Pat on the Back or Slap in the Face July 21-27! [Archive]

*JennaD*

07-21-2008, 06:18 PM

Pat: My double toe was pretty good today! I'm getting closer and closer to landing it and I am starting to really get the rhythm of the jump and the feel for it :) And I learned the Killian...my coach was impressed that I picked the dance up so quicky...lol but there's not really much to it, except for the choctaw...

Slap: I really have to stop cheating my axel and my double sal!!! All I really need to do is stay in the air longer...but I always try to pull out too early...:roll: but if I don't stop cheating those jumps, Iwon't be able to test my senior bronze freestyle any time soon :(

Pat: My coach wants me to do an artistic program :) I think it's a really cool idea...and as she said, it would be something to work on while I'm working on getting my axel and double sal back clean and working on getting my double toe.

jskater49

07-21-2008, 09:31 PM

Pat on the back - Finally had a lesson and it was pretty easy to fix my crossovers so I'm pushing on the power 3s in the Bronze Moves. This is all a mental confusion thing with these peremiter back crossovers and power 3s...I just get confused as to what leg my weight is supposed to be on....if I could just remember I'd have a lot fewer problems.

Slap in the face - People (like coaches) keep telling me there is nothing wrong with my mohawks ...but they sure don't feel like they are okay...but really the challenge for the 5 step is step 3 to 4 and making sure I lean over and step on an outside edge. Also coach wanted more push and so I have to do two pushes before I start them. (was trying to get away with one)

j

FlyAndCrash

07-21-2008, 10:42 PM

Pat: I started landing my 2sal way more consistantly. I went back to the 3turn entrance instead of the one I've been using lately, and now I seems to be at about 40%-50% landed fairly cleanly (aka on one foot).

Slap: My back camel is a little wonkers today. It worked a few times, but it didn't stay around.

Pat: My back sit was okay though. It could probably go lower, but I can hold onto it and it feels good most of the time. My combo spins (first time I've worked on one in months...) were decent too. I'm getting the required revs and they seemed fairly centered.

Slap: I've been ignoring my layback for a really really really long time. I do them when forced to, but I can't make myself practice them when not in lesson.

Pat: I think I'm starting my new program Friday or next Monday.

ibreakhearts66

07-21-2008, 11:03 PM

Pat on the back
-I think I finally got the hang of all of the forward rockers! We were doing them as figures today, and I did fairly well. I had a hard time holding the BO edge for a full lobe, but the turns were good.
-Axels are feeling much bigger and better. I've been trying to change to takeoff a bit so I get more of a pendulam action, and I think its starting to pay off.
-Preliminary moves felt good today! (Knock on wood). The alternating 3 turns did not drive me to tears today.
-I tried like 3 triple loops, and one was pretty close. I mean, it was a half-turn short, but I'm not complaining.
-I finally got that pesky RFO loop. I can now do all loops. I can't do them all of the time, but I am capable.

Slap in the face
-BO counters. Yuck.
-Took a horrible fall at the beginning of my lesson. I was doing the preliminary crossovers. Last crossover (so I've built up a decent amount of speed by then), caught my toepick. I honestly didn't even know I was falling. I just slammed into the ice. What did I hit? The front of my right hip/pelvis, naturally (the one I had surgery on). At first my whole hip joint hurt, but now its just the pelvis where I hit the ice. Now, I'm the type of person who take a bad fall and says "Ow" but gets right back up. I honestly just curled up and started crying. I had to be carried off the ice. After shoving an ice pack down my tights, I was able to skate a little longer to finish working on moves. But after a bit my coach said I was turning white and she didn't want me skating anymore. My hip is feeling better now, but the other places I whacked (elbow and knee) are starting to feel the pain
-One of the other falls I took WAS like a slap in the face--a very comedic slap in the face. So I was doing the preliminary backcrossovers into landing positions (after the above fall). I've just done the first back crossover and am pushing back into the landing position when the wall inconveniently gets in my way. I think I caught my skating blade in the small little gap between the ice and the wall, but I'm not sure. I let out a surprised "Oh!" and land on my butt. My ever-observant coach then tells me, "Hey Sarah, there's a wall there!" That one didn't hurt too badly, it was just shocking and funny.

