Performance or plop: Jan 31 - Feb 6 [Archive]

NoVa Sk8r

01-31-2005, 10:13 AM

Performance:
-Spins seem to be working fine as of late, and I'm happy to say that the flying camel is working. It's not super strong or anything, but it's under control.
-Changed choreography for pairs program to make the program a little smoother.

Plop:
-Have done 3 runthroughs for my singles program since late October. Ugh and yikes. What's more, I have a new cut of music.
-Pairs lifts are very wonky as of late; loop lift has evaporated. Can't seem to get Loops aloft. :??
-Managed to drop Loops a few times last night. Oops and sorry! :oops:

CanAmSk8ter

01-31-2005, 10:48 AM

Plop: Haven't skated on my own since last Tuesday b/c I've been at Synchro Sectionals.

Performance: My team is going to Nationals!

Terri C

01-31-2005, 06:33 PM

Plop:
Got my skates sharpened this weekend and this was the first time on them with the new sharpening. I couldn't spin- except for backscratch :cry: .
Considering that I'm competing this weekend- uh well, this is a scary situation to be in. Never mind the fact that it was a little difficult negotiating the newly sharpened edges.
Competition jitters are starting to come- hardly slept last night.

Performance:
Jumps in the program runthrough (freeskate) were solid, except for the salchow, which I fell on :?? . A friend observed that I had more height in my salchow than I usually do and maybe that's why.

All in all, we all know what's said about a bad week of practice before competition! ;)

dbny

01-31-2005, 06:57 PM

Plop:
Just about everything. I taught an hour of classes before my freestyle session, with an hour and a half in between, so I was starting tired. Then, I could have been the only person on the ice for the first half hour, but due to complications I can't go into here, I went and hid in the pro shop instead. By the time other skaters had arrived and I began skating, my feet were frozen blocks of ice, and I still was not really warmed up in time for my lesson. My FO threes were pathetic, I had no flow on F power crossovers, crossed the long axis at less than a 90' angle, and was forced to do the five step Mohawk, which I have not even attempted in months.

Performance:
My coach insisted that the five step was not as bad as I thought and that it actually could pass the Adult Bronze level, though not pre-juv. I really do not agree, but was glad to hear that it wasn't as bad as it felt.

sk8pics

01-31-2005, 07:08 PM

All in all, we all know what's said about a bad week of practice before competition! ;)

I certainly hope you're implying things can only get better! ;) Actually, tonight's practice was a cross between Plop and Performance: I can do the entrance into the salchow, do the 3-turn, and sometimes it goes up and sometimes it doesn't, but at least I'm not freaking out and bailing out of it. I did it many, many times tonight so at least I feel better about that.

More Performance: My spiral was again above 90 degrees tonight. My coach had told me yesterday it was above 90 degrees and was about the best spiral he'd ever seen me do 8-), so it was nice that it was still with me today. At least something is, LOL!

And more Plop: my coach can't come with me to the New Year's competition, and not only that, I miss my last two (previously) scheduled lessons with him this week. :cry: Only one more before the competition, and I do have another coach with me on Friday, but I'm not happy about it. It's not a happy feeling when you already feel behind and then you miss some lessons. Oh well, I'm sure it will all work out and I have plenty of friendly faces/folks to help make up for it!

Happy skating,
Pat

jenlyon60

01-31-2005, 08:05 PM

Did a joint lesson with both coaches today, so I could get a non-skating pair of eyes on my Tango.

Amazing how coach #2 can say basically the same thing as coach #1, but in slightly different words, and it sinks in. Coach #1 would probably be much wealthier if he had a nickel for every time he had wanted/suggested the same basic corrections that coach #2 mentioned, only in different words.

Coach #2 did notice some issues in the hold at the beginning of the promenade, where I wasn't 100% in foxtrot hold, concentrated on fixing that and it made the promenade SOOO much easier. Also some minor suggestions on the mohawk and then the same suggestion to be more aware of the hold when skating into the RFI3.

All in all a very good lesson...

but the real performance was my back cross-rolls. They were really rocking and rolling today... ready to graduate them up to the next level with more free leg elevation and better lean.

Wednesday is a whole pattern day, then next week coach #2 gets to pick apart the whole kit and kaboodle.

Blades need sharpening within the next week or so... otherwise, by test time (end of month) they will definitely be too dull for Reston ice.

jazzpants

02-01-2005, 01:20 AM

Performance:

SPEED!!! Someone timed me going around the rink once (this is an NHL size rink and it was 27.15 seconds!!! (Of course, if I didn't do this at a crowded public session, it would have been even faster!!!) MAN!!! I think I'm going to keep going until I get to about 25 second or less consistently. Hopefully by then my secondary coach will noticed!!! :P
Also for fun, cshobe motivated me to try doing a BI hydroblade... ended up on my BUTT, but as it turns out, not too bad on my knee... the eventual wipe out on the ice is minimal at worst, since I'm already so low to the ground. GAWD I wish I had Jay around to show him that, but he was in a lesson... (though he did see the aftermath of my attempts go. He did noticed I was down sitting on the ice!!!) :lol:
Spirals are higher now, thanks to empty sessions and the ability to watch my reflection on the glass!!! :D I can see how high my leg is and it's a slight improvement. Of course, I still need to get up higher to impress secondary coach.
Plop:

I could see that it's gonna be a LOOOOONG way from being able to do a decent camel spin for me! :cry:
Forward power 3's could be faster still, but at least I'm seeing some improvements!!!

