If you’re new to figure skating, you’re thinking I’ve once again lost my mind. After all, that’s one big pile of gloves, Ice Mom. Well, kids lose gloves all the time. The gloves get holes. Figure skaters lend them to other figure skaters and they leave forever.
If you’ve been through a summer at the rink, you know that the only places that sell gloves in July are figure skating stores, and they’ll sell ‘em to you for $4 – 8 a pair. Let's do the math. 20 pair at $4 each is $80 worth of gloves. For my money, I'll take the ones on clearance, thanks.
When you find the gloves on sale, buy black ones. Resist the temptation to buy pink, purple, or patterned gloves. Yes, they’re cute, but when your skater loses one pink glove, she won’t have another one to match. Buy all black gloves and then losing one isn’t a big deal. Just match it up with some other black glove.
Black gloves are good, too, because they don’t show dirt like white gloves and your figure skater can wear them on warm-up ice at competitions.
So, happy spring, everyone! Don’t forget that this is your last time to buy gloves at a reasonable price for the next six months. Well, that is if you don’t live near me. I'm pretty sure I cleaned out the shops around here.
Update: From reader Jillybean, who offers a caution: You really shouldn't be borrowing other skaters' gloves because they might be wiping their noses on them.
Do you have a question for the Ice Moms? Do you have a great idea for a post you'd like to read? Are you an expert and want to write something for everyone's benefit? Wonderful! Please contact me at icemom.diane@gmail.com.
This is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteYou really shouldn't be borrowing other skaters gloves because they might be wiping their noses on them.
Ewww!
Jillybean, I love you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful, unexpected comment to wake me up at 6 a.m. ice.
You're right: many loaner gloves are snotty.
Some kids have good moms who pack their Zucas with a bunch of clean gloves.
But, you're right: it's borrower beware!
Ice Mom
Yay snot at 6:45 in the morning! ;)
ReplyDeleteI wish we had gloves that cheap around here. We're already on our third pair in as many classes! Seriously. One keeps running away! They're $3 at our rink, so a little cheaper, but it's still adding up!!
Kate:
ReplyDelete$3 a pair? Seriously. Go to some discount chain (Target, Wal-mart, Walgreen's, etc.)
$0.25/pair. Buy 'em at the rink only in case of emergencies.
I keep my daugther's gloves in the front closet at home, but I think it's not the best spot.
I think I'll buy a small zippered bag, stuff it full of gloves, and keep it in the van (where she'll need them).
Ice Mom
It's expected that the glove colors match? I currently have a hot pink glove, a light pink glove, a black glove, and a green/white striped glove.
ReplyDeleteI like colors.
But thanks for the reminder to check if target has any on clearance! (However, so far my favorite gloves are the ones I spent money on at rainbo sports. Their fingers are shorter. The ones from target are just a little too long for me, and it kind of drives me crazy. And I only have 1 left from rainbo. Where DO gloves go?)
My daughter (9), has these under armour gloves that keep her really warm, but the fingers are a bit long and so it looks funny when she skates- her coach takes them all the time because she cannot stand it- LOL
ReplyDeleteHi, Skittl.
ReplyDeleteYou've been talking to Ice Girl this morning, I can tell.
Our conversation:
IG: What's wrong with colored gloves?
IM: You lose them and wear mismatched gloves.
IG: So? I was wearing one white one and one black one today.
IM: Let me see your socks.
IG: (shows me one polka-dotted foot, one striped foot) Who cares, Mom? It's just practice ice.
I care. Very much.
Where do missing gloves go? The same place as missing socks go: under Ice Girl's bed. That's where you should start looking.
Ice Dad insists we have to make monthly sock and glove sacrifices to the dryer, but I'm pretty sure they're under IG's bed.
You look, Skittl. I'm not brave enough.
Ice Mom
Ha! Jumpingbeanmom!
ReplyDeleteWe have the opposite problem.
#1: Ice Girl can't find her Under Armour gloves.
#2: Her fingers are too long for everything!
Ice Mom
We also go to thrift stores for gloves.
ReplyDeleteWhich we also wash to de-snot before wearing. The de-snotting step is very important.
:-D
Ice Mom - I hear you on the socks, there is a whole BUCKET of missing ones every single week- drives me nuts. And then, every morning, jumpingbean swears she has NO skating socks- um.....look under your bed, in your bag etc.!!
ReplyDeleteOh man, I never THOUGHT about the snots- I am the mom who has scads of gloves in my daughters skate bag so the other girls are ALWAYS asking her to borrow- ick, now I have to go home and wash.
ReplyDeleteAfter I read Jillybean's comment, I told Ice Girl that I didn't want her borrowing gloves from anyone (Ice Coach excepted) because of the snot issue.
ReplyDeletePlus, IG, you have TONS of gloves!
So? She said.
What do you mean so?
So what if they have snot?
Quick! Grab the hand sanitizer! Where's my Lysol! What do you mean SO?
She's 14. Where did I go wrong?
Ice Mom
Ewwww! (about the snot).
ReplyDeleteWe used to get these all the time $1 each pair. I got a few each Christmas during the sales. DS is good about not losing them. Even used them as gloves for a program.
Unfortunately, his hands have grown so large that he can't fit them any more. Boo hoo! So now it's more expensive gloves. The first pair $30 have been ripping out at the seams. I want to blame the gloves, but maybe he's still growing.
Hands too large? Try hands too small for even tot gloves! We don't stretch them out at all!
ReplyDeleteThat's one thing dd keeps track of, her gloves. Now watch, when we next go to the rink she will loose one! LOL!
ReplyDeleteHave to get cat food today - will check for gloves too.
She takes a box of kleenex to rinkside for everyone to use.
Ice mom- we stock up on gloves whenever we can find them. In sunny Ca. gloves are hard to come by even in the winter months unless they are from the Gap for 15 bucks uhh no thanks! I actually had to have a friend in OH send me some when DD first started skating, it was Oct, gloves were only at the rink and they were way too big for a 3 year old. Maybe you can start a side business with all those gloves, haha!
ReplyDeleteHi, ohjennran.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about warm places not having gloves.
I could totally profit off of you people!
Anyone want to buy a pair of, um, $4 gloves? I have 20 pair.
Ice Mom