Glassy or Rutted! (Sept 3 to 9)

[Rusty Blades]

New practice thread folks, titled in honour of my new part-time job :mrgreen:

Glassy:The back edges REALLY came together today - just SMOKIN'! - strong, solid, FAST - both inside and outside. DAMN that felt good! Sure and comfortable to.

The Waltz jumps were also cookin' today - speed, height, and a good landing (most of the time) And the Waltz/Toe was getting better, though the Toe Loop part is still mostly rotated on the toe pick.

Rutted: Upright spins were luke warm - some were well centred and held together but others fell apart.

The ice for the 7 a.m. session is often CRAP! It is often littered with condensation mountains or rutted up from hockey. So last week I sent an email to the General Manager of the arena and volunteered to resurface the ice myself for the 7 a.m. session if they would check me out on the machine.

Glassy: Today I stopped for a chat with the GM and they are going to take me up on my offer! In a couple of weeks I will get training in operating the resurfacer and become a "part-time rink employee" (for liability reasons) so I can resurface the ice whenever it is needed for the 7 a.m. session - for which I will get paid - which will effectively make that day's ice FREE - DOUBLE BONUS!!! LOL!!!!

[dbny]

Glassy: Today I stopped for a chat with the GM and they are going to take me up on my offer! In a couple of weeks I will get training in operating the resurfacer and become a "part-time rink employee" (for liability reasons) so I can resurface the ice whenever it is needed for the 7 a.m. session - for which I will get paid - which will effectively make that day's ice FREE - DOUBLE BONUS!!! LOL!!!!

Congratulations! Don't know what you expect, but it takes about 16 hours to train a Zamboni driver. Shouldn't you get free ice all the time as an employee :halo:?

[Rusty Blades]

Congratulations! Don't know what you expect, but it takes about 16 hours to train a Zamboni driver. Shouldn't you get free ice all the time as an employee :halo:?

LOL! I am not going to push it - I will settle for GOOD ice :mrgreen: I just hope they will let me take my time and make good figure skating ice (smooth!) and not be a Mario Andretti Zam driver!

16 hours is not a problem! Anything for good ice!

[dbny]

LOL! I am not going to push it - I will settle for GOOD ice :mrgreen: I just hope they will let me take my time and make good figure skating ice (smooth!) and not be a Mario Andretti Zam driver!

16 hours is not a problem! Anything for good ice!

There's a saying about this:

Question: How long does it take to cut the ice?
Answer: As long as it takes!

[Morgail]

Glassy: Today I stopped for a chat with the GM and they are going to take me up on my offer! In a couple of weeks I will get training in operating the resurfacer and become a "part-time rink employee" (for liability reasons) so I can resurface the ice whenever it is needed for the 7 a.m. session - for which I will get paid - which will effectively make that day's ice FREE - DOUBLE BONUS!!! LOL!!!!

Very cool! I've always wanted to drive the Zamboni:D

[xofivebyfive]

Glassy: My backspins were pretty nice yetserday and I did 10 loops in a row which was really cool. My sit-backsit is getting really good! The backsit is as low and centered as my foward one.

Rutted: I found out that with my IV antibiotics I might not be able to skate until I get it taken out which will be December or Januaryish. With any luck I'll still be able to do moves and maybe spins, but I definitely won't be able to attempt doubles. Eh. As long as I get better I guess it doesn't matter.

[jazzpants]

Very cool! I've always wanted to drive the Zamboni:D
Me too!!! VERY KEWL Rusty Blades!!! Congrats on your "new job." 8-)

[Petlover]

Glassy: Peach Classic this weekend was awesome! I skated well, and am very pleased with my results. I also made several new friends.

Rutty: My rink won't be up and running for another couple of weeks, so I will continue to drive the extra distance to the alternate rink.

Glassy: At least I have a wonderful alternate rink to go to!!!!! Also, scratch spins were happening this morning!

[Morgail]

Rutted:
My 5:50 am session started this morning, and I wasn't there:(
I emailed the person in charge of ice contracts about getting a credit. I hope she gets back to me soon.

Glassy:
Going to see the orthopedist this afternoon!
Also, not working today because of the leg, and got out of my second week of jury duty (although, I actually want to do jury duty since I just took the bar exam!).

[dbny]

Very cool! I've always wanted to drive the Zamboni:D

Me too!!! VERY KEWL Rusty Blades!!! Congrats on your "new job." 8-)

Dream on, Jazzpants. I also volunteered to learn to drive the Zamboni and discovered that people of our height cannot see over the top to steer unless we stand the whole time. There are also sometimes other obstacles, such as heavy doors to open and close :frus:.

[Rusty Blades]

Me too!!! VERY KEWL Rusty Blades!!! Congrats on your "new job." 8-)

LOL! I would rather SKATE than resurface but if I have to drive the Zam to get good ice, then so be it.

P.S. I am 5' 9" - taller than the regular Zam driver and can move ANYTHING with a good hip-check! ;)

[Mrs Redboots]

LOL! I would rather SKATE than resurface but if I have to drive the Zam to get good ice, then so be it.

We'll have to get you one of those T-shirts which says "When I grow up, I want to drive the Zamboni!"

As for me:

Rutted: I now have a job, so early-morning skates will be curtailed a bit. Coaches on holiday for 2 weeks, so no lessons, and no chance of rearranging my Wednesday lesson for a couple of weeks.

Glassy: Had a good practice session with Husband, but because it was so short, didn't feel like I'd done much!

[icedancer2]

We'll have to get you one of those T-shirts which says "When I grow up, I want to drive the Zamboni!"



I found a website where you can get lots of zamboni T-shirt type gear!

http://www.icesk8.com/access9.htm

But my favorite is this one - I bought it at the gift shop at the Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City but I guess you can get it online:

http://store.worldskatingmuseum.org/adultclothing.html

Enjoy - congrats on the job! Where I live, you would get free ice time with a job like that!!

[WeirFan06]

Congratulations! Don't know what you expect, but it takes about 16 hours to train a Zamboni driver. Shouldn't you get free ice all the time as an employee :halo:?

I used to work at my rink in college and they gave one free freestyle per week and free public sessions all the time. At that time (almost 8 years ago) the public sessions weren't all that crowded, so it worked out well.

