Edge noises or toe scrapes: 17-23 January 2005

[Mrs Redboots]

Spent two hours at the rink this morning, skating for the first 3/4 hour with Husband and the last 3/4 hour (yes, I had a breather!) alone.

Edge Noises: (I wish!) After some warm-up exercises, we ran through our Free Dance once - no real problems, so we left it at that. Then we ran through the Swing Dance, and decided, having done so, that we needed to do some basic training, so we worked a couple of laps each of swing rolls and chasses in waltz hold. Then, because of beginning work on the Willow, I suggested we did a lap of alternating progressive runs in waltz hold. This worked surprisingly well - we were both quite pleased with ourselves. So we tried doing them round the hockey circle. Anti-clockwise was fine!

After that, we went through the Willow again, and decided we needed to take the part where he does his Mohawk apart, which we duly did, and went through it fairly slowly; this may improve matters - I think we need to go on doing that. After that, he had to go and catch his train, so I came off and chatted to folk for 30 minutes or so, then got back on and worked on loads of exercises.

Toe Scrapes: Our clockwise progressive runs in Waltz hold. Really just needs practice. My spin was only doing 2 revolutions and throwing up loads of ice ("That's because you aren't on an edge," said the coach). And I cannot, for the life of me, do a side of back chasses without starting to scrape 3/4 of the way down.... sigh....

[AstarZ41]

Yesterday was a looong practice.

Toe Scrapes: I flutz :frus: I saw a clear S shape tracing on the lutzes that I landed. Gah! Sit spins were iffy, so I decided to leave them for another day and not get myself frustrated. Loops were also a little weak today. I wasn't getting big jumps out of them.

Edge noises: Flips felt really strong. I can finally actually "pop" into the air, it's such a cool feeling. I did A LOT of forward and back scratches. At first, my forward ones were travelling as usual, but I realized that I'm dropping my right side too much, so once I fixed that I was finally getting some good tracings! Yay! I also need to make my LFO entrance edge smoother. Sometimes I skid and that's no good... Then, I tried some back spins and oh my god I think I *got it*!!!!! I was getting 4-5 revs in scratch spin position AND pulling out!! :D

Btw, I noticed that some of my forward spin tracings were "double lines." I never noticed that before. Is that normal, or is it because I'm too far up on the toe pick or what?

[batikat]

Edge Noises:
Had quite a good skate day today. Started with my level 2 (UK) dance moves for upcoming test. These went OK. Pattern has improved and I'm finally beginning to get the inside to outside changes of edge as good as the outside to inside. I've worked very hard to get a correct pattern and to keep up the speed throughout and to be able to do the CW crossover as well as the CCW one. I've always had trouble with the CW crossovers as they never feel very safe and I'm trying to get a nice rollover of the ankle before lifting off the crossed under foot - and trying to remember to point the toe as well.

Variation dance - managed to do it properly in time and have corrected the pattern to give deeper edges.

Free Dance. Apart from getting mixed up between the short and long versions of this it's going OK despite my son's scathing comments last week.

Had about 10 mins after lesson to practice jumps and spins.
Managed to get the rotation on the loop at last but still can't quite get my free foot back and out in time to allow me to hold the landing. I do feel that I am getting it at last though (never thought I'd manage one; I've been working on it for 18 months now, though not continuosly)

toe scrapes.
sit spin - since I've been trying to get it properly low down it has gone completely to pot. I'll keep trying.

back spin - not good.

On the whole a good day - my skating problems are more off-ice at the moment. :cry:

Had fun this evening editing up an artistic track for my daughter - adding sound effects and voiceovers. Great fun!

[Terri C]

Edge noises:
My spins- they were SOOO good!!! :D I also landed some awesome loops today with killer runout on the landing. On one of them I held the landing position for one revolution!!! :D :D :D

Toe scrapes:
It was EXTREMELY COLD in the rink and outside this afternoon. So cold that if it weren't for the New Year's event in two weeks, I would've skipped today. Plus they are calling for snow tomorrow, and possibly all weekend. Here snow = forced laziness! :evil:

On my program runthrough, the awesome loops I had landed didn't happen. :frus:
And well, it was so cold that I skipped the runthrough of my interp today.

[Michigansk8er]

Edge Noises: Spins were great!

Toe Scrapes: Side hops on toes picks??? Do I look like I have a death wish? This interp program is going to be the end of me for sure.

[jenlyon60]

Edge Noises: A really good Tango 2 lessons in a row (and now I've jinxed it I'm sure)

Toe Scrapes: 1 bad intro-3 to the music and then I wasn't in the right place in part of the 2nd pattern of the Tango.

[pennybeagle]

Toes: Lutz. Coach had me working on trying to get better flow and run-out from the jump. It worked during the lesson, but I haven't been able to keep the jump on my feet since.

Edges: Flying sit worked three times in a row! (Fourth one was a splat, but it's a new record) :)

[Shinn-Reika]

I'm a litte confused on the title. Anyhow.

Edge noieses: I think I'm getting to point where I can land both of my toe jumps. Yay something to work on! Too bad I couldn't work on really cleaning them up. (MLK's birthday was the day of my lesson so the rink was flooded with kids)

Toe Scrapes: I lost my spins. The day before I had them, and now they're gone. Perhaps they will return. In addition, I hurt my left knee so my mohawks/3's took a hit, but they will bounce back.

[Casey]

Edge noises: I noticed today with some pleasure that I'm much better about keeping off the toepick - putting the weight farther back when skating backwards and so on so the chance of the toepick hitting is much lessened.

Toe scrapes: The blisters I got from wearing my skates barefoot are of course in the spots that the skates like to rub, particularly the raw spot on my calf wear the top of the boot hits. I keep a band-aid on it, but it still hurts a lot. I haven't been doing much lately while breaking in the new skates, and it's been kind of depressing. My interest is waning a bit and I find myself having to tell myself to get off my arse to the rink instead of the usual can't-wait-to-go state. A kid at the rink I made friends with has been ignoring me recently too, so it's been a bummer.