Mrs Redboots

02-01-2005, 07:40 AM

Performance: Good practice with husband, we got one or two issues sorted, and I think will hold up. Worked on our free dance a bit - wish we'd get the papers for it soon, or we'll have to start bringing it back up to competitive standard without having tested it, which will not please me. Worked on our pairs spin quite a bit, got the technique right but kept missing each other! And my solo spin is gradually getting better - for me, the secret is to remember to enter the 3-turn on a very deeply bent knee, then it works. Sometimes.

Then he left, and after a break I worked out with another friend, and we did a lot of aerobic skating, working on our Field Moves and some Dance Moves. In most things - especially anything involving turns - she's way better than me, but there are one or two steps I just have the edge (pardon the pun!).

Then stretched in the pros' room afterwards while drinking tea.

Plop: I think we have a fix for the step to forwards in the Fiesta Tango - but only if Husband gets the timing right! It worked beautifully round the hockey circle, and in the first pattern of the dance, but the 2nd pattern, he moved his arms far too soon, and I got most confused!

And there is one step in our Free Dance that he simply doesn't get right, and it's driving me insane. I think he's got it..... by George, he's got it (not!). But I do think it's coming. And there is another step our coach wants us to do which is totally and utterly impossible - my body doesn't *do* that... yet....

Clockwise back progressive runs. Stink. Whether with Husband in waltz hold or solo. Gack.

My fitness trainer friend says I must wait another month before doing my off-ice strength training with ankle weights on. Okay, but the weights are new, so I long to try them..... Hate off-ice work.... can't stretch properly, but she showed me some good stretches with a resistance band.

LoopLoop

02-01-2005, 08:48 AM

FINALLY had a lesson with my singles coach last night for the first time in six weeks. Rearranged a couple of the jumps in my FS program and did an almost-clean runthrough. This weekend I'll settle for almost-clean, as I have yet to do a completely clean runthrough. 8O

starskate6.0

02-01-2005, 09:07 PM

starskate6.0

02-01-2005, 09:16 PM

PLOP: Have not been able to skate for 4 day's..( On the road again :cry: )
PLOP: Last time on the ice, scratch spin :frus: double sal :frus: staminar to finish the flipping number :frus: :frus: .

PERFORMANCE : Look out..New footwork..Im loving it.. ( Thanks to Liz manley) :mrgreen: ( If I can stay on my feet ) :lol:

jazzpants

02-01-2005, 09:36 PM

starskate6.0

02-01-2005, 10:27 PM

Performance: Not much today. Was working on 5 step mohawks, making sure my feet on the FI mohawks are touching (well, more like just close together and tidy is good enough for now...)

Warming up stroking fast... secondary coach is watching...but doesn't say anything. :) (At least now she sees that I'm working hard on my power and speed.) :P

Plop: ME... onto a nice comfy SOFA!!! AHHHHH!!!! :mrgreen:

starskate6.0: Liz Manley is doing your footwork!?!?! 8O OMG!!! :bow:
Yes.. I only wish I was as good on my feet as she is..Learning new stuff every day..

Liz Manley on the freestyle, Elizabeth Hollett on the Interp. Iv learned a lot in the last year. When these girls teach, I listen ;) :mrgreen:

Debbie S

02-01-2005, 10:30 PM

All in all, we all know what's said about a bad week of practice before competition! ;)

Wow, you too? My run-throughs yesterday and today were pathetic. I was slow, and my 5-rev sit spin and reasonably good camel-sit have disappeared. Tonight, my secondary coach and I worked on the loop, which was cheated in my run-through (and about 1 inch off the ice). I'm torn between increasing my practice time for the rest of the week or sticking to my schedule - I want to fix these problems but I don't want to exhaust myself, especially given my marathon class on Friday night (see my post in the Roll Call thread). My primary coach (who is also competing this weekend) tells me skating is all mental and that I'm well-trained on all of my elements.

On a positive note, the lobes in my power 3 pattern are bigger than they were a few weeks ago. The bad news is that I'm waaay too slow to be close to passing level. But since I'm the lowest-level skater moves-wise in the Bronze MIF competition this weekend, I have no expectations as far as that's concerned.

Mrs Redboots

02-02-2005, 06:29 AM

Performance: Fantastic lesson this morning. At my request, we worked on the Prelim Field Moves (I may or may not test these, but as my teacher wants me to work on posture and extension, I'd rather be doing something to work them, than just random exercises). Anyway, of the six exercises, three are already skated to passing standard! How cool is that??? :D :D :D And I am pretty sure I can get a fourth to passing standard by next week, since I just didn't quite know what was wanted, and now I do - not hard, just needs practice. I practically had them by the end of the session.

