Intermountain Results for Black Sheep

[Black Sheep]

I can sum it all up in one word: disaster.

I had been skating well and landing everything consistently at (almost) every practice session in the past month. I thought I had it made for a medal--until I started my Interp. event. Turns out I'd turned in my Gold FS practice tape instead of my Interp. competition tape--yikes!! When I informed the referee of this mistake, I got two minutes to run the maze from the rink, down the stairs, through the hall, and to the locker room to grab the right tape and run all the way back. People were amazed that I actually made it back in time to skate a clean program. I was lucky I had any gas left to get through it.

Unfortunately, getting my tapes mixed up must have been a costly mistake because I ended up dead last (6th out of 6). That was a real kick in the stomach that carried over to my Freeskate event which immediately followed--I got dead last there, too (again, 6th out of 6).

Oh, well--there will be other competitions....

[Mrs Redboots]

Oh, poor Black Sheep! Still, you seem to be handling it well and, as you so rightly say, there will be other competitions.

All the same, let this be a lesson to all of us: check, check and double-check your music, and make sure someone has your spare copy clutched in their sweaty paw in case of disaster. Like when our CD didn't play properly at the British Adult Championships - I decided I wouldn't trust it at Oxford and gave in the cassette instead, which did mean we didn't have a chance to listen to it, but never mind....

Better luck next time! I'm sure you'll do great - you mostly do, these days. When is the next time?

[Black Sheep]

Thanks, Annabel, for your support! My next comp. is the Illinois State Games the first weekend next month. My coach says I need to re-label my tapes. 8-)

[jazzpants]

BAAAAHHHH!!!! BAAAAAAHHHH!!! (That's sheep talk for "I'm sorry to hear about your competition!"...or at least I hope so b/c I'm not very good at sheep talk.) That must have been a WEIRD experience! :??

My other recommendation (if your coach is with you) is to have an extra copy of your program with you for your coach to hold with your blade guards, gloves, etc. That way, if you have the wrong music, you can just skate over to your coach (who has the extra tape) instead of having to make the mad dash to the locker room. And if you have a cassette, make sure it's cued! ;) (Experience from being a runner this year! Man! I learned about how a competition is run this year! And you get to walk/run off the food that the volunteers always seem to sneak off from the Coaches/Judges Hospitality Room!) :yum: :mrgreen:

Otherwise, think of this as one of those experience that when you're old and gray (and still skating) that you can pass on to the younger generation and laugh about it. God knows I have enough of those experience!!! :roll: :lol: I'm also thankful that I only do one program a year... if I do compete at all! Heaven knows I could barely keep track of which skates go on which feet before a competition! :lol:

[AshBugg44]

Awwwww I'm sorry, that really sucks! But hey, I'm very impressed that you got your correct tape in time! ;)

[tazsk8s]

First of all, Black Sheep, you've got the right idea. There will be other competitions, and you'll get 'em next time.

Originally posted by jazzpants
Otherwise, think of this as one of those experience that when you're old and gray (and still skating) that you can pass on to the younger generation and laugh about it. God knows I have enough of those experience!!!
This has the makings for a great thread. Earlier this fall my daughter had one of those experiences that we can laugh about now. The morning of her freeskate, Taz Jr. practiced for a bit at a rink fairly close to home, but a good 30-35 minutes from the competition rink. We arrive at the competition rink about an hour ahead, I go into her skate bag for something and discover there is only ONE skate in there. 8O 8O 8O There is only one place the other skate can be and that is at the first rink! Mama Taz says a couple of bad words, hops in the van, and speeds off back to the first rink. There it is, all right, right under the bench where she left it...too busy talking when she was putting stuff back in her bag. Arrg. I get stuck by road work AND a set of railroad gates stuck DOWN and figure there is NO way this kid is going to skate unless they are running massively late. But I had to go back for the skate anyway, so it wasn't an entirely wasted trip. I get back to find her coach waiting in the parking lot for me. Turns out she had the ice monitor (who witnessed the whole thing as it unfolded) talk to the referee, and he rearranged the skate order so that Junior could skate in the final warmup. She barely had time to do a lap of stroking by the time she got the skate on, and that was it.

Somehow she managed to stand up on all of her doubles - a first for her - and even though she didn't place all that well, it was a tremendous confidence booster to be able to pull off the jumps under extreme stress and no warmup. She did get a much-deserved lecture from the referee afterward. I had no problem with that - the child is MORE than old enough to take the lion's share of the responsibility, though I usually do look back for straggling items when we leave a rink and I didn't this time.

You can bet, however, that I personally checked her skate bag before we left for Regionals. ;) It was a seven hour drive from home and there was no stinking way I was going back THAT far!!

[miss cleo]

I attended the Intermountain Adult Competition last weekend and would
like to let everyone know it was a wonderful competition in an awesome facility. The air temperature was 65 degrees in a large building with two rinks enclosed by the speed skating oval. After practice ice I took a couple of laps around the speed skating oval doing my best Bonnie Blair imitation. No chance of being mistaken for a speed skater.

This competition will be held again next year. Airfares were cheap (thank you, Southwest) and the host hotel ($59./night) had a full breakfast everyday. Hospitality provide food for coaches and skaters along with a gathering Saturday night and tour on Sunday for those who were interested. This could very easily be a site for a future Adult Nationals.

Worth the trip just to skate at an Olympic facility.

[Raine]

Congratulations on skating a clean program under those circumstances. The competition must have been very tough, if you finished last after a clean skate. Don't feel at all discouraged--this experience will help you in future comp.

Raine