Starched or Limp May 30-5

[skateflo]

Went for a practice today at our local rink (the 2 major ones were closed for the holidays.

Starched - am getting my posture much better and sitting back on the blade! No knee pain today (of course, because I have a doc's appoint Tues...) Speed and flow were much improved after 15 minutes instead of 25. Even did part of my program (couldn't do much else as 3 high speed skaters were all over the ice) but had to do one part near the wall (cross steps into a half flip) and got it right the second time. Spins are finally happening from back crossovers! All in all I left feeling really pleased with myself!

Limp - those alternating inside 3's are the devil! Still trying to just do inside 3's on a good curve instead of flatter (like doing a jump entry.) No lesson this week, so will utilize the time for more practice!

[jazzpants]

Starched:

My LFO3s are making a strong return again! Hope it stays around this time. (And I didn't attempt fate again afterwards by doing consecutive waltz jumps -- I left the rink right at the ice cut break b/c I was tired and didn't want to risk injuring myself.)
My backspin is okay, not great, but at least it's been making more frequent appearances now -- so I'm happy.
Limp:

AHHHH!!! Nothing like a bunch of teenagers chasing each other. (Especially this "couple" -- we don't know if they are dating, but they seemed awfully obsessed about chasing each other.) Wanna take up hockey so I can take a 2 minute penalty. (Hey! My coaches always wanted me to "check.") WAAAY too busy for me to do a good camel spin. :evil:
Too tired to do jumps...

[vesperholly]

Limp: No skating today because of a hockey tournament, no skating Monday because of stinking Memorial Day. So I don't have any chance to practice before my next lessons! Bah! :evil:

[Cinderella]

Lamely Limp - Of course, I'm referring to myself, because it has been AGES since I've posted any of my practices here. I'm really sorry and apologize to those of you who kept the torch lit. I tried to at least lurk once in awhile to keep up with your progress, but a series of things in my 3D life just sucked all my free time away. It was a choice between talking about skating and actually skating -- and I'm pretty sure you can tell which one I chose!

Starched - Woo hoo, skating has just been a ton of fun. Now that I don't have competitions on my near horizon, my coach and I have pulled out all the stops and have SO MANY new things we are working on, in addition to polishing up the old. I am going to be testing the regular track, so I am working on Intermediate MIF. All but one of the patterns are tests I have passed on the adult track, but the challenge is to bring them up to the stricter testing levels of this track. My coach is trying to turn me into a pretzel, giving me several new spin positions and moves where my leg needs to be up over my head, so I am working on flexibility and turnout. We've started with some beginning spread eagles, ina bauers, attitude and layback spins. I'm working on evil choctaws and exercises to speed up my footwork (twisty/turny things). We're about to crank up the volume on training for the 2sal and 2toe. And did I mention that I'm now taking an adult ballet class on Monday nights to improve my form and flexibility?! And in two weeks I start an on-ice Creative Moves class taught by one of our Masters Ladies Champions.

My coach also wants me to skate interp next year, so I've been looking for appropriate music.

Wow, so much on my plate, I've had to jot it all down in notes and plan out my practices for each session or else I'm sure something will slip through the cracks.

[icenut84]

Wow Cinderella, sounds like you're gonna be busy! Better busy than bored.

As for me:

Starched:

I passed the gold Skate UK Star dance test!!!!! Yippeee!! Now it's on to the big league... lol :mrgreen:

I was complimented on my LFO spiral, how it was very nice and my leg was high and straight. :D Still want it higher, of course, but I just love love love doing this move. :)

Everything else - not much difference really.

[Cinderella]

Congrats on passing your dance test, icenut! :bow: And we're all envious of that great spiral. My leg doesn't yet understand the concept of "high."

Sigh ...

