Dallas AN reports

[flo]

I thought we could have a thread for AN reports and such.

We're here! It's great to see so many familiar faces. Rob and I have been together almost 3 months, and it has flown by, and here we are.

[PattyP]

I'm here too!

Had 2 practices today and both went well. The 2nd was better than the first.

One of the 2 rinks has hardly any seating area which is going to make it tough for spectators. I'm glad I'm not competing in that rink. I do better with an audience.

I've seen a lot of familiar faces too! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone skate. Hopefully the schedules wont change too much for the rest of the event!

[Mrs Redboots]

Oh, how I wish I were there..... was so spoilt last year, seeing you all, seeing so much of it! Have a wonderful, wonderful time. Flo, I'm longing to see your and Rob's routine at the Mountain Cup! Patty - I did love your last year's Interp!

[LoopLoop]

Have fun everybody, and good skating!

[mskater]

I'm here too!

Had 2 practices today and both went well. The 2nd was better than the first.

One of the 2 rinks has hardly any seating area which is going to make it tough for spectators. I'm glad I'm not competing in that rink. I do better with an audience.


Hi Patty, I'm getting into Dallas tomorrow around lunchtime - how easy/hard has it been to get on practice ice?

Happy Skating!

[PattyP]

Hi Patty, I'm getting into Dallas tomorrow around lunchtime - how easy/hard has it been to get on practice ice?

Happy Skating!

I had my practice ice already reserved. However, the practice ice line was very short and most of the sessions yesterday were not full. I don't think it will be a problem.

[Debbie S]

First set of results are up!
http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=28954

Hooray for Dani, Stormy, skatingatty, and Mel on Ice (I hope I didn't miss anyone)! Good luck to all! You guys rock!

And a friend of mine qualified for finals in Bronze III, in her first year at AN - woohoo!

[doubletoe]

I'm here too!

Had 2 practices today and both went well. The 2nd was better than the first.

One of the 2 rinks has hardly any seating area which is going to make it tough for spectators. I'm glad I'm not competing in that rink. I do better with an audience.

I've seen a lot of familiar faces too! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone skate. Hopefully the schedules wont change too much for the rest of the event!

Hey Patty, when are you skating! I need to send magic axel vibes your way (since I'm not using them anyway, :D )

[skatingatty]

Hey Debbie, thanks! I'm having a blast at my 1st adult natls. The ice is quite cold and hard, but it was smooth. The outlet mall connected to the rink is great with so many good stores. I've already bought some expensive hard-to-find Graham Webb conditioner and a baby sweater on sale at Off 5th for a friend. The Spring Hill Suites is great and very new-looking and modern. Gotta watch gold ladies!

[mskater]

Congratulations skatingatty! I am so glad to hear you are having a good time there, you are getting me excited:] Glad to hear the mall is good and the hotel is nice - I hope I can find my way there from the airport(((crosses fingers)))

- Back to packing -

[Casey]

Hey it looks like the 1st placers for masters pairs are from here - I've probably seen them at some point, but I have no idea who they are! Sheesh I guess I shouldn't be so antisocial... :P

[rlichtefeld]

The Masters Pairs team from Seattle was great. Actually all 3 teams did a great job. We had practice is with two of them yesterday.

Our practice went OK today. We were at the other rink - Valley Ranch. We found a creative way of getting there.

Hopefully, we can pull it all together for our 12:25 pm skate. Especially since we were rechoreographing this afternoon!

I've got my fingers and toes crossed. (Bunions do help with this!)

Rob

[Stormy]

I'm actually back home already...gotta get back to work tomorrow. Skatingatty had a GREAT skate and looked gorgeous. The ice is definitely hard! It's the kid of ice you feel like you're skating on TOP of, instead of being able to get into it. I am so bummed I had to leave. The whole experience, although short, was amazing. The atmosphere in the rink was so full of energy. I was able to catch up with skating friends who I hadn't seen in a while. The whole group of Silver I ladies chatted it up with each other while waiting to get on the ice. I know it took my mind off skating for a bit....what an awesome group we had! GOOD LUCK and skate great to y'all who are still there.

[Joan]

My bronze IV skate was yesterday and "splat' sums it up! My warm up went really well and I felt relaxed. I was first in the skating order and as soon as the music started, the nerves kicked in. I did the loop loop and lutz, which I was most worried about, but right after the lutz, I realized I was behind in the music and apparently stiffened up upon trying to enter my sit spin. Splat! Everyone started cheering, in an encouraging way. It was really great. I got up and thought, "I've got to do a sit spin". So with no entry, I try to go into a sit spin and went down again, this time a full body sprawl on the ice, belly down. More cheering - so I laughed it off and got up and finished my program. I got in the spirals, which were shaky considering my recent mishaps, and then a flip. The music was almost over, so I did my second planned spin, and then I redid the sit spin, thinking I needed to get two spins in there. I left out 4 planned jumps and completed only 4 jumps. So I came in 8th (of 8), but was heartened to see that three judges placed me above 8th. I'm disappointed, of course, that I didn't put my best out there, but I really really appreciated the audience. They were great!

I don't know who any of you are - so if you saw the Bronze ladies IV group A yesterday, introduce yourselves to me!

I still have interpretive on Friday and it is a fun program to do. I think nerves will be less of a problem for it :roll:

Joan

[Debbie S]

Sorry to hear your skate didn't go as well as you planned, Joan, but remember that just qualifying for AN is a huge accomplishment (at least, from where this Bronze moves-challenged skater sits), no matter where you finish. Be proud of yourself for getting out there and coming back with the sit spin at the end. Enjoy your Interp!

[dani]

Hi everyone! It has been great seeing friends like Sexxy Skater and Flutzilla and IcT and Flo and Stormy and NovaSkater and ... well the list goes on!

I had a decent skate except I flubbed my camel after leaving a great one on the warmup - oh well, I was JGE (Just Good Enough) so I get to skate another day! Yeah!

I am quite sad that a lot of my friends aren't here! :-( It doesn't seem right without JenSkates, Skaternum, and Becca G!

Dani

ps) Thanks Mel and Wendy!

[CatSk8]

I have been very delighted that they are posting results on the USFS as they go. However a couple of the Gold results are hiccuping - if you click on Gold Ladies 4&5 for example, you get sent back to the USFS home page! eek.

Can't wait to see the actual results! :D

[skaternum]

I had a decent skate except I flubbed my camel after leaving a great one on the warmup - oh well, I was JGE (Just Good Enough) so I get to skate another day! Yeah!Yay for you! That darned camel again? I feel your pain. Remember LP in 2004? A camel was nowhere to be found when I needed one.

I am quite sad that a lot of my friends aren't here! :-( It doesn't seem right without JenSkates, Skaternum, and Becca G!Thanks. It doesn't seem right to me either. :) I'm shooting for 2008. See you there in Silver, eh?

[Mrs Redboots]

I have been very delighted that they are posting results on the USFS as they go. However a couple of the Gold results are hiccuping - if you click on Gold Ladies 4&5 for example, you get sent back to the USFS home page! eek.

Can't wait to see the actual results! :DCould you put the link up to the results page, please?

[JulieN]

I have been very delighted that they are posting results on the USFS as they go. However a couple of the Gold results are hiccuping - if you click on Gold Ladies 4&5 for example, you get sent back to the USFS home page! eek.

Can't wait to see the actual results! :D

Actually, the pages are there. Whoever is doing the pages just isn't aware that "&" is not URL friendly... just replace the "&" with "%26" (the hex equivalent of &)

For example, for Gold 1&2, the result page is:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultgoldladies-groups1%262.htm

or spelled out:

"www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultgoldladies-groups1%262.htm"

ETA: I've e-mailed Laura Fawcett about the problem. Hopefully the links on the webpage will be fixed soon.

[Debbie S]

Wow - crazy ordinals in Gold 1/2! Good job, climbsk8 and icecatepairs! Good luck in Champ Gold tomorrow, icecate!

Congrats to sexyskates (and good luck Friday)! And mdvask8r got some pretty good ordinals. Good luck in Interp, guys!

Hey Joan, one of the qualifiers in your group - Wendy Bauer - is an astro professor at my college. She and I were on a student-faculty committee together for a year - I wonder if she'd remember me. I'm not sure if she skated then, but I know she's done AN for at least 3 or 4 years now. Hopefully, she'll keep going so that when I (finally) get to AN, I can re-introduce myself!

Edited to add a congrats to PattyP and coskater64!

[CatSk8]

Could you put the link up to the results page, please?
Here ya go:
http://www.usfsa.org/event_details.asp?id=28954

[CatSk8]

Actually, the pages are there. Whoever is doing the pages just isn't aware that "&" is not URL friendly... just replace the "&" with "%26" (the hex equivalent of &)

For example, for Gold 1&2, the result page is:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultgoldladies-groups1%262.htm

or spelled out:

"www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultgoldladies-groups1%262.htm"

ETA: I've e-mailed Laura Fawcett about the problem. Hopefully the links on the webpage will be fixed soon.
THANKS, Julie!!! It worked. I got to see the results pages !! :bow:

[jensk8s]

I had a decent skate except I flubbed my camel after leaving a great one on the warmup - oh well, I was JGE (Just Good Enough) so I get to skate another day! Yeah!

I am quite sad that a lot of my friends aren't here! :-( It doesn't seem right without JenSkates, Skaternum, and Becca G!

Dani

ps) Thanks Mel and Wendy!

I'm missing all of you, too! Congratulations Dani on the great skate! Thinking of everyone in Dallas!

[sk8er1964]

Hey Joan, one of the qualifiers in your group - Wendy Bauer - is an astro professor at my college. She and I were on a student-faculty committee together for a year - I wonder if she'd remember me. I'm not sure if she skated then, but I know she's done AN for at least 3 or 4 years now. Hopefully, she'll keep going so that when I (finally) get to AN, I can re-introduce myself!

She knits sweaters for little stuffed bears that she throws on the ice. :bow: They're pretty neat - I got one from her last year. People throw her skeins of yarn instead of animals so she'll have supplies for the next year! I mailed my skein to a friend to throw to her, since I wouldn't be there this year.

[Beccapoo2003]

Thanks dani! I really miss everyone, too. Congrats to all you guys !! What a great group!!! :)
( so waddyall havin' in place of a nip 8O )
I promise next year to bring extras!
Thanks so much for all the updates.....:P
big skating hugs,
Becca

[TimDavidSkate]

Any word on Silver Men? :halo:

[mantysk8er]

I skated against the Bronze I winner at a competition last weekend. I knew she'd do well at Nationals, she was excellent. Actually everyone in the group except me was going to Dallas (two others). :(

Oh well, I'll be there next year!

[skatingatty]

http://www.asianathlete.com/DaScoopsFormDisplay.aspx?ID=2791

I only had time to type up notes on Masters Novice Men 3&4 and Gold Men 2. I have more notes on several other events, but unfortunately missed most of championship ladies gold b/c I was eating dinner in the mall. The winner of men's silver I was Jason Gomez, with killer spins and big easy axels. Well, one of my roommates is asleep and I'm craning over her little laptop, so that's enough from me for now! I have to say again, this outlet mall is EXCELLENT and Springhill Suites rocks!! Oh yeah, the skating's great too.... :)

[flo]

Back home now at 1am. We actually made it to Nationals. We finished the choreography this am. More later, now sick - ick. Must have been all that Texas fresh air.
Congrats all around.

[Mrs Redboots]

ETA: I've e-mailed Laura Fawcett about the problem. Hopefully the links on the webpage will be fixed soon.They have been! Thank you for pointing it out to the PTB.

ETA Thanks Casey, too, for the link.

And Becca - wot, no competitions a-tall this year? We shall definitely miss your nips at the Mountain Cup - better fill my hip flask before I go, and take a refill!!!! But we'll miss you more!

[Beccapoo2003]

They have been! Thank you for pointing it out to the PTB.

ETA Thanks Casey, too, for the link.

And Becca - wot, no competitions a-tall this year? We shall definitely miss your nips at the Mountain Cup - better fill my hip flask before I go, and take a refill!!!! But we'll miss you more!


Thanks Annabell, you're a love!!!
Hopefully, we'll be back up and running by next year.
Also, thanks Casey, too.
Becca

[Debbie S]

More later, now sick - ick. Must have been all that Texas fresh air.Oh no, flo, I'm sorry that you're sick. You and Rob did great for your first AN together - and after only being together for 3 months - wow!

Congrats to lovepairs and her partner on their finish in Gold Pairs! You guys rock! And congrats to FrankR and NoVa!

I don't see results for Champ Gold Ladies yet - icecatepairs, I hope you did great!

Good luck to all those who are skating in final rounds (and Interps) today!

[flo]

Thanks Debbie. It was an ambitious quest and a bit crazy- andwe did it. Rob was great and really skated up to gold! It was great to see old friends and a couple still competing in all the AN's!

[jazzpants]

Championship Adult Gold Ladies:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/championshipgoldladies-final.htm

Championship Dance Final Standings:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/champdance-second.htm

Championship Adult Gold Men is tonight!!! Can't wait! I'm cheering on... oh, just about everyone, but particularly Nick Chou and my local guy, Gary!!!

flo and Rob: you two did a great job being that you're a new pair AND you're skating up to Gold Pair this year!!! And congrats to you, lovepairs and partner on your Gold Pairs finish and NoVa and FrankR in Silver Men I and II. 8-)

[flo]

Thanks! Nova had agreat skate, and the fog on the ice was a nice touch!

