Delicious or Disgusting: Lessons / Practices November 15-21,2004

[Terri C]

Ok guys, I'll start the lesson/practice thread for the week
Delicious:
There was hardly anyone at the rink today and no working music box (you have to hold the CD section or the play button on the tape part to play music, so I worked on moves today.
Ice was half way decent for a change! Scratch spin was center city, and my loop felt huge! :D

Disgusting:
The sit and backscratch spins, as well as the toe pushes I kept hearing on back crossovers. Having to dodge beginning skaters on lesson. The music box not working. Well, okay the sit got a little better towards the end of the session, but I wish it could show up more often when I need it!

[NoVa Sk8r]

Delicious:
Not much palatable this week. :(
The holidays are approaching, so I guess that's something to look forward to (including a holiday performance)?

Disgusting:
-Lesson last Saturday morning was canceled due to a conversion of the freestyle session into a program practice. Will I *ever* see my singles coach again (it's approaching week 4)? :cry:
-Injured my lower back (the multifidus); methinks it was from last Friday's death spiral that pulled and tugged at my back.
I am NOT a happy camper this week.
No skating = cranky/grouchy/sullen Steve!

[TimDsk879]

Delish - I have an exhibition this week, I finally have motivation on my practices, I am very excited with the music piece I am performing to.

Disgust - My sugar problem that drowns me during practices, haven't landed a double for ages.

[jazzpants]

Delish: Someone made a comment about my 5-step mohawk looking smooth and pretty today and another fellow skater who hasn't been skating a while telling me that I "look good out there." 8-) Let's hope my 5-step mohawk looks good on Wed and Thursday mornings too! :halo:

Sit spins and forward spins are there and doing well. :mrgreen: No scratch spin though...not for the forseeable future either... :cry:

Disgusting: Took a spill on my elbow, hand and left hip while doing power 3's doing exactly what my coaches wanted me to do. (On second thought, I take that back. Falling is exactly what my coaches want me to do!!!) :twisted: :lol: I'm okay. Just a bruise on the hip and some scrapes on the elbow...

[Melzorina]

I've never contributed to one of these, but hey, there's a first for everything!
Delicious: My jumps felt really good and stable, no wobbly bits or anything, very controlled. Spiral quite high too! :)

Disgusting: Doing the intro to those very nice jumps, I fell over and sprained my wrist. I lost my nerves and did a belly flop during a spiral aswell. Overly not a good week for me! :cry:

[Mrs Redboots]

Disgusting: The temperature of the rink - the boilers have broken and it's unheated at the moment, so skating is a seriously cold activity!
The quality of the ice - it was well used by the time I got on!
My poor coach and his wife - after the Tuesday evening stretch class, the leader accidentally went off with both their car keys and the key to their locker, where the spare car keys were! When I left, she was on her way back to the rink to bring them back - I hope she will not have been long behind me.

Delicious: We've virtually finished reminding ourselves of the choreography of our Interpretive Pairs piece - we've changed some of it, too - and managed to skate it twice to the music. It's not great yet, but given a fair amount of polishing it will be okay - I expect it will come last, but who cares? I don't!

[Terri C]

No skating = cranky/grouchy/sullen Steve!


Awww, ((((Steve))))!
I've had my weeks where I simply can't get to the rink for whatever reason and I've also had those weeks where I wonder when my next lesson is, cause the coach is either away or I'm available when she's not.
Keep your chin up- this too shall pass!

[sk8er1964]

I turned 40 today, and I've said for the past year that 40 wouldn't matter, as long as I could still do axels and doubles. Well, at today's practice I did:


An axel
An axel-toe loop
An axel-mazurka-salchow
I got over on my right side on the blasted double sal twice, and landed about 6 of them
Double loops were wonky, but that's ok
I managed a couple of decent death drop attempts
I had fun working with other skaters on counters, rockers, and brackets


Ain't 40 grand?! 8-)

[Mrs Redboots]

Forty is fantastic! Many happy returns of yesterday, Sk8r1964! I was very happy in my forties, and rather wish they weren't behind me.

We had our couples lesson today, as Husband was only just back from his trip on Sunday.

Delicious: The engineers arrived to mend the heating in the rink, to rousing cheers from one and all! Whether they will do other than look at it and suck their teeth, I don't know! Today was mild enough that, with the fire escape doors open, the temperature wasn't too bad, but it's scheduled to get cold again later in the week.

Our lesson went well, and we have finished choreographing our Interpretive Pairs piece. The coach looked at it, and approved. I'm so pleased, as it's much, much better than it was in the summer - we've learnt so much with doing our Free Dance. There are some rough edges to straighten out, obviously, and it needs practice, practice and more practice, but basically it's there. I must remember to enter the competition.....! It's not a serious competition, so I don't care if we come last - it's just for fun.