[jazzpants]

Congrats on passing your dance test, icenut! :bow: And we're all envious of that great spiral. My leg doesn't yet understand the concept of "high."Neither does mine, Cinderella!!! :roll:

Congrats on your dance test, icenut!!! :bow::mrgreen: The "big time" awaits you now, so get crackin'!!! :twisted: 8O :P :lol:

[NCSkater02]

Starched: All the changes my coach made before she bolted to Greece may just work. I was able to do most of them fairly consistantly today. All my jumps went well, as well as run-throughs of both the free and compulsary for Sat/Sun competetion. I even got an attempt of a scratch to spin--I couldn't bring my free leg in to save my life, but it was centered and fast.

Limp: Me--it was 57 in the rink and I had on my velvet dress (the one I wear for compulsary) I thought I would die of heat stroke. Then, I get to go to work 3-11 tonight, and double back to 9am tomorrow. It's a good thing I don't skate again until Thursday. I may catch up by then.

[jenlyon60]

We did mostly Blues today, with a bit of Paso at the end...

Intro 3's still didn't want to work, BUT the 3 turn at the end of the Blues decided to work today.

Paso was okay. The goal was for me to push like hades on the chasses across the end of the rink before the progressive into the cross-rolls. Well I was so focused on pushing like heck that I lost track of what I was doing and almost forgot the steps of the dance. Coach is happy with how I'm skating the back breakout, and really happy with how I skate the LFI into the Blues choctaw.

I would like to get a stronger outside edge on the last Paso cross-roll (the one with the change edge into the mohawk), so that the pattern bulges better before the restart.

Am going to work some extra with another coach at the rink focusing on my troublesome intro-3's. She used to coach my coach, so their teaching styles are similar. So I hope that will help, especially since she isn't used to seeing my foibles in full gear, so maybe she can see exactly where things are going wrong, whereas my normal coach has probably unwillingly gotten used to my bad habits with regards to intro-3's.

[jazzpants]

Starched:

My intro 3 for the forward power 3's are SLOW, but they are finally working. Though not 100% consistent, I'm getting it more often than not now. (It's like 80/20 in favor of getting it.)
My power 3's are a wee bit faster than last week. Still no good for Bronze Moves. :roll:
Having a fellow skater friend who recently moved away come back to visit and skate with us. We ALL missed him!!!
Flip was much better. And I am landing them on the landing foot and staying landed, but no glide. :roll: (Must learn to now go faster on the jump entry now...) :halo:

Limp:

My legs after 9pm. I was doing swizzles around the hockey circle at the center of the rink with a group of friends. It was homework from my secondary coach and it's a precursor towards forward progressives.
Forward spins. Or at least it's not as good as it used to be. I could still spin but it's not fast and furious and I could barely cross the leg a good portion of the time. Took a few tries for the sit and camel spins to finally work too.

[Mrs Redboots]

Limp: There were tests going on when I arrived (just as well I didn't have to rush off to work, wasn't it?), and then when they finished, the Zamboni, which had broken down, was fixed, so they cut the ice. So there was a long wait until I could get on the ice.

Starched: It was good to show my coach some of the things I'd learnt on the camp. And to work on the extra 20 seconds my programme needs to do it in this country (it has to be 2 minutes here). I am allowed to put a back spiral in, which is new - last time I wanted to do one, my coach said the judges wouldn't know what I was trying to do! But now they work well enough, except I nearly went on my nose (coach said I need to keep my head up more). So I'm pleased about that. All my usual exercises went fairly well - coach was critical of my BO edges, but then remembered that a few weeks a go I could barely do them, so.....

[jenlyon60]

Limp: My intro-3's with my coach. Still dont' want to work. But solo, at my power and flow, they work. Am starting work with a secondary coach on Friday to focus on some of these issues (primary coach is aware of this...) so I asked primary coach to brain-dump all my intro 3-turn issues to the secondary coach, so we can maximize use of time. We think it's partly a chicken factor and partly an issue of with the extra power assist from primary coach, I don't get the set-up timing correctly.