[Terri C]

Okay, time for my shout outs!
Great job to Rob and Flo for putting together a pairs program despite time and distance!
NoVa- I know it may be strange to be at a competition without doing pairs (w/ exception of CRC and club competition ) and you don't have your usual gang. But I'm sure you put your heart into your program as you always do! Here's to May Day!

FrankR- From your posts, you work very hard on the ice and winning the silver shows!

icecatepairs: You did both of your events (Interp and Champ Gold) with a VERY short amount of time between events. You get the Haul A@# award!

sexyskates: While your Interp and freeskate events are not up yet... congrats for making final in Silver Ladies IV.

More shout outs to come!

[jazzpants]

And Mel On Ice looks MARVELOUS here (http://www.usfsa.org/content/events/200506/usadultchamps/action/garland.jpg) on the USFSA website (http://www.usfsa.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/backstagepics2.htm)!!! :mrgreen:

[Debbie S]

And Mel On Ice looks MARVELOUS here (http://www.usfsa.org/content/events/200506/usadultchamps/action/garland.jpg) on the USFSA website (http://www.usfsa.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/backstagepics2.htm)!!! :mrgreen:Yeah, Mel! The dance team in the pic just below Mel skates on some of the same FS sessions I do.


Yeah, where are the results for today? I've noticed that results seem to be taking a lot longer to post on the USFSA website than last year, and at this point in the week last year, there were definitely more than 2 pages of pics. Maybe everyone on the USFSA web team is worn out from Worlds? Hmmm, well, next year AN will be in mid-April again, so maybe they'll all be more refreshed.

Meanwhile, if anyone who saw Bronze Ladies III today is reading this, please post reports/recollections/anything! :)

[vesperholly]

Videos are starting to appear online, although some of the links appear to be wrong (Silver Ladies I leads me to Bronze Ladies I):

http://www.mediazone.com/channel/figureskating/jsp/events.jsp?eid=619#

[lovepairs]

Debbie S. and Jazz,

Thank you so much! We really had a wonderful time, and to top it off, we've been invited to skate in the exhibition tonight! Cherry on top!

A big Congrats to Judy Sargent and Paul Mata!!! OHMYGOD--their Star Lift was sensational--best lift in the entire competition! That is a really really hard lift to do even off-ice, but to put it out on the ice = OHMYGOD!!! They rocked down the house! :bow:

Lovepairs

[sk8pics]

Yeah, where are the results for today? I've noticed that results seem to be taking a lot longer to post on the USFSA website than last year, and at this point in the week last year, there were definitely more than 2 pages of pics.

They had to change the time for some of the interpretive events due to scheduling conflicts, so maybe that is part of the delay in posting some of the results. Also, don't forget about the time difference between Dallas and the east coast, because that will make it seem longer to us.

Congrats to everyone!

[NoVa Sk8r]

NoVa- I know it may be strange to be at a competition without doing pairs (w/ exception of CRC and club competition ) and you don't have your usual gang. But I'm sure you put your heart into your program as you always do! Here's to May Day!
It was very heartbreaking not to do pairs this year, but I enjoyed watching the bronze, silver, and gold pair teams. Lots of strong programs.

[skatingatty]

Okey dokey, I got the website working again, so here are a couple more reports on Masters Novice 1&2 ladies and last night's championship gold men. I want to enjoy some more shopping at the mall before the championship masters' events, so I gotta go. Just wanted to add that "flo" and Rob looked wonderful doing pairs and had a great death spiral. I missed most of the pairs event :( b/c silver mens (?) was going on at the same time at the other rink. NoVa did great too!

http://asianathlete.com/DaScoopsFormDisplay.aspx?ID=2792

and
http://asianathlete.com/DaScoopsFormDisplay.aspx?ID=2798

[Terri C]

More results are up:

CONGRATULATIONS INSIDEAXEL !!!!

[flo]

Thanks! Congrats Kelton and also a big one to Dani,Gatty and Dasies!
Congrats to all the dancers who were great in spite of alll the sound system probs!

[TimDavidSkate]

I am extremely impressed at the Silver Men 1 & 2 competition.

Jeremy Balcom - has improved year after year with his artistry/flexibility and flow on the ice. Good job! Im also very suprised that you didnt skate to a Kwan program this season.

Stephen Traska - Im sure you were feeling the pressure of defending the title. Very well done on your performance. Im sure you are learning on how to control them nerves little by little.

Jason Gomez - new kid on the block. EXCELLENT SKATE!!! You have really done your homework. Excellent spins/jumps and in-betweens. I am quite motivated to improve myself after watching you skate. I wish I will get to skate against you in Halloween and other future competitions.

Frank Romero - You continue to grow as well year after year, congrats on the silver medal :-)


+ I wish to see you guys next year at competitions :-) +

[Debbie S]

Congratulations, InsideAxel!!! Well done!!:bow:

Congrats also to skatingatty (they do give pewter medals at AN, right?)!!! That was a strong group of Silver ladies!

Another congrats to sexyskates for her medal in Interp! (I hope I didn't miss anyone)

Now let's see how long it takes them to post today's events.....

[Usova Notoku]

CONGRATULATIONS KELTON!!!!!

An amazing performance by an amazing skater!!!! Who would have thought that the Gold Men's event would now be dominated by former child roller skaters??? Kelton your performance was EXCELLENT!!! You have really dominated every Gold competition you have ever entered. With this nationals win, you should be soooo proud of all the hard work you have put into your skating.

All I have to say is that with that jump arsenal, those Championship Masters men better watch out next year, because you will definately be on that podium as well!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN!!!!

[Stormy]

Vesperholly, when the Silver I link is working on the FS Channel, let me know? Not that I'm so excited to see myself skate, but I guess I should. :)

[jazzpants]

WOO HOO!!! INSIDEAXEL!!!! CHAMPIONSHIP ADULT GOLD MEN CHAMPION!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

And congrats to Nick Chou on his Silver at the same event too!!!

Congrats to skatingatty for Silver II Final and Thin-Ice for making the final round in Silver IV!!! WOO HOO!!! :bow:

God so many people to congratulate, so if I didn't get you, you are in my thoughts!!!

[TreSk8sAZ]

Hey everyone -- Just got back from Dallas. What an experience!!! My first Nationals was amazing. Besides a silver medal (Bronze I) the skating and atmosphere was great! The Gold and Pre-Gold (and Championship) dancers blew me away... if I can only find a partner! Congrats to kisscid, skatingatty, insideaxel, and everyone else on great skates!

[InsideAxel]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the kind words and congratulations! I feel very fortunate to have skated well when it counted, especially with such great talent in the Gold Mens group.

Usova Notoku, I've actually fielded ALOT of inquiries this weekend as to my "next step" in competitive skating. Right now the plan is to concentrate on getting our fledgling pairs endeavor off to a good start. What that means for the singles skating is anybody's guess, but I sincerely doubt I'll have the time to pursue my Intermediate MIF/Free tests, which would really further complicate our pairs test-level situation. And thanks for the enthusiastic review...did I get a chance to meet you in Dallas?

All in all this was a nice experience, with having a nice performance and getting the opportunity to reunite with old friends, put some faces with some online names and meet lots of new people in the community.

C'ya!

Kelton

[lovepairs]

A big congrats to you, Kelton, on a great skate! Let us know who you are skating pairs with: www.adultpairskating.com

It was a record breaking 22 pair teams at this year's AN!

Lovepairs

PS. For all of you who left AN early to go home...well, you didn't miss a thing...no food at the party...can you believe this! :giveup:

JUST POPCORN: I'M STARVIN A DEATH OVER HERE!

[lovepairs]

Even Sweedish Meatballs would have been good:frus: :frus: In sync, yet!

[jazzpants]

PS. For all of you who left AN early to go home...well, you didn't miss a thing...no food at the party...can you believe this! :giveup:
JUST POPCORN: I'M STARVIN A DEATH OVER HERE!No FOOD at an AN competitor's party!?!?!? 8O You've got to be kiddin'!?!!?! 8O

You goes on this board that are on the Chicago LOC taking notes??? "MUST have food at AN competitor's party!!!" :P :lol:

[TimDavidSkate]

MUSICSKATEFAN congrats on your national gold medal. You are one hard worker on the ice, always focussed and determined. :bow:

Also :bow: to the Silver Men on skating in the fog. I do admit I love skating in the fog :-)

[MusicSkateFan]

Thanks Tim!

It was a good skate.. I got the pickett fence! All 1st place ordinals out of a field of 8!

Already getting pressured to move on up to silver! We shall see!

Thanks to DCden for the help and to Beth D. for putting me on the ice!

[vesperholly]

Vesperholly, when the Silver I link is working on the FS Channel, let me know? Not that I'm so excited to see myself skate, but I guess I should. :)
Will do! I'm excited to see you skate! Gotta check out the competition for next year, too. :D

[jazzpants]

First thing.... BIG CONGRATS TO MUSICSKATEFAN!!! WOO HOO!!! Your first AN title!!! You ROCK!!! 8-)

Results for Championship Masters Ladies:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/champmasters-ladies.htm

Results for Championship Masters Men:

http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/champmasters-men.htm

WOW!!! Some new names in the Masters Men category!!! And a BIG CONGRATS to Lives To Skate for his Bronze!!! WOO HOO!!! You ROCK!!! :bow:

The Moves Guru did pretty well, picking up one 1st place ordinal. He still ROCKS in my book!!! (Hey FrankR, what did the Moves Guru say when he first saw your Masters Men "twin"? :twisted: Did YOU meet him??? :P :lol: )

[Terri C]

Congratulations to MSF!!!!
I'm really glad you were able to pull it off, given the scheduling turmoil of the last couple of weeks!!

No food at the party?? 8O
Makes me wonder what happened here! :roll:

I'm sure the Chicago group is paying close attention on what to do/ not do for next year!

[Usova Notoku]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the kind words and congratulations! I feel very fortunate to have skated well when it counted, especially with such great talent in the Gold Mens group.

Usova Notoku, I've actually fielded ALOT of inquiries this weekend as to my "next step" in competitive skating. Right now the plan is to concentrate on getting our fledgling pairs endeavor off to a good start. What that means for the singles skating is anybody's guess, but I sincerely doubt I'll have the time to pursue my Intermediate MIF/Free tests, which would really further complicate our pairs test-level situation. And thanks for the enthusiastic review...did I get a chance to meet you in Dallas?

All in all this was a nice experience, with having a nice performance and getting the opportunity to reunite with old friends, put some faces with some online names and meet lots of new people in the community.

C'ya!

Kelton

Kelton,
No, we didn't get a chance to meet in Dallas, but I saw the Championship Gold Men's competition and I must say, with the way you skate and win all of these Gold events, these competitions are more like coronations!
You were great!

Good luck in pairs!

Usova Notoku

[lovepairs]

No Food at Party
No DJ and dancing at party
Wrong directions handed out to practice rink
Both condensors broken in North and South Pole rinks (enough to give you pnuemonia.)
I asked if they could turn on the heaters in the stands. They said "No they have been broken for years." Next, day they were turned on! :P
Still event schedule problems
Many people bumped from practice ice

Otherwise, IT WAS A TOTALLY BLAST! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!!! :P

However, here is a footnote: It didn't feel like an Adult Nationals. It felt like a well-attended Sectionals. Any body else have that feeling. This was my
5th Adult Nationals, and it is the only one that didn't feel like a Nationals--maybe it's just me??? Anyone else feel that way? Just curious.

[WhisperSung]

Hola!

I just made it home from my first AN. I got bronze in Masters Novice I&II. :)

Thanks, skatingatty, for posting the re-cap!


I had a complete blast at this competition and am definitely looking forward to next year. Apparently my club has a bid for Mids, so I'm going to be quite involved in the competition scene next year. Can't wait! What a great and friendly atmosphere. I felt good all week (except that South rink sort of had a smoke machine-type atmosphere going which made it hard to breathe when people were skating. . .apparently a dehumidifier was broken? Something like that).

Congrats to everyone who skated! It was a great week!

[Debbie S]

Congratulations, MSF!!!:bow: Onward and upward! Hey, given how quickly you got through Bronze MIF, I predict you'll get through Silver as I pass Bronze, or maybe sooner - lol! Btw, are you still doing pairs?

Congrats, LivesToSkate and WhisperSung!

OK, time to revive the "2007 AN or Bust!" Support Group!

[NoVa Sk8r]

No Food at Party
No DJ and dancing at party
Wrong directions handed out to practice rink
Both condensors broken in North and South Pole rinks (enough to give you pnuemonia.)Andrea, there was food at the party and plenty of dancing. Where were you? They opened up the small hall intot agigantic room with ta dance floor and a bit of food (including swedish meatballs). Guess you left too early?

And to be fair, it is not the LOC's fault that the compressor broke.

And to echo lovepairs, congrats to all the pairs teams. I hope to one day skate pairs again at Nats. :??

[NoVa Sk8r]

If anyone is interested, I took notes of what the bronze, silver, and gold pair teams did. I'll try to post later.

I didn't take notes of any of the championship events--I think skatingatty took care of that. Not that I could have taken notes since Rob L. was too busy forcing me to drink his vodka! :P

[Terri C]

Not that I could have taken notes since Rob L. was too busy forcing me to drink his vodka! :P

Yeah right, nice try!:halo:
Glad to know you were able to get your vodka!

