Summer Camp: I'm in over My Head!!!

[quarkiki2]

OH MY GOSH!!!!!

Our rink is doing it's first ever adults-only summer camp. After perusing the literature and determining that they would have a group for skaters like myself (just passed Alpha), I signed up.

So I arrived last night, very excited to learn back crossovers, when the head of the Learn-to-Skate program met me in the lobby with several sheets of paper detailing what would be happening during camp. And she said that, since there were only 5 people registered for camp, they put us all into one group. ONE GROUP!! No Beginner Adults (pre-Alpha and Alpha), Intermediate Adults (Beta and Gamma), or Advanced Adults (Delta and Freestyle). ONE GROUP!! Then I looked at the other adults there and I am quite certain that the next lowest skater is a Freestyle 1 or 2.

Talk about panic! I can barely skate backwards and the sheet says we'll be working jumps and spins! They assured me completely that everyone would get individual attention and would work at their own level, but I was still quite nervous.

We started off-ice with some stretching and then we practiced getting into a backspin position and jumping -- almost like a loop off-ice. Well, low and behold, I fully rotated each time! In tennis shoes, of course. But that was unexpected!

Then we get on the ice and the first thing we work are edges. I have never done these before, but I quickly got the hang of forward outside. Forward inside was a little more difficult, but I was able to get them, too. Now they are not deep or pretty yet, but they didn't scrape and my upper body was actually pretty good. Not so good with back outside (again, this is because I can barely stroke backward, LOL!)

Then we did a stroking exercise where the instructor wanted us to move our shoulders in the direction of our skating instead of leaving them straight forward. This was my triumph of the evening! We all skated to the opposite end of the rink and he told us that no one had done it right -- except me! I gave myself a little cheer for that! It must have been important to him, because we did it until everyone understood.

Then we worked on power threes. I have never done a three turn in my life! But I understand what I'm supposed to do for a power 3 now, LOL! I struggled with this quite a bit, so he had me practice them using the boards as a barre. That helped quite a bit -- I could actually do the turn then. I have no idea what edge I'm supposed to be on, LOL! But my tracings did look like the number 3.

We moved on to crossovers and, amazingly, mine seemed pretty OK compared to some of the others -- he wanted us to do them in as small of a circle as possible and the only thing he suggeted to me is that I should be stepping as far inside the circle as I can with both feet, but he gave that note to everyone, then had us do some really deep, curvy slaloms to show how much more stable you are with the lean than without. I think I actually lean pretty far into the circle for a beginner.

Then we devoted the last half hour to choreography and presentation. We improvised to "Time to Say Goodbye" (Sarah Brightman and Andrea Boccelli) and each did our own little minute-minute and a half program. Well, I used my arms and body pretty well -- especially when you consider that my feet know pretty much NOTHING! LOL!! I really enjoyed this -- we're going to learn a little program tonight. The instructor said that hed choreograph so that I (with my limited skills) can do it, too. I can't wait!


So, anyway... I worked really hard last night! I had a terrific time, too! I think the only two things that I didn't really have success with were the backward outside edges and the power 3s. Of course, I think that just trying them was a success. Tonight we're supposed to work on jumps and spins. I have no idea what I'll be doing! Can you jump or spin if you only know how to skate forwards, LOL? Maybe bunny hops or ballet jumps?

Does anyone have any advice about keeping up? Or should I not worry too much and just have fun? I was so excited last night after class that I was giddy!

[SusanaO]

Congratulations!!! It sounds like you held your own pretty well with those advanced skaters. It also sounds like you had a lot of fun. I guess sometimes really challenging yourself is just what you need to move forward. ;)

[Mazurka Girl]

I don't think you should worry about your level compared to the others. It sounds like you are challenged & there is plenty to do & learn. Sometimes you can progress faster this way.

And don't forget, even if you have learned any single rotation jumps, there's always the MAZURKA!! :D

[flo]

Sounds like you are doing really well. As far as the jumping and spinning, the most important part of a jump is the edge going into it. As you see you can do the physical jump. So don't worry about keeping up with the jumpers. Learning the edges as you are doing now is invaluable. Look at this as a great introduction to the jums and spins, and have fun.

[flippet]

Wow, sounds like a fun camp! :) It also sounds like you're keeping up very well. If you could do FO and FI edges so that they actually keep going, and BO as well, all in one day, you're doing quite well. (Now, these can ALWAYS use polishing, but just doing them is wonderful.) Power 3s can be difficult for those who have learned 3-turns, so don't be discouraged about that. If you understand the idea of power threes, and maybe which way your body moves for them, even if you don't have the turn itself down, you'll be doing fine.