Starched My power/stamina drill. I'm up to 3 minutes now (we're using old Janet Jackson music). Basically, for 3 minutes, coach has me skate around the rink... I'm doing a pattern of progressives around 1 hockey circle at the end, then the other direction (either CW/CCW, or CCW/CW), then progressives around the hockey circle in the middle of the rink (switching directions again from whichever way the last end circle was), then progressives around the hockey circles at the other end of the rink, then back to the center and around, then back to the other end and repeat.

[mikawendy]

Starched My power/stamina drill. I'm up to 3 minutes now (we're using old Janet Jackson music). Basically, for 3 minutes, coach has me skate around the rink... I'm doing a pattern of progressives around 1 hockey circle at the end, then the other direction (either CW/CCW, or CCW/CW), then progressives around the hockey circle in the middle of the rink (switching directions again from whichever way the last end circle was), then progressives around the hockey circles at the other end of the rink, then back to the center and around, then back to the other end and repeat.

I've done that in stroking class before, using crossovers instead of progressives. It's MURDER! She had us go for 3 minutes, but I was dragging long before that! Not to mention that the other people in the class were at about the intermediate/novice level and were skating much faster than me!

[icenut84]

Thanks for the congrats, jazzpants and Cinderella :mrgreen: I think the next tests I'm gonna be working on are moves and compulsories, that's what my coach said anyway.

And we're all envious of that great spiral. My leg doesn't yet understand the concept of "high."

I don't know if it really counts as "high" - it's above hip level though, quite easily. (On my LFO anyway.) Certainly nowhere near splits though, lol.

[Terri C]

Starched :
My blades FINALLY being permanently mounted to my new boots! I can jump again!! :) :)
Spins are starting to come back!

Limp:
Well the jumps each took a try or two to get going, with the salchow being the worst in terms of not checking the three turn!!

[Mrs Redboots]

Last night was our monthly session at a rink in North London. As it is half-term, we were only a small group, so the female coach, who has new boots, didn't come on to the ice but sat and watched as we were given exercises from the Blues by the male coach.

Limp: Blues choctaw? I don't know if it was because we were nearly late, so not warmed up properly, but every time we did the pre-choctaw exercise, which was basically striking on to a forward inside edge and putting one's free foot in the right place ("Open knees, please"), I got cramp in my feet. And then, when it was time to go home, I had cramp in my feet all the way home, too... sigh.

Starched: The other exercises! They were all things I find relatively easy - one was chasse, cross-roll swing, and the other was continuous cross-rolls (which have now been rechristened "ball-crushers" by one of the men present!). The chasse, cross-roll swing is easier for the woman, as she needs to think of being in Foxtrot hold, so the right shoulder is naturally kept forward. That way, the coach explained, you don't fall off the edge....

The social dancing was good, as usual. We are getting ready for another competition in a couple of weeks, so Robert was dancing with both me and the other woman he is partnering at that competition. And in the interval we ran through our Artistic Pairs, which I am pleased to find we haven't forgotten. It's still rather rough, but it's coming together now.

[jazzpants]

Starched:

My BXover to BO edge.
My 5 step mohawk!!! It was probably the best one I've done in a while, in fact.
Sit spins were okay.
First backspin and last backspin were good.
Limp:

Those $#%&@* LFO3 on the forward power 3's!!!:evil: (Not consistent at all...)
Forward alt. crossovers. -- Primary coach is now not pleased... he just raised the bar on me!!! Part of the problem is that I'm trying to do what my secondary coach told me to do and do forward progressives instead. Unfortunately, I wasn't that steady on it and ended up doing my klunky (but it works!) forward crossovers instead. :(
Back alt. crossovers. Same as the forward ones. Now he wants them perfect, so that I could afford to screw up a little on the forward power 3's and still pass the test.
Second, third and fourth backspins fell right back onto an BI edge!!! :frus:
Camels weren't there this morning either.
Other notes: I have handed in my test forms for testing in August! Can't back out of it now...

[mousey]

ugh! why do i have to land jumps on the LAST day of skating?? i landed 2 very nice double flips today, but unfortuneately, im not going to be on the ice for about 2-3 months now...