singerskates

07-21-2008, 11:18 PM

Slap in the face
-BO counters. Yuck.
-Took a horrible fall at the beginning of my lesson. I was doing the preliminary crossovers. Last crossover (so I've built up a decent amount of speed by then), caught my toepick. I honestly didn't even know I was falling. I just slammed into the ice. What did I hit? The front of my right hip/pelvis, naturally (the one I had surgery on). At first my whole hip joint hurt, but now its just the pelvis where I hit the ice. Now, I'm the type of person who take a bad fall and says "Ow" but gets right back up. I honestly just curled up and started crying. I had to be carried off the ice. After shoving an ice pack down my tights, I was able to skate a little longer to finish working on moves. But after a bit my coach said I was turning white and she didn't want me skating anymore. My hip is feeling better now, but the other places I whacked (elbow and knee) are starting to feel the pain.

YOUchERs!!!!!! Yup, I'd say your coach was right to make you call it a day. You might want to see a doc just to make sure you're alright, so that if you need to give yourself a little more of a break from skating so that you can heal up more so that you don't stay injured and so that your skating can continue in the future. Keep icing and try some Arnica gel to take the pain, swelling and buising down.

sk8lady

07-22-2008, 03:50 PM

Pat:
Local rink finally has public skating so I've been able to practice TWICE this week!!
Still able to do the occasional camel/sit--very exciting!!
I've actually gotten over my fear of the take-off on the loop enough to jump off the ice from a back crossover, do a 1/2 turn, and land on the correct landing foot--doesn't sound like much but it's a HUGE step as far as I'm concerned!!!
Worked all four back 3's today--doing the inside ones with the free foot right next to the ankle mysteriously makes it less terrifying.
I'm finally getting my skates sharpened Friday--hasn't been done in about 3 months.

SLAP:
Only good sit-spin, which is usually my best spin, all day was the one in combination with the camel. Go figure.
Salchow is suddenly crap.
Forward inside 3's--ditto.
Rink was freezing cold to the point where the toes on my left foot suddenly cramped up and I found myself doing one of those weird ugly spins where the legs are in scratch spin position and the body is bent in half downwards before I fell over. Pretty sure I'll never be able to do it when I'm trying!

doubletoe

07-22-2008, 04:42 PM

Slap in the face
-BO counters. Yuck.
-Took a horrible fall at the beginning of my lesson. I was doing the preliminary crossovers. Last crossover (so I've built up a decent amount of speed by then), caught my toepick. I honestly didn't even know I was falling. I just slammed into the ice. What did I hit? The front of my right hip/pelvis, naturally (the one I had surgery on). At first my whole hip joint hurt, but now its just the pelvis where I hit the ice. Now, I'm the type of person who take a bad fall and says "Ow" but gets right back up. I honestly just curled up and started crying. I had to be carried off the ice. After shoving an ice pack down my tights, I was able to skate a little longer to finish working on moves. But after a bit my coach said I was turning white and she didn't want me skating anymore. My hip is feeling better now, but the other places I whacked (elbow and knee) are starting to feel the pain.

((((HUG)))) I hope you're feeling better!!! One of these days I'm just going to show up at the rink with a big bolt of bubble wrap and wrap you up in it, LOL!

*JennaD*

07-22-2008, 05:21 PM

-Took a horrible fall at the beginning of my lesson. I was doing the preliminary crossovers. Last crossover (so I've built up a decent amount of speed by then), caught my toepick. I honestly didn't even know I was falling. I just slammed into the ice. What did I hit? The front of my right hip/pelvis, naturally (the one I had surgery on). At first my whole hip joint hurt, but now its just the pelvis where I hit the ice. Now, I'm the type of person who take a bad fall and says "Ow" but gets right back up. I honestly just curled up and started crying. I had to be carried off the ice. After shoving an ice pack down my tights, I was able to skate a little longer to finish working on moves. But after a bit my coach said I was turning white and she didn't want me skating anymore. My hip is feeling better now, but the other places I whacked (elbow and knee) are starting to feel the pain

ouchhh...I had a similar fall today...not as bad though, I don't think! I hope you're recovered by now :) Skating is dangeroussss!!! lol anyway I was doing a double sal... It was actually a REALLY good double sal...I was really tight in the air and I landed completely backwards and on my toe...but I didn't pull out fast enough, and I was a bit TOO FAR on my toe, so I fell forwards and smacked my knee and hip into the ice:giveup:

Pat: My axel was definitely better today :) I was much tighter in the air! And my change sit was also really nice :)

Slap: the fall on my double sal...and the chotcaw in the Killian!!! I spent my full lesson with my dance coach working on it and then I had a double lesson with my dance partner and we spent the whole lesson working on it and it still hasn't really clicked!!! lol

Also, I didn't really have much energy today...so my jumps were a bit sloppy...so I avoided working on double toe lol

momsk8er

07-22-2008, 07:50 PM

Breakhearts - are you ok? You need to take care of yourself or we'll start calling you Calamity Jane instead. (does that age me too much, you teens and twenty somethings know what that means?)

Slap - off ice last week, so have to build it back up again. Monday was really bad, today was a bit better.

Pat - starting to get that sal from a mohawk, at least get the idea of how to do it, even though I still pretty much screech to a halt before I jump. Got 2x around on camel spin today, but then I try to stretch it out and get my leg higher, and I'm up on my toepicks. Need to figure out how to stretch without leaning forward.

Kim to the Max

07-22-2008, 08:58 PM

Breakhearts - are you ok? You need to take care of yourself or we'll start calling you Calamity Jane instead. (does that age me too much, you teens and twenty somethings know what that means?)

I understand the reference...and I'm only 28 :) Then again, I often make references to things on the ice and the 14/15 year olds look at me like I've got 3 heads or something!!

[Pat on the Back]
*Starting to feel more comfortable with the Novice Moves...FINALLY I'm getting the bracket-3-bracket...I use the cue words "toe, heel, toe" to remind me of where my weight needs to be on my blade :)
*Positives about my axels: They are very, very, very high off the ice
*Double sals are fully rotated, and I'm trying to work on getting my feet crossed every time
*Laybacks were awesome today
*Starting to get more revolutions on my flying camel
*Camel/back sit for my juv program is coming along

[Slap in the Face]
*The quick rocker/choctaw pattern really sucks...spent a lot of time on that tonight...I just can't get a good push off the choctaw :(
*My back outside counters still need work...I can do the turns on the correct edge and everything, but they get a little "swingy"
*Axels...I need to get more snap and stay in that split second longer to complete the rotation...I also need to land on my toe, but that's another issue.
*Double sals...fully rotated, but two footed...and I'm only getting my feet crossed some of the time
*My left knee got screwed up about a week and a half ago (I fell straight on it doing the CW quick rocker/choctaw pattern) and while it is getting better, it will not cooperate for regular sit spins...
*My friends decided to go see "The Dark Knight" this evening, but of course picked a time when I was at the rink :(
*Can't skate tomorrow due to work...morning ice won't work because I have an 8:30am meeting that I cannot be late for (and I need to be dressed up! What's up with that?!?!) and I have a meeting that goes from 2:30-5:30, which means that skating at the campus rink is out too because they have group lessons and no late open ice...

ibreakhearts66

07-22-2008, 09:09 PM

Breakhearts - are you ok? You need to take care of yourself or we'll start calling you Calamity Jane instead. (does that age me too much, you teens and twenty somethings know what that means?)

I'm doing perhaps slightly better today. Still pretty sore though. And I do understand the reference, but mostly because another adult skater started calling me that about 4 years ago :oops:

((((HUG)))) I hope you're feeling better!!! One of these days I'm just going to show up at the rink with a big bolt of bubble wrap and wrap you up in it, LOL!

Thanks :) But remember, I'd probably find a way to trip WHILE in the bubble wrap and fall on something that would impale me through all of the bubbles...

Mrs Redboots

07-23-2008, 05:20 AM

This for yesterday and today:

Pats: Coach1 pleased with improvement in our British Waltz. Think we have sorted out choreography for New Improved version of free dance and for our Variation Rhythm Blues.