Plop: The other two exercises! One is back swing rolls, but for free skating they have to be full semi-circles, almost figures-style. I am having awful trouble with my left shoulder, and with stepping down into the re-sit with my feet close enough together on one side. The other is back cross-cuts, which are still a disaster area for me - I can go just over half the length of the rink (an improvement) but run out of "oomph". My teacher is trying to show me how to get a decent under-push on them by having me do them like he teaches the babies - very fast, not worrying about edges, just push, push.... this works, a bit, but I still ended up changing feet on the spot, which made both of us laugh & my teacher cough ("Oh, don't make me laugh!")

Then we worked on back 3s, which I still can't do properly - he made me start them from scratch, but it's the lifting my toes as I turn I find so difficult. He said to think that one's free leg is attached to one's skating leg so both come up together - velcro on one's trousers, anybody? And the baby Mohawk exercise - it wouldn't be so bad if they were open Mohawks, but they aren't, they're inside closed, which I find quite the worst. Yet they're supposed to be easier.....

In practice with Husband we got some good work done - our horrible runs round the circle went well, and our clockwise runs in waltz hold were a lot better today. Free dance coming-along-nicely, but I want to get those papers in before we have to start bringing it back up for competition. Fiesta tango we made the mistake of doing a run-through without warming up the Mohawk, and I bottled out... I probably could have done it, but panicked. So we then warmed up the Mohawk and went through it again, rather more slowly! It's coming.... then his Lordship had to go to work....

NoVa Sk8r

02-02-2005, 08:31 AM

Performance:
Did 6 program runthroughs this morning, 5 back to back. Of course, I didn't include all my elements; I was trying to get a feel for my new music.
And a local judge and a coach gave me some tips/advice on choreography/poses/positions. That was really nice.

Plop:
Fell hard on a flying camel and wrenched my back. I currently have no feeling in my midback. Hey, my first back injury of the year! :roll:
I kinda need a functioning back for the pairs event. Grrr.

Thank goodness I have my chiropractor on speed dial.

flo

02-02-2005, 09:30 AM

Plop - went to practice last night for my lesson. I'm back with primary coach, and am alternating weeks so another skater can get some lessons.
Major ouch. Foot still not happy. Did a couple of run-throughs, and they were rather sad. Going to try again tonight, and then give the tootsies a rest for two days and skate Sat. am before the event. It's a pain (ha ha) because I also walk to work! :frus:

Performance: I asked my coach last night if he felt it was worrth it for me to go to Germany - we think it is, and will decide later if we'll keep this program.
Working on the dress tonight.

Loops, how's your dress?

skatingatty

02-02-2005, 09:44 AM

Nova, sorry to hear about your back pain and hope it is ok by Saturday!

Plop: Hit the back of my right ankle with a metal door while running in to work on Tuesday, scraping up some skin. Another part of the ankle is bruised from my skates. :( Ow, ow. I managed to skate yesterday and today with a big bandaid and a piece of foam cushion to protect the bruised area, but it still hurts.

Performance: Hmm.... well, I'm proud of my thrifty dress, which I got used for about $20 on Ebay and decorated myself with gold crystals!! My coach finally realized how unlikely I was to do a flying camel in the program and that I was always running out of time, so she took out the flying camel and a dreaded back spin in my program. Now I should be able to finish on time- whee!

LoopLoop

02-02-2005, 09:49 AM

Flo, thanks for asking about my dress. It's gorgeous, maybe a bit longer than I'd prefer in the back but I can't wait to skate in it. I'll bring your "sample dresses" on Saturday to give back to you.

Nova: yikes! NOT a good time to blow out your back again. 8O

I finally feel like I'm making progress with my program; I still don't expect a clean program on Saturday but now I feel like I have a chance to skate it respectably at least. And that'll do for now.

flo

02-02-2005, 10:01 AM

Loops - looking forward to your program. I love the music, and had a great time skating to it. I skated to it at Nationals in 2001, actually I think it was my last fs program. I did the quals with one dress, and was not thrilled with the photos, and then borrowed one from a friend (Debbie's coach) while there and skated in that for the finals. It was perfect.

Nova, hope your feeling better soon.

Skatingatty - it's not the dress - it's you in the dress!

Terri C

02-02-2005, 10:27 AM

Performance:
Did 6 program runthroughs this morning, 5 back to back. Of course, I didn't include all my elements; I was trying to get a feel for my new music.
And a local judge and a coach gave me some tips/advice on choreography/poses/positions. That was really nice.

Oh goody, does this mean that I will not need my laces and duct tape?? :D

Spins came back, sort of yesterday. Did a 99% clean runthrough of the free and learned that it's hard to emote programs when you're trying to stay out of lesson's way while running through the interp!

NoVa Sk8r

02-02-2005, 11:14 AM

Oh goody, does this mean that I will not need my laces and duct tape?? :D Uh, no, this was a different program.

And the doc says I should be able to move again by next week. :frus:

NoVa Sk8r

02-02-2005, 11:27 AM

NoVa: yikes! NOT a good time to blow out your back again. 8O No, it's never a good time. I have 4 or 5 doctor's appointments between now and Saturday, so keep those fingers crossed.

