equipment manager`s guide - IIHF Hockey Centre > in English

EQUIPMENT MANAGER’S
GUIDE
- Tatu Vento -
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED CREATING THIS GUIDE:
Kari Aalto
FIHA District of Savo-Karjala
Teppo Aava
FIHA District of Länsirannikko
Matti Friman
FIHA District of Keskimaa
Jari Jalasvaara
FIHA District of Pohjoinen
Aki Kiiltomäki
FIHA District of Häme
Göran Limnell
FIHA District of Etelä
Seppo Orava
FIHA District of Lappi
Jorma Paananen
FIHA District of Etelä
Pauli Saira
FIHA District of Kymi-Saimaa
Neka Haapanen
FIHA
Olli Ceder
The Finnish Ice Hockey Equipment Manager’
s Association
Esa Maunula
The Finnish Ice Hockey Equipment Manager’
s Association
Hannu Soro
The Finnish Ice Hockey Equipment Manager’
s Association
Raimo Manninen
Prosharp Finland
Juha Siukola
Sportti-Myynti Ltd.
This guide is a translation of ”Huoltajan opas”, Equipment Manager’
s guide written for
Finnish Ice Hockey Association.
This guide is to be used to support the IIHF Equipment Manager Program
during the IIHF Development Camps.
Author: Tatu Vento
Pictures: Tatu Vento
© 2007 Tatu Vento
— 2—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
INDEX
1 ROLE OF AN EQUIPMENT MANAGER .......................................................................................... 4
1.1 GENERAL DUTIES .................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 QUALITIES OF A GOOD EQUIPMENT MANAGER...................................................................5
1.3 INTEREST GROUPS ................................................................................................................. 5
1.4 GENERAL TASKS...................................................................................................................... 6
2 PLAYER EQUIPMENT AND COMMON SAFETY ............................................................................ 8
2.1 PLAYER EQUIPMENT ............................................................................................................... 8
2.2 DRESSING ROOM.....................................................................................................................9
2.3 BENCH AREA .......................................................................................................................... 11
2.4 HYGIENE .................................................................................................................................11
2.5 HYDRATION ............................................................................................................................ 12
2.6 COLD THERAPY...................................................................................................................... 13
3 TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT ............................................................................................................ 14
3.1 TOOLS .....................................................................................................................................14
3.2 TEAM EQUIPMENT ................................................................................................................. 16
4 SKATE SHARPENING................................................................................................................... 17
4.1 GENERALLY............................................................................................................................17
4.2 HOLLOW DEPTH..................................................................................................................... 18
4.3 BLADE PROFILING ................................................................................................................. 19
4.3.1 RADIUS PROFILING....................................................................................................... 20
4.3.2 GLIDING SURFACE........................................................................................................ 21
4.4 BLADE PROFILE AND HOLLOW DEPTH COMBINED............................................................ 22
4.5 SHARPENING.......................................................................................................................... 23
4.6 GOALKEEPER’
S SKATES....................................................................................................... 24
— 3—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
1 ROLE OF AN EQUIPMENT MANAGER
1.1 GENERAL DUTIES
General duties of an equipment manager are listed below.
An equipment manager has to
• work with the management and coach to provide a
safe environment for the players to change, play and
practice
•
be a member of the management team
•
help players
•
be present at the team’
s practices and games
•
help, guide and foster players
•
be a contact link between the players and the
coaches
•
be responsible for:
•
•
establishing rules for dressing room safety
•
establishing rules for bench safety
•
controlling safety and condition of player
equipments
•
the team’
s shared equipments
•
managing
•
supplying
•
supplying drinks
•
first aid
•
skate sharpening
•
being aware of the team budget and
the cost of the supplies
be aware of the players equipment:
•
guide players and parents on
•
safety of the equipment
•
fit and sizing of the equipment
•
instructs the players on how to take
care of equipment
•
repairs equipment
•
maintains an up-to-date knowledge of equipment from
•
sporting good shops
•
manufacturers
— 4—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
1.2 QUALITIES OF A GOOD EQUIPMENT MANAGER
.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
good role model
positive attitude
sense of humour
good example for everyone
understands the life of children and juvenile outside ice hockey
enthusiastic
calm
have good organising skills
capable of handling several tasks at the
same time
be fair
willing to learn more
trustworthy
be thorough
hard-working
co-operative
anticipating
1.3 INTEREST GROUPS
Equipment Manager has lots of different interest groups to co-operate with.