Slaps: Not a lot. My LFO waltz 3s are dire - I have developed awful bad habits on them!

Everybody who watches that video seems to think I'm doing a back spiral when Husband does his drag. Well, I wasn't - hope my back spirals are a little better than that! But now I am..... if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thing is, it throws out the timing as I take forever to get into it. And if we do Bristol, we'll have to turn the dance round or the judges (who sit at one end of the rink) will get a splendid view of parts of me that I'm sure they'd really rather not.....

Thin-Ice

07-23-2008, 09:05 AM

Everybody who watches that video seems to think I'm doing a back spiral when Husband does his drag. Well, I wasn't - hope my back spirals are a little better than that! But now I am..... if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Thing is, it throws out the timing as I take forever to get into it. And if we do Bristol, we'll have to turn the dance round or the judges (who sit at one end of the rink) will get a splendid view of parts of me that I'm sure they'd really rather not.....

If you wanted to be just a bit naughty, you could pin a smiley face or some other such message to your backside under your skirt... if nothing else, the judges would know you realize you're giving them an "odd angle". OK, maybe not.....

jazzpants

07-23-2008, 09:08 AM

If you wanted to be just a bit naughty, you could pin a smiley face or some other such message to your backside under your skirt... if nothing else, the judges would know you realize you're giving them an "odd angle". OK, maybe not.....
Or a "CENSOR" sign? :halo: :P

LilJen

07-23-2008, 12:00 PM

Pat: Friday, coach gave the go-ahead to test three prelim dances and PB MITF and FS (after seeing about everything that'll be on those tests). Hooray! Monday lesson she saw my waltz 8 & PB 3-turn pattern and pronounced them much better than on Friday and said she felt much more relaxed about the PB moves tests, since those have been the more problematic moves.

Slap: Today we worked on spins for the first time in a long while. Arms flailing + weight not over spinning foot = they SUCK. As usual. But at least I'm getting a handle on why I can't spin very well at all: The arm flailing. How on earth anyone does arm variations or, heck, anything other than an upright spin is beyond me. If I can just get a more consistent, 3-rev, 1-footed spin by testing time I"ll be happy. (Actually I probably won't; I'll want more!!)

Slap: Took a very nasty fall on the PB 3-turn move on Monday morning. Very nasty slap on the right forearm, left elbow & left knee. It was a combination of the blades clicking & toepick tripping. I think I should have gotten positive GOE for the combination of two such deadly moves. :lol:

doubletoe

07-23-2008, 01:38 PM

Thanks :) But remember, I'd probably find a way to trip WHILE in the bubble wrap and fall on something that would impale me through all of the bubbles...

ROFLMAO! :lol:

RachelSk8er

07-23-2008, 06:04 PM

GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRR Slap in the face: Freakin idiots on the freeway who cause accidents during rush hour so everyone is backed up and those of us with places to go can't get there. In rush hour, it's normally a 45 min drive from where I live (and my rink) to work and vice-versa. But today I missed my session because I had to sit at a standstill on the freeway for an hour en route from work to the rink. I literally put my car in park and whipped out a book because I was stuck and couldn't get off and go any other way. Luckily I can make it up and not lose $$, and I didn't have a lesson scheduled.

On Monday, after spending the first half of my lesson on dance, my coach and I really worked on axel takeoff, then I stayed for his off-ice jump class that he teaches (which he focuesd on axels since I was going to be there), and I REALLY had this feeling that today was going to be the day I landed it (on one foot, ha ha). So I was really looking forward to skating, after a run-thru of my jr MIF test I was planning to spend the rest of the session just on axels...but now I have to wait until Saturday morning. GRR.

Maybe once I stop pouting I'll go outside and do some off-ice.

*JennaD*

07-23-2008, 06:20 PM

Pat: My double sal was pretty good today! It was my only jump that was really springy. My Killian chotcaw is also getting better, slowly :)

Annndd, my coach told me that at first, she thought my junior silver skills might be ready for test day next MAY, but today she said that they might be ready for December!!! :P I never thought she'd say that because I've never really been good at skills...but I've been working at them a lot lately and I guess practicing them really helps ;)

Slap: I had to get a shot today...the new Gardasil one...and so my arm was really sore wehn I skated...so I wasn't really pulling into my jumps well and I wasn't getting as much height and snap...oh well...maybe tomorrow...