Ironically, I told my boss yesterday that I was finally off all drugs/medications and was planning to just 'live thru any pain that may be thrown my way.' HA! Today, I'm on 3 different meds. (My sincerest apologies to my liver.)

skaternum

02-02-2005, 12:02 PM

Ironically, I told my boss yesterday that I was finally off all drugs/medications and was planning to just 'live thru any pain that may be thrown my way.' HA! Today, I'm on 3 different meds. (My sincerest apologies to my liver.)Oh no! 8O Well, I have a few pain killers in mind that we can use this weekend if we have to. :twisted:

NoVa Sk8r

02-02-2005, 12:08 PM

Oh no! 8O Well, I have a few pain killers in mind that we can use this weekend if we have to. :twisted:Oh, well, if we include those, then technically I am on 4 meds! ;)

I should be ready to go on Saturday. Even if I'm in pain, I'm still skating. We might have to adjust a few lifts, but hey, that's life. (Loops, might be best if you bring your crash pads to the comp! 8O )

I know I'll be in good hands concerning the Other Woman. 8-)

LoopLoop

02-02-2005, 12:15 PM

I should be ready to go on Saturday. Even if I'm in pain, I'm still skating. We might have to adjust a few lifts, but hey, that's life. (Loops, might be best if you bring your crash pads to the comp! 8O )

No crash pads for competition! They'll ruin the line of my dress. :lol:

NoVa Sk8r

02-02-2005, 12:21 PM

Well, I'll be competing with a ThermaCare strapped to my back; I hope that's not distracting. Oh, wait, no one watches the guy in pairs, right? ;)

flo

02-02-2005, 12:36 PM

Should be interesting grabbing onto a partner's thermacare!
I'm just hoping we all heal before Saturday!

Mrs Redboots

02-02-2005, 01:25 PM

Should be interesting grabbing onto a partner's thermacare!The mind boggles.... :) :D ;) :halo:

jazzpants

02-03-2005, 01:21 AM

Here are some healing vibes for Steven and flo for this Saturday!!! (((healing vibe)))

Performance: Broke my record again!!! My new record is now 24.70 sec!!! :mrgreen: (1 lap, NHL sized rink.) As for headstart: I'm practically starting from a standstill because at most I get maybe one stroke headstart to the blue box. (I'm starting from one corner and go towards the blue box. Time starts when I get to the blue box and ends when I go around the rink and back at the same blue box again... passing the blue lines at either end of the rink, of course!) It seems to help that they are as many people on the ice too. It was easier for me to keep my mind focus on the job at hand -- going as fast as possible!!!

I also managed to get thru the forward power 3's better today on both sides, though I still hoped for an even faster time. (The record to beat for that is 56 seconds! But I haven't had a chance to time that since the rink is usually so crowded that I could not do the entire forward power 3's pattern w/o having to stop in the middle so I won't crash into anyone...)

Plop:
Secondary coach is watching me closely... Scary.... I hate to find out what she's thinking when I get a job and start taking lessons with her again! 8O

My loops are gone again!!! My flips went along with the loops too!!! :cry:

I've built a callous on the ball of my spinning foot. It hurts like hell now!!! :cry:

Casey

02-03-2005, 03:41 AM

Performance: Managed to hold and stand up out of shoot-the-ducks on either foot - I just have to focus on holding my body weight farther forward as my boots are not as flexible as my old used ones were.

Figured out how to stop on one foot!!! I can do a spiral with my right foot on the ground and centered under me and forward a bit, then turn it suddenly sideways, and come to a standstill before bringing the other foot down. I fail miserably when I try when my left foot, but I can do it reliably and well with the right one, which I'm happy about. Snowplow stops with the left foot are hard for me too, I figure once I get them worked out the one-foot stop will follow.

Plop: I'm having the darndest time with T-Stops...I've been strict about only doing them the right way, on the outside edge, but the stopping foot will move back and forward as I slow instead of staying steady, and sometimes will go too far back and the inside edge will catch. Oh well, they're getting better.

My right foot is starting to slip in 3-turns and spin attempts and other things - I think I need to get the blades sharpened.

sk8pics

02-03-2005, 06:22 AM

Plop My stupid salchow on pathetic ice. :cry: :frus: :frus: My coach says I'll be fine, and I suppose it doesn't much matter in the grand scheme of things whether I actually jump and land the salchow in the New Year's competition, but still it's frustrating. If the ice had been cut it certainly would have been easier, but somehow they seem to think we don't need a cut. Even though there are 20+ skaters on the ice the session before. :frus: :frus: I'm through with that session after this week, I told my coach. Hopefully tonight will be better, but I probably won't get to do any program run throughs since my main coach won't be there and it's just too crowded to do the program without someone blocking. We'll see.

Gee, what a great way to prepare for a competition! :giveup:

Pat

russiet

02-03-2005, 09:00 AM

Plop: I'm having the darndest time with T-Stops...I've been strict about only doing them the right way, on the outside edge, but the stopping foot will move back and forward as I slow instead of staying steady, and sometimes will go too far back and the inside edge will catch. Oh well, they're getting better.