As for jumps, if you're past the wobbly stage, you can learn bunny hops and half-flips just fine. Definitely ask to learn the half-flip---if you can do a mohawk, you can do a half-flip, and they're such fun! :) Ballet jumps can be more tricky if you're not secure on your back edges just yet, but you can always try.

Just think about all you're learning! You don't need to keep up with anyone but youself, and it sounds like your instructor is doing a fine job of keeping you challenged, but not overwhelmed.

[JDC1]

Just have fun and ask a lot of questions!!

What are power 3's? Are they like power pulls? I am not sure I've done them but my 3 turns can always use work.

[garyc254]

I took a power stroking class recently and was over my head in short order. So were several of the adults that were out there. I had never done power 3's or power pulls before, nor did I know what they were.

Not that I can do them now, but I did try them and succeeded a few times at them. We had a blast and learned some things along the way.

Stay with the class. You'll have fun and learn some new elements.

Enjoy!!!!!

[Yazmeen]

A power pull is skating on one foot while continually changing from your inside to outside edge--you create a scalloped line down the ice. You use your free foot to assist you in changing the edge. (As TashaKat says "Draw the wave"). I'm just starting them, and they are hard to do, but they are great for developing strength. I think they're fun.

[backspin]

skating camps are lots of fun & it sounds like you're learning a lot! Sometimes it can be good to be "over your head"--you may try things & be a bit more bold in trying to keep up w/ the class! And it's all just a good time anyway.

The most fun I've had at a seminar was at a choreography class, where at one point we were told to interpret some music that had the sound of waves crashing in it. The teacher said, "Think of the ocean! Think how it would feel to be in the water & skate that!" And I can still see so vividly, the guy who slowly slalomed back & forth waving his arms over his head in slow motion saying, "Iiii'mmm Kkkkellllpppp.....Iiii'mmmmm Kkkkkellllppppp...." :lol: :lol: We were just rolling on the ice laughing.

[dbny]

Have Fun! Don't Worry! Be Happy! You're doing great. Wish I could take that class.

Three turns are from one edge to the opposite, so for a FO 3, your back edge will be Inside.

Power 3's are a Preliminary move consisting of a an OF 3-turn, check, then step to BI edge, B xover and step to FO edge to begin again. I was hung up on the step forward forever and finally got it out of the blue. The trick for me was to keep going, and not hold that BI edge right before the step to forward.

If you haven't done 3-turns yet, I don't advise attempting power 3's, but instead you could work on consecutive FO 3's.

[Mrs Redboots]

It sounds to me as though you have done extremely well! You are a prime example of one of the most important Laws of Skating, which my coach reminded me of only a couple of hours ago: you can never work your edges or turns too much! You see, there you were, a rank beginner, with all the more advanced adults, and there they were, forgetting all they had learnt about edges and so on...... Definite cheers for you!http://www.uniquehardware.co.uk/server-smilies/kao/otn/pcheerleader.gif

[lisabelle]

i was in the same situation at a seminar before...i was in the beginner group with just a sal and a toe loop while every other girl in my group had (or almost had) an axel. some even had doubles! needless to say i was waaaay behind, but i think it was really a good thing! i learned soo much that day, but the other girls all complained about it being too easy! so good for you for being able to just go out there and try things. even if you can't do them right now it's a good way to experience whats coming and find new things to practice so that you never get bored. :)

[quarkiki2]

Hey, thanks everyone for responding! I can't say how much I'm learning -- but I am completely exhausted after these sessions -- they're a real workout for my mind and body!

Last night we did lunges (my shining move! My lunges are quite deep and very extended, so I felt like I was showing off a bit, LOL!) One of the other participants said "Oh, my! You will have quite the layback!" I still have some trouble standing up from the lunge, especially when we were to go straight into a spiral.

The we did some toe-pick and blade work to feel the proper placement of turns, spins and jump take-offs. Although I'm not jumping or spinning yet, I can see the benefit for the three three-turns I learned on Monday.

I started learning a waltz jump! Well, right now it's more of a waltz step using the boards as a barre, but I'm very excited about this! Hardest part for me was the runout on the landing -- I'm not very good at backwards glides and especially not on my right foot yet, but I felt more secure each time I tried and was finally able to get the glide a couple of times for about 5-6 feet without using the boards. My hubby is sooo jealous! He wants to do a waltz jump in the worst way!