[sk8pics]

Edge noises Back on the ice Monday night after being at nationals all week, and I skated pretty well! Even heard that "rip" from my edges a few times. Did a couple of run throughs of each of my programs for the New Year's competition and they both feel pretty comfortable. Didn't do all the jumps in them, but that will come tonight. And another adult skater complimented me again on my spiral position! 8-) My coach called me last night, late :roll: , to say he'd be at the rink today for my lesson, which I definitely need!

Toe Scrapes Now have my customary post-nationals cold. Oh well, hopefully I won't get too sick.

Happy skating,
Pat

[Mrs Redboots]

Toe scrapes: The blisters I got from wearing my skates barefoot are of course in the spots that the skates like to rub, particularly the raw spot on my calf wear the top of the boot hits. Don't use an ordinary band-aid, but get one of those colloid gel dressings - Scholl blister plasters are very good - from the pharmacy. This will help the blisters heal far quicker.

As for me, I had one of the best day's skating I've ever had.

Edge Noises: Spent all my practice with my husband and most of my lesson working on the Willow Waltz. Husband and I only had 20 minutes together - 14 by the time we'd warmed up - and spent almost all of it on the intro-3 turn (Hello, Jen!) followed by the progressive run (yes, we do know that the first step of the dance is the chasse, but we like to do a progressive run into it). We had finally got to the lady's RFO3 when himself had to go, so in my lesson, coach and I just carried on where we'd left off. Depressingly, many of the problems I had with my husband I still had when dancing with my coach, so it's me not Husband (but don't tell him that!!!), but coach showed me what I was doing wrong and helped me fix them, or at least know what to do to fix them. And when I danced the whole dance with him, he at least helped me do the Mohawk properly, which is more than Husband can do!

Then we moved on to "various edges", and this is where things really started to go well. I did the best back inside edges I've ever done - I didn't know I could go so fast backwards! "Don't speed up the tempo," coach said, and made me do another lap to prove it wasn't a fluke, which it wasn't. Then I had to do back progressive runs round the circle, which were okay anti-clockwise but not quite so good clockwise, but finally I got them "good enough" (I can see more of those in my future!). Coach said the judges would know what they were meant to be and not confuse them with chasses if I did them like that (main difference seems to be toe-point). Then I had to do slide chasses round the circle, and then a lap of continuous slide chasses, which were brilliant, even if I do say so myself! Much better than either my coach or I expected me to be able to do them - they were fast, edgy, and really felt great!

After my lesson I was able to do the Fiesta Tango solo on pattern!!!!! and even the Swing Dance solo with only a toe-scrape on the 2nd step of the Mohawk!

Toe scrapes: Back outside edges still weak. Have been told to practice them in any and every shape or form - by themselves, chasses, progressive runs, swing rolls, whatever.....

Step to forward in the Fiesta Tango lets it down every time - I always wide-step. And I am apt to make horrible scraping noises on any step to forwards. The coach says it's because I don't extend properly on that back edge (but you can't in the Fiesta - it's a cross-step!) and get my weight right over my blade before bringing my free foot in. Sigh..... worked on clockwise waltz 3s for a bit, which do help, but not totally....

[sue123]

edge noises: absolutely nothing, since i haven't been able to skate

toe scrapes: i have an awful stomach virus that was thought to be appendicitis, so i had a lovely trip to the ER where it was so crowded, there were gurneys lined up in the hallways with no room to walk through. i was going to skate yesterday, but after waking up and learning some very interesting details about the toilet bowl, i figured me going skating wouldn't be such a good idea.

[jenlyon60]

I definitely cursed my Tango by posting that it had been good. Because today it was not. First the intro-3 sort of disappeared, then I caught my toe-pick on the forward cross-back chasse before the 4-beat LFO, and then my coach and I nearly tangled free legs coming out of the swing mohawk.

BUT... the RFI3 consistently worked. (And now I've cursed it I'm sure....)

Edge Noises: A really good Tango 2 lessons in a row (and now I've jinxed it I'm sure)

Toe Scrapes: 1 bad intro-3 to the music and then I wasn't in the right place in part of the 2nd pattern of the Tango.

[flo]

Edge noises - had a lesson with my primary coach last night to get the program in silver shape. It would help if I could remember it, but...
I did a run through and was a bit early at the ending, and standing there holding my end pose I finally realized I'd left out a jump sequence. 8O
I also had a chance to take my costume parts to a friend of mine who will attach the fabric to the leotard. I really love the colors, and have enjoyed the painting.

Toe pick - it's freezing here and starting to snow. Hopefully it won't be bad tonight as I have private ice and I want to work on the program!

[flo]

It's snowing harder now. :giveup:

[mskater]

Edge noises - It's snowing here (NC) so maybe we'll soon be 'released' from work!:] Am back on the ice after a week of severe back pain and can do all my elements pain-free except for sit spins.

Toe scrapes - It's snowing, so my lesson may be cancelled tomorrow:(

[NoVa Sk8r]

It's snowing harder now. :giveup:Here, too, in DC. And we now have liberal leave. Too bad I can't escape, though. :cry:

[mskater]

Here, too, in DC. And we now have liberal leave. Too bad I can't escape, though. :cry:

Same here, I'm waiting for the "we will be closing at 1pm announcement(((crosses fingers))).

[NoVa Sk8r]

Same here, I'm waiting for the "we will be closing at 1pm announcement(((crosses fingers))).Ours started at noon, but I've got a magazine to produce. Hopefully, the snow will abate soon. Don't want to miss skating tonight!

[LoopLoop]

Our "liberal leave" policy is that we follow what the federal government does; I have a drs appointment in a while and I'm hoping that I don't have to go back to work afterward!

NoVa, call me this afternoon if you won't make it to the rink tonight.