My right foot is starting to slip in 3-turns and spin attempts and other things - I think I need to get the blades sharpened.

Your two comments above seem at odds with each other.

If your blades are getting dull, then sliding the blades sideways for T-stops should be easier. Put more weight on the stopping blade and less on the gliding blade. Practice that now before you get them sharpened, otherwise it will be only more difficult.

I was getting a kick out of sliding the blades great distances yesterday. I started with looooonnnnnng, highspeed T-stops, then got both blades sliding at the same time. I think I was skidding from the red line to the blue line (or so it seemed.) It makes a nice sound.

What did you end up doing for your grind radius? My boot-fitter/skate sharpener/also an instructor Jonathan English (skated for Disney on Ice) says you should go with the biggest radius that will work for you. Given that., I'm still on 5/8" radius (160 pounds, 6'tall). That probably makes the blades a little easier to skid.

Lighter skaters probably want a deeper grind, but until I feel like I need more bite (like when I'm proficient enough to be learning doubles) I'm sticking with 5/8. My instructor (different guy, but also was a Disney on Ice performer) uses 1/2" grind, and he's got all his triples (along with most everything else, it seems to me). That seems to add credence to "less is more". Being able to slide the blades a bit when you want to is a good thing.

flo

02-03-2005, 09:12 AM

plop: skates still hurt to the point I don't want to skate at all. Customs should not be like this. Grr. I may look into Graf boots. Perhaps it's time for a change.

NoVa Sk8r

02-03-2005, 09:26 AM

Here are some healing vibes for Stephen and flo for this Saturday!!! (((healing vibe)))Thanks for the vibes, but send more! Expanding on my "whine list": I also have bronchitis. :cry:

flo

02-03-2005, 09:35 AM

Jazz - thank you! I'm trying to decide if I should withdraw or not. Last night's practice was a bust. In my 15 years of competing I've only withdrawn once - had bad asthma. Grrr.

Anyone with Graf boot experience? I'm thinking perhaps a lighter boot may help.

Nova, have some hot tea and a nap.

LoopLoop

02-03-2005, 09:40 AM

Flo, is there any way you can use your old skates? Or are they too broken-down?

What kind of boots are the new ones, if you don't mind my asking?

flo

02-03-2005, 10:01 AM

Hi Loops,
The old ones would be ok, but the placement of the blades from old to new is very different, so I don't know if I could get use to that in time, though perhaps I'll give it a try. Thanks.

I have custom Harlicks. This is my fourth pair, and I've not had and problems breaking them in, as I have with this pair. I've had them since this summer, and they've been adjusted 4 times since. I also had problems with the blade placement,as it was so different. Now it's acceptable, but still not set great for left bo edges.

I was doing doubles in the old ones, and in these a lutz is wierd.
I've always had the very stiff boots, as with pairs they did take a beating. But now, I wonder if a lighter one would be better.
What are you in?

LoopLoop

02-03-2005, 10:29 AM

I've heard about a lot of people having trouble with customs lately, from multiple manufacturers too. Some of the kids at my rink have Grafs and like them a lot, but when they break down it happens all of a sudden... like within a week the boots go from fine to unskateable.

I'm in SP Teri customs, my second pair, and this time I got Ultima blades instead of the Pattern 99s I had before.

Terri C

02-03-2005, 10:33 AM

Thanks for the vibes, but send more! Expanding on my "whine list": I also have bronchitis. :cry:

Okay, okay, I'll stop being so hard on you! Maybe some green tea (no caffeine, so don't worry) from starbucks would help!!!

NoVa Sk8r

02-03-2005, 10:39 AM

Okay, okay, I'll stop being so hard on you! Maybe some green tea (no caffeine, so don't worry) from starbucks would help!!!Nah, my drink of choice is a chai latte; I've already had three. Caffeine is a good thing. ;)

Mrs Redboots

02-03-2005, 01:14 PM

Of course, he is a man, and men have bronchitis when they cough just once.... at least, my husband does, except that he wants to skate tonight so he is minimising his cold (makes a change - it's usually flu, if not pneumonia). I'm tired, so not going myself - I really do find I need one day in the week to be a total rest-day.

Stephen, take loads of fluids - it doesn't really matter what, just so's it's liquid (Okay, too many beers might be a bad idea), and can flush your germs through you so you don't spread them around this weekend!

Good luck & safe journey to all.

jazzpants

02-03-2005, 01:25 PM

Thanks for the vibes, but send more! Expanding on my "whine list": I also have bronchitis. :cry:AWWWW!!! :cry: Alright! (((NoVa's bronchitis healing vibe))) :P

Other than that, if I were you, I would get thee to a doctor to see if there's something he could do about that bronchitis too! I'd also stay away from the Chai Latte or anything with milk. (The milk in the drink will cause congestion.) Stick with clear fluids (green tea, broth, hot water, you know the drill...) in the mean time.