Dream on, Jazzpants. I also volunteered to learn to drive the Zamboni and discovered that people of our height cannot see over the top to steer unless we stand the whole time. There are also sometimes other obstacles, such as heavy doors to open and close :frus:.

Short people drive the zam... they just stand up going around the corners mostly. I actually politely declined learning how to do that when I worked at the rink. At that time I had only been driving a car for about a year... and I was too scared of running into the walls with the zamboni!! :giveup: I had visions of breaking straight through the wall, and not being able to stop and driving straight out the door and onto the sidewalk!

[Rusty Blades]

I had visions of breaking straight through the wall, and not being able to stop and driving straight out the door and onto the sidewalk!

Like the guy put here who got charged by the police last year? He took the Zamboni out for a drive to the DRIVE-THROUGH! LOL!

[jazzpants]

Dream on, Jazzpants. I also volunteered to learn to drive the Zamboni and discovered that people of our height cannot see over the top to steer unless we stand the whole time. There are also sometimes other obstacles, such as heavy doors to open and close :frus:.
Hmmm? Wouldn't sitting on top of a big telephone book help??? :?? (And I don't mind standing myself, though I also have that same fear of running thru the doors as WeirFan06 has... even though I've been driving a car for, what, 20 years now? 8O )

Can't say much for the heavy doors for the Zam though... haven't tried opening it myself... :??

At that time I had only been driving a car for about a year... and I was too scared of running into the walls with the zamboni!! :giveup: I had visions of breaking straight through the wall, and not being able to stop and driving straight out the door and onto the sidewalk!If you had done that, I would have asked you to pick up some burgers and fries (http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2006-11-22-zamboni_x.htm) along the way too! :lol: :twisted: :P

[techskater]

Hey don't forget the guy that was charged with a DUI while driving the zam. The charges were later dropped by the judge because the zam is not road drive-able (that was before the drive through incident)!!:frus:

[ibreakhearts66]

glassy- turns out i have a really good broken leg spin! i was just messing around, giving it a try, and received several compliments! my flying camel was definitely on, i was getting such powerful back camels. decided to try some 2sal2toes, and they actually worked out!

rutted- eh double loops werent really workin for me. i only tried a few, but i was twisting in the air, and just decided to not work on em for the day. i was just really tired in general, so i didn't skate my best.

glutted (half glassy, half rutted)- butterflies. its great in the air, really, really big, and my legs kick super high, but i haven't learned how to focus the power into the landing yet lol. so all i get is an impressive looking, high flying fall. i should get one on video, i think it crack you guys up!

[Skittl1321]

Glassy I really really am enjoying my freestyle group lessons. Last night the main things we worked on were scratch spins and half-loops. The half loop is the first half jump where I didn't feel like it was a stupid jump. That might just be because I'm working on half flip split jumps, so for the first time in a half jump I'm willing to actually jump (unlike my half lutz step). Spins are getting a lot faster, as I'm able to cross my leg- but now with my leg crossed I'm not centering anymore :( I need to hold the entrance longer, but I don't know how to not start turning...

Also worked on edges and the group lesson coach wants to hold the back edges in a very knee bent leg position the entire time- for consecutive edges, this is opposite what my coach asked, but since my test is over, I think now I can work both ways just to try and get stronger edges. (He wanted bent on the push, but almost straight on the lobe)

Rutted My tuesday night practice session has been ruined. It used to be almost empty ice and they changed it to a 1 hour (was 2) $5 cheapskate- including rentals. AND the other hour of the session went to hockey. So the hockey parents have a meeting at 7 and their kids run a-muck on the ice, and it was SCARY. Because you have the little tots who just finished their LTS lesson toddling along trying to stand up, the figure skaters trying to practice (I got slammed into, while just kind of skating forward slowly, by a girl doing some sort of back crossover MITF who at no point ever looked over her shoulder- even after she hit me, she aplogized and went back to not looking- ah, to not have any sense of danger!), and then the hockey kids who are skating in absolutely no discernable pattern at all. Now- it's a public session, and we have no guards and no direction- so they have a "right" to do it- but at least with the toddlers you know where they are going (either straight across the rink, or around the wall) and the figure skaters you know where they are going (on pattern, in routine, etc), but the hockey skaters- I have no idea. So I gave up after 15 minutes and went home. I'll have to start practicing on Sundays again.

[Rusty Blades]

Glassy: The Zam driver actually showed up in time to do a flood for the 7 a.m. session! I wonder if that means I don't get trained as a Zamboni operator? :?? I'd rather skate than flood so whatever it takes ....

Glassy: Upright spins and Waltz jump continue to progress and Waltz/Toe made miniscule progress. I am really getting comfortable with the Waltz jump and throwing that free leg into the air. I think I go into them faster than my coach is used to but they seem to work better with speed.

Rutted: Coach asked about Sit Spins - oops! Haven't been practicing those so we did them in lesson.

Glassy: I actually got a couple of them centred and HOLY SH*T do they ever accelerate when I get them "tucked in"!

Rutted: Back edges weren't as strong as yesterday.

Glassy: Sharing the ice with World Junior Dance contenders is a little intimidating but beautiful to watch! I want to grow up to skate like that! :mrgreen:

[Mrs Redboots]

Dream on, Jazzpants. I also volunteered to learn to drive the Zamboni and discovered that people of our height cannot see over the top to steer unless we stand the whole time. There are also sometimes other obstacles, such as heavy doors to open and close :frus:.You're taller than one of the women who drives ours, and she manages just fine.

[jazzpants]

Rutted: Working on my spin entry today. OWWWW!!! 8O It really is torture right now to get myself to turn my foot and my hip a certain way. But what I'm finding right now is that COMFORT level is one of the key component. I am just not comfortable turning out my foot on the spin entry so that I can go straight into the FO edge in a t-position.

The spin entry torture continues! :frus:

Glassy: Entries for Skate SF is starting to come in already. (At least that's what I've heard anyway.) If you guys are thinking of going to San Francisco first weekend of November, please consider doing this event! It might not be an "Adults Only" event, but I can tell 'ya that Adult events are HUGE here. (No, it's not just a few events where everyone in the same test level gets combined. It can be as large as Peach and Halloween Classic, in fact.)