[NoVa Sk8r]

NoVa, call me this afternoon if you won't make it to the rink tonight.Will do. I plan on being at the rink, as the snow is supposed to stop by late this afternoon. I'm hoping it didn't snow as bad where I live in VA as it did here in downtown DC (?)
Perhaps the snow will keep the public away from "our" session tonight? :D

[Debbie S]

It's snowing harder now. :giveup:

Yep, still snowing. Now it's coming down sideways. :?? I'm worried about the snow being forecast for Saturday night, as I have the last class of a four-class winter-term course on Sunday and it's in downtown DC - about an hour drive for me.

Edge noise: Had a lesson last night (sorry I missed you, flo, I left at 7:30) and despite extremely crowded conditions, I was able to get in a run-through and worked a bit on the power 3's and the spirals (for Bronze MIF at New Year's). My coach said my power 3's on my bad side are improving (meaning I can do the turn w/o stumbling and putting my foot down for dear life!). I did a good camel-sit and some good loop-toes during practice, but they weren't as good in the run-through. I'm looking forward to skating tomorrow afternoon on a near-empty FS session at another rink. Except then, I will have no excuses. ;)

Toe scrapes: I've given up on putting the single flip in my program for now. It slows me down too much, plus last night, it seemed that both my feet were glued to the ice when I tried to take off for it.

[flo]

Hi Debbie,
If I can't make it to the rink tonight I'll try to find ice tomorrow - where's the fs session? Need practice now!!!
We're waiting for our pizza delivery.

[Debbie S]

It's at Mt. Pleasant - there are sessions at noon, 1, and 2. They also have one at 5:25 (after hockey), but that may be more crowded, since it's right before BFSC club ice. Of course, crowded at Mt. P is a relative term. ;)

Enjoy your pizza. I tried to heat up some leftover pizza for lunch and burned it - I forgot it was in the oven. :roll: Fortunately, there were no fires.

[Mrs Redboots]

I've just discovered that the photos of our Waltzing Cat routine from the Winter Festival are on-line here (http://www.louvainwoodmass.co.uk/skating/comps/2004/streatham/Hailston-Cup/waltzing-cats/index.htm).

[skatergirlva]

Nova & Loops,

I don't know if you saw the sign at the rink (it was up on Saturday afternoon). The Wednesday night session is now going to be college night. This is just an FYI for you. :) Also, if you do skate tonight, you are free from my munchkins because both of them cancelled their lessons tonight. Happy Skating! :)

[NoVa Sk8r]

Nova & Loops,

I don't know if you saw the sign at the rink (it was up on Saturday afternoon). The Wednesday night session is now going to be college night. This is just an FYI for you. :) Also, if you do skate tonight, you are free from my munchkins because both of them cancelled their lessons tonight. Happy Skating! :)Ugh ... but I thought that wasn't starting till February, or am I confusing that inception point with the new evening freestyles (?)

[kittie067]

edge noises: my lesson went well except for, my salchow, which was because i wasnt holding the edge long enough.

toepicks: my toe picks are almost always in the ice just ask my coach. :roll:

~kittie :)

[Terri C]

To add to the snow reports:
It started to snow here in VB around 3pm, as light flurries, but then switched to a full tilt boogie snow around 3:30- 4ish. It's stopped since then
Of course this was the day that I work until 5 and driving home- well, maybe I need to dig out my old boots and blades- what is usually a 10 minute drive took twice as long.

Me work tomorrow- of course! I work in a hospital on a surgery floor, thus we never close!!! Skating is negotiable, as there is club ice on Friday!

[Shinn-Reika]

I still don't understand the title. oh well

Edge noises: Learned a new jump today, the half loop. That brings the total amount of jumps to 4 now. My instructor says that I learn things well, which makes me feel good.

Toe scrapes: I've pretty much only mastered the waltz, and I couldn't spin if my life depended on it.

[dbny]

I still don't understand the title. oh well

Edge noises = rips, the sound made by the blade in proper contact with the ice during a push.

Toe scrapes = scraping your toe picks

[Thin-Ice]

Edge Noise: I'm skating better this week than I have in months (confidence issues) -- most of what I haven't been able to do since this summer showed up for all my ice sessions this week! :D Even managed to do loop/loops in all three sessions!

Toe Scrape: I had one of the worst falls I've had in YEARS.. while working on footwork -- caught my edge on a BUNNY HOP -- just like the "toe pick" sequence in "The Cutting Edge". I landed VERY hard on BOTH KNEES! :cry:

Edge Noise: I did NOT hit my chin or my head. 8O

Toe Scrape: My knees are cut up, purple and red, and very sore to walk on. I'll have to skate again today to work out the soreness -- even if I can't walk without pain now! :twisted:

[Skate@Delaware]

Edge noises = I started new exercises to help my strength, however it is compounded by lack of stamina/strength (see comments below). BUT-have been working on 'pointing my toe' and 'pushing with the edge' when I skate during public session and had a couple come up to me and ask if I used to compete 8O (I had to tell the truth before they asked for a jump).

Toe scrapes = my stamina sucks-I was sick on Friday and am still soooooo tired and can barely make it one lap around with gasping for breath!!! I also have a nick in my blade (but not on my spinning blade) but my coach said it would take some 'deep grinding' to get it out :cry:

[Mrs Redboots]

Edge Noises: I am just so amazed by how much stamina I now have. My friend, who has been off the ice for three months and is only just venturing back on, and I were having a "play" this morning, so we did, virtually without stopping, a side each of forward outside swing rolls, forward inside swing rolls, forward cross-rolls, back inside edges, back outside edges, forward outside chasses, forward inside chasses, back outside chasses, and forward slide chasses. By the end of that, my friend was winded and gasping for breath - I felt as though I'd just warmed up! :)

Toe Scrapes: Someone put a Tango on, and I tried the Fiesta Tango to music, but funked the Mohawk every time. :cry: And although I was keeping up with my friend when we were doing our BO edges, I still had to concentrate very hard not to go on my toes, and I really didn't have the speed and flow I would have liked. Oh well....

