Nora donovan by Freestyle Academy

Written and Designed By Nora Donovan

Beside the Spotlight

Dedication

Dedicated toâ&#x20AC;Ś Phil and Ginger and their family, without them I

couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have done this project, my dad, who has given me the support that I need, my mom for introducing me to ice skating when I was younger, Mr. Greco for the writing help and brainstorming, Ms. Parkinson for teaching InDesign with all of the system issues, and Mr. Florendo for the tech support.

Table of Contents 3 Dedication 5 Table of Contents 8 Foreword 12 Introduction 14 Chapter 1 18 Chapter 2 22 Chapter 3 26 Chapter 4 30 Conclusion 35 Works Cited

Foreword W

orking with your family can be an interesting experience, and at Harlick, where Phil and Ginger are like family, I found myself having to be a true professional and show my intellectual growth and maturity. I came up with the idea to do my project on Harlick because the owner, Phil Kuhn, and his family have been old friends of my familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and I knew that they would be more than happy to work with me on this project. I began to think about all the different aspects of the company for my paper. hen I started my interviews I was really excited because Phil had just created a new boot, which could change the whole sport. I had interviewed an old coach of mine, Nicole, and an olympic competitor, Paulina Edmunds; however, in both interviews I regret not having the mic on longer because with each person I had a deep,almost philosophical conversation with them about Philâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation. I am so happy to have picked this company as my subject because I am an ex-skater myself. I am so happy so see this project grow and progress over the last few months, and I have had a lot of fun doing it.

Introduction

n the world of figure skating, there is the sound of blades scraping along the ice, bright lights, glitter, and the adrenaline rush from each push. The crisp, sharp sound of the freshly cut ice beneath your feet, almost floating. Your boots carry you to feel weightless, moving you with ease. The boots are perfectly made for your feet. In contrast to the bright lights and sparkling ice, the boots were born in a dark shop, with the smell of wood, leather, glue, metal, and sweat. Harlick skate company had been a major brand of ice skates, and has been one of the top skates to have in the skating world. They

are based out of the Bay Area, starting in an old factory in San Francisco, now in a small shop in San Carlos. They are a local business and have produced skates for many Olympians, but they were losing a lot of business a few years ago because of a factory brand, Riedel. This is an important reason for why we need to be aware of these smaller businesses that have a huge impact. There are only a few ice rinks around, one of which is the Winter Lodge, yet another important local business. Many skaters and coaches at the Winter Lodge own a pair of Harlickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, each custom made to the skater and his or her needs. Har-

licks skates are handmade and innovative. This company is a cornerstone of the figure skating community; the quality is beyond comparison and is used by both recreational skaters and Olympians. Their boots allow athletes to perform their best, with innovative boot designs and custom boots. This business has much to offer the world of skating, by giving each skater the perfect pair of boots each time, with the highest quality. Many local businesses put out a very high quality product that the community should appreciate.

Chapter 1

he history of Harlick is created and had been based on the handmade custom boot. Cobblery is a very specific trade, of which has disappeared because of factories and outsourcing. Many of the tools and machines used are from the industrial era and have been used by the company for years. Phil Kuhn learned the trade through his wife’s father. He was living in southern California, and his in-laws would come and visit to do boot fittings for young prodi-

gies. In January of 1978, his father-in-law asked if he wanted to come up for a week and learn how the company works. It was then that Phil and his wife, Ginger, moved up to the Bay Area. After some time, he began to think about what skaters needed and what they were looking for in a boot, and worked with different materials experimenting with boot designs. Ginger describes, “I love ice skating, I love music, I love the dresses, the artists, everything about it is so amazing, it’s just kin-

da always been neat to me that our boots are a little part of big picture”(Kuhn), and she has grown up in the shop, and works there today as a office manager. She still loves the smell of industrial glue, and the sounds of the shop while she’s working. Together this couple has worked in the shop long enough to know the ties to Olympic history, as well as watching young prodigies growing up to become Olympians. They have known Kristi Yamaguchi since she was 8, and

Brian Boitano since he was 12, both of whom are just a few of the Olympians who have been Harlick skaters since they were young. Phil explains “For me it’s always been fun to see the kids come in and the looks on their faces is like Christmas. They get so excited to come in and look around see the pictures we have the skaters, and they see their coaches picture on our wall of of photographs... Then to watch the kids progress in their skill level go up… To know all these great

skaters that I would get to meet as a young skaters and then to watch their progress is a lot of fun...”(Kuhn). He is leading a company that has the highest medal count, historically, than any other skating brand. Harlick is an important part of the skating community, that is leaving an important mark in history, both locally and internationally. This company is in a small shop hidden away around auto body shops, and other small businesses in San Carlos along highway 101.