[coskater64]

I must have gone to a different party @ AN's. While the food was a little late it did arrive as did the music, I danced until 1 am or was it 2 am with the change for daylight savings...? I also got some food but since the party started late I ate ahead of time.

Skating wise it went well for me, my first year at Novice so I didn't expect much and I did respectibly my highest finish so far at this level and very good for a new program. Jump wise...:frus: but otherwise it was nice, I did a nice interp but my group had the armadillo and was just incredible.

There were issues at the event but overall I had a great time, all my family was there so it was a special event for me and I was pleased to leave the ice without the aid of an ambulance.

8O

[lovepairs]

Dear Nova,

Didn't blame the LOC for the compressor problem, but it is something that the rink should have taken care of before the event started. I heard that they had to wait for a spare part to come in. Here's an idea; keep compressor parts in stock.

Next, glad to hear that they eventually put out food and had dancing. We set our clocks forward and it was 10:30pm and no food--we were starvin having just skated, again, so we had to find something to eat. Darn...it sound like we left just a little, too, early. Glad to hear that they had food and dancing afterall! Next year...let's cut up the dance floor together! :P

Note for Chicago and every AN thereafter: please put a little space heater in the ladies and men's locker rooms. Air freshener would be a nice touch, too, as oppossed to Eau de Hockey!

Everyone skated brilliantly--it was a wonderful AN in this way. Congrats again to every skater on the ice! You all rock! :bow:

[Stormy]

Is there a web site for the company that did the pictures? I took my own at the awards but they came out pretty bad, and I'd like to get the official one since my whole group was in it.

[FrankR]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the all of the kind words. I just got in from Dallas. I had a great time. I'm pleased with my skate. There were a couple of spots where I wasn't sure I'd make it but I held on. For example, I don't know what possessed me to take off for my first axel combination with less than a foot of space from the boards but somehow I managed to hang on and push through the combination without splatting into the barrier. 8O I also hung on for dear life on my camel position in my combination spin but again managed to hold on and finish the spin.

I didn't watch the guys that skated in my event before me. However, I've heard wonderful things about everyone and to have gotten second in such a good group is such an honor.

I also experienced something new at this Adult Nationals. I put a couple of friends out on the ice for their skates. Ye Gods! I don't know how coaches do it. :giveup: I was constantly worried that I was saying too much or not saying enough. I think my nerves were much worse standing on the sidelines as opposed to skating my own program. My main goal was just to be there for my friends and have them feel that I cared about them and that I was there for them no matter what and in the end I hope that they got the message.

It was nice seeing familiar faces as well as meeting a couple of new people out on the ice. I want to thank everyone for being so gracious and friendly and it was great to see all of you. However, I especially want to thank a few people, specifically. So hopefully you'll all indulge me.

Edward Van Campen: You're my coach and you've seen me through a lot this year. I, in return, have frustrated the living daylights out of you with my scratchy toe-picks, my flaky camel-spin and my apparent lack of any latin rhythm despite being half Colombian and half Puerto-Rican. :?? Thanks for your patience and for sharing what you know with me. Your skate was wonderful!

Tara Cioppa, Cara Erdheim, Tim Covington, Joy DuBost: I think the parts of this week that I enjoyed the most were the times when we sat around and shared our thoughts regarding our nerves, our skating and our lives. You are all great and you each bring something special to the ice. I hope some day to be even half as good as you all are and I don't mean that just as skaters but as people too.

Take care all,

Frank

[Joan]

No Food at Party
No DJ and dancing at party
Wrong directions handed out to practice rink
Both condensors broken in North and South Pole rinks (enough to give you pnuemonia.)
I asked if they could turn on the heaters in the stands. They said "No they have been broken for years." Next, day they were turned on! :P
Still event schedule problems
Many people bumped from practice ice



No sound broadcast outside of the Southpole rink until Thursday afternoon.

Unable to play tapes at Valley Ranch practice ice (CD's worked ok)

No ice packs available for an injured skater

What else?

(My first Nationals, so maybe I shouldn't itemize the complaints, since I don't know what is typical and I'm sure it is complicated to put together a big event like this).

[Joan]

No sound broadcast outside of the Southpole rink until Thursday afternoon.

Unable to play tapes at Valley Ranch practice ice (CD's worked ok)

No ice packs available for an injured skater

What else?

(My first Nationals, so maybe I shouldn't itemize the complaints, since I don't know what is typical and I'm sure it is complicated to put together a big event like this).

And, as noted by others above, these problems were mostly out of the control of the LOC. Grapevine Mills Dr. Pepper StarCenter is just not the best venue for a big event like this.

[pedonskates]

I know that there were some problems with facilities, but the Dallas FSC volunteers were great!! Everyone was friendly and excited about adult skating.

I think those sweepers on the North Pole rink deserve a huge applause. They were having a blast, and hopefully they'll join the ranks of the adults someday. One kid said that nobody EVER throws stuff to her when she competes.

The encouragement from the stands (or from beyond the fog in the SP rink LOL) is just amazing. Everyone wanted everyone else to skate well, and encouragement applause when a skater needed it was awesome!!

Looking forward to more great skating in Chicago!!

Pedonskates (aka Brenda)

[WhisperSung]

I know that there were some problems with facilities, but the Dallas FSC volunteers were great!! Everyone was friendly and excited about adult skating.

I think those sweepers on the North Pole rink deserve a huge applause. They were having a blast, and hopefully they'll join the ranks of the adults someday. One kid said that nobody EVER throws stuff to her when she competes.

The encouragement from the stands (or from beyond the fog in the SP rink LOL) is just amazing. Everyone wanted everyone else to skate well, and encouragement applause when a skater needed it was awesome!!

Looking forward to more great skating in Chicago!!

Pedonskates (aka Brenda)


The sweepers WERE hilarious (especially the girl with the brown hair and the huge smile).

Psst. . .hi, Brenda!! (it's Amber) I had no idea so many people I met at AN used this board.

I just got through watching the tape of our event that I purchased. The fog is everywhere! The guy who taped it, though, did do a good job of staying within close range of each skater, so all the elements could be seen.

AND, I discovered that Amy used program music that I used years ago for my intermediate short program. I couldn't hear it on the day of, since I was sitting outside the rink and they hadn't turned on an outside music feed yet.

I wish I didn't have to wait a year for another AN, pfft. This was the best vacation I've had in a long time.

[Csk8er]

I've been lurking on these boards for a couple of years and have finally decided to post. Congratulations to everyone who competed this year in Dallas! I was really bummed not to go this year, but had some of problems training because I moved from MA to FL in August. Three hurricanes later--my main home rink is still closed for renovations. I've been trying to pick up ice here and there at other rinks, but the times are not conducive. Oh well, I look forward to going next year to Chicago.

I was very glad to be able to watch on the web all my friends compete (especially PEDONSKATES & DAISIES). It made me feel like I was even there!

Everyone keep up the great skating! Hope to see some of you at Easterns next year at my home club.

[Mrs Redboots]

Psst. . .hi, Brenda!! (it's Amber) I had no idea so many people I met at AN used this board. Last year, when we went to watch, we tended to introduce ourselves by our screen names as well as our real ones! We did try to organise a skatingforums get-together, but it didn't quite happen, so we just stood around and drank vodka....

It sounds as though everybody had a great time, in spite of niggles (and I've never been to a competition where there haven't been niggles, one way or another!)! Well done to all of you.

Now, onwards and upwards to what has been called the "European skating triathlon"!

[flying~camel]

I finally made it home frm Dallas last night (after quite a long day of travel).

While I didn't skate my best (10th, aka LAST, in Bronze 1), I had a ball meeting everyone and soaking up the atmosphere! I now know what I need to work on to strengthen up my program and I'm planning on working on an interp program for next year. I'm also planning on getting new skates this summer which should definately help me improve quite a bit (my skates are OLD and the rocker on my blade is almost non-existant).

Anyway, it was great meeting you all and everyone did a fantastic job!

[LoopLoop]

Congratulations to everyone! Especially my poor, abandoned pairs partner NoVa :cry: ; it must have been so frustrating to see so many pairs teams this year and not be able to get out there and skate! Hopefully we can be back in action next year...

And more congrats to InsideAxel for a stellar debut, to MusicSkateFan for HIS stellar debut, FrankR, icecatepairs, skatingatty, Stormy, lovepairs and partner (I heard you guys were AWESOME :bow: !), mskater whom I hardly ever get to see, flo and Rob, dani, and everyone else.

[FrankR]

The Moves Guru did pretty well, picking up one 1st place ordinal. He still ROCKS in my book!!! (Hey FrankR, what did the Moves Guru say when he first saw your Masters Men "twin"? :twisted: Did YOU meet him??? :P :lol: )

Hey there,

Yup. I did go up to Mike and introduce myself. He was very nice and he had such a great skate. Edward was aware that Mike and I look a bit alike. I have to say that although we share some common features, Mike's quite a bit taller than I am and more built. Between Mike and my fellow competitors in Silver (Stephen and Jeremy) I tell people I feel like friggin' Frodo Baggins at the rink. :lol:

As for the Masters Men's event, all I have to say is WOW! 8O So many great skates in such a short period of time. I thought Edward did very well. He was very speedy and his positions and line are unbelievable. His camel spin in particular is first rate (if I may be so bold as to borrow one of Uncle Dick's favorite lines. ;) ) I can't wait to see his program again as well as everyone else's programs. I'm actually considering buying the footage of that event. It was that good.

[MusicSkateFan]

8-) Well I had a good first nationals. I only met a few people. I guess I was staying pretty focused on my event which was not until Saturday at lunch time. I was able to meet up with some musician friends of mine for a great dinner in Dallas on Friday night. (Fireside Pies...very good). All my practices and warm ups went well and I guess my program went fairly well. I was pleased(always room for improvement). The seven 1st place ordinals were great! Lots of time and effort went into my preparation for Nats. A super coach who put together a great program from music recomended by my best friend!
I skipped the party and went to a great steak dinner(Cool River?) and then met up with more musician friends from the Dallas Symphony for after dinner chocolate cake!(Trucklucks...very good too).
Well now on to Silver moves and Silver Free.....The timing of all this will determine Chicago....I just dont know if I want to push myself this hard another year....I may just take my time and if I dont make it to Chicago for Silver III then no big deal! I am planning on the Adult Clinic in NJ and possible ISU Germany in 2007 (silver).
My only regret? Not getting my picture taken in front of the Barbara Bush Middle School (it was right near the practice Ice arena)with an in-appropriate hand gesture!:twisted: :twisted:

[rlichtefeld]

I didn't take notes of any of the championship events--I think skatingatty took care of that. Not that I could have taken notes since Rob L. was too busy forcing me to drink his vodka! :P

Forcing??? Forcing??? It was all I could do to pry that bottle out of your hands! Maybe we should have just put in an I.V.

And, I had to drive 14 miles to buy it. The county that the event was held in could only sell beer and wine. At least that won't happen next year in Chicago. You can buy hard liquor in the drugstores and grocery stores there!

[manleywoman]

At least that won't happen next year in Chicago. You can buy hard liquor in the drugstores and grocery stores there!
FYI: you can buy it in the rink. The Edge Ice Arena has a bar above the main rink!

[flo]

The local folks were very nice, but unfortunately the venue was not what was needed for this event and I wondered how it won the bid. I was told that this facility was not in the bid, that the original venue was closed/unavailable due to multiple health violations.
There were several problems, and I'll send my suggestions to the USFSA. For the most part, outside of the usual whiners the skaters handled everything with style. In spite of no seating, freezing rinks, fogged up ice and plexi, and a garbled sound system, the skaters were there with support and showers of stuffed toys for all.

[lovepairs]

LoopLoop and Nova, get back on the ice and show up at these important competitions--that's a direct order! We all really missed you two skating in the Silver Pairs competition! :cry: There are plenty of good pairs guys and ladies floating out there looking for partners. All I have to say is that when you have a good pairs partner--hold on to them with dear life! They are hard to come by!!! :frus: :bow: :P ;)

Now, a huge KUDOS for those SWEEPERS in the North Pole rink! Thank god for these kids, they really made up for all of the rinks mistakes. Kept everyone happy and smiling :P !

Also, a huge congrats to Moves Guru! He wins GOLD MEDAL for two things:

1. Best Program in the entire competition
2. Best Costume award

Hey, when are these awards going to become real?

Congrats to everyone! Everyone skated so beautifully, bobbles, balance checks, falls and all...you always makes my heart grow larger! Adult Skaters Rock!

[lovepairs]

LoopLoop and Nova, get back on the ice and show up at these important competitions--that's a direct order! We all really missed you two skating in the Silver Pairs competition! :cry: There are plenty of good pairs guys and ladies floating out there looking for partners. All I have to say is that when you have a good pairs partner--hold on to them for dear life! They are hard to come by!!! :frus: :bow: :P ;)

Now, a huge KUDOS for those SWEEPERS in the North Pole rink! Thank god for these kids, they really made up for all of the rinks mistakes. Kept everyone happy and smiling :P !

Also, a huge congrats to Moves Guru! He wins GOLD MEDAL for two things:

1. Best Program in the entire competition
2. Best Costume award

Hey, when are these awards going to become real?