Plus I have a really bad backache - it's muscular, and I suspect caused by a particular strength exercise, which I shall leave off doing for a few days. I bought a balance pad to do some toning on, but right now, just standing or even sitting on it is an adventure! Resistance training is going well, but I only started it yesterday!

[slusher]

photos of our Waltzing Cat routine

Good photos! Mrs. Redboots, you've been slimming!

Edge noises:

I passed the Fiesta Tango test and did not get any of the dreaded "needs improvements". The only written comment was "Tidy Feet". I think I skate like a gallumping horse so I'll take it as a compliment.

Toe scrapes:

The ice was extremely hard as it is about -25 degrees outside, and I realized in warm up that I really should have had my skates sharpened last week before the test and I had put it off. I slid on several edges so felt lucky I didn't fall but peevish because I could have done it better. Lesson learned.

Next up is the Willow waltz. 3-turn AND mohawk. Aaaaaghhhh!!!

[dbny]

Good photos! Mrs. Redboots, you've been slimming!



Mrs. Redboots - I missed your post with the pics; it was so small and at the bottom of the page. You do look quite svelte (don't you love that word?)!

[Mrs Redboots]

Thanks, DBNY & Slusher - I've lost a bit more since then.... but it will be several more weeks until I reach my target weight. Then I shall have to get new boots!

[samba]

Thanks, DBNY & Slusher - I've lost a bit more since then.... but it will be several more weeks until I reach my target weight. Then I shall have to get new boots!
And of course a new wardrobe, you certainly deserve it, well done!!

Cheers
Grace

[Casey]

edge noises: Drove an hour to a rink that was open last night. The rink is a bit smaller than my home rink, but it's noticeably *warm* there (the home rink is always quite cold). I wore the jazz pants I bought for ballet and a black T-shirt, instead of my usual skating garb (nylon sports pants and a turtleneck sweatshirt), which I thought looked rather nice. No winter gloves either...so I actually looked like a true ice skater for once ;-). The ice was also....different. It was less hard I think, and while I used to prefer the harder ice at my home rink, I found it to be a real pleasure to skate on last night. I didn't trust it as much, but what I did skate I was able to skate rather well. I felt graceful *finally for once*, and the 3-turns I tried just came so easy and my body didn't do all it's normal contorting about to make it work...they just flowed smoothly. The clockwise worked as well as counterclockwise, and I found myself doing tons of 3-turns and pivots and turning this way and that and even though I wasn't moving very fast or doing anything exciting, I was having fun.

toe scrapes: stopped and tightened my boots. Came back onto the ice and wasn't expecting the lessened range of motion, did some crossovers around the edge and gained a bit of speed, then caught the right toe-pick and then my other foot that tried to catch me hit the first foot, and I fell directly on my side, scraping my bare arm and hand across the rough ice, and worse slamming my hip bone into the ice (it's really sore now, probably the worst thing I've done on the ice). I skated the rest of the session anyways.

[Melzorina]

did some crossovers around the edge and gained a bit of speed, then caught the right toe-pick and then my other foot that tried to catch me hit the first foot, and I fell directly on my side, scraping my bare arm and hand across the rough ice, and worse slamming my hip bone into the ice

I felt extremely embarrased when I did this on a public session, but it comforts me to know I'm not the only one who does it!

I hope you're okay!

[AstarZ41]

I felt extremely embarrased when I did this on a public session, but it comforts me to know I'm not the only one who does it!

Haven't we all tripped on forward crossover like that at one time or another? :lol: I did that on my first day in new skates...I fell so hard, I had to get off the ice for a while because I got so dizzy.

Btw, I actually have a picture of my most embarassing (so far...) skating moment. We were taking a picture for a local newspaper, everyone in the audience was watching.... TADA (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/astarz41/sk8.jpg)

[Shinn-Reika]

That's a cool photo nonetheless
Edge noises:
Anyway I think I'd like to say something in terms of how my paradigm has changed in the past couple of months.

I've gone from merely trying something I though was interesting, to doubting myself a lot, to becoming and really satisfied with who I am. Right now I I'm really glad I found this sport, and that I'm unlike so many other people that have tried it. So I'd realy just like to thank all of you for being so cool. It's really quite encouraging.

:D (I hardely ever post smiley's)
- Reika

[Thin-Ice]

Hey AstarZ41--

At least you can laugh about it.. and since you were doing a spiral.. you did achieve one thing I would LOVE to do at least once in this lifetime: your leg is WELL above your hip in that spiral! :)

[vesperholly]

Toe scrapes: Failed Novice moves again on Monday. :( One judge had me passing by .4 over and the other two were .4 under. :?? I didn't skate as well as my first test so I'm not surprised, but disappointed in myself for not training the test as much beforehand.

Edge noises: Landed a double sal on one foot with like 1/8 short of rotation in my lesson! My coach kept saying, that was REALLY good, hee hee. Axels much better this week. I've resumed doing weight lifting in the past week and I think it's really helped. Yay!

[Mrs Redboots]

Edge noises:

I passed the Fiesta Tango test and did not get any of the dreaded "needs improvements". The only written comment was "Tidy Feet". I think I skate like a gallumping horse so I'll take it as a compliment.I totally missed this the first time of asking (a bit self-absorbed just now, sorry!). Many congratulations! The Willow isn't just so bad but get your coach to walk you through every edge so you know where you need to be and where your weight needs to be. I find the Mohawk a lot worse than the Fiesta one, as you have to hold each edge for 3 beats - my coach can make that happen, when he dances with me, but my husband can't.

Vesperholly, my commiserations on having to retry your Novice moves.

AstarZ41, I would commiserate, but I'm laughing too hard at that photo to do so.... sorry, but it really is funny!

[Casey]

Toe scrapes: Went back to the home rink tonight after 2 days without skating. The ice felt hard, unyielding...for the first hour or so I was having a bad day, not able to do anything properly or well. Of course I was pushing things a bit more, as I just got my skates finished (waterproofed, siliconed, and blades permanently mounted), but I was really disappointed in myself. Even my crossovers had gone on holiday, and 3-turns had too much Valium. Blehhh...