Parents
Team
Management
Referees
Sporting
Retailers
Players
EQUIPMENT
MANAGER
Team
Treasures
IIHF
National
Association
Doctor
Equipment
Repairer
Other
Equipment
Managers
— 5—
Ice Rink
Personnel
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
1.4 GENERAL TASKS
An essential part of the equipment managers job is anticipation
and knowing the working environment. Equipment manager
should be in practices and games well ahead of time in order to
have time to know the places and setting up the team equipments.
When arriving on ice rink equipment manager should ensure following details:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
dressing room
skate sharpening area
stick making area
heat gun area
first aid equipment, stretcher
water station (if tap water is drinkable!)
zamboni exit to get snow for ice bags
nearest exists in case of emergency
In local ice rink equipment manager should know the procedures in case of severe injuries
•
•
•
location and phone number for the nearest hospital or medical centre
phone number for ambulance
route for the ambulance and medical staff to rink side area
On rink side or bench area there should be a clearly visible sign telling the phone number of the
nearest hospital, medical centre or ambulance and full address of the ice rink. In co-operation
with ice rink personnel it is good know the route for the ambulance, if vehicles are blocked outside
ice rink area. When something severe occurs, it means hurry and all the actions should be
planned in advance.
During the games when away-team equipment arrives to ice rink, it is polite to give all the detailed
information of the local ice rink and it’
s premises and policies. Game jersey colours are good to
settle in forehand to avoid situation both teams entering ice with similar colours.
Home and away benches should be signposted. Equipment manager should learn the way from
dressing room to the bench area and make sure it is suitable to walk with skates on and if necessary, to sweep the route. Otherwise equipment manager must advise players to wear blade
guards.
Equipment manager also should be aware of location of pylons, extra goals and other equipments the coaches may need during the practices
ANTICIPATION AND GOOD KNOWLEDGE
OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT GIVES
SECURE AND SELF-CONFIDENCE
FOR THE EQUIPMENT MANAGER
— 6—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
BEFORE THE ICE SESSION EQUIPMENT MANAGER SHOULD
• be first one at the ice rink
• receive and check the team dressing room
o during games makes sure away-team dressing room
•
get to familiar with the ice rink facilities
o sharpening area
o stick making + heat gun area
o stretcher, first aid equipments, actions in injury situations
o route from dressing room to ice surface
•
•
•
•
•
puts out the tools ready for the players
oversee when players come to the dressing room
maintain dressing room order
fill up the drinking bottles
make sure the pucks are available
o during games game pucks and warm-up pucks for both teams
•
prepare the bench area
o unnecessary items away, sweeping the rubber carpet
o safety à gate is working normally, benches are stable
o together with the coaches makes sure extra equipments need for the practice
à pylons, extra goals, flap chart, whiteboard
o tools, tape and ice bags available
•
sharp the skates
DURING THE ICE SESSION EQUIPMENT MANAGER
SHOULD
• lock the team dressing room
• follow the ice session on bench and oversees
o enough drinking
o possible injuries
o broken equipment
•
remove unnecessary people from the rink side
and bench area
o privacy for the team to work
o injury risk on the rink side
AFTER THE ICE SESSION EQUIPMENT MANAGER
SHOULD
• open the team dressing room
• takes care of the pucks
• gather and check tools and equipments
• maintains order in the dressing room
• empty and rinse water bottles
• sharp the skates if necessary
• make sure the dressing room is empty and hands
out the room
— 7—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
2 PLAYER EQUIPMENT AND COMMON SAFETY
2.1 PLAYER EQUIPMENT
An equipment manager should have a good working knowledge of all player equipment. You can
obtain the latest information on equipment and technologies from sport shops and manufacturers.
The equipment manager should be able to recommend, guide and help players and parents to
choose the right equipment.
Equipment manager should ensure
• the equipment is in accordance with rules and regulations
• the equipment is right kind and right size
• the equipment is in good shape
• the equipment is worn correctly
• all the necessary equipment are worn
Most important issue with the equipments is the sizing. Too small, big, stiff or massive protective
equipments hinders playing and reduces the protection. Equipments should be dried after every
use and wash them frequently.