Debbie S

02-03-2005, 03:56 PM

I'm trying to decide if I should withdraw or not. Last night's practice was a bust.....Anyone with Graf boot experience? I'm thinking perhaps a lighter boot may help.

If it makes you feel any better, my practices lately have been a bust. I hope you feel better soon - whether you skate Saturday or not!

My coach is now in Jacksons (the highest-level ones, I think the model number is 3500?) after being in SP-Teris and custom Klingbeils. She says they are the best skates she's had and raves about the heel support (she skates at Gold). And the heat molding has made it easier to make adjustments - they just get punched out and re-molded. I may look into Jacksons when I am ready for new boots - I'll probably get the 2700s - I think for me, the lighter the boot, the better. I'm currently in SP-Teri Super Teris, which I think are a bit too stiff and heavy for me (they're only just now breaking in and I've had them for a year and a half). I'm also not happy about the way my heel slips in them.

NoVA, I hope you feel better soon!

jenlyon60

02-03-2005, 04:28 PM

I'm in Klingbeils. I bought a pair of low-intermediate Jacksons a couple years ago when I was thinking about trying to do some FS again (before I messed up my right knee...). Wore them about 6 times and they never got past the pain in the arch stage. Wasn't the stiffness of breaking in new boots. It was where their arch was compared to my arch.

They're sitting in my closet with Coronation Ace blades, if anyone wants to try them, I can dig them out and provide the details via PM.... they fit roughly a size 5 1/2 to 6 US ladies foot. Think they have 9 1/4-inch blades on them.

I'll stick to my tried and true Klingbeils (3rd pair and I think they're just about ready to be replaced...)

Terri C

02-03-2005, 06:15 PM

Plop:
Pre competition nerves hit me like a ton of bricks today! I could not spin to save my life. Coach told me to calm down and then at the end of my lesson, asked if it was a certain time of the month- I just finished. Also, walked out of the rink tonight to find snow on the ground and on my car- they were not calling for snow here! :o

Performance:
While I couldn't do my spins alone on lesson, when it was time to do the program, they suddenly showed up! :D
Something to be said for muscle memory and being in the zone!

Terri C

02-03-2005, 06:16 PM

Stephen, take loads of fluids - it doesn't really matter what, just so's it's liquid (Okay, too many beers might be a bad idea), and can flush your germs through you so you don't spread them around this weekend!.

Last time I checked, NoVa was a vodka drinker!! :)

NoVa Sk8r

02-03-2005, 06:19 PM

Last time I checked, NoVa was a vodka drinker!! :)Well, that was many months and many states ago! :P

flo

02-03-2005, 06:23 PM

Hi Debbie - I tried the Jacksons. The were very comfy, but the new design was shorter in the leather on the sides, so didn't fit. I think I'll let my feet heal and check out the grafs. I was thinking of going to the event in Germany, so I want to have things resolved soon!
Thanks

sk8pics

02-03-2005, 07:19 PM

Sympathies to everyone having issues with one thing or another with competitions coming up! And count me in as my salchow is still somewhat AWOL. But my secondary coach worked with me on it today and my programs and he was happy with everything --except the salchow, of course! :roll: The thing that made me feel good was that he was surprised at how fast I was skating. 8-) He hadn't seen me do anything except edges, crossovers, and 3-turns in a while so he was apparently impressed with my spirals. So that makes me feel better!

One more practice and a lesson with my third coach tomorrow morning!

Happy skating,
Pat

starskate6.0

02-03-2005, 08:13 PM

Performance and no Plop ... :mrgreen:
Had a great skate today, completed my whole program today and no falls.
Looking forward to seeing you all... :mrgreen:

NoVa Sk8r

02-03-2005, 09:19 PM

Yes, have a safe trip everyone up/down to my neck of the woods.
Looking forward to seeing everyone and watching y'all skate! :mrgreen:

jenlyon60

02-04-2005, 05:06 AM

and the Weather this year is supposed give a PERFORMANCE and be in the 50s this weekend!!!

(Last year, if anyone remembers, the high was about 15 degrees AND there was a nasty wind.)

Casey

02-04-2005, 07:12 AM

What did you end up doing for your grind radius?
I have 7/16" on the new blades, as I did for the last few weeks on the old ones. I found that I enjoyed 7/16" more than the 1/2" radius I had before. I'm getting my skates sharpened tomorrow, and am going to try out 3/8" or at least 13/32" to see what happens.

Given that., I'm still on 5/8" radius (160 pounds, 6'tall). That probably makes the blades a little easier to skid.
I think it probably depends a lot on skating style. I like to skate pretty aggressively, and I find that I can trust the blade more with the deeper cut - if my blade slips at all I don't like the feeling. I imagine that blunter blades are better for graceful moves if you have the proper control, because they let you move more. In addition, I had to refine my skills to be able to do them on the sharper blades, so I think they enforce better habits. I don't know for sure though - maybe I have it backwards and now I'm letting the blades do too much, but I figure it's good to try different things. In addition, at least for stopping and stuff, it may be more difficult and require more strength with a sharper blade, but I figure this is better because it builds strength (or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment).