Edge noises: Then I don't know what happened, I just started pushing a lot harder, and found all my skills returning. I toyed around, and was having fun again. My hip was still sore to the touch, but was feeling pretty much okay since my landing on it on Tuesday (couldn't lay on that side though). I even relearned the waltz jump a bit (though it's rough after a week and a half without doing it).

Toe scrapes: After a bit, I thought I'd have another race around the rink for a few laps, so I set about it, but after a few times around, I put my foot down wrong on a crossover, toepick first. My body pivoted over my feet, and I landed on the exact same bloody hip bone spot as the last time, only this time, it really hurt. I thought the last time really hurt, but this time REALLY hurt. I sat there for a minute and finally limped my way off the ice. Some people came up and asked if I was okay...I said I was, but it must have looked as bad as it felt because usually people don't come up and ask after I leave the rink.

After a few minutes, I went back out on the ice, and resumed skating around the rink at good speed as I was before (not one to give up). But the pain in my hip just kept bothering me and I was worried about losing my balance because of it, so I decided to call it quits for the night, even though there were still another 20 minutes left (not one to quit early). Now I'm at home a couple hours later, and have realized that it certainly was a worse fall...I can barely walk around the house. Blehhh... I'll certainly be taking it easy on the ice for the next week or so. :cry:

[Mrs Redboots]

Rotten luck about the fall, as it might put you off - and this sport, alas, is like riding a bicycle. The faster you go at first, the easier it is. Control comes later.

Take homeopathic arnica tablets (available at your health food shop, or any pharmacy that does homoepathic remedies) and rub arnica cream into the bruise. And rest it for a couple of days.

[dbny]

Toe scrapes: After a bit, I thought I'd have another race around the rink for a few laps, so I set about it, but after a few times around, I put my foot down wrong on a crossover, toepick first. My body pivoted over my feet, and I landed on the exact same bloody hip bone spot as the last time, only this time, it really hurt. :cry:

Ouch! Unfortunately, we've all been there, so you know you do have our complete sympathy.

I suspect you may be catching the toe pick of the under foot, rather than the one you are crossing over. This is the most common cause of toepick! on F crossovers. To resolve this problem, as your under foot leaves the ice, lift the toe up and try to get the outside ankle parallel to the ice. This should really be a push, but initially it's enough just to lift the toe. This under push is hard to describe, so pick a more advanced figurer skater and watch for it.

[russiet]

....and I landed on the exact same bloody hip bone spot as the last time, only this time, it really hurt...

Now that sounds familiar. The purple bruise on MY hip is now about 4" long and 2" wide. I still can't sleep comfortably on that side. It's been 6 days since I hip checked the ice for a second time in two weeks.

My wife has no sympathy...I skated the very next day, so she tells me it can't be all that bad. Hmmmmph. The reality of it is, if I fall on that hip again too soon it will be very painful.

Well...to balance things out, here's my recent edge noise: I am started to be able to snake backwards on one skate. Not well yet, but definetly doing it. I can do it forwards on either foot, edge noises and all.

Now is "snake" anywhere near the correct term? My instructor is from Russia, and while I'm impressed that he is multi-lingual, he doesn't always have accepted western terminology on the tip of his tongue.

[Melzorina]

Edge noises: Exactly.
I can remember the dutch waltz (hurray!) and have aqquired an invisible stick, to help me with my cross rolls. Go me and my invisible stick.
I had a half hour lesson which was really good, I enjoyed it lots. I did edges which have improved significantly since last week.

[nerd_on_ice]

I landed on the exact same bloody hip bone spot as the last time
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, only insert "kneecap" for "hip bone." It stinks to re-injure the same spot but I think it's good to try a skill again as soon as you can after a fall, so you don't psych yourself out.

an invisible stick, to help me with my cross rolls
My cross-rolls need help; can you explain about the invisible stick?

[dbny]

Now that sounds familiar. The purple bruise on MY hip is now about 4" long and 2" wide. I still can't sleep comfortably on that side. It's been 6 days since I hip checked the ice for a second time in two weeks.

My wife has no sympathy...I skated the very next day, so she tells me it can't be all that bad. Hmmmmph. The reality of it is, if I fall on that hip again too soon it will be very painful.

Well...to balance things out, here's my recent edge noise: I am started to be able to snake backwards on one skate. Not well yet, but definetly doing it. I can do it forwards on either foot, edge noises and all.

Now is "snake" anywhere near the correct term? My instructor is from Russia, and while I'm impressed that he is multi-lingual, he doesn't always have accepted western terminology on the tip of his tongue.

You need to get your wife on the ice!

I think you may be talking about power pulls, AKA edge pulls. They are usually harder F than B, so I'm impressed.

[sue123]

toe scrapes: i can't control the spread eagles, they seem to keep going until they feel like stopping. and i lost the timing on the waltz jump, so i'm jumping at weird times. i also have a mental block with the toe push that you do before the 3 turn for a flip jump. it's not even a hard skill, it just seems unnatural when everyone is telling you not to toe push, and then all of a sudden, you have to toe push.

edge noises: my half flip once i get over the toe push part is actually pretty nice. so if i just 3 turn and jump, no problem. it also felt good to skate today, but i went easy on the spins (didn't want to risk anything so soon after a stomach virus)

[AstarZ41]

Edge Noises: First *real* private lesson!! 8-) I also had my FS class today. Waltz jumps felt really good. Ohh, I remember the days I used to *hate* this jump. :giveup: I got some *good* axel attempts! Sit spins were pretty good. I'm told I hold the position for a good length of time, though it doesn't really feel like it ;) My back spin is still there. With my new private coach we went over all my jumps through flip and they were all good!