My ultimate summer goal was to try an axel-half loop-double sal...I've decided I'm trying one tomorrow :P Wish me luck8-) lol

FlyAndCrash

07-23-2008, 08:46 PM

Pat: I GOT NEW SKATES!!! I'm super excited. I was going to tough it out another year, but decided I needed a reward for passing through my prejuv free, graduating high school, and just because I wanted them (lol). I'm very happy I did though, because my feet grew a whole size since I got my old ones over two years ago.

Slap: They were expensive! I got a silver star boot again, but upgraded my blade to a pattern 99. And out the window went $950.

Pat: I'm going to pick them up either Friday afternoon (as in after I skate...) or Saturday!

momsk8er

07-23-2008, 08:59 PM

Slap - dd left her skates at our home rink, but we were going skating at another rink tonight, so I picked her up at camp at 4, then we went to home rink by 4:40 to get skates, stopping for small snack; back to the other rink by 5:30, she skated on the 5:45, but naturally there was a line to pay, so I didn't get on that session. Of course that session had 4 people on it, and the next one was much more crowded.

Then I did something to my hip flexor, and couldn't get it to improve. So I got through my 15 min of moves, 15 min of spins, and started my 15 min of jumps and really couldn't get any spring from that knee/hip. So I gave up after about 5 minutes.

Pat - at least I skated today, after doing yoga this afternoon for an hour.

FlyAndCrash

07-23-2008, 11:10 PM

Slap: I had to get a shot today...the new Gardasil one...and so my arm was really sore wehn I skated...so I wasn't really pulling into my jumps well and I wasn't getting as much height and snap...oh well...maybe tomorrow...

I skated after I got my Gardasil. It sucked. I had to keep reminding my coach not to hit my arm! lol. And I couldn't do anything that put pressure on whatever muscle they inject the shot into - even keeping my amrs up during stroking and moves, even balancing my my elbows during off-ice.

katz in boots

07-24-2008, 04:15 AM

Pat
coach says my Canasta Tango is improving, and my Dutch Waltz. I think I'm getting the hang of some of the differences in technique between dance and free skating. At least my butt was hurting from practising the different way of stroking, so I think I must be doing something different.

Slap
Spins, as always. I detest hard, rough ice. Even if it has been scraped, it's still horrible to spin on. Unfortunately, Wednesday night it is usually like that.

Landing knee still too painful to jump at all. I've ordered a knee brace but it hasn't arrived yet. And now the left knee is playing up similarly:roll:

I am just not into ice dance. Sorry to all the exponents of ice dance here, but it just isn't me. I can't get into the sheer discipline of the neatness and detail. I need to jump!

Pat
Looks like I may be accepted to start training as a coach. Got some details to sort out, but looking like it might happen. Does mean I have to discontinue my training as a judge for the Aussie Skate levels though. And continue my ice dance training to get test level accreditation for coaching. And I know that if I'm struggling with something, it tells me there's something I need to fix.:giveup:

jazzpants

07-24-2008, 03:38 PM

Pat:
Choreography session: We're now working more towards the arm gestures of the choreography and BOY this is where I really REALLY need help on! (It's partly why I'm a software engineer and NOT a dancer...:oops: ) How the choreographer managed to make me LESS stiff and more fluid on the arms is beyond me. (Okay, I had to remember "ballet arms and hands" and "lead with the elbow", even though I'm NOT doing ballet here. LOL!!!)

Slap:
Secondary coach wants me to do my program and well, some parts she likes and others... ummm... :oops: (But she did acknowledge that the beginning 4 measures she liked better than two weeks ago...)

