ability level. Skatebuys.com provides an informative guide to buying recreational ice skates, figure skates and ice hockey skates.

Learn how to maintain ice skating rink equipment

Many ice skating industry websites offer classes on how to maintain ice rink equipment. Take advantage of such resources to get the most out of your rink supplies and equipment.

I recommend: Ice Skating Institute (ISI) offers iAIM Certification Schools with certificates offered in arena operations, arena design and arena executive, which all include training in ice skating equipment and regulations. Attend the NorthEast Ice Skating Managers Association conferences to get hands-on ice skating equipment education and training.

Join an association that offers ice skating equipment education and training

Due to the increasing number of ice rinks in the United States, there are now professional organizations dedicated to the skating equipment industry. Many skating associations offer seminars, rink management classes and informative newsletters.

I recommend: Wisconsin Ice Arena Management Association offers plenty of member benefits, including training led by industry experts on all areas of ice arena operations. Metropolitan Ice Rink Managers Association offers similar benefits, along with online educational information about the latest ice skating equipment advances.

If you are the owner, operator or manager of an ice rink, a school, college, or university ice arena, a skating school or club, or a retail or discount store selling ice skating gear, you know the importance of having cutting-edge, high-quality ice skating equipment for recreational and competitive skaters.

For skaters at every level, the quality of their equipment plays a determining factor in their competitive edge and enjoyment level. High-performance equipment for ice skating starts with flexible yet supportive ice skates. There are a wide variety of skates, blades and boots available, depending on the sport and level of expertise. For example, ice skates for recreational skaters will be very different from those used by competitive figure skaters.

For your business to be successful, you will have to:

1. Be knowledgeable about brands, styles, new technology and fit.
2. Offer a wide range of ice skates, blades and boots.
3. Provide a variety of ice skating accessories, such as travel bags, ice skating apparel and skate sharpening machines.

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Both advanced and recreational skaters will want high-performance ice skates

For those customers who want to buy the perfect pair of recreational ice skates for casual skating, you should offer a range of affordable, fashionable, and comfortable skates for men, women and children. Figure skaters or frequent recreational skaters often fit boots and skates separately, so offering a selection of boots and blades will boost your appeal to serious skaters.

I recommend: Jackson Skates has a search function to find the perfect skates and Ultima blades for figure skating, ice dancing, or advanced recreational skating. They also offer GAM and Proflex brand skating boots. Riedell Skates offers a wide range of skates, boots, and John Wilson and MK blades for beginner, intermediate and advanced skaters. The leading manufacturer of ice hockey skates, CCM, also sells blades, apparel, equipment bags and other ice skating equipment for hockey.

Be sure to have an ice skate sharpening machine that fits your needs

Skate sharpening machines are the key to maximizing the performance of ice skates of all kinds. Your clients and customers who buy skate sharpeners are savvy and serious skaters; they will demand high quality ice skate sharpening machines to keep their skates at their high-performance best.

I recommend: Wissota Manufacturing Company manufactures skate sharpening machines; skate holders to hold the skate in place for sharpening; a cross grinder to big sharpening jobs; a skate straightener to fix bent blades; grinding wheels; instructional videos; travel cases to protect your ice skate sharpening machine; and other ice skate gear. Redi-Edge Ice sells a range of ice skate sharpening sets, ranging from a team skate sharpening set with seven ROH sharpeners, to a pocket skate sharpener. They also list specialized ice skate sharpeners for goalies. Breakaway Products offers a full range of products, which includes the SkateMate pocket-sized ice blade sharpener, the SportMate blade dryer, a lace puller and replacement ice skate laces.

Ice rink owners, operators and managers need a variety of ice rink equipment

Maintaining an ice rink and providing a smooth skating experience requires vigilance and hard work. Fortunately, there are many products and services to make the job easier.

I recommend: Ice Rink Supply specializes in the building and maintenance of permanent and temporary ice rinks. They also provide rink refrigeration pipe grids, chillers, rink perimeter boards, hockey dasher boards, ice resurfacing machines and other maintenance equipment, ice building and ice maintenance products, skates, and other ice sporting industry accessories. Zamboni sells a variety of ice resurfacers. Magic Ice USA has new and used ice rink equipment, and has an experienced staff to provide consultation on all aspects of ice rink operations.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Serious skaters will demand a full selection of skate maintenance products. If properly cared for, the life of a boot and blade can be dramatically prolonged to maintain the skate's original comfort and performance. Make sure you stock an appealing range of care products for your customers in addition to the other equipment needed for ice skating.
• •  A good fit is essential to a safe, comfortable, and excellent skating experience. It is imperative you have knowledgeable and experienced customer service to aid your customer in their search for the perfect skate. Great customer service will often make repeat customers!