Tow Scrapes: Camels....ok, coach said I got a few good ones, but I still fall out and lose them way too often. Scratch spins....I'm not sure if they were good or bad. OKay, I guess. Some centered ones, some not so much... Some falls on axels. They're scary... :evil:

[Casey]

Toe scrapes: crowded rink. Fell out of spin attempts a couple times, but landed on my bum so it didn't really hurt.

Edge noises: worked on 1-foot spins. I can sometimes do two revolutions CCW, but usually only one. I can do only one CW, and it isn't as tight (though it feels the same, the tracing is certainly different). Here's a drawing to show my current progress!
http://casey.shobe.info/images/artwork/skating-spins-january2005.png

[Mrs Redboots]

Edge Noises: My stamina! I so don't believe it - all of a sudden I'm doing 4 or more patterns of dances without losing it or begging to be allowed to stop. Okay, so with losing weight - but I thought I'd ruined my wind with all those years of smoking - and it's so very sudden. I thought it was beginning to happen on Thursday, but that might have just been in comparison with a friend who had been off the ice for a couple of months and was therefore unfit... but today, wow! Lap after lap of edges, with very little in the way of a stop, and pattern after pattern of dances!

So, not being one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, to our practice & lesson. Our progressive runs in waltz hold are fine when I go backwards, but we won't talk about what happens when I'm going forwards. Not fun! Our free dance is coming-along-nicely-now, I expect we'll get our test papers in a couple of weeks. I hope so, or we'll have to start bringing it back up to competition standard! Worked on the Swing Dance, too, which is Much Improved! Now if only Husband could get into the right place I could even do that Mohawk properly.....

Toe Scrapes: There's one bit in our free dance that still needs work, where we swirl round to lose speed. Luckily, it's him-not-me, even the coach says that! ;) And my Mohawk in the Swing Dance still doesn't work well at speed, although Husband said I would have bottled it at that speed last year, which is probably true.

I wanted to try a move where I go through his legs, but neither he nor the coach would let me. I don't *think* I'd head-butt him in the Niagaras, but they seemed to think I would. Oh well.....

[Melzorina]

My cross-rolls need help; can you explain about the invisible stick?

Of course!
You see this invisible stick I have, (no pun intended) you can have one too. They are free! It's all to do with imagination.

I'm finding it hard to explain, but I'll get there. Let's see. You hold your invisible stick with two hands, at either end of the stick, so your arms are a fair distance apart. in a \....../ shape. (I've used full stops to keep the distance right.) Look at the "arms" and imagine that they are holding a stick. That's how you should hold your stick.

You must never move the stick, or move your arms. Move your hips only. If you concerntrate on keeping the stick in place, it'll help to improve the appearance of cross rolls also.

Go and grab you're very own invisible stick TODAY! Available in all shops. Prices may vary.

[slusher]

Edge noises: I learned the pattern for the Willow Waltz. I realize that I had been following a junior skater around for weeks trying to pick it up, and she was doing it wrong! It has a lobe of progressives and one of chassee. This girl was doing chasses all the time. What a relief to get it taught to me properly and to find out that the 3 turn is one that I like and that I can do. I'm not discussing the mohawk. It happens, that's sufficient for now.

Toe scrapes:
Back progressives. I see my future and my future involves endless circles of back progressives again and again and again. Oh I can do them, and that would be okay if I was just skating around on a dance session, but not with coach fussy, they have to be perfectly pushfully progressive.

[dbny]

Of course!
You see this invisible stick I have, (no pun intended) you can have one too. They are free! It's all to do with imagination.

I'm finding it hard to explain, but I'll get there. Let's see. You hold your invisible stick with two hands, at either end of the stick, so your arms are a fair distance apart. in a \....../ shape. (I've used full stops to keep the distance right.) Look at the "arms" and imagine that they are holding a stick. That's how you should hold your stick.

You must never move the stick, or move your arms. Move your hips only. If you concerntrate on keeping the stick in place, it'll help to improve the appearance of cross rolls also.

Go and grab you're very own invisible stick TODAY! Available in all shops. Prices may vary.

Excuse me, but I've seen what you call "your stick" and I must tell you that it's not a stick at all, it's my table :lol: The table is belly button height, and keep palms flat on it. I know my table is really there, because whenever I tell my groups to "show me your tables", they all do!

[NCSkater02]

Edge noises: I did some of the best waltz jumps I've ever done. I was at the end of my group lesson and had been working on spins :frus: . I gave up and went to waltz. They were high, covered the ice, and landed soft. Now if I could just do them for my coach, in a competition......Also did a nice toe loop--I wasn't really thinking about it too hard before I tried it.

Toe scrapes: Spins. I despair of ever spinning. My free leg gets stuck about 3/4 of the way around, then I drop my right side. :frus:

[nerd_on_ice]

Okay, Melzorina and dbny, I'm off to the Sticks and Tables Emporium! :lol:

Thanks for the explanation!

[quarkiki2]

Nasty weather, so I was about 15 minutes late for my private lesson on Saturday. But the weather made my coach 14 minutes late, so it was fine. We did a ten minute lesson and promised the other 20 next Saturday.

Worked on forward inside and outside 3-turns and I'm now doing the complete turn, then putting my foot down. Argh! If I wasn't such a chicken... She says my turn is lovely and that I need to ignore my brain because I'm not going to fall because I'm in a great position over my skate, with a correctly bent knee.

Also worked on forward swing rolls. They must have been A-OK because I only did about 3 lobes per side before we switched to forward cross-rolls. I need to keep my skating knee bent through the cross and put my free foot down close to the skating foot, then these will be OK too.

Not bad for ten minutes!

Also had a power skating class with a sub today. Worked on plain stroking, then forward crossovers. CCW are getting so much better that I can't believe it's me on the ice! There's a young woman who has joined the class that used to be competitive as a child and, though she's out of practice, her stoking is quite lovely. And on my good side, I was nearly keeping pace with her (well, maybe not nearly, but I wasn't completely in the dust). I'm getting a much better second push with on this side. CW... well, they are probably where my CCW were three months ago. Which is still far better than they were. I stuggle tremendously with not turning out my left foot as it crosses and, though my first push is nice and smooth, the second one reeks.