And those DANG TOE WALTZ!!! I am really trying hard to NOT toe-waltz here!!! :evil: I can do them standalone and at slower speeds. But put them at the end of a jump combination... AUGH!!! :frus:

jazzpants

07-24-2008, 04:13 PM

Slap:
Forward rossovers in the CW direction. GRRRRR!!! (I'll keep at it....) :evil:
This other footwork that I was starting on last week. I need to practice the push off onto the BI edge prior to doing a BI3. I need more speed on it!!! Meaning I really need to bend knees to set myself up for a good push off. (The pattern is LFO3 lobe, push off to the other side of the line to a double 3 from a RBI edge back to the line. Push off to the other side of the line on a LBO3, then FI mohawk. Push off to other side of the line on a RBI edge and repeat from double 3 on. AI YI YI!!! 8O )Pat:
After a few bad attempts, I actually got this 3turn pattern down better on the opposite foot! (read: my LBI3's seems to be better than my RBI3's... and my BO3's are better than my BI3's...) Primary coach was quite pleased about it. Of course, he then said in his prissy tone voice "Now why can't do you that at the beginning rather than 20 minutes later????" ("Ummmm... we only did this pattern for 10 minutes. We were working on CROSSOVERS, remember?!?!?!")
Camel spins are getting a little bit better today! I managed a good 2-3 revs. one in front of him today right at the very end (and on very SLUSHY ice too!!!) YESSSSSSS!!! :mrgreen:

*JennaD*

07-24-2008, 05:47 PM

Slap: My double loop!!! I couldn't seem to get enough spring on it today. And I chickened out on my axel-half loop-double sal...because I was having issues checking the landing of my axel...actually, I was having issues checking in general today...lol I was practicing my loops for skills and I couldn't check the exit of any of my forward loops!!!

Pat: I practiced a lot of axels today and I could feel myself getting tighter and tighter in the air:P . My flying camel was also awesome today!!! I think I got about 5 rotations on the back camel which is rare for me lol... My dance lesson also went pretty well! We worked a lot on fixing my pattern and I improved a lot..except I still need to get a deeper edge before the choctaw (is it choctaw or chotcaw? I can never seem to remember lol)...

AND...I LANDED 4 DOUBLE TOES TODAY!!! They were cheated, lol but cheated is better than splatting down on my butt every time!!! 8-)8-)8-)

Kim to the Max

07-24-2008, 10:18 PM

[Slap in the Face]
*I am officially fighting with my axel. If this fight doesn't end soon, we will be breaking up.
*Laybacks were not working for the first part of the night. I have no clue what was going on.
*Double sals...still two footing them.
*oh counters...need I say more? I have the concept and can do the turn, however, some of my edges are flat...coach got way frustrated, but those also caused a good amount of comic relief...

[Pat on the Back]
*While this could go under "slap in the face," it's at least funny...I was providing some major comic relief to Coach today...
*Coach and I worked on moves...a lot...and I now have a lot to work on...
*I'm sooooooo freaking close on my axel...
*Moves are feeling better. We worked on pattern 1 and worked to get that going better...
*Coach was talking after the session (we carpool, so I was waiting for her), and I was able to get a friend to sit on my back to help me stretch :) I haven't had that good of a stretch in a long time!!

ibreakhearts66

07-24-2008, 10:36 PM

I'm combining yesterday and today...

Pat on the back
-Finally got that RFO loop
-Jumps were really good Wednesday. Double lutzes were solid. My coach complimented me on them :)
-Laybacks have gotten a lottttt better. I saw a video, and they looked good!
-Coach said my moves look good.
-The footwork in my test program is fun.

Slap
-jumps were NOT good today. I kept sitting down on jumps that I had landed.
-Im having a really hard time centering my layback.
-RFO power 3s weren't so hot today
-My program runthrough today was not good. I was waaaay ahead of my music. I think I just need to take my time a little bit more on the spins and spirals and I'll be fine.
-Still not liking BO counters...

kander

07-25-2008, 12:56 AM

Slap: I had an absolutely horrible session last Saturday. I was lucky to get my skates on. My on/off loop is off. I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on the axel.

POB: I landed a really good toe loop and salchow in a lesson today. The salchow was huge. I never pulled in and still got around with plenty of room to spare. Charlie was impressed. Too bad I can't do it on purpose.

