Dan Replies:
Dear H.O.: With introduction of the newer alloys used for skate blades, having them sharpened after every game seems a bit excessive if all you're doing is skating indoors and you're careful to walk on the mats. I suspect I put a lot more pressure on my skates than the average youth hockey player and I don't get mine sharpened after every game. Actually they get sharpened about three times a week and that's after three or four games and perhaps six or seven practices, all of which would be much tougher on my blades than that of your average 9 year-old player.
Here's a good twofold test to see if your skates need sharpening. First, rub a finger gently over each edge of each blade looking for nicks.
Gently does it or you can cut yourself. Nicks are one reason to get your skates sharpened.
Second, scrape your thumb nail down over each edge in several spots along the blade. If the edge is sharp enough to shave your nail - that is, the scraping leaves a small residue of nail on the edge of blade, the skate is typically sharp enough to skate effectively.
So it's a twofold test, if you don't feel any nicks and you can shave your thumbnail, you're good to go.
Skating outdoors can dull your blades more quickly than indoors because there will be bits of sand and other debris that get into the ice. And of course, walking on concrete, grass or sand in your skates - anything but a rubber or plastic mat or carpet is a huge no-no. It's also a good idea to watch where you're walking in the locker room. The nicks mentioned above can come from being careless and stepping on someone else's skates or equipment.
As to what effect sharpness has, you need to dig into the ice surface with your blades for starting, striding, turning sharply, and stopping (everything but gliding in a straight line. Nicks and dull edges limit your ability to do that. But to sharpen a blade that is not nicked or worn down is to waste money and unnecessarily shorten the life of the blades because every sharpening removes some of the blade.