Meanwhile, the coach had to remind me to bring my free leg further forward in the hydroblade, and to tell Husband to keep his very slightly back, so we matched more. I do know I'm apt to hold my free leg back, and also know I shouldn't!

Once we'd done the piece, we decided to work on forwards cross-rolls in Foxtrot Hold, which is something that, while hard, looks fantastic if you get them right. I was aware that neither of us was finishing off our cross-rolls properly, and wanted our coach to look and see if it was something fixable. He reckoned we were moving our upper bodies too much - you need a really strong check to make it seem as if your upper body was totally still - and that, with an adjustment to where Husband puts his right arm, helped. If he has it between my shoulder-blades, I find it hard not to lurch forward. Lower down is better.

We also did waltz 3s round the circle - not great, but better than they used to be. We're working on keeping the hold close, and that sometimes has ill-effects on my feet!

Disgusting: Er - what happens when you say "Test" to someone? That's right, the skill that was so ready disappears - as happened to my husband's back cross-rolls in his private lesson! His coach was so-o-o frustrated! Luckily, he did them properly again by the end of the lesson.

I have done too much off-ice work, I think, and my lower legs are very sore - I think I have pulled the muscle in my calf doing strength work on both legs! They were fine once I'd warmed up, so I'm not too bothered about them, but think I'll rest them for the rest of today and not do any off-ice work for the rest of the week, except perhaps my abs trainer.

Otherwise, not a bad morning! Now, if they fix the heating in our bathroom as well, that would be the icing on the cake!

Edited to add: ten minutes later, they have fixed the heating in our bathroom! Hot towels again, bliss!

[flo]

Delicious: Made more progress on the choreography of the silver program. The figures loop is getting better, and I'll have to start trying it out of the spin. It was also the first time in my new boots that I could jump without major pain!

Disgusting: Found out the half life of skating leggings/pants is about 10 years. About 50% of mine are no longer ok to wear in public. Time for new ones!

[NoVa Sk8r]

This is my 7th major back injury. Grrr. :evil:

I shudder to think what will happen when I am in my 30s!

Awww, ((((Steve))))!
I've had my weeks where I simply can't get to the rink for whatever reason and I've also had those weeks where I wonder when my next lesson is, cause the coach is either away or I'm available when she's not.
Keep your chin up- this too shall pass!

[flo]

Hi Nova,
One thing that may help, if you're not already doing so, is to make sure your back stays warm while on the ice. When I was skating pairs I wore leotards or unitards. I've seen some pair guys wear a back wrap. Whatever works.
Hope you're better soon.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Thanx for the advice.

Maybe Loops can lift me on the ice instead? :P

Hi Nova,
One thing that may help, if you're not already doing so, is to make sure your back stays warm while on the ice. When I was skating pairs I wore leotards or unitards. I've seen some pair guys wear a back wrap. Whatever works.
Hope you're better soon.

[skaternum]

Maybe Loops can lift me on the ice instead? :P
Hmmm, Marna Anissina does sound almost right. (Only missing the letter "i".) Go for it, LoopLoop!

[NoVa Sk8r]

I can lose tons of weight, too! :P

Hmmm, Marna Anissina does sound almost right. (Only missing the letter "i".) Go for it, LoopLoop!

[LoopLoop]

Maybe Loops can lift me on the ice instead? :P

Ummm... I don't think so. I'm strong, but not THAT strong.

[Terri C]

I shudder to think what will happen when I am in my 30s!


Aren't you almost there? :halo:

As for my practice today, I can't believe that it's been three weeks since Halloween Classic and I've "lost" my freeskate program. That was the disgusting thing for today!

What was delicious though, was a consistenly centered scratch spin . I also had a couple of sits that weren't too bad. Coach also gave me the cut version of my interpretive program for New Years in February- we'll start on that one tommorrow!
One more delicious thing: a pretty good loop jump. Coach says that she saw that one and will be comparing it to the one on the Halloween Classic film!

[NoVa Sk8r]

Aren't you almost there? :halo:

Almost, but not quite!

OK, my back is marginally better, and Loops has agreed to school me on gold moves tonight. I figure I can't just stay at home and go stir-crazy, so off to my non-jump, non-pairs public session.

Choreography and stroking (which I desperately need to fix!) are on the bill.

I really shouldn't have taken that muscle relaxant an hour ago :!:

[Terri C]

OK, my back is marginally better, and Loops has agreed to school me on gold moves tonight. I figure I can't just stay at home and go stir-crazy, so off to my non-jump, non-pairs public session.