I did discover, though, that I can hold the outside edge after a good push for almost an entire hockey circle on both feet and the inside edge for nearly as long on the right foot and for a circle and three-quarters on the left -- YAY ME!!! That's such an improvement that I can't even believe it!

Did consecutive edges FO and FI. Need to work more on knee bend, but I have good rhythm. Sub was nice enough to let this pregnant skater pratice everything forward as I'm goosey about going backwards too fast right now.

Power pulls -- well, I have only started working on these, but I did get down the length of the rink on each foot with only about 3 pushes from my free foot. No power yet, but better balance for sure and I think I'm getting the rhythm of the knee action, even if it isn't strong or deep enough yet.

I still need to work very hard on keeping my shoulders inside the circle, but I am doing better than I was and can recognize now when they scoot out of the circle.

I've decided to drop to alternate status on the Synchro team -- I'll fill in during practices when they need a body for spacing, but I'm not planning to compete in March or April. I think I'll be too pregnant by then, and it will be very obvious to observers. I can just see everyone worrying the entire program about me falling instead of watching the team, LOL!! If I can squeeze into the costume, I may take the warm-up lap like real alternates do, we'll see!

[flo]

Skated for just a bit at club to get home before the heavy snow. We didn't have the usual numbers of people or pros for group lessons (I coordinate them), so instead of two sessions of 3-4 classes, I cobined them into one long session with 4 groups. It was lots of fun, and gave the skaters a chance to be with a different pro and with different skaters. I went with the advace kids, and we spent the entire time on spiral variations - fun!

Toe - I shoveled the walk, and the wind has blow it all back. I should go visit my car and unearth it!

[Mrs Redboots]

Okay, Melzorina and dbny, I'm off to the Sticks and Tables Emporium! :lol: But it's neither - it's a mirror attached to your front, and you mustn't break the mirror!
Toe scrapes:
Back progressives. I see my future and my future involves endless circles of back progressives again and again and again. Oh I can do them, and that would be okay if I was just skating around on a dance session, but not with coach fussy, they have to be perfectly pushfully progressive.You and me both! The worst is the push while you're on the inside edge, my coach really wants me to *push*, and I find that particular push - I've heard it called a "Schaffer push" - very hard. And I have to do it for back cross-rolls, too. Husband and I have been doing back progressive runs in waltz hold round the circle, which is fine as long as I'm going backwards, but not so good the other way.....

One pooh-trap-for-heffalumps you mightn't have found out about the Willow yet is that the first step isn't the back progressive - that's the last step. The first step is the LBO/RBI chasse/LBO - in practice, most people do the run to start the dance, but you need to be aware as it affects the timing of the start, and the ending of the dance - you must do the run before you can stop!

[jazzpants]

Toe Scrapes: GAWD!!! I gotta stop coming in those crowded public sessions and make myself get up early for FS from now on, but I'm too lazy for mornings and besides that I get stir crazy being arond the home in the afternoons...and then I would want to go skating to relive the boredom, since I have AOSS...

cshobe is not the only person with a nasty fall on the hip... I had one this Sat. afternoon trying to dodge a BUNCH of kids (one girl in particular) in a public session. Although she was very apologetic for me (and felt bad enough not to yell at her), I still have a nasty bruise on the hip and it hurts like hell!!! :cry:

Edge noise: Not much to tell... those pesky public session kids didn't help me in doing anything productive... :frus: :giveup:

[sk8pics]

Edge Noises Made it to rink #1 today only to find out that it was closed due to the snow, but that led me to drive over to rink #2 which was open and almost empty! 8-) Called my coach back and he came over there and we had a good lesson. I skated for about 30 minutes before he got there with just me and 2 international dance teams 8O on the ice, which was freshly and beautifully cut! Had a great time, and then when my coach showed up we ran both programs and worked on lots of the little things... if only I could remember to do everything when I'm actually doing the programs! It was wonderful being on such an empty session. Usually I don't skate on dance sessions, but since it was so empty it was fine. There was only one time that one of the teams and I were on a collision course, and we all stopped, so whew! Another time my coach was trying to keep himself between me and one of the teams, but it was bothering me because I couldn't see them at all! Had to stop and tell him not to do that, LOL!

Oh, and the only reason I made it to the rink today was because I bought a snow blower the other night and boy, did I need it! It worked great and took almost no time to clear the driveway and sidewalk, with no sore muscles afterwards!

Happy skating everyone,
Pat

[fadedstardust]

Well...to balance things out, here's my recent edge noise: I am started to be able to snake backwards on one skate. Not well yet, but definetly doing it. I can do it forwards on either foot, edge noises and all.

Now is "snake" anywhere near the correct term? My instructor is from Russia, and while I'm impressed that he is multi-lingual, he doesn't always have accepted western terminology on the tip of his tongue.

What you are doing are called power pulls. It does look like a snake though, I guess. :D

[skatemex]

edge noise: ok my toe loop is very well, the sit spin and sit-back sit are going along ok, I have managed to do all the singe jumps with a loop combination.
And I'm very excited that I'll do my first competition in april.
toe scrapes: Everything is so inconsistent for me, the lutz-loop and flip-loop sometimes seem perfect but others are a complete mess, the camel one day is very well and I can even do camel-sit and the next day I can't do a camel at all, I don't know if this is because I've been skating for only like a year and a half or why , what can you do to get the jumps and spins more consistant??

[Mrs Redboots]

What you are doing are called power pulls. It does look like a snake though, I guess. :DIn the UK they are called "one-footed slaloms", rather boringly. But then, we call a camel spin a "parallel spin" (until your coach wants to write it down and can't remember how to spell "parallel", so he starts calling it a "camel", too!).

My coach calls Russian stroking "Snakies".