[Mrs Redboots]

Glassy: Got to the rink for 7:00 am! And was able to skate for nearly an hour. Did some lovely edges with Husband - and some awful ones.

Rutted: Which the ice was, rather. Back chassés in waltz hold - why do they always scrape? I was up on my toes like a ruddy ballerina again - yet absolutely fine when we did chassé swings, absolutely fine when we did plain swings and absolutely fine when we did plain vanilla edges. So what am I doing differently with the chassés? I don't know, and nor does Husband!

[jskater49]

I haven't skated for a week - I skated from 5:45 to 6:45 then played ice monitor for an hour and then skated just a little more than a half hour.

Had a moves lesson in the third hour. Backward perimiters....gotta keep my back straight, head up. Make that inside edge more obvious...

crossovers to back edges....so coach says "well I'm glad to see you are thinking about keeping your head up but it's bobbing up and down - so if you can't keep it up all the time, at least try not to be so obvious about jerking it up. Hehehe...I get tired, start looking at the ice, then I remember "head up" and jerk it back up. Also I wasn't smooth, I'd be ...crossover, head up, then leg out, then arms would follow. By the end I had it all it one smooth move. Still could use some more power.

Rutted - do you know what is the hardest thing for me with these moves??? the entry!! I just can't do a smooth 3 turn and then I need to put in an extra push which if I'm not careful will put me over my seven steps.

Glassy Forward perimeter stroking - this is where power class is paying off...I was flying on these. Real deep inside edges, head up, straight back, so much power I was almost running into the wall on the end pattern. These should get me an extra point if I ever get around to testing.

j

[liz_on_ice]

The ice for the 7 a.m. session is often CRAP! It is often littered with condensation mountains or rutted up from hockey. So last week I sent an email to the General Manager of the arena and volunteered to resurface the ice myself for the 7 a.m. session if they would check me out on the machine.

Glassy: Today I stopped for a chat with the GM and they are going to take me up on my offer! In a couple of weeks I will get training in operating the resurfacer and become a "part-time rink employee" (for liability reasons) so I can resurface the ice whenever it is needed for the 7 a.m. session - for which I will get paid - which will effectively make that day's ice FREE - DOUBLE BONUS!!! LOL!!!!

Oooh, envy! I actually bailed on the 6am session this morning and got a refund because the ice hadn't been surfaced after the previous night's hockey. Made me entirely grumpy, although I did get to work an hour early and got caught up on my backlog.

[Terri C]

Glassy:
My continious progress on Silver moves and camel spin! Can't wait to show Primary Coach tomorrow that as well as the lowered sitspin!!

Rutted:
Since everyone is back in school, the freestyles are back to being a mixed zoo!
Can't get the gumption to jump on the flip jump. I do the three turn, check draw back and UGH! :frus:

[Scarlett]

Glassy-
Back spins were centered today.
The kids are back in school and the public session I have my lesson on literally had 2 other skaters on it.

Rutted-
My loop has taken a vacation.
Flip and lutz were both in the building but felt wonky.

[Skittl1321]

Boot issues:
Rutted My boot completely came unlaced during synchro- WAY scary. Another skater noticed it before I did, and I'm glad, because when I switched my weight, after she said something, I had a hard time balancing at all- I would have really hurt myself if we were moving! What's weird- the laces were nicely double knotted still, they just fell off ALL the hooks. I have NEVER had that happen before.
Glassy Skating two sessions in a row (both Tuesday and Wednesday) the second session is so much nicer in the boots. Since they are all stretched out from right before! It feels roomy instead of squished! I really hope that all this skating helps make my boots stretch a bit more, permanently. Or at least wears them out so I can get new ones that fit right.

Freeskating:
Glassy My one foot spin is slowly evolving into a proper scratch spin. I feel like I'm actually jumping when I do half-flips and waltz jumps now. (Might not actually be getting high- but it feels like I do. No more just stepping around and calling it a jump!)
Rutted Salchow was awful last night. Backspin is getting nowhere.

Synchro:
Glassy SO MUCH FUN! I'm so so glad I've finally been able to do this- I've wanted to since I was a little kid, when I didn't even skate. We started learning our program, and for the most part it's going well. The coach did a great job placing me, between or next to really strong skaters, which is going to help a lot.
Rutted CRUD- that left to right mohawk is going to come back to haunt me. We have L to R and R to L in the program so far- guess which one is done going REALLY fast, and which one is done going at a more normal speed. Yep the one I can barely do inching along is done WAY fast. I've got something to practice now! I'm also currently the weak link in the traveling circle- I'm not cutting in fast enough, and losing a shoulder hold on the girl next to me, it got better after a few tries, but still not too good :(

[Rusty Blades]

Rutted: Ringette this morning - flood started late - didn't get on the ice until nearly 7:15 - head coach was fit to be tied - swore she'd move the Competitive Training Centre to a rink where figure skating doesn't get sh*t on all the time - wherever the Training Centre goes, I go to!

Had a small cut on the inside of my left ankle (how the he!! did I do that???) that my boot was rubbing on - had to go find a band-aid to cover the cut - much better.

Coach came in to work on jumps and spins.

Glassy: Upright spin continues to improve and coach complimented me on a couple - nice neat SINGLE circle left on the ice :mrgreen: Sit spin is coming but still scary fast and not well centred! Worked on Waltz jump - need stronger turn on takeoff, more JUMP! - but a few had good height. Just touched on Toe Loop and Waltz/Toe.

Rutted: Need more work on LBO edge!

[Bill_S]

Glassy: The university is back in session now, and I've already heard that we will have ice beginning on September 17th! Can't wait!

Also can't wait until my new boots and blades arrive - woo hoo! Should be toward the end of September if the fitter's prediction is accurate.

[sk8tegirl06]

Glassy: Did freestyle elements this morning. Spins are definitely coming along nicely. Ventured into jumps all the way up to loop :giveup: Tried loop at one lesson over the summer and that was it until now. Although I am trying the entry from inside 3 turn which seems to help immensely. The other way I kept turning it into a salchow because I want to take off with my left foot not my right. Landed a couple extremely cheated, slightly 2 footed loops, but there was jump in the jump, if that makes sense.