[singerskates]

Yesterday I had no energy so jumps were few. I did a few wimpy waltz, toe and salchow jumps. They were OK being that two days before I was suffering from the flu.

I spent most of my time stroking around just getting into the ice for the first session (ticket ice). A US adult skater, who I'm sorry if you were there and I don't remember you're name, was there on the ticket ice as well. She's working on becoming a skating coach and was landing everything up to axel. She didn't work on a program though. INteresting enough, she's also working on the Fiesta Tango although more often than me. I do the dance every 6 or 7th time I go to the rink. LOL

The next two sessions were grouped together. I saw my choreographer and thought she would be coming onto the ice right away so I sat there waiting for her to get her skates on. It took her and the other skater half an hour to get their skates on. Oh, well. I needed a break anyway.

Then the other skater got his lesson first. He started out with his axel jump flubbing it just because he didn't feel like it. The coach got mad and gave him a talking to. Then he finally landed it and moved on to the 2 salchow, then 2 toe and then he was forever stuck on the 2 loop even though he can land the 2 flip and 2 lutz. I can attest to the loop being a problem. If it's not executed right, you're toast. Anyway, while the coach got him to do axels, I did waltz jumps. While he did 2 toe, I did 1 toe and so on. I stopped at 1 loop being that I wasn't really over me feet.

I then moved on to work on my Twilight Time sax program. It has drastically changed since Ann Arbour and not just in length. I mean, I have more expression now and more arm movements that make sence. I have deeper edges and lots, lots, lots more speed. I've also moved the direction of where the split/flip will be.

One thing that is giving me trouble is this step in my footwork (had no footwork in the US program because of lack of time and speed). My choreographer has me doing this step where you are skating forward (left foot) and then cross in behind the skating foot with right foot on to a FRO edge and then push the edge outward to a RFI setting me up for a RFI op MO. I'm wondering if I can do a cross with the Left foot first and then do the right to go to the RFI op MO.

By the way, what is the name for this cross? I'm thinking it's called the Canadian Cross.

Brigitte

[NCSkater02]

Today was my last skate before Dogwood, since I don't get up at the crack of dawn for practice ice.

Starched: I was able to do run-throughs of both my compulsary and free skate, and they went well--or at least as well as I can do. I feel ok for tomorrow, knowing I will not win. I got off the ice with my toe loop (it's a half, and I frequently rotate on my toe pick and don't get off the ice) As long as I do my best, I'll be happy.

Limp: Still that scratch spin. :frus: How long does it take to learn one? Will I ever do one in this life time?

[jenlyon60]

Starched Today I had a VERY GOOD lesson with both my primary coach and my new secondary coach at the same time :-)

I wanted to work with the secondary coach on my intro-3 problems, but when my primary coach accidentally re-scheduled me for the same time as my other lesson, I took advantage of it, so that my new secondary coach could see the problems as they occurred as I skated the intros with my primary coach. And she made several really good suggestions. And by the end of the group coach lesson, I did a couple nice Blues intros and 1 good Paso intro.

Limp Not enough time between now and Pro-Am to really consolidate what I worked on today. But I am having 2 more lessons with my primary coach (who got to hear everything that the secondary coach told me, so he'll be able to remind me), and 1 more lesson with the secondary coach, before the competition.

[Cinderella]

Limp - I've been off-ice for a week because on Tuesday night I suddenly experienced sharp pains in my knee (for no apparent reason) and practically pulled up lame for the rest of the night. I canceled my lesson the next morning and then wound up nursing it until today. I must confess that I was starting to get really worried that maybe it was serious and then my brain ran away with it and I started thinking that maybe I would never skate again. (BTW, this is totally unlike me, because I am almost always a positive person.)

Starched - I "tested" my knees at practice today and while they were stiff at first, all of a sudden they felt like their old selves (young selves?). I cannot tell you how RELIEVED I was. I ran through all of the Intermediate Moves, all single jumps and combos up through axels, all the spins I know how to do (and a few I don't) and all my footwork sequences, and everything just felt "right" again. Just to be cautious, I'm taking ibuprofen and icing tonight because I have a lesson tomorrow.