[Melzorina]

Excuse me, but I've seen what you call "your stick" and I must tell you that it's not a stick at all, it's my table

...it is a stick, because your table is missing a leg.

[dbny]

...it is a stick, because your table is missing a leg.

Not at all! I'ts just as invisible as your stick :lol:

[russiet]

You need to get your wife on the ice!

I think you may be talking about power pulls, AKA edge pulls. They are usually harder F than B, so I'm impressed.

Well, I've gotten her on the ice...we usually skate as a family each Sunday (or go skiing together). It's a matter of her wanting to go more than once a week. She ends up going to the local health club instead. I won't fault her for that, but I couldn't stand to be going nowhere on an eliptical trainer.

Thanks to you & Fadedstardust for the correct term. Power Pulls it is!

A couple of my skating friends have commented that I do power pulls the hard way (forward). Strange, eh? I think it might be because years ago I used to ski train on one foot. It developed independant leg action, and it too was going forward. So, I think my mind had already accepted it to be easier in that direction!

[Melzorina]

Not at all! I'ts just as invisible as your stick :lol:

My stick being your table leg...

I'll take the other three legs off it and hand them out as STICKS the next time I go skating.

[fadedstardust]

In the UK they are called "one-footed slaloms", rather boringly. But then, we call a camel spin a "parallel spin" (until your coach wants to write it down and can't remember how to spell "parallel", so he starts calling it a "camel", too!).

My coach calls Russian stroking "Snakies".

Don't you call the toe loop a cherry flip, as well? I need to move to the UK just so I can start talking about cherry flips all the time. That's the cutest term in skating EVER.

[dbny]

My stick being your table leg...


Except that your are holding your stick where the closer edge of my table is, and parallel to the ice, as is my tabletop. Are we being silly enough?

[Mrs Redboots]

Don't you call the toe loop a cherry flip, as well? I need to move to the UK just so I can start talking about cherry flips all the time. That's the cutest term in skating EVER.We do, but it's only a single - if you do doubles, or more, it's a "triple toe" just as it is everywhere else.

Mind you, I caught myself writing to a friend yesterday something about "I only have a plain vanilla cherry" and realising what I'd just written.....

[Melzorina]

I refer to Toe loops as cherry flips. They sound very cool if you say "I can do a cherry flip". They are more often called triple toes, but I do find myself calling them triple cherries.

[Melzorina]

Except that your are holding your stick where the closer edge of my table is, and parallel to the ice, as is my tabletop. Are we being silly enough?

Haha, we could carry this on for quite a while.
It's a STICK! :lol:

[jazzpants]

Haha, we could carry this on for quite a while.
It's a STICK! :lol:It's a... a lightening rod! No...WAIT!!! It's a hockey stick with the flag cut off... or maybe it's a.... :P

(Sorry! Couldn't resist...) :lol:

[Melzorina]

It's a... a lightening rod! No...WAIT!!! It's a hockey stick with the flag cut off... or maybe it's a.... :P

(Sorry! Couldn't resist...) :lol:

Lightening rod, I like it!
Or a fishing rod

...or a table leg...

[Casey]

It's the entrails ripped from the dead carcass of the latest victim of your powerful talons as you swooped down from the sky to the unsuspecting prey...

Err wait. We're talking about ice skating? :twisted:

[Mrs Redboots]

I refer to Toe loops as cherry flips. They sound very cool if you say "I can do a cherry flip". They are more often called triple toes, but I do find myself calling them triple cherries.Yes, I heard a skater this morning being told to do a sequence of "Cherry flip, mazurka, double salchow" (I think - can't absolutely remember what the last jump was, might have been a double loop). Anyway, her response to the coach was, "Is that a single cherry or a double cherry?" The coach (not mine) caught my eye, and we both burst out laughing, but mainly at the keeness.....

I told my coach about the sticks/tables/mirrors argument (it's a mirror pinned to your front, what else would it be?), and he thought that was extremely funny! But agreed that the concept was very useful, whatever one thought of it as.

[Melzorina]

It's the entrails ripped from the dead carcass of the latest victim of your powerful talons as you swooped down from the sky to the unsuspecting prey...

Err wait. We're talking about ice skating? :twisted:

I like that...Very detailed. Points to you!
And the gore of it, lovely!

I'll stick with my stick.

[dbny]

In the same vein as the table vs. stick concept, tonight I heard one coach tell a student to imagine that she is a stack of donuts when spinning, and all the donuts have to line up. That cracked me up, because if I imagined a stack of donuts, I would have to go out and buy some! I tell my kids to stand straight up like a tree trunk.

[jazzpants]

In the same vein as the table vs. stick concept, tonight I heard one coach tell a student to imagine that she is a stack of donuts when spinning, and all the donuts have to line up. That cracked me up, because if I imagined a stack of donuts, I would have to go out and buy some! I tell my kids to stand straight up like a tree trunk.I know of a fellow skater who was working on her sit spins. Her coach was telling to imagine balancing a plate of pasta on her head and her arms to keep her head up and her arms pointing straight (dropping the pasta plate.) At a recent competition, she went into a sit spin and realized that she wasn't pointing straight and frantically thought "PASTA!!! PASTA!!!" and saved her sit spin! WHEW!!! :lol: (And wishing she didn't read cshobe's posting right after posting about pasta...) :lol:

We have a skating coach here that always brings "the STICK!!!" (Wooden skinny stick that costs like a quarter. You could get them at a hardware store!) He uses it for training... and DISCIPLINING!!! :twisted: :lol:

[jenlyon60]

I've actually used a hockey stick as a training tool to help with arm control. Very useful tool.

And then there's the "invisible dance partner" since parts of some dances feel much different when in dance hold or properly simulating dance hold, than skating the steps with free arms and shoulders.

[kittie067]

:??
im a little confused. any ways

edge noises: i wish i had these on my right over left crossovers!
i was on the harness for half an hour! (now my rib is brused not to mention knees!)

toepics: my loops are just not working. i dont twist around fast enough

[Casey]

oops, wrong week.