Rutted: Landings on most everything needs work. Need to hold entry edge for spins a whole lot longer. Other than that not much.

[icedancer2]

Rutted: Pain in the muscles and ligaments around my right hip/thigh/pelvis has escalated this week after I tripped on one of those parking humps at the mall the other day - really jammed everything. Cimbing stairs is difficult, putting weight on one leg is difficult, and so skating today was, well, what can I say? There isn't much you can do with one good leg, but I did okay. Just worked on some figures and edges and turns and mostly gossiped with my friend and critiqued her dances. Hard to demonstrate things like extension and quickness of feet when you can hardly skate, but I tried anyway.

Some more ruts: The zamboni was broken yesterday and so we had no ice. Luckily my coach called before I left in the morning and I recognized her phone number on the caller ID so I knew it was her and listened to the message before I left the house (I don't always do that, but something made me go and look at the phone... that little person sitting on my shoulder that always knows... anyway...) -- of course the rink managers didn't bother to call the hockey team that came to practice in the early hours which used to be our freestyle, and they were fit to be tied...

Glassy: Thinking that their anger may turn them off to buying ice at this time of day, given the level of customer service they are experiencing - bringing the whole team down at 6:30 in the morning and then told they couldn't skate because the ice was too rutted even for them!! So maybe we'll get our freestyle sessions back and everyone will be happy except the crazy management, who basically just do not get it.

More glassy: Having the kids back to school and a bunch of slow, calm adult skaters on the ice with no hockey lessons in sight: priceless!!

[Morgail]

Rutted CRUD- that left to right mohawk is going to come back to haunt me. We have L to R and R to L in the program so far- guess which one is done going REALLY fast, and which one is done going at a more normal speed. Yep the one I can barely do inching along is done WAY fast. I've got something to practice now! I'm also currently the weak link in the traveling circle- I'm not cutting in fast enough, and losing a shoulder hold on the girl next to me, it got better after a few tries, but still not too good :(

When I started skating synchro (or precision team back in the day!), it improved my basic skating so much. I guess it's because it forced me to work on things I didn't otherwise work on (like left to right mohawks). And it definitely teaches you to skate faster.
Have fun:)

[Terri C]

Glassy:
My lesson with Primary Coach,who I hadn't had a lesson with in uh two weeks. After doing some Silver moves, forward, backscratch and sit spin ( the spins ROCKED too!), the dialogue went like this:
Coach: "Okay waltz jumps, three in a row"
Terri:"Uh, no, there is one more spin"
Coach: "That is ? :?? "
Terri:"The camel"
Coach: "Wow (8O ). okay, let's see it"
Yes I have a camel spin in the making!! :D :D

Rutted:
Was not feeling well today. so left the ice early.

General question: Does anyone seen a problem with skaters not paying for freestyle before getting on the ice? We're having this issue right now.

[jazzpants]

Glassy
Loop and flip jump made an appearance or two during my lesson!!! And this is using the setup for my FS program too!!! A little hesitant and slow, but it worked!!! YAAAAAY!!! :bow:

Rutted:

Too bad for me, it didn't make an appearance during my runthru of my FS program. In fact, just about everything else didn't make an appearance during my run thru. Oh, dear... so much for double run-thrus... I can't even make it thru the first one. HEEEEELP!!!! :giveup:

Then I made an even bigger fool of myself showing what little I remembered of my artistic program and show the small changes that my secondary coach suggested for me. The arm gesture was right, but I didn't make eye contact. Primary coach says "Why are you looking at the ice??? LOOK AT ME when you're doing that!!!" Yeah, riiiiight! Like I'm gonna go and do a flirty "come hither" gesture at my primary coach!! I don't think so!!! 8O

Alright, maybe I should have made a small one since poor primary coach has back problems and couldn't skate b/c of it. Of course, he did managed to move around with his shoes on the ice to yank me to the right place in the program anyway... 8O

Glassy
First thing, congrats to Terri on her camel progress

Did a nice (for me anyway) camel in position towards the end of the lesson. I only got a couple of revs in before I flopped out of it! Earlier during my warmup for my lesson, I did a bunch of them that were there in revs (3-4 revs, in fact) but the position was sucky. On that note, I played around a little with brackets near the wall (keeping my promise to keep practicing it for my NYC coach) before easing myself off the ice to a bench to collapse!!! :giveup:

General question: Does anyone seen a problem with skaters not paying for freestyle before getting on the ice? We're having this issue right now.Well, we don't have that option! There's always someone at the front and if you don't sign in and pay, you don't get it... PERIOD!!! (Security door can only be unlocked from the guy/gal at the ticket booth.) However, at times when the door is unlocked, there is an honor system thing where we have to sign up on the sign up list (that also acts as a legal waiver for the rink) and then it's "honor system" to go pay them. (There's a signature that the person at the ticket booth signs to show that you have paid for the session.) Of course, they could also look out on the ice and see who signed up and who didn't too. :twisted:

[Bill_S]

General question: Does anyone seen a problem with skaters not paying for freestyle before getting on the ice? We're having this issue right now.

Yup. Happens a lot here at our loosely run rink. Sometimes the cashier (always a student who's half-interested in working) will go to the gate and ask for payment/coupon. Sometimes they don't care or won't bother - especially if they are late to the job and we're already on the ice.

[jenlyon60]

At the one rink I skated at most of the time the last few years, you paid at the front desk and signed in. You were also supposed to annotate your receipt and put the receipt in the front of the notebook for that rink (it's a 2-sheet facility). The ice monitor would collect the notebook from the front desk and check names vs. heads vs. receipts. The management would include a list of skaters who had paid for intense ice also so that their names could be marked off as necessary.

Occasionally a few people would slip through.

At the other rink, the ice monitor maintained the punch cards and the sign-in sheet. And they would keep very close track of who was on the ice and how many. If you didn't have a punch card, you had to pay at the front desk and give the receipt to the ice monitor before you could get on the ice.

Early mornings when there were only a few skaters were fairly laid back at both rinks.