Congrats to everyone! Everyone skated so beautifully, bobbles, balance checks, falls and all...you always makes my heart grow larger! Adult Skaters Rock!

[lovepairs]

Just a reminder: it is important for all of us to be able to post our thoughts about what happened in Dallas whether they be complaints, praise, or suggestions without being tagged as "whiners." The last time I looked it was a free country, and, besides, that's what these forums are for--to express our opinions, vent a little, celebrate and enjoy each others success!

[Mel On Ice]

third month of the year, third WEEK this year devoted to a major USFSA competition. Can I take April off? Oh wait, there's test sessions to trial, competitions to judge and spring show practice. Maybe next month...

And I just love everybody. Thanks to everyone for the cheers, kind words, plush, toys, booze, socks, fly swatters, the dances at the competitor's party and contact information so we can stay in touch. I was contemplating taking a year off from competing at AN, but who wants to miss out on the party?

FREESTYLE

The good
What can I say, I skated another program free of errors! I even landed my nemesis, the wonky sal/loop that usually gets popped open or turns into a lame sal/toe.

The kiss: I was so blessed and amazed to be skating at Nationals with all my friends standing by the boards, that I threw them all a big kiss as I was going up into my RFO spiral. And the picture series the pro took captured all their faces as I skated by.

The shower of presents: wow! I was planning on making a list of people to thank when I get home, but the rain of gifts on the ice kept me in my "I am Loved" bubble...

The bad
...that is, until I got the results. I need to sit and review my performance with a critical eye, but I was very discouraged by a 2nd year of finishing in the cellar. But I think I am capable of fixing what needs improvement. I know I need speed, a jump sequence, a spin combination. And of course, landing a lutz that doesn't look like I'm getting dental surgery. :frus:

When I went to pick up my music, the lady behind the desk asked for the usual information: event #, last name, etc. She got out the clipboard to me to sign off, saw my result, and thought it necessary to say "aw, you must have skated really bad." I was shocked and told her no, it was a personal best and she just shook her head pityingly, like I didn't really know the truth. NOT what I needed going into my interp, thanks. :x

And the ice had a very choppy open skate/hockey feel to it. I noticed it in the warmup, but don't think it affected me in the freeskate because I was zoned in.

And I don't know if it was the tennis shoes I wore or my muscles tightening up due to nerves, but I had a tendon on my right outside calf that was killing me. You could see and feel it sticking out. Thank God for Icy/Hot.

The ugly
Foggy ice, humid atomosphere, and my hair morphed into at least 4 different styles DURING my freeskate, finally ending as a Jiffy Pop afro. 8O

INTERP

The good
I think I really got into this one, because I was determined to prove I was a good skater to the judges after a poor showing in the freeskate. As a result, I was much looser, and really pushed for speed, expression and using my arms more.

Laura caught me getting into my zone while in the warming area, and I made the USFSA website!

The ice was MUCH smoother and better to skate on.

Respectable finish, although I wish I had finished higher. And the gals I was skating against, what a nice bunch of people. And the rally 'round the nervous one was both heartening and touching. God love Century, who stopped me in the lobby to find out what was wrong. I told her, "make me laugh" and she did.

The bad
I can't say this was a clean skate though, as I became dyslexic on my footwork (right, not left, right?) and I had a bad landing on the loop jump.

I did have a brain freeze almost right off the bat, having a minute second of panic when I forgot what came next. Thank God for muscle memory, because my legs were doing what my brain forgot.

I also don't think the judges liked me skating to rock music, again. I'm trying a ballad next year.

After my "last place with dignity" freestyle, I was more nervous than I should have been for interp, and it took a lot to calm me down. I wasn't able to get into my zone very easily, and I fought for this program much harder than I should have. It's interp!

Again, thank God for Icy/Hot, as the tendon retightened.

The ugly
Don't want to say there was anything ugly about this event. Since I was supposed to be a storm cloud, I figured a "whoa!" hairdo was appropriate. :o

[LoopLoop]

LoopLoop and Nova, get back on the ice and show up at these important competitions--that's a direct order! We all really missed you two skating in the Silver Pairs competition! :cry: There are plenty of good pairs guys and ladies floating out there looking for partners. All I have to say is that when you have a good pairs partner--hold on to them with dear life! They are hard to come by!!! :frus: :bow: :P ;)
Andrea, I wasn't able to commit to nationals early in the season due to family problems; there was a possibility that I would have been away for a substantial part of the winter.

In addition, I didn't want to go back to nationals in silver this season after the dream season we had last year, and given my family issues and some injury problems we weren't ready to test/compete in gold at nationals yet.

So please don't make unfounded assumptions as to why or why not people do not enter various competitions; we went to Peach, we went to Halloween, and we skated at Ashburn with very little practice time.

[MusicSkateFan]

Just one more thing........Wahington Figure Skating Club Adult Sakters ROCK!!

I think we were an impressive bunch.....we clearly have MANY dedicated adult competitors! I am proud to be included! Keep up the great work WFSC adults! Let's make that ADULT ONLY freestyle session happen!

8-)

[Debbie S]

When I went to pick up my music, the lady behind the desk asked for the usual information: event #, last name, etc. She got out the clipboard to me to sign off, saw my result, and thought it necessary to say "aw, you must have skated really bad." I was shocked and told her no, it was a personal best and she just shook her head pityingly, like I didn't really know the truth. NOT what I needed going into my interp, thanks. :x
Oh, that's terrible, Mel! I can't believe someone said that to you. How about just handing you your music with a smile? Sheesh!

From where I'm sitting (2 retries on Bronze MIF), just qualifying for AN is a huge accomplishment! I hope to fix these blasted power 3's and be there next year - hey, can you mentor us "2007 AN or Bust!"ers? I know you agreed to mentor us last year, but most of us need an extension. :)

[NoVa Sk8r]

OK, am I the only person who thought the judging was a bit, er, screwy. Some of the championship events placements (as well as other events) did not make sense AT ALL. Some judges were clearly not watching. :??

Ad why did they have only 7 judges for the championship events? I think 9 should be the norm?

[quarkiki2]

Congrats to all who skated -- you guys are my heroes!!! Seriously!!!!!:bow:

And, Mel, poo on that lady -- not cool. You rock in my book!!!! 8-)

[Mel On Ice]

And why did they have only 7 judges for the championship events? I think 9 should be the norm?

I spoke with Morry, who said a critical number of judges pulled out of the event, leaving him scrambling for panels throughout AN. I offered my services to help out with interp, but there's political hoops to jump through, and I couldn't just volunteer to be on a panel, I had to be approved, etc.

[manleywoman]

When I went to pick up my music, the lady behind the desk asked for the usual information: event #, last name, etc. She got out the clipboard to me to sign off, saw my result, and thought it necessary to say "aw, you must have skated really bad." I was shocked and told her no, it was a personal best and she just shook her head pityingly, like I didn't really know the truth. NOT what I needed going into my interp, thanks. :x
Uh. So sorry they did that. How inappropriate.

Thanks for all the input guys. I couldn't make it to compete at ANs this year (would have been my 9th in a row!) but since I'm on the Chicago ANs committtee, I am taking notes of all the complaints and suggestions. As were many of the other Chicago skaters.

And just so he's not forgotten, congrats to DcDen in his 3rd place finish in Gold Men!:bow:

[flo]

Like it or not, there were whiners. If the skate fits.....

[mskater]

Alright, I'm done with my pity party - no fun being the only attendee:] I had a really good time in Dallas and thoroughly enjoyed my first AN's. I only wish I could have skated better but I was not in top shape so I can only blame myself - lesson learned:]

Big-Ups to InsideAxel on his Championship Gold victory! (((I want your lutz!)))

Thanks roomies - you guys are the best!

Warm-congrats to everyone else that skated...

-Cheers!

[Mrs Redboots]

God love Century, who stopped me in the lobby to find out what was wrong. I told her, "make me laugh" and she did.She always does, bless her - she's done it for me, too, as has Dotty.

Glad you had a good time, and don't worry about the placings. It takes some of us longer than others to get out of the basement. Some of us, indeed, wonder if we ever will...... But eventually, I think, most of us do. Wendy - the skater who knits the cute jumpers - sweaters, sorry - for the little teddy bears - is so thrilled to have finished 4th in her group & made the finals; I know she's been going to AN most years since it started, and almost always finished up last.....

If you were pleased with how you skated, that's all that matters. You know what you need to work on to improve.... and eventually you'll get there.

[flo]

The teddy bears were too cute! The sweepers were lots of fun, and also helped keep the event moving.

Mel - you did great!

[sk8pics]

I have really enjoyed reading the reports from y'all who were there. I wish I could be there, but who knows if I will ever make it. :frus: My coach said he had a great time (with his other 3 adult students) and said I would have enjoyed it if I had been able to be there. Oh well.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Also, the $2 Long Island Iced Teas were a nice touch at one of the nearby restaurants. Thanx for the company, mskater (and bravo on your much-improved spins)!
Probably shouldn't have indulged so much after the vodka graciously provided by Rob L., but hey, that's one of the joys of finishing your event on Thursday afternoon. 8-)

[LoopLoop]

I'll add some more info about why I wasn't at nationals with Nova...
Yes, it's true that I really never planned on going to nationals this year, for several reasons.

One, we did really really well in silver pairs last year. So I didn't want to go back to nationals in pairs until we were ready for gold. And after watching the gold pairs last year, we *didn't* think we'd be ready to be competitive at that level yet (look back at our posts from this time last year...). Our death spiral is incorrect, technically speaking; we don't have any overhead lifts or a throw axel; and we need more work on speed and attack. And there's the fact that we would have had to take either three adult pair tests (bronze, silver, gold) or two standard tests (preliminary and juvenile) in order to be eligible to compete in gold.

In addition, we both compete in singles as well as pairs, and ice time is limited... therefore it's difficult to improve in both disciplines at the same time. Last year, when we really pushed to learn pairs, my singles skating backslid substantially. So if we had really dedicated ourselves to get to gold pairs this year, it might have been more of the same. And we've both had off-ice issues this season, injuries, travel, etc.

And I didn't want to spend the time and money to go to nationals for just one event; doing only one event at a local competition is one thing (or at an event that's within a couple of hours' driving time). When I go to Peach, I only have to take one vacation day; for the Halloween competition I take one vacation day. But with the $$$ and vacation time involved in nationals, it's hard to justify going every year for some of us. Last year was the first time I'd gone to nationals since 2001 (my first time, when I was in bronze).

Last but not least, the family events I alluded to in my previous post... some are aware and some are not, but my father passed away over Christmas. He was diagnosed with cancer in September, and right after Thanksgiving we learned that his chemo wasn't working. We thought it would be several months, and I was expecting to have to travel back and forth to Arizona on a regular basis throughout the winter. And then his health went downhill very quickly, and I flew back and forth several times in rapid succession, and ended up staying for a few weeks. So even if I HAD changed my mind and DID want to go to nationals, I ended up spending a lot more money and vacation time than I'd planned to over the winter.

So, don't blame Nova for my not being there. It wasn't his fault!

[flo]

NoVa, what resturaunt???
Loops and NoVa, You both also did really well last year in singles. Having done both at nats, I know its is a lot of work just to maintain your levels, let alone make the improvements you have. Come back when you're ready and you'll be great.

[jazzpants]

My only regret? Not getting my picture taken in front of the Barbara Bush Middle School (it was right near the practice Ice arena)with an in-appropriate hand gesture!:twisted: :twisted:Gives new meaning to the words "Watch the birdie, huh?" :twisted: :lol:

Loops/NoVa: You two come back when you are good and ready! So take your time!!! Besides, I don't plan on being at Chicago given how crappy I'm still skating. (Back crossovers, forward power 3's and FI mohawks need a LOT of work! I'm getting mighty frustrated as to what else I can do to fix it!!!)

[MusicSkateFan]

I had a nice birdie for good old BABS!:twisted: :lol:
Just picture me driving by with my "look at the birdie" gesture!


as Mel Brooks says in Blazing Saddles " Oh, I hate the West!"

[mskater]

Also, the $2 Long Island Iced Teas were a nice touch at one of the nearby restaurants. Thanx for the company, mskater (and bravo on your much-improved spins)!
Probably shouldn't have indulged so much after the vodka graciously provided by Rob L., but hey, that's one of the joys of finishing your event on Thursday afternoon. 8-)

Yes, the $2 Long Islands were nice, I was able to play "catch up" since you had a good head-start on me drinking all that vodka at the rink:] I look forward to your Gold Singles debut in 2007!!!!

Also, I wish you and Loops all the best with pairs - I know you will get back into your 2005 Form very soon! :]

[TimDavidSkate]

Yes, the $2 Long Islands were nice, I was able to play "catch up" since you had a good head-start on me drinking all that vodka at the rink:] I look forward to your Gold Singles debut in 2007!!!!

Also, I wish you and Loops all the best with pairs - I know you will get back into your 2005 Form very soon! :]





Nova, youre moving to Gold level next year?

Hello MSkater, how are you? :D

[NoVa Sk8r]

No, I'm retiring. Skating gold level was never meant to be--only in pairs.

[daisies]

I was very glad to be able to watch on the web all my friends compete (especially PEDONSKATES & DAISIES). It made me feel like I was even there!
Thanks, Christy! We missed you!