Choreography and stroking (which I desperately need to fix!) are on the bill.



NoVa,

Be careful! :)

[NoVa Sk8r]

'Careful' is my middle name (actually, it's Michael :P )!

NoVa,

Be careful! :)

[Terri C]

(actually, it's Michael :P )!

Like I didn't know already! :lol:

[NoVa Sk8r]

Oh, right. I know you referred to me as the Michael Phelps of adult skating, but not anymore. I don't drink and drive!

OK, so skating was a bit painful, but Loops managed to school me in proper crossover technique as well as show me 3 of the adult gold MIF (brackets, forward double 3's, and backward double 3's). I was thinking, my back hurts, so why is she punishing me with these? Actually,there were cool to work on. I can see myself practicing these for the next few years. 8-) and :cry:

And we made some progress on our holiday program choreography. :)

Like I didn't know already! :lol:

[pennybeagle]

Happy birthday, Sk8er1964!!! Axel-mazurka-sal, huh? I've never seen that combination--sounds very cool.

Delicious:
Today was probably the best practice I've had in a LONG time. :D I was very sorry that the session ended so soon--I'm usually ready to call it a day about 10 minutes before the zamboni comes out. As for skills...it was a great jumping day:
ALMOST landed a double sal. Got one double loop to stand up on one foot with a quarter-turn cheat. Started working on the double flip in my lesson and can almost land them (quarter turn cheat, two-footed...but this is by far my favorite double so far--it's the only one that I feel secure about on the take-off). Came up with a cool circular footwork pattern to put into my program. Flying sit spins were working today. At least three of my back outside brackets in the field did not stink. Back double 3s felt good.
Basically, I felt like I was in "the zone," and in a lesson, too! 8O This should keep me happy all week.

Disgusting: My camels (both the regular and flying varieties) have apparently gone away to an oasis somewhere. Must be the weather. Was going to learn a double toe today, but discovered that I am not doing my single toe properly. (That's okay--I don't need a double toe, right?)

My right hamstring has been exceptionally tight this past week, and I don't know why (must've pulled something, but I don't remember it happening). If I stretch it slowly, it eventually loosens up, but it takes almost 20 minutes before it feels right. It kept me off the ice since Saturday (hmm, maybe if I don't skate as often, I do better?). I hope this is not a chronic thing.

[sk8er1964]

Happy birthday, Sk8er1964!!! Axel-mazurka-sal, huh? I've never seen that combination--sounds very cool.

Thanks. Your axel is good enough to be able to do that combo, so you can have it! :D (Hopefully, someday, that single sal in mine will be a double).


My right hamstring has been exceptionally tight this past week, and I don't know why (must've pulled something, but I don't remember it happening). If I stretch it slowly, it eventually loosens up, but it takes almost 20 minutes before it feels right. It kept me off the ice since Saturday (hmm, maybe if I don't skate as often, I do better?). I hope this is not a chronic thing.

I have been having the same problem with my left hamstring for the past few months. I think it's caused by so many repititions on the double sals. All I can say is stretch, stretch and stretch!

[luna_skater]

Delicious: Passed my Sr. Silver Skills!! :D I was confident about two exercises, but thought my brackets might fail me. They were decent enough and I passed it! I got goods and satisfactories, and the judge said afterward that she NEVER gives out excellents, so getting a good from her meant it was really, really good.

Disgusting: No ice tomorrow because test day is still going on, and I can only skate one day next week (Thursday) because my rink is hosting a competition on Friday.

[dbny]

Delicious: Passed my Sr. Silver Skills!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

[Terri C]

Delicious:
Started my Interp program today- I love it so far!!
It's finally dawned on me that I've found the "sweet spot" on my new blades for the forward spins!


Disgusting:
My coach has me reliving the good ole days of slaving over the alt 3's for Pre Bronze MIF, as she has put them in my program! Actually, surprised myself by doing them pretty well!
It was COLD in the rink today.
May not have a lesson next week, 'cause my lessons are on Thursdays and next Thursday is Thanksgiving- coach is looking at possible openings for me, though!

[doubletoe]

[QUOTE=sk8er1964]Thanks. Your axel is good enough to be able to do that combo, so you can have it! :D (Hopefully, someday, that single sal in mine will be a double).

Happy birthday! And what a great idea! Axel-mazurka-double sal! I have an axel and a double sal (well, most of the time) so maybe I'll see if I can give that to myself for my 40th birthday present, LOL (it's coming up soon)!

[sk8er1964]

[QUOTE=sk8er1964]Thanks. Your axel is good enough to be able to do that combo, so you can have it! :D (Hopefully, someday, that single sal in mine will be a double).