Issues to be noted with the following equipment
HELMET
• face mask is right size and correctly
adjusted
• straps are tight
• screws should be checked regularly
(min. once a week)
• inner part of the helmet can be
rinsed with water time to time
JERSEYS (practice & game)
must have proper stiffness for the
player
• must be treated in a respectful way(!)
o junior model sticks for the children!
• put on hangers
good length for the stick is when
• washed frequently
wearing skates the end of the stick
meets the throat
SKATES
:
• drying the blades after use
• removing the insole — > moisture
harms the rivets, blade may come off
• ”tongue”wide open so the skate will
dry properly from inside
STICK
•
•
OTHER PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
• must be right size, not too big or small
• no unprotected gaps between the
equipments
o shoulder pads / elbow pads
o pants / shoulder pants
•
•
•
Velcro straps should be closed always, otherwise they collect dirt and
won’
t attach anymore
most of the equipment today is machine washable
broken equipment must be fixed right
away
— 8—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
2.2 DRESSING ROOM
A team spends a lot of time in the dressing room before and after ice sessions. The dressing
room should be a place where players can concentrate and the environment is conducive to a
successful performance.
The most important factor in the dressing room is SAFETY. A small dressing rooms with 20 enthusiastic players - sharp skates, sticks and people walking with bare foot is a dangerous combination. The equipment manager’
s job is to create rules and procedures, and ensure that they are
followed, that will guarantee the safety and comfort of everyone.
The dressing room is the team’
s private area, where no external people are allowed to enter without permission. This includes parents and players’friends.
— 9—
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
SAFETY
• no sticks inside the dressing room
• sticks are used in the rink, not in the dressing room
• customising sticks is dangerous inside the dressing
room — > composite dust, fibreglass and wood splinters on the floor where players walking bare footed to
shower
• floor should be clear for safe movement
• nothing is hanging from the roof where people are walking
• equipment should be placed in correct order
• equipment stays undamaged
• equipment is found easily in the correct location
• dressing room is no playground!
• seating order
• goalkeepers need more space
COMFORT
• equipments is in good order
• everybody has the same space
• no horseplay, possibility to concentrate
• space to move freely
It is good to teach the players to unpack their equipment as
soon as they enter the dressing room. Hockey bags take a
lot of space and make moving inside the dressing room difficult.
When the equipment is unpacked and placed in the proper
location, the player can then see if he has forgotten anything. If something is missing or forgotten, there is time to
react on that issue. Empty hockey bags are folded under the
seats.
— 10 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
2.3 BENCH AREA
The bench area can be a hectic place. It is important that the
equipment manager controls the bench and ensures that it is
in good order. Only players and members of the team management, whose presence is necessary, are allowed to enter
the bench area. Too many people in the bench area make it
difficult for the coaches and equipment manager to operate.
In the safe bench area
• players are sitting
• spare sticks are in one place and in good order
• drinks are available
• ice bags are available
• some tools available
• screwdrivers
• sharp knife
• tape
• sharpening stone
• no unauthorized personnel allowed on the bench area
• there is enough space to operate
2.4 HYGIENE
Showering after practice and wearing clean underwear is very
important for the players. It reduces rash and blisters. The
dressing room is not a suitable place for drying underwear and
towels. They should be washed after every use or at least dried
in a separate place.
Almost every piece of equipment can be washed. It is important
that shin pads, elbow pads and gloves are washed from time to
time because they are in direct contact with the skin. Washing
also increases the lifetime of the equipment as sweat and dirt
affects the stitches and threads may open rendering equipment
unsafe.
Good hygiene is gained by
• showering after every practice
• clean set of under wear for every ice session
• drying the equipment
• washing the underwear
• washing the equipment
— 11 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
2.5 HYDRATION
Keeping up the fluid balance is important. The player should drink plenty well before a practice or
game. Sport drinks are not necessary, water is best. However, excessive drinking during the
game or practice can cause stomach cramp and nausea. Players should be encouraged to drink
sufficiently.
In training camps when a player has several practices in a day, drinking is very important. Dehydration combined with heavy practices can cause headaches and exhaustion. The solution is not
painkillers, but drinking and resting. Recurring cramps can be a sign of an insufficient hydration.