Casey

02-04-2005, 07:35 AM

Anyone with Graf boot experience? I'm thinking perhaps a lighter boot may help.
I love my Grafs! They're very comfortable. But I think next time I may try SP Teri...

batikat

02-04-2005, 09:36 AM

PERFORMANCE

Hey I think I landed my first real Loop jump today - as in fully rotated, on one foot and stable on the landing, even if there was no flow out as I had virtually no speed going in to it. One of the older gentlemen who skates on Friday mornings but hasn't been for while (due to problems with balance!) was back today and remembered I'd been trying to get a Loop. His suggestion was to practice controlled back 3's with the free foot up in front to get the feel of the jump position and confidence on the landing edge. I can only think that it worked as it was after this that I landed it! Just hoping it hasnt' gone away by the time I am next on the ice. At least after some dance tests I am doing Monday I will have more time to concentrate on Free skating.

PLOP
Tried a parallel - sit spin. Absolutely hopeless - though I guess if I could do either a proper parallel or a decent sit on it's own it would have helped :!:

Jumps coach had us try 3 jump, half loop with forward landing, then toe-loop and then 3-jump, half loop (backward landing), salchow and finally wanted 3-jump, backward half-loop, salchow, push forward to forward half-loop, toe-loop. My head still hurts just thinking about it!!!

Mrs Redboots

02-04-2005, 01:50 PM

Another suggestion for loops, Batikat, is that exercise from (I think) inter-Bronze Field Moves or Level 4 Dance moves where you do back 3 and then hold the exit edge to do a Mohawk. In the Moves, you have to do them in both directions, but for loop practice....

I went down tonight to the Friday teatime session, which is always very relaxed and un-busy. Lots of children, many of whom have a stretching class afterwards, although some of those weren't there tonight.

Performance: It doesn't seem long since I couldn't do back inside edges at all - now they're practically my favourite move! I'm getting the FI edges more or less how my coach told me he wanted them on Wednesday (and finding where to rebend and push to keep my speed up), and I never did have problems with my forwards cross-rolls or forward outside edges. Did a couple of laps non-stop of Russian stroking, too, and got myself really hot! Must do Jazzpants' trick of timing a lap of forward stroking.... Spins coming along, don't always work but sometimes.

Plop: Back outside edges..... when I look at the tracing, there is still a gap of several inches between the end of one lobe & the start of the next. And they are slow, they don't increase speed, and they are small. As for my back cross-cuts - I still can't fathom out how to do the push. I think the problem is that I rush them, but I can't work out how it works even if I do it really slowly.....

Evening ended badly as a rather vulnerable young woman got her handbag stolen.... there was a gang of young come in for the next session, and I suppose it was a bit visible, and nobody else sitting near where she leaves her stuff. Sigh....

starskate6.0

02-04-2005, 03:09 PM

Yes, have a safe trip everyone up/down to my neck of the woods.
Looking forward to seeing everyone and watching y'all skate! :mrgreen:
NoVa or anyone else...

Does anyone have a schedule for this weekends events 8O
All Iv got is the tentative schedule, Is it still holding true :?:

I got nothing in the mail at all, Any clues would be helpfull :halo:

flo

02-04-2005, 03:12 PM

I have it, and I believe it's posted on the site as well as under the NY thread.
Let me know if you can't find it.
http://users.erols.com/wfsc/docs/2005_Schedule.pdf

starskate6.0

02-04-2005, 03:19 PM

Thanks Flo... :mrgreen:

Hannahclear

02-04-2005, 04:53 PM

I'll summarize the whole week, skated three times for a total of about three hours.

Performance:

1) I'm really starting to get those Power 3s down. I'm more consistently stepping onto the inside edge for the transition and my lobes are relatively constant and have a discernible axis. My coach was helping me use soft knee action on these today and it was very useful. We also made a bit of a breakthrough on the step into the next turn. The counterrotation of the upper body is very useful and if I think to myself "turn your upper body NOT the way your skate is leaning" I am able to do this.

My coach actually SAID that he thought that they were "fine" for Adult Bronze. He used the word "fine". That's a first for me when it comes to Power 3s and test standard. I was happy about that.

2) My progressives are feeling much better and stronger. I am getting alot more power out of them.

3) Jumps have been ok, though I'm not working with a freestyle coach right now. I'm happy just to hold them steady. I'm landing everything through lutz and can do lutz/loop if I decide to bother (which I usually don't). :D

4) Three turns down the line are coming along, even the dreaded insides. They aren't bad, need to be a bit smoother for when I test, but they are decent.

I'm actually getting to the point where I may need to be taught some new test elements to practice. 8O

Plop:

1) While the progressives are better and my crossovers are ok, I do have a tendency to let the skating hip stick out a bit. I did some exercises for this after my lesson today. It's not majorly stuck out but I really want to work on my line. Hard though. I do think I'm ok for prebronze test standard though.