Congrats Kelton and also a big one to Dani,Gatty and Daisies!
Thanks flo! It was great seeing you again. Lucky No. 13 next year, right? ;)

I posted this on CAS too, but I will share here as well.

My trip to Dallas started out great -- I got to take my skates on board the plane, which is unusual for LAX. But I asked the TSA director before I checked in if I could, and he said OK. And thank goodness I did -- it turned out that my flight was delayed 4 hours because a bird had flown into the engine on the preceding flight, and they needed to either fix it or find us a new plane. This 4 hours was quite stressful -- not knowing if I'd even make it to Dallas that day because if they couldn't fix it or find a new plane, there were no other flights, as everything was sold out due to spring break -- and it would have been even more stressful if I didn't know where my skates were during that time! I must have looked quite distressed, though, because a nice man asked if I was OK. I told him how I was headed to a competition but was worried I wouldn't make it for my practice the next morning, and he put it all in perspective for me: He said, "It could be worse -- you could have been the bird." :)

I finally arrived at DFW around 10pm and headed to Thrifty rental car, where I had a reservation. I had reserved a compact car, and all they had were PT Cruisers (which I refuse to drive because when I had my car accident last year, they gave me a rental PT Cruiser, and I am convinced that car's seats are what contributed to my back problem!) and minivans. I was like, wait, I have a *reservation* ... how can you be out of compact cars? (Classic Seinfeld moment: "You know how to *take* the reservation, you just don't know how to *hold* the reservation .... and the *holding* is the most important part!")

Turned out that during the time I was arguing with them, someone dropped off a Dodge Stratus. So they gave me that. They asked if it was OK if I waited 15 minutes while they washed it. Sure, I'm already 4 hours late, what's another 15 minutes?

I actually really liked this car. It had Sirius Satellite Radio. I know satellite radio is bad for the terrestrial radio industry -- the industry in which I work! -- but damn if it wasn't totally awesome. I
listened to channel 22 -- First Wave -- the entire time. All New Wave!!! And this weekend was an all-Smiths and -Morrissey weekend -- nonstop Smiths and Morrissey! I never wanted to leave the car.

And I almost didn't leave the car, because I got LOST on my way to the hotel the night I arrived. I am not kidding when I say Grapevine, Texas has the single worst signage of any American city. I usually say that about every city I go to outside of California, but this really was the worst! Wasn't it?

Once I finally got to the Fairfield Inn, I checked in, hauled my luggage all the way up ... and my room keys didn't work. Oy!

The next morning I had practice. I always take a hot shower before I skate to help warm up my muscles. Guess what ... no hot water! Can you believe this? LOL!!! Apparently it was just me, and just for that time I wanted to take a shower, because later it was fine.

I had a hard time sleeping the night before my Friday event, so I was watching TV. All of a sudden I hear "BEEP BEEP BEEP" ... and this text crawls across the screen with "Tornado Watch" ... Tornado Watch??? Sheesh! It listed all these counties where the watch was in effect, and I had no idea which county I was in. So I just turned off the TV and hoped for the best! This California girl knows nothing of tornado watches!

My official warmup for my event was Friday morning at 7:40am, so I got up at 5:30am. I turned on the shower and the water came out in spurts. You know when you turn the water main off for a while and then turn it back on, and it all comes out dirty for a while? LIKE THAT. Of all mornings! It took a while to clear, but meanwhile there's like this mound of sand in the bathtub from all the dirt that came out. Gross! I immediately called the front desk and was like, um, what the??? They said they had to fix something overnight so they had to shut off the water. GREAT. Well, to make a long story even longer, the water never got hot, and I took a 45-second shower and froze my butt off. All this the morning I had to compete! I was PISSED!!! But I didn't want to deal with it because I needed to focus on the competition. So when I was leaving for the rink, I was waiting in the hotel lobby for my friend Garry who was going to ride with me. The front desk guy asked me how I was. Big mistake! I let him know, but I was very calm about it because I didn't want to get all aggro. He apologized. I said, "I really hope you're going to do more for me than apologize." End result: I got a night's stay for free. Sweet!

Oh, and I got some GREAT deals in the mall! A $398 Marc Jacobs jacket for $42! Score!!! :)

I competed in Masters Interp 3 Comedy/Character and placed 4th. I skated first and was not expecting to medal after seeing all the awesome skaters in my group -- there were some REALLY clever and entertaining programs (including Ms. coskater64!) -- so when I saw the results I was pleasantly surprised. One of the judges afterward spoke to me and asked if I was in the wrong group. LOL. I totally was -- I was in Comedy/Character but probably would have fit better in Artistic/Dramatic -- but oh well!

Congrats -- and welcome back -- to everyone who competed!!!!

[pairman2]

Hi everyone
I want to say a special congratulations to Ed V. for his Master Championship Mens program. I have to say this was sublime and was the most beautiful program I've seen this entire skating season...including out of all the elite skaters!

Second, a special hurrah to all the silver pairs. You guys are going to transform adult pair skating. As a group you guys had a collective energy that was a thrill to watch!

Another special harrah to Heather in Championship Masters Ladies in her first AN and a great showing there!

Of course there were countless other wonderful moments, that also deserve mention. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

pairman2

[Debbie S]

Hey pairman2, do I know you? :)

If you are who I think you are, congrats on your performance at AN! Did you get the e-mail that was sent out Sat? (yeah, I'm the one who spread the word - it's my PR/marketing nature - lol! - although I didn't mention anything about the site - I guess Linda googled you?)

Of course, if you're not who I think you are...oops, sorry! :oops:

:)

[pairman2]

Hi DebS

Yep, you got the right one!... It was a little treasure to see the club annoucement. Thanks!!

[TimDavidSkate]

No, I'm retiring. Skating gold level was never meant to be--only in pairs.


The costume you wore at AN, was that new? it looks nice on you

[NoVa Sk8r]

Well, no, that was not my costume. I borrowed that red shirt from an ice dancer (and fellow silver competitor) because everyone thought that the orange shirt (that I wore for Peach Classic) was, um, too tight, and not so great. That red shirt is polyester and is inelastic and does not breathe. I almost dies in it for New Year's

For AN, I wore my black and blue pairs "onesy" outfit--it was well-received. 8-)

And TD, weren't you suppoed to show up and watch some events? You let your fan base down!

[Isk8NYC]

When I went to pick up my music, the lady behind the desk asked for the usual information: event #, last name, etc. She got out the clipboard to me to sign off, saw my result, and thought it necessary to say "aw, you must have skated really bad." I was shocked and told her no, it was a personal best and she just shook her head pityingly, like I didn't really know the truth. NOT what I needed going into my interp, thanks. :x

Clueless, huh? Congrats on a personal best. Hope you top it next year.

[lovepairs]

Oh LoopLoop,

I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. I didn't know. I'm sorry, I was nudging you to get back on the ice with Nova in the most friendliest of ways. You two are such a great team, and we just missed you on the ice--that's all. If there is anything I can do to help just let me know. My best friend's mother passed away about two weeks before AN--she helped raise me when I was very small, and was like a mother to me--so, I know just a little bit how you must be feeling. Again, if there is anything I can do to be a friend at this time, just let me know...you were just very missed at AN--that's all.

Now, will everyone please stop blowing my cover and refer to me as Lovepairs instead of Andrea, even though everyone knows who I am now anyways. LOL!!!

[FrankR]

For AN, I wore my black and blue pairs "onesy" outfit--it was well-received. 8-)


Interestingly enough, one of the vendors at the event was selling similar "onesies" just outside of the North Pole Rink (although I think the color scheme was reversed, it was black with blue accents). I toyed with the idea of getting one for myself but I don't think it would work on me. You've got the pecs for a shirt like that, NoVa. If I tried to wear an outfit like that, even with the tightest Lycra imaginable, my boney frame would make that shirt look like a sail hanging on a mast. :P :lol:

[LoopLoop]

For AN, I wore my black and blue pairs "onesy" outfit--it was well-received. 8-)
But didn't it look (and feel) like something was missing? ;)

[lovepairs]

FrankR,

You were gorgeous exactly as you were! Your outfit, along with Moves Guru were my favorites. I liked yours even better then Pairsman's, which I designed myself. I'm really serious--we all put so much time and effort into designing our outfits that there really should be a "best" outfit award.

Anyway, you would look gorgeous, too, in any of Antonio's outfits, which were also sublime over-the-top beautiful!

Lovepairs

[NoVa Sk8r]

You've got the pecs for a shirt like that, NoVa. If I tried to wear an outfit like that, even with the tightest Lycra imaginable, my boney frame would make that shirt look like a sail hanging on a mast. :P :lol:I think I gained weight (5-10 lbs?) since my fitting last summer. It felt like the back zipper was impaling the bottom of my neck!

[FrankR]

Aww, thanks! :halo: I wasn't sure I really liked mine so much. In the video footage you can see my shirt peeking out from the back of the vest. It was especially noticeable during the sitspin. However, it was okay. It met the moves guru's approval and you liked it too so I'll take it. ;)

As we said in Dallas, your costumes were wonderful. You both looked great and skated great too. You guys rock.

I was thinking of e-mailing Tony and seeing who makes his outfits. You're right. His costume looked great as well.

Take care,

Frank

FrankR,

You were gorgeous exactly as you were! Your outfit, along with Moves Guru were my favorites. I liked yours even better then Pairsman's, which I designed myself. I'm really serious--we all put so much time and effort into designing our outfits that there really should be a "best" outfit award.

Anyway, you would look gorgeous, too, in any of Antonio's outfits, which were also sublime over-the-top beautiful!

Lovepairs

[lovepairs]

FrankR,

Thanks! Yes, that's a good idea. Ask him who his dressmaker/designer is. She, or, he, really had the right idea and a really good design sense. I also liked the outfit worn by (I think it was) one of the Master Championship men. It was a white top (black pants) with sheer illusion white on top with AB crystals. It was quite beautiful on him, too. I asked him if his jewels were crytal, or ab, but he didn't know.

What I liked about your outfit is exactly what I liked about Michael Weiss's "Beetoven" outfit--just so, to-die-for classical--very beautiful!

Lovepairs

Hey, let's learn the skid together! I'm cross-threading over here! :D

[lovepairs]

Oh, also, I love your mother! She's just like you--so kind and sweet! Tell her that we enjoyed seeing her, again, so much!

[flo]

NoVa - It's good to have friends with great costumes. I borrowed one at nats once for a final round in silver as I didn't like the way the other dress photographed. Your blue fit the program well.

[NoVa Sk8r]

The costume you wore at AN, was that new? it looks nice on youOops, sorry for the confusion earlier--for some reason I was thinking of the Ashburn comp, where I borrowed a red polyester shirt.

At adult nats, I wore my pairs outfit. It was weird to wear it for singles because i do a few moves where I can get my blade caught against the flowy leg fabric (twizzles, brackets, and slide chasse). The lady who won the bronze dance event made it! :bow:

[lovepairs]

It was a beautiful outfit, Nova, and you looked really good in it! I think your seamstress did a really good job. It looked really good on the ice! Well, that is, from what I could see of it through all of the fog--opps, there I go complaining, again! LOL!

[Terri C]

I spoke with Morry, who said a critical number of judges pulled out of the event, leaving him scrambling for panels throughout AN. I offered my services to help out with interp, but there's political hoops to jump through, and I couldn't just volunteer to be on a panel, I had to be approved, etc.

Ah- ha! That might explain the scheduling snafu of the last three weeks before AN!
Don't these judges know that they're doing this event months in advance! :??

[daisies]

Ah- ha! That might explain the scheduling snafu of the last three weeks before AN!
Don't these judges know that they're doing this event months in advance! :??Yes, but one of them had a heart attack. Things happen.

[jazzpants]

But didn't it look (and feel) like something was missing? ;)Yeah, like your partner??? :twisted: :lol: :P

At least there's no flap this time! :P

[lovepairs]

Did anyone notice that on Saturday that the South Pole rink had a kids party, a public session, and a hockey game. Do you think this had anything to do with the oringinal schedule snafu, too. In other words, that there was pressure to push many of the events up to Wed., because the South Pole wasn't available on Sat.:?:

[Mel On Ice]

good point

[skatingatty]

Hey everyone! I've finally typed up the championship masters notes.
http://asianathlete.com/DaScoopsFormDisplay.aspx?ID=2801

Yeah, so what if nobody in it was Asian? Haha. I had so much fun in Dallas, despite falling on my ###. :) Now I know what to work on for the next season. I hope to learn/improve gold moves and flying spins, other than the nemesis axel. Thanks to roomies mskater and climbsk8 for helping me keep the costs down and all the words of encouragement and insideaxel for making SCNC proud! Also, thanks to Rob and Jennifer for the stuffed animals and donut, and NoVa for his funny sarcastic remarks. I ate so much junkfood in Dallas (the $4.99 chicken ranch loaded potato skins at Bennigans were great!), but I rationalized it from all the walking I was doing throughout the mall and back and forth to the hotel. I loved watching everyone skate; I couldn't keep everyone's names straight though. Now I'm back swamped with work and will head back to the rink Wed.

Looploop, I'm sorry to hear about your father. I hope to see you at the Fairfax rink again sometime, if not at another competition. Time to get ready for another exciting day at the office. :)

[flo]

Love those Krispy Kreme drive throughs! And we even got them (or at least most of the) back to the rink warm. Yum.