•
•
•
•
•
•
players should drink well before practice
when a player feels thirsty, dehydration has already started
water is best drink
sport drinks
• harmful for teeth
• too strong a mixture causes stomach illness
rinsing and washing drinking bottles after every use is important
personal drinking bottles are recommended
• reduces chance for infections (fever, stomach illness)
— 12 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
2.6 COLD THERAPY
Cold therapy (also known as cryotherapy) ) is the fastest and most effective way to treat bruises, strains
and ruptures
•
•
•
•
•
reduces the pain
reduces the inflammation and the oedema
reduces the blood circulation on the wounded area
prevents the expansion of the wounded area
accelerates the recovery
Cold therapy is given 15-30 minutes at a time interval of 1-2 hours, depending the wounded area. For
quick recovery it is important to start the cold therapy as soon as possible and continue it at least 24h.
Cold therapy too often or for too long time may cause frostbite and damage to skin tissue.
Use snow always when available! Cold sprays and cold therapy gels affects only the surface of wounded
area and applied directly on skin may cause frostbite.
THE I.C.E -METHOD
ICE
icepack, snow, reusable gel packs, instant cold packs, bag of
frozen vegetables
cold is bound to the injured area with an elastic bandage
cold must not be in contact with bare skin, paper or bandage
between the skin and cold
COMPRESS
most important part of the treatment!
compression can be used on the wounded area when the actual
cold therapy is not given
not too tight, blood circulation should not be stopped
ELEVATION
wounded area above the heart, reduces the blood circulation
— 13 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
3 TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
3.1 TOOLS
Here is a list of some basic tools for an equipment manager. Some items may also be available
at the ice rink (e.g. heat gun). At away games the equipment manager can sometimes borrow
tools from the other team, it is not necessary to carry everything along.
An equipment manager should have two separate tool boxes. One for the players and one for the
own use. It is recommend to create rules with the players which tools they can borrow without
permission and which one needs to be asked from equipment manager. Players should always
return all the items they have borrowed. It helps to keep the tool selection complete.
First aid equipments should be always in a separate box or bag. All the items should be listed and
checked frequently. First aid box must be cleaned regularly.
STICK MAKING TOOLS
• saw
• rasp
• sand paper
• spare blades for saw and rasp
• (knife)
• (heat gun)
• (hot glue)
GENERAL TOOLS
• screw drivers
o cross– and flat-headed
o different sizes
• long-nose pliers
• lineman’
s pliers
• diagonal pliers
• sharp knife
• (leather hole punch)
• (spike)
• (hammer)
OTHER EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS
• sharpening stone
• tie wraps
• string
• duct tape
• measuring tape
• spare screws for helmets
• skate laces
• glue
• sewing kit for fixing equipments including strong thread and needles
• pens, drawing pens
FIRST AID
• plaster
• scissors
• cellophane bags for icepacks (3 litre)
• wound cleanser
• sterile wound bandage
• elastic bandage
• (prescription free painkillers)
— 14 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
1. Saw
2. Saw blade
3. Hot glue
4. Rasp
5.
6.
7.
8.
Rasp blade
Screwdrivers
Scissors
Sharp knives
9. Hot glue gun
10. Sandpaper
11. Knife
12. Lineman’
s pliers
13. Diagonal pliers 17. Leather
hole punch
14. Long-nose pliers
18. Spike
15. Wrench
16. Hammer
1. Plastic bags (3 litre)
2. Elastic bandage
3. Wound bandage
4. Triangle cloth
5. 2nd Skin
6. Cloth for blisters
7. Plaster + scissors
8. Wound cleanser
9. Thermometer
10 . 1 1/2”medical tape
— 15 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
1. Skate laces
2. Measuring tape
3. Duct tape
4. String
5. Tie wraps
6. glue
7. Sharpening/edging
stone
8. Pens
9. Sewing kit for fixing
equipment
10. Spare screws for helmets
3.2 TEAM EQUIPMENT
If the team has a storage room in the ice rink they use frequently, it is good to have following the
items stored in there:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
pucks
drinking bottles
game jerseys
practice jerseys
game socks
sport drinks
tape
stick tape
spare equipment
skate sharpener
NOTE! All the jerseys should be kept in a storage room if possible to ensure they stay undamaged and available when needed. Jerseys can be washed frequently. Jerseys should be a property of the team, not the player.
— 16 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4 SKATE SHARPENING
Safety aspect is very important when sharpening skates. Sharpening creates sparkles and fire
safety must be observed. Ice rinks should have separate area or room for skate sharpening.