2) Spins. I suck at them. End of story. :twisted:

Overall, I was really happy with my work this week. I had alot of fun, challenged myself, got good workouts from skating and had a good lesson. I finally printed out the test criteria. I think I'm really going to be able to do prebronze MITF and FS without much trouble. And with significant work, I think bronze MITF can really happen. I'm going to hold off on Bronze FS for a bit, because I can't pay two coaches right now, but my goal is to pass Prebronze and Bronze MITF by mid summer.

dbny

02-04-2005, 08:25 PM

Performance:
I actually got to a public session today for my own practice. Having been forced to work on the five step Mohawk again, I found that I'm not nearly so scared of the LFI Mohawk as I used to be, and I actually started to get some flow into the pattern.

While speaking with a returning adult skater about spins (she couldn't remember how to enter except from a wind up and wasn't ready for that), I demo-ed the entry to a one foot spin from a deep FO edge and actually got a few revs - for the first time in months. Maybe my spins will come back, after all.

Plop:
At least one school was out today, and they pretty much flooded the rink after the first half hour. Feet are killing me, and by the end of the session, it was quite clear that my L was pronating badly. I will have to find time to go to Klingbeils again, just don't know how!

jazzpants

02-04-2005, 10:10 PM

Performance: Went to alternate weekend rink to practice. Hardly anyone was there. Just 5 people TOTAL!!! Got LOTS of work done on my Bronze moves w/o worrying about crashing into someone! :mrgreen:

Plop: Forward power 3's still sucks!!! Still not fast enough. I want some Speedy Gonzales pills so I can do them faster!!! :( Also my backward crossovers were crappy and the ice felt weird. (Probably b/c I've been royally spoiled skating at my home rink lately and have not been going to any of the other rinks.)

Am watching a friend's test session very early tomorrow morning too! She's taking her Juv Moves!!! She'll either pass and we'll go out and celebrate at someplace nice... or I'll take her out someplace nice to sulk over her test session! (Hey! Either way, we get good food!!! Sneaky, huh?) :twisted: :mrgreen:

fadedstardust

02-04-2005, 11:39 PM

I have 7/16" on the new blades, as I did for the last few weeks on the old ones. I found that I enjoyed 7/16" more than the 1/2" radius I had before. I'm getting my skates sharpened tomorrow, and am going to try out 3/8" or at least 13/32" to see what happens.

I think it probably depends a lot on skating style. I like to skate pretty aggressively, and I find that I can trust the blade more with the deeper cut - if my blade slips at all I don't like the feeling. I imagine that blunter blades are better for graceful moves if you have the proper control, because they let you move more. In addition, I had to refine my skills to be able to do them on the sharper blades, so I think they enforce better habits. I don't know for sure though - maybe I have it backwards and now I'm letting the blades do too much, but I figure it's good to try different things. In addition, at least for stopping and stuff, it may be more difficult and require more strength with a sharper blade, but I figure this is better because it builds strength (or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment).

Actually, it's the opposite. Bad habits can happen if your blades are sharper than you need, because you become edge dependent. Some people sharpen their blades deeper than they need and that way they can hold onto jump landings they would otherwise skid/fall on with a flatter cut because their weight is not distributed properly. Bad habits occur if your blades are sharper than you need, not the other way around. Meanwhile, I skate on 7/16 and so does everyone I know, so there's certainly nothing wrong with that radius, just wanted to clear that up for you. You wouldn't want to go any sharper. I don't see why any freestyle skaters wear 3/8 or even sharper...the more you weigh, the less sharp you should get your blades because they will automatically grab more as more weigh is put onto them, so if you need a 3/8 to hold your edges, there is something definitely wrong. Some elites I know even skate on 1/2, and they're landing quads.

Hannahclear

02-05-2005, 09:11 AM

Forward power 3's still sucks!!! Still not fast enough. I want some Speedy Gonzales pills so I can do them faster!!!

Now that I'm thinking about testing, just how fast do these have to be? The test standard sheet says "consistent speed". I kind of read that as "we don't expect adults to be all that fast".

I have no idea how fast I am LOL.

mikawendy

02-05-2005, 03:41 PM

Performance--
Got the first hint of loop-loop last Saturday, then really worked on it on Thursday, and I was even able to eke out loop-loop-loop! Now I just have to work on hooking the second loop so that it's always fully rotated--right now that's the erratic bit for the second loop.

I also even tried salchow-loop and that went well for the first few tries, then it got too whirly because I was thinking "loop" while I was doing the salchow.

Also worked on my flip and it's getting better. Now if only I could fix the UGLY UGLY UGLY free leg. It's not really crossed properly in the air.

Plop--
I haven't been working on my camel spin enough lately. Nor my backspin on the side I should be doing it on. 'Nuf said.

flo

02-05-2005, 07:37 PM

Mika, loop-loop? Wow!! It seems like it was not too long ago when you had the first looop!

mikawendy

02-05-2005, 09:57 PM

Mika, loop-loop? Wow!! It seems like it was not too long ago when you had the first looop!

The other day when I was writing in my skating journal, I realized I had worked on the loop for almost a full year before I was able to land it on one foot. When I worked on it once in the harness, it was so unrecognizable that another skater asked me which jump I was working on!!! (And I discovered that I don't like, or at least am distracted by the harness)