What do you use for skating notebooks?

[littlerain]

For those of you who keep skating notebooks, what do you use? I'm assuming that most of you use binders or normal notebooks... I'm curious to know!

I was at the rink the other day and I saw a girl with a small (5x7 or 6x9 sized) binder with dividers. There was a picture of a skate and her name on the front - now I think I want something like that (anyone know where it's from?) instead of a small notebook. :-)

[SynchroSk8r114]

I give all my students black and white composition books. They're a little sturdier than spiral bound, but I wouldn't mind investing in one like you're talking about for their Christmas presents...

You may be able to find something along those lines here:
http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/site/department.cfm/id/20F324B7-475A-BAC0-590866DB66FB4F15

[littlerain]

Yeah - I looked on the website, and I don't think any of those are what I saw... But rainbo does occasionally have more stuff in their store, so I might go look sometime.

[phoenix]

mine is just a cute little spiral notebook, but it has a clear vinyl cover (w/ little polka dots) so it protects it a bit. I think I got it at Target. One note: put your name ALL OVER it!! I left my old one somewhere, filled w/ pages & pages of 3 years worth of notes, and I never got it back. :cry: I'm just starting all over again w/ this one.

This one looks like fun!
http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?z=y&cds2Pid=15655&ean=9780641800207

[Sessy]

Any scrap of paper I can find. Usually shop bills. :o

[liz_on_ice]

I have a spiral with a hard cover with a pretty design from staples. I keep it on the boards during my lesson and scrawl in whatever corrections I get. It also gives me a place to makes notes of things I want to discuss, if I should have any.

I only started keeping notes about a month ago, but I think it's really sped up my progress by keeping my practices more focused. :D

[Rusty Blades]

Well my journal is a word processing document that gets copied between my Palm Pilot, my home computer, and my office computer. (It also used to get copied to my Web page regularly). I keep my lesson and practice info in my journal which is handy 'cause I can search the whole document for different things.

I also have a 3-ring binder that I have at the boards with me every session. It has a cover with my name on it, all kinds of Skate Canada graphics, and skating-related sayings that I like. Inside the front pocket is where I stick my "rink notes" (what I intend to work on in practice and any questions for my coach) and any entry or registration forms that need to be turned in.

The first page in the binder is my "yearly planner" - quick reference for me and my coach to see what we should be working on. Next is scratch paper for reminders, quick notes, or drawing things with my coach.

If I am working on a program, the next section is choreography, timing notes, etc.

Then there are relevant sections from the rule book: Adult Tech Package, CPC information, Interpretive information, extracts from the Technical handbook, and a section on fitness (for all my off-ice stuff). There is usually enough official information in my binder to answer 90% of the questions that come up during a lesson and my coach often "helps herself" to the binder to answer questions for other people.

[Paulie86]

My journal is just an exercise book from the stationary section in stores. They're cheap and don't take up much room at all in my skate bag. After each lesson I take it out and right important things my coach told me about each element we worked on so I can improve on it even when I don't have a lesson. I find when I'm practicing and something just isn't working, I can look at my journal and try and see what I'm doing wrong.

I also keep a skating log in there as well of all the different elements I know and am learning, so I know what to work on each time I skate. I write the date at the beginning of the column and tick what I work on thats day and am able to see what I haven't done in a while so I can work on that.

[littlerain]

Exercise book? like those journals to record your workouts? Hmm, i don't think I see those around very often...

[miraclegro]

I use a composition book from the dollar store, and write down my practice plan and what i need to remember from my lesson because i have NO memory!

My coach told me the other day that i could write down my program elements on my hand and then when i am doing my program i could stop and say "Wait a minute, let me look on my hand to see what's next!" He's ruthless!

[Mrs Redboots]

I usually wait until I get home (I shouldn't!), and then write up the session on my blog. I do have a notebook - just a cheapo one - but have lost it.

[airyfairy76]

Like Mrs Redboots, I write it all on my blog, which I started on Day 1 of stepping on the ice. If I am having an off day, it is great to look back to nearly a year ago now, and see how far I have come.

However, I was thinking about getting a (very pretty and girlie) notebook to jot things down in, which I could fill in on the bus journey home - nothing to do with the fact that I have a weakness for pretty stationery, honest! :lol:

Something like this perhaps . . .
http://www.northerniceanddance.com/store_/skating-journal-p-297.html

:D

[Rob Dean]

Exercise book? like those journals to record your workouts? Hmm, i don't think I see those around very often...