Sharpening is only allowed in designated areas. There should be nothing flammable around because sharpening creates sparkles. There should always be fire extinction equipment available in
skate sharpening area.
It is recommended to use vacuum cleaner which is installed right next to sparkles so the metal
dust goes straight in to vacuum cleaner and doesn’
t spread in the air. Breathing the metal dust is
very harmful! Metal dust might also damages the sharpening machine. Using a breathing mask
and safety glasses while sharpening is recommended.
After finishing sharpening the machine and surrounding area should be cleaned thorough with
vacuum cleaner or brush.
Skate sharpening area should be a calm place and no unnecessary people around. If there is too
many people around just watching, they can be asked kindly to move away. This is for the privacy
of the sharpener which ensures better sharpening quality and safety when distractions are minimised.
4.1 GENERALLY
Skate sharpening and skating is related to the following factors:
• blade profile
• depth of hollow
• quality of ice
• player’
s size
• player’
s strength in legs
• player’
s skating technique
It is important for the equipment manager to understand these factors, whether he/she sharpens
skates or not. It is also important to understand the right terms and concepts. Blade profile, hollow
depth and blade sharpness are different concepts but tightly related to each other.
— 17 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4.2 HOLLOW DEPTH
The hollow is defined as radius. The greater the radius, the lower the hollow and vice versa.
Skate blade
r
Skate blade
GRINDING W HEEL
r = 15
r = 20
r = radius
r = 30
Deep hollow
Low hollow
Low hollow
• doesn’
t go down deep in the ice à small friction à better glide
• turning is easy
Deep hollow
• goes deeper into ice à good grip
• aggressive skater and player who struggles a lot usually has deep hollow
• if the hollow is too deep for the player, stopping is difficult, skate “bounces”back
à strength of the legs is not enough
• if the player tries to dull the blade against the bench à the blade is not too sharp, the
hollow is too deep!
Quality of the ice also has an effects on the hollow. Hard ice requires a deeper hollow than soft
ice.
— 18 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4.3 BLADE PROFILING
New pair of skates should always profiled before using them. Profiling means re-shaping the side profile
of the blade.
Profile can be like a radius (radius profiling) or there
can be a on flat surface (gliding surface) in blade.
When profiling blades it is recommended to do it with
an special made profiling machine. Profiling with freehand is very difficult and risk to damage the blade is
high.
Blade profiling should be done individually for each
player.
Blade shape fades away in time when blades are sharpened. Blades should be re-profiled once
or twice a season or every time when original profile is gone or changed. It depends how often
and how blades are sharpened.
— 19 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4.3.1 RADIUS PROFILING
In radius profiling same amount of blade is contacted to ice regardless in which position the blade
is contacting ice. Blade is like a ”rocker”. Radius can be great or small. In the greater radius
longer part of the blade is touching the ice, with small radius contacting surface is shorter.
In ice hockey the radius variance is usually between 3-8 meter, which means a circle which radius is 4m and shape of the blade follows this circle’
s perimeter.
There is also an combo-profiles where two radius are combined in one blade. E.g. blade profile
for front part from the midpoint is 4m and back part 8m. In this case the blade and skating position is little bit leaning forward.
Radius profiling provides following benefits:
• good manoeuvrability, small turnings are easy
• blade goes deep into ice, good grip
• contacting surface stays same all the time
1
IU
S
6m
RA
D
IU
S
4m
2
RA
D
R
A
D
IU
S
8m
Midpoint of the blade
Heel
Toe
Radius
e.g. radius 3,96m
Combo radius
e.g. back part 7,92m + front part 3,96m
Profiling machines usually use feet (ft) as measurement unit
1 meter = 3,82 feet
3,96m = 13ft
7,92m = 26ft
— 20 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4.3.2 GLIDING SURFACE
The gliding surface means the flat part of the
blade which comes into contact with ice. The flat
part can be short or long and usually in the middle
of the blade. It can also be a little forward from the
midpoint of the blade.
Gliding surfaces varies between 4-8 cm. Flat area
is relative to the blade size. In a short blade 4cm
can be a lot while in longer blade it could be too
short.
Gliding surface provides following benefits :
• player’
s weight is divided more even to
the ice surface à smaller friction, better glide
• more power for giving kick à faster when skating forward
• good balance
For junior and novice players gliding surface could be better for options compared to radius profiling. It gives better balance and skating forward is lighter and easier.