And we ended with more improvisation. I have to admit that my legs were quite fatigued by this point. I tried to put a lunge into my little program, but wiped out and did the splits instead, LOL! I used that as my ending pose, hee hee! Got many compliments on my "balletic" arms and "gorgeous" hands as well as my musical phrasing (and a "Way to go, Sasha!" with my splits, LOL!). I laugh and say "Watch out for when my feet finally catch up to the rest of my body!"

AND I did not hear once in the session "Stand up straight!" AND only one "Don't look down!"

I have to admit that even though I am waaaay behind everyone else, I feel terrific and confident in what I CAN do, so I'm just having a blast! I think that they are considering another "Choreography and Presentation Clinic" this fall and I'll definitely be there if my schedule allows -- this has been such a tremendous experience so far.

Only three days left! I hope that my legs can make it, LOL!

[icenut84]

Congrats!! :mrgreen: Sounds like you're having a great time! I did a summer thing last year, a group lesson for an hour, then a dance class, then a 3-4 hour practice session, every day for 5 days! It was great. I learnt so much stuff that I'd never even tried before. The camp you're at sounds great! I wish I could do it! :) Have fun :)

[garyc254]

I just wish they offered summer camps like that in the evening for us working stiffs. :(

It's always fun to experience new elements, even if you don't perfect them now. It just adds potential new weapons to your arsenal that will come out when you need them.

Keep having fun!!!!! :D

[jenlyon60]

The rink I skate at the most offered an Adult's program this year, with off-ice activities (dance, Pilates, etc). But they were all held during the day, so I could not attend, since I work 40 minutes drive from the rink (and that's when traffic cooperates).

But... I'm spoiled because I've been skating the first dance session of the day, at 6:20, and usually there's only 3-4 other folk on it. It's going to be rough to go back to late afternoon skating unless I can convince my coach to teach me on the earliest morning sessions (typically 7am during the prime season).

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by garyc254
I just wish they offered summer camps like that in the evening for us working stiffs. :(

Why not find out if other adults at your rink would be interested, and then enquire whether you can have one? Go and talk to the coaches, and see if they have people who would (a) want to go to one and (b) either be prepared to run such a course themselves, or know who would be a good person to invite. We adults don't get this sort of stuff without fighting for it - it won't fall into our laps (alas!).

[quarkiki2]

My camp is in the evenings, but since I work 45 minutes away from the rink I have to book to get there in time for off-ice warm-up.

We started with power pulls. I've never done these before so they looked more like power squiggles, hee hee! Also made my feet cramp like no other for the next 30 minutes. I think this is because I was soooo tired yesterday and my legs were feeling the effect of all the lunges on Tuesday evening.

More stroking side-to-side and not straight forward. I "get" this, so it's super fun. I'm also getting a deeper inside edge before the foot change, so I'm happy to see improvement. Yay!

Then we worked on spins. I did a two foot. Right now I haven't decided which way I want to spin. I generate more speed CW, but there's nothing really wrong with CCW either. As a former dancer, I turned both ways. CW is a bit more comfortable, but it may be easier for me to learn things if I go CCW like everyone else. Anyone have any suggestions? Maybe I'll eventually have a program where I spin both directions -- oooh! Or do a lutz-lutz combo! Exciting!!! Just kidding!

I learned a toe loop last night! Like the waltz jump it's still using the boards and is more of a toe-step than a jump, but I like it and it was fun! Got a comment from a camp-mate about how "pretty" and "graceful" I look when rotating on the pick. "Straight up and down, too!" Maybe there's hope for me yet!

Then we did more choreography. I was so tired that my legs just didn't want to cooperate and there was a particularly rough patch of ice where all of us stumbled, so I nearly fell out of a lunge. I didn't, though, but I did look a little goofy trying to stand up out of it. (Think airplane propeller and you'll get the picture of what my arms did, lol!)

Hubby was there last night to watch. He said that "I skate pretty slowly and don't have good ice coverage!" He was, of course, teasing me for all of the comments I have when watching skating on TV. It is true, but I think that I've come a long way in five months! Plus, he can't do any better himself and he freely admits that. He did, however, praise my musicality and overall performance. He even said that I managed to make a simple dip look pretty because of my arms and back position.

We all got instructions on how to bow. None of us could do it properly, but hubby said it was very cute to see everyone try. He was generally amused by all of us and had a teriffic time watching. My Pre-Alpha instructor watched most of the camp, too. She says I just "float" across the ice. I told her that I was the Sasha Cohen of Eastern Iowa: I mezmerize you with my posture and arm positions so you don't even look at my feet, LOL! (And before anyone jumps all over me for this one, I'm talking the Sasha of two or three years ago -- not the much improved and powerful skater she is today, 'kay?)