[Skittl1321]

General question: Does anyone seen a problem with skaters not paying for freestyle before getting on the ice? We're having this issue right now.


Gosh- sometimes its hard to FIND someone to pay at our rink. I KNOW there are plenty of skaters who don't pay for each session they skate (just stay on the ice) and probably a good number who don't pay at all.

No wonder the rink thinks it doesn't make much money.

[Skate@Delaware]

this is for wednesday night, when i had my FIRST LESSON OF THE SEASON!!!!

Rutted: When I got on the ice, my balance was off a bit...the fake ice forces you to push from the back part of the blade. And pitches you back further more on the heel. So, I felt tippy...it took about an hour before I felt at ease (sort of). I ran through my stuff but could not spin...still!!!

Glassy: Lesson time came, coach had me run through: alternating crossovers, small things to tweak on those; waltz jump-coach commented that it was "springy"!!! yay!; then we went to my arm position, which went from front/back to a more side/side; my salchow and toe-loop needed fixing because of the 3-turn. This was done by getting that darn free leg, which wants to sneak around to the front, to stay BEHIND the skating leg. Once that was done, the 3-turns were more controlled, and the jumps were better (meaning-i could hold the back part of the 3).

Worked on the scratch spin...and after looking and analyzing she had me step out and push down on my heel. Once I did that, I was able to glide more and get on the proper edge.

the highlight was showing her my backspin!!!!! I had moved my blade over during the plastic ice show (about 1/8 in) and it helped a lot!!! I got about 3 revolutions!!!

All-in-all, it was a great 1st lesson of the new season. I still have lots of work to do.

[Skate@Delaware]

Gosh- sometimes its hard to FIND someone to pay at our rink. I KNOW there are plenty of skaters who don't pay for each session they skate (just stay on the ice) and probably a good number who don't pay at all.

No wonder the rink thinks it doesn't make much money.
we don't have freestyle sessions any longer, just public and club, but on public daytime sessions it's hard to find someone to take your money, they don't give you an armband or a receipt....so there is no proof that you paid (or didn't).

[jskater49]

Glassy:

General question: Does anyone seen a problem with skaters not paying for freestyle before getting on the ice? We're having this issue right now.

Sometimes the guy is not there for public freestyle and I just go ahead and skate because he knows me...he remembers if I paid or not. And he knows I'll see him the next day. There just aren't that many people around so you'd be noticed.

Now about club ice, people could probably do walk ons without paying. The ice monitor is supposed to have a list of who has contracted ice and is supposed to take the walk on money. That never happens. I've been an ice monitor and I've never seen a list. And when I do walk on, I stick the money in a box for the treasurer with a note. And sometimes it will be a day or two later before I pay for it. It's kind of an honor system.

j

[Mrs Redboots]

Glassy: Back chassés worked better today. Good edges all round, really. Solo, 3-turn exercises worked well, for some reason, although could use a better check.

Rutted: Waltz hold with me going forwards, him going backwards - we simply cannot stay close together, I'm sure it's because he sticks his *rse out when going backwards.

Once he'd gone I tried some Circle Cycle exercises, but the elites make them look so easy you forget they aren't! And so I ended up all bent over and with my shoulders any old where and grinding to a halt!

[liz_on_ice]

glassy - salchow and toe loop are both showing progress. I'm starting to believe I could really have them one day.

rutted - backspins, one was so unbalanced I fell over and sprawled on the ice :giveup:

[Bill_S]

Once he'd gone I tried some Circle Cycle exercises, ...



I've never heard of a Circle Cycle exercise. You've got me curious.

[Mrs Redboots]

Circle Cycle is the brainchild of Annie Schelter, I think it's part of the Annie's Edges series.

[sk8_4fun]

glassy: Started learning the cherry flip and salchow, had a great lesson, even managed 3jump-cherry, and 3jump-slachow. :D

Rutted: mid lesson, was stood still and for some reason just fell right over backwards. Now suffering from a very painful sprained wrist and sore elbow. (even if it was almost worth it to have done those jumps...)

:frus:

[icedancer2]

Gosh- sometimes its hard to FIND someone to pay at our rink. I KNOW there are plenty of skaters who don't pay for each session they skate (just stay on the ice) and probably a good number who don't pay at all.

No wonder the rink thinks it doesn't make much money.

This happens at my rink, too - nobody pays attention to who pays and who doesn't and most of us have gotten into the habit of paying as we leave - we don't pay if the ice is unskatable (which you realized once you've gone out there) or if there is a HUGE groups of kids (school trips, etc.) that show up on the public sessions.

They used to have a front desk person who kept track of who paid and if she saw you going out the door without paying, she would definitely let you know but since she retired, they have gotten more lax. Of course she was there 18 years and so the management probably never realized what a tight ship she ran, really, despite her nice, laid-back demeanor...

The one good thing about their laxity is that I can "float" between sessions and only pay for one - say if the freestyle starts at 8 and I get on the ice at 8:45 or 9 and then stay through the public session but skip the last hour of it, then I really am only skating for less than two hours... I like that about the rink - I can make my own schedule basically and so far don't have to pay for two sessions since I am only skating part of each session - and it's not like they do an ice-cut for the public which follows the morning freestyle, so I feel justified.

No so at other rinks in my area, or so I am told...

[dbny]

Circle Cycle is the brainchild of Annie Schelter, I think it's part of the Annie's Edges series.

I took an Annie's Edges class a few years ago, but don't recall Circle Cycle. Exactly what is it?

Glassy:
Had my first lesson since June! Coach could see what a difference my new boots are making! Alternating FI threes are actually not that bad, I just need enough confidence to keep from tapping the free foot to the ice for one second right before the turn. One foot spin was pretty nice, with DH catching one on his camera that was 6 revs and nicely controlled. Got my very first full rev back spin (as opposed to the one months ago in the old skates that was mostly on the toe pick), and DH took a pic of the tracing :lol:. Coach told me that the variation on B cross strokes that I had seen a high level skater warm up with, is indeed a more advanced version of the move, and that I did it pretty well.

Rutted:
Coach agreed with me that lack of core body strength is hampering my alternating FO threes. Rutted but not too deeply: I didn't feel great on the ice today but still managed to accomplish all I set out to.