Happy birthday! And what a great idea! Axel-mazurka-double sal! I have an axel and a double sal (well, most of the time) so maybe I'll see if I can give that to myself for my 40th birthday present, LOL (it's coming up soon)!

Uh oh - giving away my secrets! :lol:

One of my mom's students when I was a kid skating did a flip and 1/2 into a double toe. That was a cool move too.

[Mrs Redboots]

A very brief session this morning as I was expecting a visitor - no less than our very own JenLyon60, who is staying with us for a week. Ran through our Artistic Pairs routine, but there wasn't time to do it to the music; it would have been better if I hadn't been focussing on Husband's steps rather than my own (which fault I was told off for in my lesson on Wednesday!).....

Hopefully Jen and I are going this afternoon to skate the teatime patch and meet some of the folk there - my coach and some of his skaters are all in Paris watching the Trophée Eric Bompard, but there will be plenty of folk there, all the same.

[jenlyon60]

Annabel and I went to Streatham this late afternoon. I mostly just skated around a bit enough to recover from the plane trip and the seemingly endless security line at the airport yesterday.

And yes, I had my skates inside my suitcase and everything arrived in tip-top shape.

[doubletoe]

Uh oh - giving away my secrets! :lol:

One of my mom's students when I was a kid skating did a flip and 1/2 into a double toe. That was a cool move too.

Don't worry, that secret is safe with you, LOL! I'd probably kill myself trying it!

By the way, I had never noticed a flip and a half (or was it a salchow and a half?) until I saw Michael Weiss do one--with one arm up in the air--in his most recent program at the NHK Trophy. I had taped it, so I said, "What the HECK was that?!" and re-wounded it and replayed it frame by frame! I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen!

By the way, I wonder how judges would score a jump like that?? It's not a single. . . or a double. . .

[slusher]

Delicious:

I had a rather longish lesson today, that's the good part, also I got a compliment on my crossovers. Finally, they've been a year in the making and finally they are no longer toe-pick-ish.

I also played with my arms on pulling into spins. When you pull in hard, you sure go fast!

Disgusting:

Anything involving dance. I'm testing next week and everything I thought was going good, is gone. I'm hoping that a bad practice means a good test.

[Terri C]

This is for yesterday afternoon:

Delicious:
The scratch spin is still centered!!! :D :D

Disgusting:
Jumps have been off all week and I don't know why!
Was working on the footwork sequence for my freeskate program when Mr. Toepick showed up at the wrong time- causing me to bellyflop onto the ice! My left knee and right elbow took a hit too and now the knee is bruised and swollen and my tummy a little sore!
It was apparently a painful fall to watch, as everyone came over as I hit the ice! :oops:

There is no ice for me all weekend, so time to recover! 8-)

[luna_skater]

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks! :D

[Debbie S]

My left knee and right elbow took a hit too and now the knee is bruised and swollen and my tummy a little sore!


Ouch! I hope you feel better soon, Terri!

Delicious: Went skating on Thursday for the first time in 2 weeks. I just practiced - no lesson. I'm not sure if I want to compete or not, but I figure if I want to do New Year's, I better not take too much time off. I actually did OK - landed the first loop I tried. I even started getting creative and trying a loop-toe. My spins weren't great, but they never are. :roll:

Disgusting: Ran through the Bronze moves. Maybe I won't compete Bronze MIF at New Year's - my power 3's were definitely not presentable.


This particular rink has high school hockey games right after the FS sessions on Thursdays, so for the last half of the session, I had a small audience of some players that arrived early for the game. Oh, did I mention I was the only one on the ice? Actually, they were very quiet - no banging sticks or anything - they were probably wondering what an adult was doing out there - lol!

[Terri C]

Ouch! I hope you feel better soon, Terri!

Thanks for the well wishes Debbie! Actually I'm just a little banged up but well enough to go shopping at the mall after getting my car it's yearly state inspection yesterday!

Coach e-mailed me this morning and I have a lesson on Tuesday :D !! WHOO HOO!

[Mrs Redboots]

My coach was away, so no lesson for us, but Jenlyon60 had a lesson with one of the other coaches.

The ice was disgusting, which was so not the fault of the Zamboni driver, who tried several times to get a decent surface (he had to skate on it himself!), but to no avail - the blade is blunt, and the ice is very hard just now.

We ran through our programme, but Husband gracefully lowered himself to my feet during our hydroblade! It would have been in character with the programme if I'd trod on him, but in fact he made a great recovery! Worked on most of my own elements and on back cross rolls with Jen, who is also working on them.