That's British English for "composition book" ...

I've usually got a little pocket journal, about 3" x 5", and it isn't exclusively used for skating notes, so notes from committee meetings, reminders about books I want to find, and shopping lists for conventions are all scattered through the notes on "EXTEND!".

Rob

[littlerain]

That's British English for "composition book" ...



Ah. I knew that at one point in my life. Lol. Thanks for clearing that up for me :-)

[Mrs Redboots]

You could always buy a cheap notebook or exercise book with a plain cover, and jazz it up - isn't the modern term "pimp it up"? - with some skating clip-art or draw a skater on it in gold pen or something.

[sk8_4fun]

I usually wait until I get home (I shouldn't!), and then write up the session on my blog. I do have a notebook - just a cheapo one - but have lost it.

I too write most stuff in my blog. However i have been meaning to sort out a practise plan. Now I have to practise a whole lot more stuff something allways gets left out. Having a plan would mean better use of my time and hopefully make me more disciplined. So, having read this thread before I went shopppong this mroning, I picked this up at sainsbury's for £1.79. Its A5 size and has a plastic cover. hopefully I will make good use of it.............http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t253/jayaweena_bucket/IMG_7064.jpg

[Thin-Ice]

Several years ago, a friend gave me a blank book, which she had adorned with a cloth cover and used a gold-ink pen to draw skate on it. I used that book EVERY time I skated and found it made such a difference in how I approached practices that I was sad when I ran out of pages. So I HAD to buy another blank book and make my own cover and skate ornament on the cover. I've since had several other people ask me "where do you get that?". I've actually thought of making several and selling them at our local arts and craft fair. (I wouldn't put the skate on it, maybe initials or some other decoration.) They also look pretty sitting on the shelf with all my other skating souvenirs when I finish writing in it, but still want to have it available to look up how far I've come on those REALLY bad days when it feels like I've never made any progress. When I was struggling with the camel, it helped to re-read how hard it was for me to get a decent sit spin!

[Mrs Redboots]

I've since had several other people ask me "where do you get that?". I've actually thought of making several and selling them at our local arts and craft fair. (I wouldn't put the skate on it, maybe initials or some other decoration.)
You could do loads with skates on them, perhaps personalised as gifts to throw on to the ice for your skating friend, or perhaps to sell at competitions for other people to do the same!

Alternatively, I'm sure your skating club would refund the expense of buying the materials if you were prepared to donate some to be sold at club evenings - a nice source of revenue for the club!

[jenlyon60]

I use a spiral bound notebook that I got as a freebie from some competition.

[jazzpants]

I put in in the lesson/practice thread!!! :twisted: :P :lol:

I wish I have the time to write things in a log book right at the rink, but I'm stuck parking in a 1 hour zone and have limited time to park or be there. I barely could get in stretching off-ice after my skate...and often do my stretching when I get home to shower. 8O

[Thin-Ice]

You could do loads with skates on them, perhaps personalised as gifts to throw on to the ice for your skating friend, or perhaps to sell at competitions for other people to do the same!

Alternatively, I'm sure your skating club would refund the expense of buying the materials if you were prepared to donate some to be sold at club evenings - a nice source of revenue for the club!

Those are good ideas! I'll have to look into the cost (time and materials) to see if it would be practical. Right now my "available time" is be taken up by a new vice.. one that YOU actually encouraged Mrs. Redboots... I'm learning to knit. It's slow going so far, but I'm really enjoying it. Of course my first projects were scarves made out of "fun fur"/eyelash yarn.. and I gave them to my coaches after I took my Silver Moves test.. for suffering through all of that with me. :lol:

[Mrs Redboots]

Those are good ideas! I'll have to look into the cost (time and materials) to see if it would be practical. Right now my "available time" is be taken up by a new vice.. one that YOU actually encouraged Mrs. Redboots... I'm learning to knit. It's slow going so far, but I'm really enjoying it. Of course my first projects were scarves made out of "fun fur"/eyelash yarn.. and I gave them to my coaches after I took my Silver Moves test.. for suffering through all of that with me. :lol:

Nothing like being creative! One well-known adult ice-dancer made lovely furry scarves all winter and brought about 30 of them to the Mountain Cup to throw for various friends - they were most welcome this year, as it was so desperately, and unusually cold there!

[NickiT]

I blog on Myspace when I get home. If I have something specific to note down, for example when I attend a skate camp, I jot it down in a spiral bound note book!

Nicki