[TimDavidSkate]

And TD, weren't you suppoed to show up and watch some events? You let your fan base down!



Sorry, I couldn't. My body didnt feel like traveling quite yet. :halo:

[dcden]

However, here is a footnote: It didn't feel like an Adult Nationals. It felt like a well-attended Sectionals. Any body else have that feeling. This was my 5th Adult Nationals, and it is the only one that didn't feel like a Nationals--maybe it's just me??? Anyone else feel that way? Just curious.
...
Did anyone notice that on Saturday that the South Pole rink had a kids party, a public session, and a hockey game. Do you think this had anything to do with the oringinal schedule snafu, too. In other words, that there was pressure to push many of the events up to Wed., because the South Pole wasn't available on Sat.


lovepairs, I share your thoughts re AN '06. With all of the things you mentioned earlier, AN '06 did indeed feel like a big Peach Classic or NY Invitational, with Masters events thrown in. I also had the same suspicion early on about some of the Saturday events being moved to earlier days with the remaining ones placed on the North rink.

And no, we shouldn't be afraid to voice our opinions about the event... if we hadn't made a collective fuss, the schedule would not have been changed to its original version (or something close to it) and MusicSkateFan would not have been able to claim his well-deserved national title! So, every now and then, good things do come from complaining! I have faith in the Chicago 07 LOC to learn from this experience and make AN 07 a return to what we're used to from AN's in the past.

I was going to try to say some nice things about AN, including the enthusiasm of the sweepers and the cheerfulness of the volunteers. Then I read what Mel On Ice was told by the volunteer when she picked up her music... what an awful thing for someone to say! I'm sorry you had to experience that. That said, the volunteers I talked to were polite and helpful to me, so maybe you just caught someone at the wrong time.

Thanks to manleywoman for mentioning my result, but I was disappointed with my performance... but whatever, it's already behind me and I've already been working on improving my skating for the future.

So let's see, scheduling problems, the fog, low turnout, and a bad skate... hmmm, what salvaged AN 06 for me? It must have been my Barbara Fusar-Poli moment with Jason Spicer at the closing party. That, and seeing the Championship Gold hookup on the dance floor as the party was closing. You know who you are.

[NoVa Sk8r]

So let's see, scheduling problems, the fog, low turnout, and a bad skate... hmmm, what salvaged AN 06 for me? It must have been my Barbara Fusar-Poli moment with Jason Spicer at the closing party. That, and seeing the Championship Gold hookup on the dance floor as the party was closing. You know who you are.That lift was very funny, AND it was good! (Sorry I couldn't pick you up with my bum wrist.)

[Debbie S]

It must have been my Barbara Fusar-Poli moment with Jason Spicer at the closing party. Did you give Jason a death stare? :twisted: :lol:

[manleywoman]

It must have been my Barbara Fusar-Poli moment with Jason Spicer at the closing party. That, and seeing the Championship Gold hookup on the dance floor as the party was closing. You know who you are.
Hilarious!!

Do tell us those of us not there about the hookup! :twisted:

(kidding! It would be like, omigod, soooo 6th grade!)

[dcden]

Do tell us those of us not there about the hookup! :twisted: (kidding! It would be like, omigod, soooo 6th grade!)

Gosh I am tempted... it's like everyone else was two stepping and they were dancing to a different beat altogether.

[TimDavidSkate]

Did you give Jason a death stare? :twisted: :lol:


Oh do tell :halo:

[skaternum]

So I didn't want to go back to nationals in pairs until we were ready for gold. And after watching the gold pairs last year, we *didn't* think we'd be ready to be competitive at that level yet (look back at our posts from this time last year...). Our death spiral is incorrect, technically speaking; we don't have any overhead lifts or a throw axel; and we need more work on speed and attack.Pshaw! David & I are proof that you can compete in Gold Pairs without all those things. (Okay, we did have a BO death spiral, but we were only able to do it once in a competition.) You don't have to be a medal contender to play in Gold Pairs! If that were the case, most of us in that category wouldn't be competing at all. :)

[rlichtefeld]

Pshaw! David & I are proof that you can compete in Gold Pairs without all those things. (Okay, we did have a BO death spiral, but we were only able to do it once in a competition.) You don't have to be a medal contender to play in Gold Pairs! If that were the case, most of us in that category wouldn't be competing at all. :)

Most of us compete at Gold because of our partners. And, the fact that a long time ago the only pairs test was the Juvenile Pairs test. And, now if you've passed that test, you have to skate Adult Gold Pairs, even if your freeskate level is Silver.

Rob

[flo]

Also, the gold pairs test is not that difficult, but it's a pain in the neck to have to start from bronze again. I did when the plans were to not grandfather the standard tests. Now there's no point. Also it really depends on the total package. When I competed in masters we had a platter-star, and inside death spiral but no throw axel or sbs axels. The pair placing first had a double twist, we were second, and the pair in 3rd had sbs axels and a throw axel, but not a great ds.. Whatever you do, do well!

[NoVa Sk8r]

Well, I didn't see a problem with us staying and competing in silver pairs (it's not like either of us is a gold-level skater). There were seven new teams in silver this year at Nats, making it a completely different ballgame. And really, every year is a new year.
While it's nice to play in gold pairs, we don't have:
-sbs axels
-throw axel or throw doubles
-overhead lifts
-correct/credible death spiral

I think the point of adult nats is to just get out there and be a participant in the adult skating community, surround yourself in the enthusiam and anticipation and competitive spirit, (try to) have fun, and let the audience see that adults can skate pairs and create nice programs.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Here's what I reported (sorry for any inaccuracies):
sbs = side by side
SlSt = straight line step
Th = throw
S = salchow, T= toe loop, L = loop, F = flip, Lz = lutz
Sp = spin
BODS = back outside death spiral, FIDS = forward inside death spiral, etc.

BRONZE PAIRS (http://usfsa.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultbronzepairs.htm)
1. Thomas & Lewis (http://tinyurl.com/fs8pw) (hee hee, I'm in the top right, 2nd over, taking notes (http://tinyurl.com/ffrqp))

-pivot spiral, loop lift, spiral sequence (nice w/ multiple positions), Th waltz, sbs T, sbs scratch Sp, SlSt, cartwheel-like lift, (another Th W?), sbs S/T, pair Sp (i think camel)

2. Fitzgerald & Zavaleta (http://tinyurl.com/efm9g)
-pivot spiral, Th W, loop lift, sbs T/T, fish lift, spiral "sequence" (only one position), sbs S, pair back camel/one foot spin

SILVER PAIRS (http://usfsa.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultsilverpairs.htm)
1. Kristi & Glen Norman (http://tinyurl.com/kro8t)
skated to "In the Hall of the Mountain King"
-lutz lift, BODS (ncie), spiral sequence (nice), sbs S/L, Loop lift (not so good), sbs F (fall out), sbs L, sbs sit/scratch sp, Th L, Pair camel, pair waltz-arabians (very effective)

2. Hohbach & Lieberman (http://tinyurl.com/j9m7j)
Good flow and line
-pair camel, Th L, Pair Spiral, F/T/L (fall out of toe), sbs camel, split twist, sbs L/S sequence, axel lift, spread eagle (him)/spiral(her), FIDS

3. Hurst & Lay (http://tinyurl.com/hdm3l)
"Bolero" - I really liked this team; they had many strong elements (and he is bronze level; he should be a good silver II skater next year)
-BODS, lutz lift (great), Th L, pair camel, SlSt, F-hop-T/L, spiral, fish lift/dance lift where she brought her blade to her head (does not count as a program element since it's a "carry lift," but it was nice), sbs Lz, Loop lift (*great height and postion but should not count because it had 4 revs; 3 is the max)

4. Lane & Brown (http://tinyurl.com/jgysc)
-good speed/flow, nice transitions
-Lz lift, pair camel/sit, split twist (OK height), axel or axcel lift? (my notes say incomplete), Th L, F/L, BODS (bad position), pair waltz-arabians

5. Angela & Joel Maher (http://tinyurl.com/k4vxl)
-"The Feeling Begins"
-Spiral sequence/spread eagle, Th L, SlSt, pair camle (sloppy), sbs F, sbs sit, Lz lift, Th L (good), S/T/L, drape move, BODS (fall-her), lunge

6. Yahiro & Scibilia (http://tinyurl.com/kft39)
-sbs Lz/T, Th Lo, split twist (needs more ice coverage), sbs sit/upright (good sync), spiral sequence with change of edge (shades of LoopLoop & Nova Sk8r-LOL!), pair camel, Lz lift (fall-her so no SlSt?), Th W, F, FIDS (bad position)

7. Maya & Brian Buchanan (http://tinyurl.com/kn5ry) (they had a nice, splashy presentation)
-fish lift, drape move, Th L, 2-handed axel lift (does not count; lift needs to be one-armed?), pivot-like spiral (no pivot was achieved), spirals (bad stretch), dance carry lift, T, SlSt, Lz (2-footed), L, Th Lz or F (?), pair Upright spin (kinda like a dance spin)

GOLD PAIRS (http://usfsa.org/event_related_details.asp?ri=content/events/200506/usadultchamps/adultgoldpairs.htm)
1. Sargent & Mata (http://tinyurl.com/e6trw)
Great Spanish (tango?) program, much-improved musicality and expression
-star lift (awesome), Th L (i think they had planned a double), press lift (OK postion by her; needs more "press"), Lz, sit-change-sit, FIDS, F/T, SlSt, pair camel/alligator spin (catch waist), split twist, Th axel (2 footed)

2. Cooper (love pairs) & Jones (http://tinyurl.com/gdsyz)
-Mishima" by Philip Glass; great improvement over the past year, and a nice and steady program
-back half press lift (very good), L/L, split twist, Th Lo, camel-sit, BODS, Lz lift, spiral sequence (nice smiles), Lz, SlSt (good; with brackets), pair camel/alligator (catch waist)

3. Cheng & Barry (http://tinyurl.com/esqx8)
-tango camel (great) into stag lift, Lz/T, BODS (fall out), L lift, spiral sequence, split twist, sbs flying camel-back sit-change forward sit-upright spin, SlSt, Lz lift (only 1 rev), Th L

4. McDonald & Leissring (http://tinyurl.com/eaz6s)
-(I missed this performance because of my own event)

5. Julie & Richard Westerlund (http://tinyurl.com/kgqc2)
-"Vocalise" (tribute to Sergei Grinkov-they chose the music last year--the 10-year anniversary of Sergei's death); she ahd great expression thruout
-fish lift, S/T, spiral sequence, L lift, upright spin, T, Lz lift, BIDS, pair camel, Th L

6. Patricia & Kurt Schwab (http://tinyurl.com/fexql)
-spiral sequence, F/T, L lift (2 revs), pair camel/"head chopper" (his leg went over her head in the camel), LZ lift, pivot spiral (FIDS?), SlSt, sbs sit spisn, Th W, tango camel-pair sit (he was on 2 feet so it shouldn't count)-back camel

7. Friello (flo) & Lichtefeld (rlichtefeld) (http://tinyurl.com/jg2y6)
"Henry V"
-stag lift, L lift (1 rev), Lz lift, tango camel-sit (2 footed), Lz/L (she fell), sbs camel-sit, Th L, F (she 2-footed), FIDS (good arch), split twist, alligator spin-catch foot

8. Debora & James Marlowe (http://tinyurl.com/gcuvj)
-"Lawrence of Arabia"
-Th L, pair spin (camel/back sit?), Lz lift, sbs sit spins, SlSt, mazurka/T, S, FIDS (1/2 rev), spread eagle/spiral, drape lift/dip, pair camel

9. Zurfluh & Ascher (http://tinyurl.com/ed9fp)
-split twist, Th L, spiral sequence, L/T, platter lift (incomplete), camel-reverse upright spin-upright spin, BODS, L, pair spin (sloppy)

I didn't watch the masters pairs event; I hadn't arrived in Dallas yet.

[rlichtefeld]

NoVa,

Thanks for all that work. I had taped all the other groups: Master, Bronze and Silver. But, really had no idea what the other teams in Gold had done, since I only got to watch the last 3.

Rob

[LoopLoop]

Well, I didn't see a problem with us staying and competing in silver pairs (it's not like either of us is a gold-level skater). There were seven new teams in silver this year at Nats, making it a completely different ballgame. And really, every year is a new year.
While it's nice to play in gold pairs, we don't have:
-sbs axels
-throw axel or throw doubles
-overhead lifts
-correct/credible death spiral

I think the point of adult nats is to just get out there and be a participant in the adult skating community, surround yourself in the enthusiam and anticipation and competitive spirit, (try to) have fun, and let the audience see that adults can skate pairs and create nice programs.
Truce! Let's talk offline about some of this, OK?

[FrankR]

I think the point of adult nats is to just get out there and be a participant in the adult skating community, surround yourself in the enthusiam and anticipation and competitive spirit, (try to) have fun, and let the audience see that adults can skate pairs and create nice programs.

I'm just throwing in my two cents here. While I agree that the sentiments expressed above are fundamentally correct, I feel that it's also important to be fully committed to what you are doing on the ice and why you are doing it. I can only speak for myself, but if I were in a position where I didn't feel fully prepared to skate or, if because of certain circumstances, my heart and soul were not fully into skating, then I can't see myself going to Adult Nationals. Though I always enjoy seeing everyone, I know I feel better about my participation if I think that I'm going to try and share something on the ice that meets my goals and hopefully everyone will enjoy.