[Mazurka Girl]

LOL, good report. Keep having fun. :!:

P.S. If you are a dancer, you should definitely learn a mazurka jump. It is a very pretty jump for skaters with good body line!

[quarkiki2]

What is a mazurka jump?

[Alexa]

I am proud of you for trying so many new things! I really need to get back into lessons again, because I find when I am not taking any classes, I tend to not go to the rink very much. I think it helps me to have someone telling me things to work on in order to progress. So, in the fall I plan to get back into it in full swing.

This summer camp is a great way to stay involved in skating. Good job!

[Mazurka Girl]

quarkiki2, check this out:

Mazurka Jump (http://www.sk8stuff.com/f_recog/recog_sj_mazurka.htm)

It's mostly used now for interesting choreography with different connecting moves. It's a very pretty jump for people who have good body line & stretch in their positions, especially when they point their toes. I learned this jump when I first started skating, & we used to all do it up & down the length of the rink chanting "mazurka" every time we did one because it matched the timing on the jump, LOL. :lol: :lol:

[garyc254]

Originally posted by Alexa
I really need to get back into lessons again, because I find when I am not taking any classes, I tend to not go to the rink very much. I think it helps me to have someone telling me things to work on in order to progress. So, in the fall I plan to get back into it in full swing.


My problem is the opposite during the summer. Almost all of my ice time is for lessons. I'm not getting any "play" time ice.

I can't wait until summer is over and evening public sessions will be more readily available.

[KatieC]

Quarkiki2, in response to your question about spins, why don't you continue to spin in both directions, if they're both comfortable for you? It seems there aren't many people who can do that, so why not learn both at the same time?
I spin both CW and CCW - the CW are the most comfortable, but I have a difficult time doing a 3 turn into them. OTOH, I can do a fabulous 3 turn entry into the CCW spin, but the CCW spin doesn't last as long or feel as comfortable!! I've stopped trying to figure it out and just consider myself unique :) or possibly weird !! My sit spins are CW, and camal spins (all of two revolutions at present) are CCW. Last week, for the very first time, I tried a sit spin going CCW, and the coach told me I was as low and fast on it as the other direction.

Your camp sounds like it's a lot of fun. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

[quarkiki2]

OK. Before y'all think I ditched my reports from Thursday and Friday's camp, I didn't. I post from work and called in sick Friday due to some nasty and unpleasant tummy troubles (bad enough I slept on the bathroom floor Thursday night) and had a copier toner accident on Monday (think quarkiki looking like a coal miner while trying to dust the entire office).

So ... we continued work on the same stuff Thursday and Friday. I was a little punk on Friday due to my illness, so I took it easy. I learned a sit-spin onThursday -- at least a beginning one on two feet. Landed a fully rotated toe-loop off ice, too! Learned a mowhawk entry to a waltz jump (waltz step for me). More power pulls forward and backwards.

My favorite quote: "Your arms are very good. Need more skating." Also heard "You are afraid of your outside edges."

So, all in all I had a terrific time and learned a ton of stuff to practice. The camp really concentrated on presenting elements. I'll be enrolling in a Beta class with dear hubby for the fall, but will practice my outside edges and three turns a lot, too. And believe me -- I can really use the time on my backward skating.

My classmates were trying to get me to go for private lessons this fall instead of learn to skate, but I know how tight my schedule is going to be and I don't think I'll have as much time to practice this session as I did last session. Although I think I'd learn faster in private lessons, I don't want to waste a coach's time because I couldn't get on the ice since my last lesson. Plus, I like taking class with my hubby! He's fun!

[flippet]

Sounds great!

Don't worry about taking privates right now, especially with your situation. All I've ever taken are group lessons, partially because of time, partially because of money, and partially because I really liked hanging out with the other adults in my class, helping them along and 'translating' for them, etc. Sure, I could have gotten a bit farther with private lessons (and when I start up again, that's what I'll do), but sometimes it's not just about the skating, y'know?

[Black Sheep]

If anyone cares, I spent the week of August 4-10, 2002, training at the World Arena Ice Hall in Colorado Springs, CO, where the Broadmoor FSC skaters train. I don't know exactly what possessed my coach to take me and a bunch of other students there to train, but it was a fantabulous high-altitude training experience! I really picked up a lot of great pointers from the coaches there (e.g., Diana Ronayne, Damon Allen) which I know will get me far this upcoming skating season. ;)

We were lucky enough to see AP McDonough and Apolo Ohno skating there, too. I also got to do some fun stuff outside of skating, such as visiting the Figure Skating Hall of Fame Museum @ USFSA headquarters, and horseback riding through the Garden of the Gods! :D