Whether you've taken up ice skating as a personal hobby or are fielding a company team, having the right equipment is essential. While ice skating can be an enjoyable recreational or team-building exercise, skates that don't fit or the wrong type of skates quickly turn it into an exercise in misery.

Understanding the skate gear you're about to buy is as simple as getting a few key terms under your belt. Use the following terms as a starting point to help you make sense of ice skating equipment.

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Figure skates

Figure skates are specifically designed to facilitate the complex movements made by competitive figure skaters. Recreational skaters often will wear less expensive versions of expert figure skates.

I recommend: Dick's Sporting Goods offers a description of figure skates and parts, as well as detailed guidance on how to select and size figure skates for both recreational and figure skaters.

Mounting and warping

How the blade of a figure skate affixes to and aligns with the boot of the skate is critical to using the equipment. Mounting refers to how the blade itself is joined to the boot. Warping is, as in wider contexts, twisting or bending away from the boot and may result from improper mounting.

I recommend: The Recreational Figure Skating FAQ details the problems that may arise from poorly mounted skate blades and how they might be fixed.

Speed skates

Speed skates are a specialized type of skating equipment reserved for training and competition in timed trials. They emphasize the fastest forward movement possible without any allowance for the complicated lateral movements that may be performed by hockey or figure skates.

I recommend: WiseGeek offers a detailed explanation of speed skates and how they work.

Slap blades

Slap blades are a specialized type of skate blade used specifically on speed-skating equipment. They offer such a decided advantage in skating times that the winning times of skaters using this type of equipment are being separated from those of speed skaters using conventional speed-skating blades on their skates.

I recommend: MomsTeam.com gives an explanation of the difference between clap and slap speed skates, which use slap blades, and conventional-style speed skates.

ROH, or radius of hollow

The ROH, or radius of hollow, is a measure of how shallow or deep the groove is between the sharp edges of your skate blade. A shorter ROH means the groove is deeper. This term applies to any type of ice-skating equipment with a blade.

I recommend: Chuck-Wright.com offers a detailed explanation of ROH and its effects on a skate's performance.

Skate guards versus soakers

Skate guards are plastic covers for ice skate blades that protect both the blade and surfaces being walked on. Soakers, on the other hand, are put on your skate blades after you've skated and help protect the blades from corrosion.

I recommend: The Triple Axel covers the different between skate guards and soakers.

Whether you own an ice rink, event planning service or sporting goods store, trying to set a budget for ice skating equipment may prove difficult. Part of the reason for this is that each type of ice skating has different costs associated with it. Blades and skates are two examples of equipment that change according to the specific ice sport.

In order for you to effectively prepare your budget, consider the following ice skating equipment pricing and costs:

1. Determine the cost of purchasing ice skates for your business.

2. Remember the ongoing cost of changing blades and blade covers.

3. Prepare for the costly expense of ice rink equipment.

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Consider the cost of ice skates

There are four main types of ice skates: recreational, figure, hockey and goalie. Each of these has its own features that work for the sport for which the skates are intended. The price you can expect to pay per pair depends largely on the style, size and brand name.

I recommend: You can find ice skating gear, including recreational ice skates, ice hockey skates and figure skating skates at Sports Authority. Skates start at around $40 and go up higher than $200 depending on the type of skates you need. Modell's sells equipment for ice skating, including ice skates for children and adults. These are priced starting at around $20.

Factor in the cost of ice skating products

From time to time, you may have to replace the blades on the ice skates. How often this occurs is dependent upon how often the skates are used. For professional ice skaters, this change is oftentimes frequent as they have training or practice blades and show or game blades. Another consideration are blade covers which are used to protect the blades.

I recommend: Best Buy Figure Skating offers professional quality ice skating products, including blades starting at under $100. You can find ice skate blade covers for $5 to over $50 at USASkates.com.

Add up the cost of ice rink equipment

Ice rink equipment, including resurfacing equipment and the actual rink itself add a hefty amount to your ice skating expenses. Ice resurfacing equipment is needed to keep the ice smooth, which minimizes the risk of injury. Ice skating rinks are classified as portable if they aren't within a permanent structure, such as an arena. These are ideal for short events.

I recommend: Damian J. Products offers ice skating rink equipment for resurfacing. Prices range from $900 to around $1,500, depending on the capacity. Nice Rink sells portable ice skating rinks that are priced from $300 to higher than $11,000. This depends on the rink size and the service level you desire.