Midpoint of the blade
Heel
Toe
Gliding surface on the middle
e.g. 5cm flat
Gliding surface leaning forward
e.g. 5cm total flat, 3cm front part from midpoint
Gliding surface in the middle, radius in front and back
e.g. 5cm flat in the middle, in front and back 3,96m radius
Gliding surface has own notation like ”25/50”, where the bigger number means the total
length of the flat part in millimetre and smaller number how much of the total length is forward from the midpoint of the blade.
— 21 —
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4.4 BLADE PROFILE AND HOLLOW DEPTH COMBINED
While sharpening the skate besides the blade profile, player’
s size and strength must be noticed.
In radius profiling hollow should be deeper so the grip is gained because only short area of blade
is contacted to ice surface. Small and light player should have a little bit deeper hollow than big
and heavy player. Blade of a big and heavy player goes deeper in the ice and grip stays good
without deepening the hollow.
The other way round, blade with gliding surface has to be lower to maintain the manoeuvrability
and turning is easy. Small and lighter player should have lower hollow than big and heavy, otherwise the blade starts to ”lead”too much. Gliding surface combined with deep hollow requires lot
of strength for the skater in order to control skating.
Equipment manager should be able to distinguish blade profiling from skate sharpening. The effect of these two factors must be understood and how different hollow depths act in different
blade profiles.
SUMMARY OF BLADE PROFILES AND HOLLOW DEPTHS
DEEP HOLLOW
RADIUS
PROFILING
GLIDING
SURFACE
(long)
GLIDING
SURFACE
(Short)
LOW HOLLOW
•
•
goes deep into ice à good grip
•
when giving kick, blade goes deep into •
ice à skating is heavy, ice may break
from underneath
•
requires lots of strength
•
more power for skating
•
deep hollow goes deep into ice
•
skating is light
•
quick turnings are difficult
à ”like a train on a rail”
•
good glide
•
large friction
•
goes deep into ice à good grip
•
quick turnings are easy
•
when giving kick, blade goes deep into •
ice à skating is heavy,
— 22 —
requires lots of strength
small friction between ice
and blade
less power for kicking
speed
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
4.5 SHARPENING
Hollow depth and gliding surface don’
t affect the sharpness of the blade. A blade can not be too
sharp— it is either sharp or dull. If the player says that the blades are too sharp it means the hollow is too deep. Both sides of the blade has to be sharp.
Low hollow
sharp
Low hollow
dull-edged
Deep hollow
sharp
Deep hollow
dull-edged
While sharpening it is important to maintain the
blade profile. Same amount from every part of
the blade should be sharpened every time. Usually this can be seen on heel and toe of the
blade. If heel and toe of the blade are sharpened unevenly, they ”descend”.
If the blade is descended too much from the
heel or toe, blade may loose it’
s grip while turning quickly.
NORMAL
The hollow should be in the middle of the blade.
Sharpening direction
Blade
Blade
GRINDING WHEEL
— 23 —
DESCENDENT
Equipment Manager’
s Guide
After sharpening the blade should be finished off with an sharpening/edging stone.
Grinding
wheel
Blade
Dull-edged
The blade is sharpened
Stone
Loose metal
The loose metal is removed on
both sides of the blade with
sharpening stone.
GUIDELINES FOR SHARPENING
•
never rush while sharpening!
•
sharpen always for the player, not for yourself
•
always take the player’
s opinions seriously
o try to find out from the player how the skate is feeling of how it behaves on the
ice and make changes according to information
•
do not push too hard, the blade may “burn”and the grinding wheel may stick
•
while sharpening the blade gets hot à let it cool down for a while if you have to sharpen
it several times
•
best quality of sharpening is achieved from a clean grinding wheel
•
do not try to spare the grinding wheel or the diamond, the skate is more important
•
accept the result always for yourself first!
4.6 GOALKEEPER’S SKATES
Goalkeepers usually have a longer (8-12 cm) gliding surface than skaters. They need good balance on the ice.
Goalkeeper hollows vary from flat to very deep ones. A flat
or low hollow helps ”shuffling”sideways, deep hollows are
mainly used for ”butterfly”style goalkeepers to give a good
grip on the ice.
Goalkeeper skate blades are usually thicker than skater’
s
blades which must be considered while sharpening. This
usually means the blade have to be adjusted lower in
height while sharpening in order to have hollow in the middle of the blade.
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