[Scarlett]

Glassy -
Loops and flips were clean.

Rutted-
Bronze moves were horrendous today. Literally did a backwards roll on the ice on intro steps. The rest went downhill from there.
Backspin was centered when coach was gone. With coach present in lesson, I couldn't get more than 2 revolutions out of it.

[Skate@Delaware]

Glassy: glad to be back for a little bit more today...had a 1 hour "freebie" club skate. Things are starting to feel more at ease. got freshly sharpened skates, so that helped. Had an "almost-back-to-my-old-self" scratch spin!!! :mrgreen: and played you-do-it-then-i-do-it with a very young skater and some waltz jumps!!! It was fun. Tried to squeeze it all into an hour...managed pretty well.

Rutted: ran to the ladies room, when I returned, the session was over and someone had knocked my stuff onto the floor of the hockey box....and it was all over! I spent a few minutes while the ice was getting zammed...picking up my notes, iPod, etc. No biggie but it did remind me to bring my carry-all next time.

[Laura H]

Rutted: Still without local ice . . . but the rink is supposed to open under the new owners next Saturday!! So only 7 more "iceless" days!

Glassy: We're participating in a Volunteer Day tomorrow to help clean up and fix things around the rink . . . will be REAAAALLY strange walking back into the rink for the 1st time in almost 4 1/2 months . . . wonder what "surprises" will await us!! 8O

Still remains to be seen: I've been working lots off ice on squats and getting down into the sit spin position . . . wonder if it will translate to ice?


(and a late report from last week): DH and I went skating at an out-of-town rink last Friday night (kids were staying overnight with a friend) . . . I had so much fun . . . one of those nights when everything just feels very natural! 3 turns felt great, waltz jumps and half flips actually leaving the ice with some "spring", forward upright spin went pretty well. DH took some video for me which looked pretty good except my free leg isn't anywhere NEAR how high it feels when I enter the scratch spin . . . eek!! But I managed to stay pretty level and keep the spins centered, so I was pretty happy anyway. I was LOL at myself maneuvering through "traffic" to find spaces for my jumps . . . I looked totally lost at times!! :oops: Not to mention a few "abort! abort!" moments!!

By the time I got brave enough to think about Salchows, the ice was getting pretty rutted, so I made a few questionable attempts and left it alone for now.

And . . . weird . . . my skates felt absolutely perfect that session! Didn't have to do any relacing or adjusting or anything . . . And I didn't even realize it until I was unlacing them! I might have enjoyed it even MORE if I'd thought about it while I was skating!!! :lol:

[Mrs Redboots]

I took an Annie's Edges class a few years ago, but don't recall Circle Cycle. Exactly what is it?A series of exercises done to music from Lord of the Dance or was it Riverdance? One of those, anyway. You do a series of overlapping circles up and down the rink. Usually two crossovers followed by an edge of some kind, so for instance what I was trying yesterday was two forward crossovers/progressive runs (2 beats each edge), then FO edge for two beats, change to FI edge (on the same foot) and hold for 6 beats. The change is the difficult bit as you have to change circle as well - my shoulders and middle simply wouldn't co-operate. There are other exercises, though - even holding a 2-foot glide, or just an edge. None of them as easy as they either sound or look, when done by an expert.

My coach has made up a few of his own for figure skaters, often ending in a jump of some kind on the beat.

Have just remembered that the music is called "Gypsy".

[RinkRat321]

Glassy
LANDED 3 DOUBLE LOOPS!!
Made a lot of progress with i-spin and flying sit



ah best practice ever :D :D

edit: video from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeoWJYJT5d4

[Mrs Redboots]

Glassy
LANDED 3 DOUBLE LOOPS!!
Made a lot of progress with i-spin and flying sit



ah best practice ever :D :D

Yay, well done!

Glassy: Had my skates sharpened.

Rutted: Had my skates sharpened! Which meant it was hard to do much today except settle them in, although we did manage some exercises. Tuesday will be better.

Meanwhile Husband has lost his flip, which doesn't surprise me the way he goes into it with his body language saying "I can't remember how to do this!" And he can't do inside edge spirals, which does surprise me.

[Skate@Delaware]

this is for yesterday, I get so busy this time of year....

Glassy: feeling better when I hit the ice. I taught in the morning, and it was a small class so that was good. Ran through all my elements and concentrated on the 3-turns and keeping that free leg back...then did some toe-loops. Wow! what a difference!!!! i actually did one that felt controlled (as in not whipping me around), and more vaulty!

Did some more backspins!!! Moving my blade was 95% of the fix, the rest is me...

Rutted: I think the rocker is going on my blades...I am not surprised, as they are 2 years old and have been sharpened A LOT!!!! I traced them off and am in the process of comparing them to Bill's picture of a good Ace rocker (thanks Bill)...stay tuned. At least I can get a discount since I was in the summer show.

ETA: I just checked my rocker, it's as I thought-my left blade (and only my left blade) is down 2mm in the rocker area! from behind the toepick to mid-blade, my rocker is gone. Its fairly obvious now, because it's gouged out a tiny bit from behind the toepick. My blade is now flatter than a Comet!!!! That might explain my spinning problems (or at least 50% of them).

[Bill_S]

My blade is now flatter than a Comet!!!! That might explain my spinning problems (or at least 50% of them).



Just think what it would be like if you started with a Comet to begin with...you'd have a speedskate blade by now!

One of the talented younger girls here has Comets. The first time I got them to sharpen, I thought there was something seriously wrong with them because the profile was so flat.

What size (length) are your Aces?

I'm getting new skates and blades in a few weeks (fingers crossed) and I'll be pulling off my old 10-1/2" Aces before I toss the old boots. While the old blades are not shiny new, the rocker is almost factory spec and they have a lot of life left. I will probably give them away, and they're yours if you want.

[sk8pics]

Glassy Back on the ice today, 4th time since my accident. It was great fun. Even though they don't cut the ice after the group classes before the public session, it was okay for the first hour. And that's all I planned to stay anyway. Feeling more comfortable, had no scary balance checks, no problems on any mohawks or one foot glides. And it was nice to catch up with some skating friends, and nice to see how they've progressed in 10 months!