Chapter 2

he production process for making these handcrafted skates, all begins with a fitting. For the fitting, Phil, draws out the shape of your foot and takes measurements of the top and bottom of the foot, as well as the ankle and heel. Then he takes the measurements and begins to design the boot with paper outlines and any notes. After the design has been sketched out, they use a last and add on pieces of leather to

accommodate to each footâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specific shape to mold the boot. Then they cut the leather for the structure of the boot, the sides, tongue, and the inner layers. After the pieces are cut they are sewn together, working from the outer layer in, and adding the lace hooks into the holes around the tongue, this is the base structure for the body of the boot. The next part would be to last the upper body of the boot to the last, the foot mold. The

lasting process consists of stretching the wet leather around the mold and the insole so it can hold the shape of the foot. Once the leather has been stretched, the wet leather has to dry in order for the rest of the boot to be constructed, it has to sit for 1 week for the moisture to evaporate. After the leather has dried, they remove the tacks holding the leather to the last, they begin to put on the midsole and base sole onto the boot

with industrial glue. The layers of the sole have to be sanded down and shaped to the foot moldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shape they balance the blade to the boot. The boot then had the heel nailed on, which is stacked wood, then the wood is stained and water proofed, and the leather painted. The final touch, the tiny metal piece displaying the companies logo in black and gold, is nailed onto the outer heel of the boot. ach boot can be made with

also a variety of different leathers and materials, to accommodate each skaters needs. They also make boots more specifically for each type of skating. For example, in pair skating you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put the hooks on the outside of the womens boot because their partner might have their clothes caught on the hooks, so Phil designed a boot that has hooks on the interior of the boot. In ice dancing women like to have a higher heel so their backs are

a little straighter when they skate. ny kind of adjustment that might be needed can be done to accommodate the type of skating and the skaters needs. Phil is always trying new things to make skates perfect for his customers, he puts quality and thought into each skate for the best possible fit.

Chapter 3

hroughout the fect skaters by allowing are those that might include history of the ice them to gain more air and more creativity when movskate, Harlick has made speed when executing their ing through jumps and almany advancements overall jumps, strokes, and speed in lowing more air time for a in the boot design that are spins. However, this will al- jump to progress. Spins are shown today. In more recent ter the physics of a skaters a whole different idea, when history, Phil has developed performance by creating a a skater uses the kinetic the “lightest boot” on energy to move the market. This boot their body using “...the figure skating world the momentum design is slightly different in that in re- hasn’t changed in quite some gained into a centime, and I feel as though placement of a layer of tral point on the this is going to change many the wooden sole with a ice that the toe aspects...”(Kay). carbon material that is pick touches. This both lighter and stroncreates a large ger than the wood. Alamount of G force lowing for the boots weight much lighter center of grav- that wraps around the skater to be half, while maintain- ity, only by a little bit, but pulling it away from the cening the support needed for enough that it can make a tral point, so the boot being a skaters, with these small difference. For strokes this lighter weight can affect the changes this new design will can alter one’s technique, speed and the strength that affect the skating industry and in landing jumps they the skater can handle. Forcby allowing for other manu- won’t feel the slight pull ing a skater to lower their facturers, large and small, from the boot pulling them body weight only slightly to to further develop ice skate. back down faster. The posi- maintain position on a sinThe lighter weight can af- tives of having a lighter boot gle point on the ice. The in-

juries that can occur are minor, specifically with jumps, footwork, and stroking, however this might increase with spins because the skater can get pulled out of their center a little easier than with heavier more dense skates. icole, an instructor at Winter Lodge, states “... the figure skating world hasn’t changed in quite some time, and I feel as though this is going to change many aspects, and hopefully allow for more creativity on the skaters front for new moves…. Also not m a n y skaters currently are going to

change their whole mind for lighter skates, no, I think once more companies get involved then it will really take off”(Kay). I would agree with her in that the skates will be for the up and coming competitors, not the current ones who are used to the extra weight. Olympic competitor, Paulina Edmunds, said ”I think that there are a lot of different places that they could go with [the lighter skate], and it just depends on what you are used to...I like the weight because it helps me with my rotation in jumps…I do think that this is a great idea and it is definitely going to get more popular...”(Edmunds).