Have I mentioned how RELIEVED I am???

[Mrs Redboots]

INteresting enough, she's also working on the Fiesta Tango although more often than me. I do the dance every 6 or 7th time I go to the rink. LOLAnd that's a lot more often than I do it! I do dislike this dance - it scares me. Husband is doing it with his Other Woman at Bracknell, and they've got the end pattern better than I've ever seen it done, but they look as though they're racing each other up the sides! Whereas he and I look great in the side pattern, but terrible in the end pattern - pity we can't swap partners half-way round, isn't it?

[snip]

One thing that is giving me trouble is this step in my footwork (had no footwork in the US program because of lack of time and speed). My choreographer has me doing this step where you are skating forward (left foot) and then cross in behind the skating foot with right foot on to a FRO edge and then push the edge outward to a RFI setting me up for a RFI op MO. I'm wondering if I can do a cross with the Left foot first and then do the right to go to the RFI op MO.

By the way, what is the name for this cross? I'm thinking it's called the Canadian Cross.I don't know that it has a name, but there's no reason in the world why you can't do it the other way round, if you find that easier. In an ideal world, you ought to be able to do both. It sounds like just exactly the kind of step I can't do, because my shoulders aren't flexible enough. Of course, I have to practice my least favourite Mohawk exercise, plus the change-of-position in the Starlight from the final 3-turn into the first Mohawk to remedy this. :(

[Cinderella]

STARCHED - My lesson went really well. Apparently the fact that my knees are feeling better gave my coach free reign to develop new concepts because she continued turning me into a pretzel with some new (really cool, I might add) spin positions and even some pretzel-y jumps. She liked the progress I've made on my split jump, so she showed me how to do an "oblique" split where the back leg is turned out but bent at the knee (very cool). She had me do a back sit spin position where you put your free leg up onto your thigh and then crunch yourself forward into a ball (someone told me it is similar to the chair position in yoga, only tighter and you are spinning). Amazingly, I was able to do a crude version of it! Then we worked on a turned over back camel spin with a dip in the leg and new arms. And a sit spin with some new wacko arms. Gosh, it was so much fun!

A bunch of girls from the "other" rink skated the practice because theirs is closed, and it was a hoot. Usually I'm all alone, or at least the only adult, so it was fun to have girlfriends to push me to try new things. They taught me to do a simple back outer hydroblade and some cool spin positions.

LIMP - I'm back on the ice again and so grateful, that there's nothing zappity about life today!

[NCSkater02]

Starched: I didn't fall. Either time.

Limp: Dogwood was this weekend. I went in knowing I would get 2nd (out of 2) I was a bundle of nerves--it was only my second competition, after all. I didn't do too badly to begin with, once I got over the almost fall getting in my starting pose. However, I came out of my initial spin the wrong direction, so I had to start by finding my place for P3Ts. I lost my 1/2 lutz (such as it is), then came out of my waltz wrong, so I totally missed my toe loop. Flips were so-so, but then went into my 2nd toe off balance, and then finished my program looooong before my music.
At least the compulsary went better--for some reason, I'm not usually as nervous. My only screw-up here was that I switched my arms going into my 1/2 flip for some reason, then switched back, and almost ran out of room. My coach says I salvaged it, and my spin was at least four revolutions. That just made my day!

As a side note, SkatingAtty was doing her compulsary on the opposite end at the same time as me.

Starched: I didn't fall. And I stayed off my toe picks until nearly the end of the compulsary. One more to go (State Games next weekend) then I am done until next year. I have to learn to deal with nerves by then.

[AshBugg44]

Friday, June 4th

Starched - I landed all of my axels, even though some had bad landings. I landed my first double salchows. Worked on catch camels, which made me hold a better camel. Moves went well.

Limp - Catch camels hurt! ;)