Happy skating everyone.

[liz_on_ice]

Glassy - lots of practice this week, although 2/3 on public sessions. I got an extra skate in thanks to the vintage airplane fly-in at Aviator. DH wanted to go admire pretty airplanes, and they have babysitting for the little one, so elder DD and I got to skate.

Good opportunity to practice spins, saw some improvement in forward and backspins. Played with the changefoot again with some success. I've been stretching lots and spirals are higher. Both salchow and toeloop are almost recognizable.

[Skate@Delaware]

Just think what it would be like if you started with a Comet to begin with...you'd have a speedskate blade by now!

One of the talented younger girls here has Comets. The first time I got them to sharpen, I thought there was something seriously wrong with them because the profile was so flat.

What size (length) are your Aces?

I'm getting new skates and blades in a few weeks (fingers crossed) and I'll be pulling off my old 10-1/2" Aces before I toss the old boots. While the old blades are not shiny new, the rocker is almost factory spec and they have a lot of life left. I will probably give them away, and they're yours if you want.
Wow, Bill, that is a great offer, but I have to turn it down. My boots take a 10" blade and not a bit longer. We tried to fit my 10 1/4" Comets onto them and they hung over the ends...so it was no-go! I do have 10" Mirage blades, I'm tempted to slap them on for "expiramental purposes" since they are virtually unused (maybe 2 sharpenings).

I'm glad you put that drawing up, it did cross my mind that I was "off my rocker" and not just going crazy!!!! Now I'm wondering how far back this problem has been going on???? I think one bad sharpening just got compounded as time went on....

[jskater49]

So I had an adult group class this afternoon. I'm trying all different ways to get some cheap coaching. I think this will work out. There were just 3 of us and they work on edges and turns and stuff. So we did the back edges from the Bronze moves -- she told me to make my cirlces bigger. Then back peremiter stroking - keep my back straighter....then grapevine swizzles, bend my knees more,

Then the dreaded mohawks. Honestly, I don't think I'm getting any better at these.

Power 3s - need to make my crossover half circles bigger and she told me to try to find a focus point so I keep my back straight and head up..that was helpful.

Glassy - during practice I ran through my program with music and some adults stood at the board and applauded me and one of the coaches said she told her little student to watch me because I keep smiling throughout the entire program :D

j

[Rob Dean]

Rutted: I misread a schedule change and drove 45 minutes each way yesterday to skate on ice that had been cancelled. Oops.

Glassy: Other than that, it's been a good week. The social dance group met for the first time today for the new season, and I was pleased to get through a reasonable Willow with my bonus coach to get off to a good start. Ten Fox soon, I hope! And, the first regular session of the season is tomorrow, so two days of ice dancing in a row, wow! Not to mention lessons ...

[icedancer2]

I'm glad you put that drawing up, it did cross my mind that I was "off my rocker" and not just going crazy!!!! Now I'm wondering how far back this problem has been going on???? I think one bad sharpening just got compounded as time went on....

Where is this drawing??

[chowskates]

Glassy
LANDED 3 DOUBLE LOOPS!!
Made a lot of progress with i-spin and flying sit

ah best practice ever :D :D

edit: video from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeoWJYJT5d4

Yay, congratulations!! :bow:

These days I have to live vicariously through you guys :P
Ah, I want to skate!!

Tried to work on some cross rolls & footwork yesterday, when the rink was not-too-crowded, but there were just enough people going in sufficiently random directions that I had to stop every few steps! :x

[Bill_S]

Where is this drawing??


I have the blade tracings at the bottom of my web page about hand sharpening. Click the small versions at the bottom of the page to get larger views.

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~schneidw/skating/profiler.html

[Skate@Delaware]

I have the blade tracings at the bottom of my web page about hand sharpening. Click the small versions at the bottom of the page to get larger views.

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~schneidw/skating/profiler.html
this just reinforces my determination to get a hand sharpener....when the best sharpener in my rink uses one, and you as well, then I suppose that's good enough for me!

The hard part will be to figure out what size stone to get...I like 7/16" roh but I dont think it's available in the pro-filer (which is the one I was going to get). The ones available are 1/2" (not edgy enough for me); 3/8" and 5/16"

I'm open for suggestions-I like a really sharp blade and to really dig into the ice. Would the 5/16" be close enough to the 7/16" for me? (I'm not good at this sort of math)

[doubletoe]

Glassy
LANDED 3 DOUBLE LOOPS!!
Made a lot of progress with i-spin and flying sit

ah best practice ever :D :D

edit: video from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeoWJYJT5d4

Wow! Congratulations!!!! Was this the first time you landed a double loop?

[Emberchyld]

Glassy: The ice at the rink today, compared to the rutted and gravelly ice yesterday.

Just had two days with an hour lesson each running through my PB MITF and Freestyle requirements. Yesterday, I had issues with BI edges, Waltz Eight (which my coach calls "waltz egg" whenever I mess it up and turn it into an egg-shaped mess), and the three-turn pattern, but today... it clicked. I still have a lot of practicing to do to feel solid for the test session, but today both my coach and myself were very happy.

And I know that if they ask me to pass by testing on a public session full of party kids and sleds of death and hockey kids, I'd pass with flying colors. I'm almost afraid that I won't be able to do any of it without all of the distractions and chaos!

Rutted: I can't skate any freestyles with my coach, so unfortunately my only MITF run-throughs are on public ice. Nothing like stopping mid-3 turn to avoid stabbing a kid with their blade.
and
My laces are starting to go, so they're coming unlooped from the hooks as they stretch more and more. Always a wonderful surprise. I need to get new laces before my test!

[dbny]

The hard part will be to figure out what size stone to get...I like 7/16" roh but I dont think it's available in the pro-filer (which is the one I was going to get). The ones available are 1/2" (not edgy enough for me); 3/8" and 5/16"

I'm open for suggestions-I like a really sharp blade and to really dig into the ice. Would the 5/16" be close enough to the 7/16" for me? (I'm not good at this sort of math)

Convert them all to 16th's to see which is closest:
1/2 = 8/16
7/16 = 7/16 (duh)
3/8 = 6/16
5/16 = 5/16

Now you can see that 5/16 is the smallest hollow, and that 3/8 is the smaller of the closest measurement to what you want. I also like 7/16, but decided to go with 1/2 because the pro-filer will allow me to keep the blades really sharp all the time.