I am not fully aware of Marna's situation, however the bottom line is that she did not feel that she could fully enjoy her participation at Adult Nationals this year. For me, that is sufficient reason for her to choose not to attend AN this year. I just wish her well and hope that I'll see her back out on the ice again soon.

[CanAmSk8ter]

Well, I wish I had gotten to talk to some of you, but I can put a bunch of names with faces now, so maybe next year (Nova, I was sitting next to you for quite a bit of pairs, including while you were on your phone with LoopLoop, so hi to both of you ;) )

This was my first AN, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm surprised to hear some of you say it didn't feel like Nationals- I can't imagine having more fun (unless maybe I had skated well, which I didn't). Now I really can't wait til next year!

I was really inspired by some of the performances I saw, particularly Julie and Michael in Championship Dance (having been to regular Easterns the last few years, I can safely say there have been years they'd have qualified for Nationals in Novice if not Junior) and everyone in pairs. I've thought for years about maybe trying pairs when I was old enough to test and compete as an adult, and now I definitely want to. So maybe next year I'll be competing against some of y'all. I'll definitely be doing interp next year too; I have several ideas and now I just have to pick one. None of them are as funny as the armadillo, though.

[flo]

Hi,
Canam - glad you enjoyed it. I've been to all the AN's and they all have their own "feeling" this one was a bit different, but hopefully was still enjoyed by all. The main thing I noticed was the smaller audience. This may be due to the numerous schedules out, and the general decline in numbers. The first time I competed in bronze there were 80 or so skaters. Also the timing of events was very different. When I competed in pairs before, at the first AN, it was late Saturday night and packed. In masters pairs we were also late on Saturday night and it was standing room only (after I skated I found a seat on the steps!). I feel bad for the skateres who competed in the rink with no seating. Part of the fun of being at a large event is the audience.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Well, I wish I had gotten to talk to some of you, but I can put a bunch of names with faces now, so maybe next year (Nova, I was sitting next to you for quite a bit of pairs, including while you were on your phone with LoopLoop, so hi to both of you ;) )Oh, cool! So you are in this pic (http://tinyurl.com/ffrqp), at the top right in the blue and black jacket, next to me! Sorry for my overexuberance and spazziness. I felt like I was a big distraction to the people around me.

[TimDavidSkate]

I wish I can find a male pairs skater who wants to skate with a male :halo:

[Mrs Redboots]

I wish I can find a male pairs skater who wants to skate with a male :halo:Only trouble with that is that even if you could, there aren't all that many competitions that allow it, and most of those that do, have it in the artistic/interpretive section, rather than the main pairs section. Still, I'm sure there are folk out there who would be up for it, at least on an "ad hoc" basis.

[flying~camel]

This was my first AN, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'm surprised to hear some of you say it didn't feel like Nationals- I can't imagine having more fun (unless maybe I had skated well, which I didn't). Now I really can't wait til next year!
I'm with you 100% on that (including the not-so-good skating this year)!

[doubletoe]

Only trouble with that is that even if you could, there aren't all that many competitions that allow it, and most of those that do, have it in the artistic/interpretive section, rather than the main pairs section. Still, I'm sure there are folk out there who would be up for it, at least on an "ad hoc" basis.

I know there is a "similar pairs" category at the National Showcase competition, and also at the Gay Games.

[2loop2loop]

I know there is a "similar pairs" category at the National Showcase competition, and also at the Gay Games.

Has anyone seen Bessedin and Politchuk (sp?), two guys who skate acrobatic pairs on the pro circuit. They are incredible! AFAIK at least one of them is straight and married to a well known skater, though I can't remember who.

John

[skaternum]

Has anyone seen Bessedin and Politchuk (sp?), two guys who skate acrobatic pairs on the pro circuit. They are incredible! AFAIK at least one of them is straight and married to a well known skater, though I can't remember who.Bessedin (the big one) and Naomi Lang were involved. I'm not sure if they ever married. He's the father of her child. Last I heard, they'd split up.

[2loop2loop]

Bessedin (the big one) and Naomi Lang were involved. I'm not sure if they ever married. He's the father of her child. Last I heard, they'd split up.

Maybe that was it, though I had the little guy in my mind for some reason...not that I really have a clue. :P

John

[sexyskates]

Well I had a great time at Nationals! Thank you Debbie S. for your congratulations! It was nice to have the competition someplace WARM for a change. Even though the south pole rink was nippy, it was really warm outside and in the lobby - makes my muscles nice and loose. The most fun was seeing all my wonderful skating friends! And I did get to do some interesting sight seeing in Dallas and Fort Worth as well.

[climbsk8]

I actually didn't have to spend the weekend in the airport!!!!!

I'm so thrilled.

I finished pre-bronze dance Saturday morning, waited around for the hardware (silver ... my partner rocks!) and then bolted for the airport. I had to miss my scheduled flight to make the dance final round.

So I got to the airport and then learned that the flight I was trying to get on standby had been cancelled. AND all of those people on that flight had taken up all of the available seats on the other flights. I was terrified ... I had to work Sunday, and it looked like I wouldn't be able to fly out until Sunday afternoon, which would mean I could lose my job. Thanks MORRY!

So I'm waiting around at the gate for the last flight out of Dallas ... everybody's saying it doesn't look good, you might have to try tomorrow, etc. .... and apparently there was one woman who stayed in the bathroom a little too long, or had too much to drink at the bar, or something. But she didn't get on the plane in time and they let me have her seat!

I swear I didn't tie anybody up and leave them in a closet somewhere. really I promise ...

Overall, I had a blast in Dallas. I am so proud of my fellow NC Skaters (you know who you are) and I skated better than I expected. I also greatly enjoyed the Western Wear shop in the mall ... my partner and I both got cowboy boots!!!

I hope that USFSA learned a good lesson about adult skaters and our schedules. I hope the LOC didn't get too beaten up over stuff that wasn't their fault. They tried very hard to host a great competition, and I think we'll get a great reception next year in Chicago.

After that ... what about Atlanta? or DC? Maybe Colorado? Where do you guys want to go next?

[dcden]

After that ... what about Atlanta? or DC? Maybe Colorado? Where do you guys want to go next?

climbsk8, it was good to see you, if only very briefly. Maybe we can catch up some more at our next competition. Now I know why I didn't see you at the closing party! Congratulations on your silver.

Now, as for future bids, I think considering my hyperventilation after my performance, Colorado would not be a place I'd go to! But, I could do me some Atlanta. And of course I would love for DC to have it, though we only have one 3-rink facility at Gardens FSC in Laurel (I believe it's 3 rinks...).

What about Seattle? They always have an enthusiastic contingent at AN.

[WhisperSung]

After that ... what about Atlanta? or DC? Maybe Colorado? Where do you guys want to go next?


Atlanta! I haven't been back since I moved away in 1998.

Hawaii! Nice warm weather (downside: expensive plane tickets)

Someplace in Arizona might be cool, too. Or New Mexico or northern California?

Can anyone tell I'm from MN and want warm weather nationals? :halo:

[flying~camel]

I heard that Denver and Lake Placid are putting in bids for AN '08.

[Mrs Redboots]

I know there is a "similar pairs" category at the National Showcase competition, and also at the Gay Games.Oh, they exist all right - there just aren't as many of them as there are for "orthodox" pairs, if that is the expression I want!

Has anyone seen Bessedin and Politchuk (sp?), two guys who skate acrobatic pairs on the pro circuit. They are incredible! AFAIK at least one of them is straight and married to a well known skater, though I can't remember whoI saw them - they were on television recently, but I can't remember when or why, and they were wonderful and very amusing, as well as extraordinarily clever.

[sk8er1964]

I'd do LP or Atlanta, but probably not Denver. To much time needed to adjust to the elevation.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Oh, they exist all right - there just aren't as many of them as there are for "orthodox" pairs, if that is the expression I want!This link (http://www.fs-cologne.de/4817.html) has some pics. Scroll all the way down--or look at some of the other, er, interesting pics!

I saw them - they were on television recently, but I can't remember when or why, and they were wonderful and very amusing, as well as extraordinarily clever.Besedin & Polishchuk (http://www.championsonice.com/skaters/bio.php?useid=24) skate in Champions on Ice. I saw them train in Hackensack a few summers ago when Loops and I took a few lessons from John Zimmerman right before the Adult Trainng Camp. B&P were amazing to watch.

[dcden]

HOT! And thank you for the link to the 6.0 Party pictures!

[flying~camel]

I wish we could've gone to the 6.0 party, but we were completely wiped out by the time we got back to the hotel.

[JulieN]

I heard that Denver and Lake Placid are putting in bids for AN '08.
Really? I'm from Denver but have not heard that. I hope that's true! I'd love to have AN in our home town!

[rlichtefeld]

I know there is a "similar pairs" category at the National Showcase competition, and also at the Gay Games.

At the Peach Classic we have an Interpretive Pairs event. It started as Similar Pairs but we changed it a couple of years ago. It can be same or mixed pairs. So far, we have had mostly female-female, but some male-female. Last years Men in Tights was great.

We would gladly welcome male-male.

The announcement will be up soon at:
http://www.gafsc.org/peachclassic.htm
And, again it will be Labor Day weekend.

But, until then you can see last year's announcement to check on the Interp Pairs if you are interested.

Rob

[jazzpants]

This link (http://www.fs-cologne.de/4817.html) has some pics. Scroll all the way down--or look at some of the other, er, interesting pics!OMG!!! ROFLMAO!!! Aren't Jay and Lisa maaaarhavelous lookin' women??? :twisted: :lol:

[TimDavidSkate]

It would be so much fun to skate pairs, of course Im the one being lifted and thrown. I have played around with a couple of guys IN PAIRS!!! I can do a split twist, throw double salchow, throw double loop, tabletop lift, and a decent death spiral. Any guys out there want to play around? :halo:

[dcden]

I heard that Denver and Lake Placid are putting in bids for AN '08.
I heard the LP rumor as well, but did not hear about Denver. I would wholeheartedly support another LP bid.

[jazzpants]

What about Seattle? They always have an enthusiastic contingent at AN.I'm for Seattle... Much cheaper plan fare and hotel for me!!! 8-)

Can anyone tell I'm from MN and want warm weather nationals? :halo: I thank you for saying that... and my poor lower back also thanks you for saying that too!!! :twisted:

AHHH!!! Lake Placid vs. Denver... okay, which one is more affordable? If it's Lake Placid, I gotta show up just to see what all the loopla daisies makes about it. :lol:

I just download Champ Masters Men off FS Channel. Warning... BIG FILE!!! Took a good 20 minutes on T1 line!!! 8O But well worth it to see Moves Guru's beautiful program with that footwork!!! (Told FrankR that it was so beautiful, it made me cry!!!) Haven't watched everyone yet.

[Thin-Ice]

[B]
... Congrats to Thin-Ice for making the final round in Silver IV!!! WOO HOO!!! :bow:

Thanks for the encouragement Jazzpants.. but only in my dreams! I'm still just a lowly-little-bronze skater. But it WAS cool to make final round.. especially after I fell in the qualifying. I was stunned when a friend came running around the corner telling me to put my skates back on for the photo of the qualifiers!

One of my best AN 06 moments happened in the next 15 minutes: All six of the qualifiers from our group (of 11 skaters) took the photo -- then had a spontaneous group hug to congratulate ourselves for making it to Finals!

The other best-for-me AN 06 moment happened just after our group finished. I came around the corner to see Wendy Bauer (the woman who constantly knits in the stands.. making tiny little sweaters with the AN 06 (or whatever year) logo on them that she puts on little bears to throw to competitors after they skate). She came rushing at me and said "Sorry I didn't see you skate... I was getting my picture taken!" She had an ear-to-ear smile AND a "Finals Qualifier" medal on. It's the first time she's EVER made final round.. and she didn't just squeak in either... she was 4th in her group of 8!!! Top 6 qualified for Finals. I was so thrilled for her I started crying. Yeah, I know... we're such TOUGH competitors in Bronze 4!!!

[FrankR]

Thanks for the encouragement Jazzpants.. but only in my dreams! I'm still just a lowly-little-bronze skater. But it WAS cool to make final round.. especially after I fell in the qualifying. I was stunned when a friend came running around the corner telling me to put my skates back on for the photo of the qualifiers!

One of my best AN 06 moments happened in the next 15 minutes: All six of the qualifiers from our group (of 11 skaters) took the photo -- then had a spontaneous group hug to congratulate ourselves for making it to Finals!

The other best-for-me AN 06 moment happened just after our group finished. I came around the corner to see Wendy Bauer (the woman who constantly knits in the stands.. making tiny little sweaters with the AN 06 (or whatever year) logo on them that she puts on little bears to throw to competitors after they skate). She came rushing at me and said "Sorry I didn't see you skate... I was getting my picture taken!" She had an ear-to-ear smile AND a "Finals Qualifier" medal on. It's the first time she's EVER made final round.. and she didn't just squeak in either... she was 4th in her group of 8!!! Top 6 qualified for Finals. I was so thrilled for her I started crying. Yeah, I know... we're such TOUGH competitors in Bronze 4!!!

Awww!!! :D That is such a sweet story!