Paulina was getting fitted for new skates before I talked to her, and she was giving specific details about how she ties her boots, what support she needs, and was being clear about her boot choice; when Phil offered to make her new skates lighter she said no, after holding the new boot. She said that it would be a challenge to skate with because she would have to recalibrate her mind to using lighter boots. This innovation will be popular in the future for those skaters who are going for the lighter boot, especially since the skating boot design hasn’t changed in a long time. 23

“... the figure skating world hasn’t changed in quite some time, and I feel as though this is going to change many aspects, and hopefully allow for more creativity on the skaters front for new moves…”(Kay).

Chapter 4 T

he sport of figure skating consists of a lot of physics as well as biomechanics with every element, jump, spin, and dance sequence. Skaters use angular momentum to create speed; in a spin, a skater has to be able to take their arms in and execute 308 rotations per minute by pulling in their arms, and lowering the area of which their mass distributed in order to gain the speed and center their weight along their axis. They need to have a stable anchor for their axis that they have created with their body, and the boots have to be able to create that anchor as well as supporting their legs. A professional skater’s legs have to hold

the whole body in place as well as take a landing with seven times their body weight on their back. Their boots have to be able to accommodate these difficult factors, of which a skater has to go through. A skaters’ boots are very important, in that they have to be made perfectly to what a skater needs. or recreational skaters, the boots last a very long time. Nicole Kay and I were talking about her experience with not only Harlicks, but Reidells as well. Reidells are made in a factory and are a cheaper option for skaters, especially young ones whose feet haven’t stopped growing yet. Nicole owned Riedells for years, and

didn’t buy her first pair of Harlicks till she was 22. In the past her Riedells would last her a long time, however once they broke down you couldn’t fix them or get them restored. She says of the Harlicks that she currently owns, “...they still feel brand new, and its been two years!”(Kay). Her feet have a half size difference between them, making it a bit difficult to find skates that work, so when she went to Harlick and Phil fitted her, he made sure that the two boots were made the different sizes. When she got her boots she was amazed about how they didn’t need much adjusting; when she got her Riedells she would spend months having someone pound them out and re-shape them to suit her needs. “ When I put on

the Harlicks for the first makes you comfortable time they fit like gloves, to tell them what’s wrong made perfectly for me” with the boot or what you (Kay)she said. Harlick is an need changed. They are amazing company that has definitely moving forward given with the many “ When I put on the Har- skating skaters tech, licks for the first time they the tools and they fit like gloves, made per- eventuneed to ally his fectly for me” (Kay) succeed creand peration form their art, and do what will be the desired they love. boot”(Edmunds). She is ne skater who now on Harlicks wall of understands olympic athletes, and when the value of the quality I was interviewing her she of the product, is Paulina was getting sized for a new Edmunds, an Olympic pair of skates. Her older competitor in the recent skates are most definitely Sochi 2014 Olympics. She well loved, and have been has been a Harlick owner for the last few years or so. since she was 4 years old, For her, her skates are her and has been using them life. She only ever skated ever since. According to with one pair at a time, and Edmunds “I really enjoy wears them down. During the family feeling here, it her debut performance

the commentators were mesmerized by her speed especially for her height, she said that “...I really enjoy going fast it has helped me with my jumps and spins, and these boots allow me to go the speed that I want”(Edmunds). Each skater has their needs and Harlick boots have made a huge difference in their performance and the quality shows for this company.

Conclusion

arlick has had a huge impact on the skating community, not just on a local level, but a global scale. Phil has led his company into a new age with revolutionary boot designs, while still maintaining the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high standards. He still follows ideals of the company with high quality materials and a handmade

production process, as well as passing the company down to his own children. Local businesses need this kind of support in order to survive and stay competitive. Many of local business are family owned; with Harlick being one of them, it is extremely important to keep it alive. Here in the Bay Area this company is hidden away,

in a mess of auto shops, and yet it is so close to many software and device companies that outsource their product. Making Harlick stand out from all of the other local businesses that have a global impact. Although Harlick is a tiny shop, it has a huge impact on a global scale with their high quality product .

Works Cited Asap SCiENCE. “The Science of Figure Skating.” YouTube. YouTube, 18 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Brian R. Sala, John T. Scott, and James F. Spriggs II. “The Cold War on Ice: Constructivism and the Politics of Olympic Figure Skating Judging.” Perspectives on Politics. American Political Science Association, Mar. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Kay, Nicole. Personal interview. 18 Mar. 2014 Khun, Phil. Personal interview. 25 Feb. 2014 Khun, Ginger. Personal interview. 25 Feb. 2014 Emery, Carolyn A. “Injury Prevention and Future Research.” Karger. N.p., 2005. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Edmunds, Paulina. Personal interview. 19 Mar. 2014 “Physioworks - Physiotherapists Brisbane.” Skating Injuries. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.