BTW, I ordered my pro-filer on 8/20, and called twice and emailed last week as I had not heard from them. They had not charged my credit card yet, so I wasn't worried, just need that thing. I finally got a call on Fri, with an apology, and an explanation about being under staffed in the summer. However, the person who called could not find anything but my order; there had been no processing whatsoever, and I think it would have just gone unfilled if I had not called. Also, FWIW, they are currently out of the diamond sharpening stones, so if you order that, you will wait. (Hmm, maybe that's what was holding up my order!)

[Bill_S]

...are 1/2" (not edgy enough for me); 3/8" and 5/16"

I'm open for suggestions-I like a really sharp blade and to really dig into the ice. Would the 5/16" be close enough to the 7/16" for me? (I'm not good at this sort of math)

A 7/16" is half-way between 1/2" and 3/8". The 3/8" will be a little sharper than what you are used to, and will likely work best for you if you like 'edgy'.

[Laura H]

The 3/8" Pro-Filer is what I have, and I love the results . . . my blades are MK Pros, which are also supposed to be 7/16" ROH . . . but since I had them sharpened already (locally) before I got the Pro-Filer . . . I have to admit that chances are pretty slim that they were still at a 7/16" ROH . . . also, I'm not sure I am advanced enough to be able to appreciate a 1/16 inch difference . . . but long story short, I am very happy with the 3/8 " Pro-Filer. :)

In the past, I had lots of problems after having my skates sharpened with feeling like one edge or the other was catching (too sharp? not sharp enough? who knows) and to eyeball it, you could even see that one side was higher than the other :giveup: but the Pro-Filer sharpenings have been really consistent, as far as I can tell/feel.

ETA: I have to admit though, I do like "edgy." But I've never felt like the Pro-Filer sharpenings resulted in my blades being TOO edgy . . . just nice and sharp and controllable.

[Laura H]

Helped out a little at the rink this past Saturday to get the place cleaned up before the re-opening . . . kind of sad to see no ice . . . but they did have some of the equipment up and running . . .and I even heard the Zamboni rumble to life at one point . . . that was a nice sound to hear!!

Kind of differing stories about whether all of the equipment is working . . .will just have to keep fingers crossed as to whether the ice is actually back up for this weekend . . . but it's coming, it's coming!!

[Laura H]

Oh, and my ice deprivation is starting to show . . . I dreamed last night that I landed a loop (this is still just a DREAM in real life . . . ). Fortunately I am a much better skater in my dreams!!

[jazzpants]

Glassy:

Landed a bunch of loops clean :mrgreen: (Sorry Laura H, but I've been working on those loops for YEARS!)
Landed a couple of flips as well.Rutted:

Couldn't land any loops or flip for love nor money (borrowing Annabel's words...) at the end of the session. I just didn't have enough "gas" to push it.
(Well, this could be under "Glassy" too...) Why is it that my camels are good in practice but never in lesson??? Yes, I did a bunch of these too! I just don't get it. GRRRR!!!! :frus: (Okay, the position is still sucky given what I saw in the reflection, but you can TELL that I'm trying for a camel at least!)
Okay, now I'm trying to put more demand into myself getting a lower back sit spin too! It's not going down lower yet. :frus:
(Lesson learned from this weekend...) Never EVER try doing a full skating session followed by a full workout... and especially after doing two full blown cardio sessions and strength training session (okay, different parts of the body but still...) the last two days before that!!! Needless to say, my gym workout afterwards sucked. Luckily for me, this was just a one time scheduling glitch. :giveup:

[Laura H]

Jazzpants . . . no need to apologize at all . . . I figure I'll have a lot better chance at landing a loop after someone actually teaches it to me!! (I was only up to the salchow and toe loop when our rink closed down). And I'm waaay too chicken to try it on my own (although I have been known to dabble with double 3's in the meantime . . . ).

[Skate@Delaware]

Thanks, guys, for the "math" help! I'll have to think about which one I want to get.

Last night I attended an off-ice class. Boy, am I sooooo glad I did! Is my butt sore! We worked on: spirals, spin positions, waltz, loops, and AXEL jumps! I finally figured out what I was not doing for the loop, and I am getting "it" for the axel (not that I'm any where near doing it). I have things to work on for the waltz (as in not swinging the free leg around but kicking it through). It's all good! I landed a loop on one foot! I will be doing these exercises daily.

Then I taught on the fake ice, followed up with a power/moves class. We did perimeter stroking, slaloms, crossovers, swizzles (front and back). I was feeling it by the time I left the ice! And this morning as well!

WOO HOO!!! I think this year I will really get that loop jump!!!!

[liz_on_ice]

rutted - it was a dank rainy morning for my lesson and I had no energy. It was so humid, it was raining inside the rink. I aborted at least one jump I was so startled by a splash on my bare arm.

glassy - coach showed me how to do a loop. I even sort of did one, while hanging onto the boards for dear life :lol: :bow: to jazzpants for really landing them.

[jazzpants]

glassy - coach showed me how to do a loop. I even sort of did one, while hanging onto the boards for dear life :lol: :bow: to jazzpants for really landing them.Thanks for the :bow: but I don't deserve it! Trust me... it took me years to get it. Even now, when I run into problems landing them, I have to go back to practicing it at the wall to "regain my confidence." :giveup:

I'm now working on a "wall lutz" (I now two foot the landing on the lutz away from the wall :roll: ) and a "wall axel" (which I now have no chance in hell of getting...) :giveup:

[Mrs Redboots]

Der-brain me posted in the wrong thread so have deleted this and will post in this week's practice thread, instead. I am very tired today.

[mikawendy]

Rutted: I misread a schedule change and drove 45 minutes each way yesterday to skate on ice that had been cancelled. Oops.

Oooh, I hate it when I do that. One rink I skate at actually gave a friend of mine a pass for a free session when she did that, as they must have felt they didn't do a good enough job of reminding people of the schedule change. With gas prices what they are now and the distance she comes, I think it was a really nice thing to do.