My mom always mentions Wendy to me. She doesn't know her name so she calls her "the lady who knits all the time." :lol: Unfortunately my mom and I haven't had a chance to see Wendy skate but my mom marvels at her knitting ability. She was telling me that she knits without ever looking at what she's knitting. Typically she's watching others skate and her hands are knitting away all by themselves. 8O Now THAT'S dexterity!! ;)

Frank

[CanAmSk8ter]

Lkae Placid or Denver, Lake Placid or Denver... Lake Placid is driveable for me, but I've been there probably fifteen times, and I've always wanted to see Colorado... I guess Denver would be more fun in some ways but I know Lake Placid runs good competitions. I could go either way. Are those really the only two locales bidding right now?

[manleywoman]

I'd be happy with either. Though i'd go out early to get use to the Denver altitude if it were there!

[Joan]

I'd be happy with either. Though i'd go out early to get use to the Denver altitude if it were there!


Lake Placid would be an expensive trip, as there are no airport hubs nearby, while Denver has the altitude disadvantage for many of us. But both are good skating venues.

[NoVa Sk8r]

Were there any AN2006 pins this year? I don't recall seeing them being sold or seeing anyone wearing 'em ...

[daisies]

Were there any AN2006 pins this year? I don't recall seeing them being sold or seeing anyone wearing 'em ...
Yes, I bought one at registration!

[techskater]

Yes, they weren't available until Weds afternoon and sold out by mid-Thurs morning. I got mine, though :)

[flying~camel]

I think I bought one of the last ones on Thursday ;)

[NoVa Sk8r]

Wah! I didn't get one! :cry: :P

[techskater]

Why not email Ann Dougherty and see if she can help you, NoVa!

[daisies]

Yes, they weren't available until Weds afternoon and sold out by mid-Thurs morning. I got mine, though :)
That's weird, I bought mine on Friday!

Definitely contact the LOC, they probably have a stash!

[mdvask8r]

I volunteered at the registration desk on Friday late afternoon. We sold the last one then. Well, Ann Dougherty said it was the last of them.

[mr7740]

I was looking at the pictures from the artistic/drama Master's interpretive I and II and never having attended an Adult Nationals I was surprised at the range of costumes. Did anyone see this event and could you report on some of the programs. I am just really curious what type of programs are used as interpretive. Thanks!

[techskater]

Who's do you want specific info on?

[starskate6.0]

G-day:)

Well I thought I would say hello since its been a long time since Iv said hi.
I have not had a lot of time to look at the board as of late because I have been in training for a new job and missed Nationals and won't be able to go to Germany this year , Maybe next year. I am missing the ice and all of you but I did hear you all had a great time at Nationals. :)

Congratulations to Chris Williams and Kelton on there wins at gold mens events. I could not think of more worthy winners. Also to my friends Lee and Andria on the pairs event I hear a silver medal was the order of the day for you.:P I hope to see you all again soon but I dought Ill be on the ice again till the Halloween skate. But Ill see some of you there.. Ross.

" The greatest risk in life...is not taking one. ":)

[mr7740]

Who's do you want specific info on?

No one person in particular, I was just interested in hearing the music/theme to match with the skater/costume.

[Joan]

No one person in particular, I was just interested in hearing the music/theme to match with the skater/costume.

If you want to view the whole event, you can download just that event from Mediazone for, I think, $4.99.

Here is what is stated at the mediazone web site
http://www.mediazone.com/channel/figureskating/jsp/index.jsp
And here is the link to the Adult Nationals page
http://www.mediazone.com/channel/figureskating/jsp/events.jsp?eid=619

# Buy a single event from any competition
# for just $4.99*

*Prices may be higher for sectional, U.S. Championship and international events

[lovepairs]

G-day Starskate! ;)

Thanks so much, we had a really great skate! We had a blast!!! You were really missed at AN. How's flying? Are you in, did you get the position, are you in training?

I want to fly with you!!! Will you fly us all to Chicago next year? :P

Testing Intermedaite Moves, AGAIN, on May 18th :frus: To all the judges out there :giveup:

[jazzpants]

If you want to view the whole event, you can download just that event from Mediazone for, I think, $4.99.

Here is what is stated at the mediazone web site
http://www.mediazone.com/channel/figureskating/jsp/index.jsp
And here is the link to the Adult Nationals page
http://www.mediazone.com/channel/figureskating/jsp/events.jsp?eid=619

# Buy a single event from any competition
# for just $4.99*

*Prices may be higher for sectional, U.S. Championship and international eventsIt's $7.99 for Nationals!!! EEEEK!!! 8O I narrowed down my list of must have video vs. videos I can wait to have. There were others I wanted to see, but they were NOT on my "must have" list for this month.

[Debbie S]

Testing Intermedaite Moves, AGAIN, on May 18th :frus: To all the judges out there :giveup:Good luck, lovepairs! Hey, you passed Gold MIF - you can do this!!! And good luck to you and pairman on your pairs test! I thought about doing that test session but I think it's too far away, plus it's a work day, so it looks like I'll be testing again sometime in June.

Congrats on the new job, starskate!

[InsideAxel]

Hi Ross,

We sure missed you in Dallas...glad to hear though about the new job. Hope to catch up with you at Halloween!

C'ya,

Kelton

G-day:)

Well I thought I would say hello since its been a long time since Iv said hi.
I have not had a lot of time to look at the board as of late because I have been in training for a new job and missed Nationals and won't be able to go to Germany this year , Maybe next year. I am missing the ice and all of you but I did hear you all had a great time at Nationals. :)

Congratulations to Chris Williams and Kelton on there wins at gold mens events. I could not think of more worthy winners. Also to my friends Lee and Andria on the pairs event I hear a silver medal was the order of the day for you.:P I hope to see you all again soon but I dought Ill be on the ice again till the Halloween skate. But Ill see some of you there.. Ross.

" The greatest risk in life...is not taking one. ":)

[Stormy]

For the life of me, I cannot get my event to work from Media Zone! What the tech support suggested didn't help either!! I try and play the event, and I get a script error and then it just hangs there and I can't even enter in my e-mail and password. I've been charged for the event and I want to watch it!! GRRR!!! :x

[JulieN]

For the life of me, I cannot get my event to work from Media Zone! What the tech support suggested didn't help either!! I try and play the event, and I get a script error and then it just hangs there and I can't even enter in my e-mail and password. I've been charged for the event and I want to watch it!! GRRR!!! :x
I was able to watch your event. Have you tried updating to the latest version of Windows Media Player (go to the Help menu, then Check For Player Updates...). I'm using version 10.00.00.3990 (you can check this under the Help menu and then About Windows Media Player). Hope this helps.

BTW -- Congrats on your medal! I thought you skated great! :)

[daisies]

For the life of me, I cannot get my event to work from Media Zone! What the tech support suggested didn't help either!! I try and play the event, and I get a script error and then it just hangs there and I can't even enter in my e-mail and password. I've been charged for the event and I want to watch it!! GRRR!!! :x
I had the same problem. Are you on AOL? The tech guy said their software isn't entirely compatible with AOL. I got a refund.

[Stormy]

Nope, not on AOL. I've upgraded everything to do with Windows media player. Funny thing is, I have an event from synchro nationals that I downloaded that plays just fine. I really don't know what's wrong at this point, and Tech Support doesn't seem to know either. :giveup:

[JulieN]

Nope, not on AOL. I've upgraded everything to do with Windows media player. Funny thing is, I have an event from synchro nationals that I downloaded that plays just fine. I really don't know what's wrong at this point, and Tech Support doesn't seem to know either. :giveup:
Try downloading the video file again. Maybe the download was corrupt somehow. What's the error message that you are getting?

[lovepairs]

Thanks, DebbS!

This will be my third time taking the Intermediate Moves. If I pass, I get to TEST the Intermediate Pairs test with Pairsman. :P If I don't, I just get to SKATE (while totally bumbed out) the Intermediate Pairs test with Pairsman. If he passes then he gets to drag me up to Master Pairs, like dragging a cave woman around by the hair, and I don't want that! :frus:

I'm determined to PASS!

[FrankR]

Thanks, DebbS!

This will be my third time taking the Intermediate Moves. If I pass, I get to TEST the Intermediate Pairs test with Pairsman. :P If I don't, I just get to SKATE (while totally bumbed out) the Intermediate Pairs test with Pairsman. If he passes then he gets to drag me up to Master Pairs, like dragging a cave woman around by the hair, and I don't want that! :frus:

I'm determined to PASS!

Hey lovepairs,

I wish you all the best in your testing endeavors. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Regarding the whole cave-woman picture you just painted, I think it has all the makings of a great pairs interp or exhibition number! :lol:

Frank

[lovepairs]

Thanks, FrankR...I'll let you know how it turns out. Say hi to your mom for us. :P

[starskate6.0]

G-day:)

"Yes" I got hired at jetBlue airway's on the airbus A320. Im off for another 2 weeks while the gov does the security thing on me then back to Florida for 3 more weeks of training. Ill be flying out of JFK, I hear the over nights in the Bahama's are preety good...:mrgreen:
It means I can still live and skate here in PHL and drive up to NY for my 4 day shifts. Im realy lookinng froward to it. But most of all getting back to a regular schedule so I can skate again..:)..... Kelton If I can learn the camel spins and the spins for the intermediate Free Ill test up to Masters with you but you've seen me spin...:lol: :lol: :lol: :giveup:

[lovepairs]

G-day Starskate,

I'm so happy for you! Wow, that was huge--landing that position and flying this new plane!!! When are we going to the Bahamas? LOL!!! Now, behave yourself down there, and when you are in the Bahamas look for a 2,3, or 4 surface rink so that we can have Nationals down there, and you can fly us all down!!! Skate--freeze to death--run to the beach--thaw out! :P

Okay, when are you going to start skatin Pairs??? Yes, please try to test up with us to Masters with us!

See you soon,

Love,
Lovepairs

[starskate6.0]

Ill test up as soon as I can learn to spin on the right foot....:lol: :lol: :frus: :frus: IT make flying a $50M airplane look easy..:frus:

[sexyskates]

Starskate, congrats on your new position. There are a lot of ice rinks on Long Island not too far from JFK. You may be able to squeeze in some extra sessions. Although it sounds like you will be spending more time in the Bahamas - now that sounds really nice! You can't scuba and then fly, but you can snorkle and hang on the beach!

[lovepairs]

You think you have problems, try doing real estate. :frus:

Here's a deal-- I know anyone vacationing in the Bahamas, I'll send them to JetBlue, you know anyone who needs to buy, or sell a house, you send them to me! We'll both starve to death!!! LOL!!!

Oh, forget the plane and the houses--let's go skating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[WhisperSung]

lovepairs: Good luck with Intermediate moves! It took me 3 times to pass those suckers, too (I'd say 3rd time's a charm, but I'm on my 10th attempt at Novice moves, so nevermind :P). Good luck, though! Skate confidently!

[starskate6.0]

Starskate, congrats on your new position. There are a lot of ice rinks on Long Island not too far from JFK. You may be able to squeeze in some extra sessions. Although it sounds like you will be spending more time in the Bahamas - now that sounds really nice! You can't scuba and then fly, but you can snorkle and hang on the beach!
Thanks Sexy

But I have no dought Ill get stuck with the red eye shifts to Long Beach CA for the first few months..Oh Well..:)

[lovepairs]

Thank you, Whispersung. My pairs partner watched my pattern #3 today, and he said they looked more confident. I will continue to work on confidence. I know that confidence and power is a big part of this test! I'm with you that the 3rd time is the charm! I've heard that Novice is THE TOUGHEST moves test out there. Keep going...they'll pass you! You are very brave, Whispersung :bow:

Happy Holidays to everyone! :P

Lovepairs

[jazzpants]

lovepairs: Good luck with Intermediate moves! It took me 3 times to pass those suckers, too (I'd say 3rd time's a charm, but I'm on my 10th attempt at Novice moves, so nevermind :P). Good luck, though! Skate confidently!Yes, you are quite brave for trying for Novice Moves! (And hey! They don't call it "Nervous Moves" for nuttin', 'ya know!) :twisted: :lol:

I could only DREAM of ever passing Nervous Moves in my lifetime!!! :roll: *sigh*

[PattyP]

Thanks Sexy

But I have no dought Ill get stuck with the red eye shifts to Long Beach CA for the first few months..Oh Well..:)

Just so you know, there is a rink within 1 mile of the LB airport with 3 surfaces if you ever stay in the area. It's called Lakewood Glacial Garden. I work at Boeing next to the airport. One of your fellow Ch. Gold competitors trains there, Nick Chow.

Patty

[flo]

Whisper - you'll get it. I love the counter moves. After I had runnung counters in a program I liked them and wanted to do more, so we worked on the novice move.

[Stormy]

After lots of time with tech support, I finally got my event to work, hooray! :) One last question of y'all....who took the podium pictures? I took two and both came out horrendous! I'd like to get the official ones taken, are they on the site with the other pics? thanks, all!!!

[Thin-Ice]

One last question of y'all....who took the podium pictures? I took two and both came out horrendous! I'd like to get the official ones taken, are they on the site with the other pics? thanks, all!!!

Local Motion took the podium photos. That's the same company that did the videos. I think they're based in Colorado... and are probably listed in the program... anyone else know where Local Motion is? (I'm at work right now and don't have all my skating paraphenalia with me.)

[NoVa Sk8r]

Here's their website:
http://www.localmotionproductions.com/