Mrs Redboots

07-25-2008, 03:51 AM

Pat: Had fun at Dance Club last night. Actually managed a Foxtrot with my Husband and didn't stop during it or fall over. I won't say it was pretty.... but it was fun. Also did two British Waltzes with him and occasionally got my free leg in the right place.

Slap: I seem to have pulled a muscle in my left bum cheek, probably from working on back spirals. At least, I hope that is it, and I'm not getting sciatica again.

Only 3 men at dance club, so I feel I monopolised Husband, rather, even though I did dance with the other two men!

looplover

07-25-2008, 10:21 AM

First time skating in a couple of weeks...yikes....

Pat: discussed goals with my coach and came up with a game plan for Easterns...I said I want to learn complex footwork because we have the time, so today started in on rockers, twizzles, showy choctaws, and brackets. I don't know if I'll get that lutz in the program but I will get that footwork sequence as impressive as I possibly can. I love footwork so I feel better about it than...

Slap: ...any of my jumps, which I only worked on before my lesson..lack of practice has weakened my usually good ones and I didn't bother with the problem children. Sit spin with foot turned out is getting closer but not there.

Pat: had a nice centered scratch and back scratch today. Also getting new music and will pick something that makes me want to do triples, lol

FlyAndCrash

07-25-2008, 01:34 PM

Pat: We started laying out my FS 6 program... Up to my 2sal...

Slap: I did a few 2sals, but it seems so different on the pattern in my program. I'm used to doing it on a line from a standstill. Now, its from super slow back crossovers and a drawnout edge. In reality, it's probably the same speed...

Pat: My coach complimented me on the footwork saying it was the most in control and with the best edges that she has seen me do it! Yay. I do know, however, that I have some flats in there.

momsk8er

07-25-2008, 01:54 PM

Yesterday

Slap - schedule issues big time. Pick up DD at camp, rush to rink 1/2 hour away. Sessions starts at 4:35 - but that's when we get there, me still in my work clothes. Need to change quick and get on ice for lesson at 5:00. I told my coach I am frazzled!

Pat - Had a good spin lesson. Worked on sit spin a lot - coach made me do more sit spins in one session than I have ever done. I called him a slave driver.

Today

Pat - Got to skate at lunchtime in a much more leisurely manner. Ahhh... that was better.

Slap - I am not feeling as strong as I have in the past. I've been working out a lot trying to get stronger, but in the meantime it is tiring me out.

phoenix

07-25-2008, 02:08 PM

Pat: Lesson was good today. I asked for help w/ my intermediate brackets & coach gave me some really good pointers....then made me do the full pattern with my arms up overhead in 5th position!! Scarey!! Managed it, sort of, but did start using my knees and shoulders more correctly because of it. Hate to admit it but I see the point, and will practise that way more on my own. As he says, just think how easy it will feel when I then do them the regular way w/ my arms down!

Slap: Nothing really, except since we spent so much time on that we had very little left for dances. *sigh* Would that I could afford 2 lessons a week. :(

patatty

07-25-2008, 06:57 PM

Pat: I finally figured out how to get my legs crossed in an axel. Unfortunately, I get so freaked out that I forget to pull in enough, but I feel I'm still making progress. Brackets are getting better too - I had been doing them too late in the pattern, and putting them earlier has helped a lot. My change sit spins are improving too - the back part is finally as fast and low as the forward part.

Slap: I was in a nasty car accident today - I was rear-ended at high speed. I feel ok, and saw the chiropractor today, but my car is a wreck and I don't know how this will affect my skating next week. I'm sure that I will be feeling pretty sore tomorrow. Also slap - flying camels, which were going really well for a while, are starting to slide, and I'm only getting about 1 out of 4 really good ones anymore. As usual, I'm making no progress on double jumps - they're still clunky and cheated.

Isk8NYC

07-25-2008, 06:59 PM

I'm so sorry about the accident. Hope you feel better soon and the car situation works itself out.

FlyAndCrash

07-25-2008, 08:35 PM

Hope no one was hurt and everything works out!

Scarlett

07-25-2008, 08:41 PM

Pat on the Back-
Can do double 3's in both directions

Slap in the Face -
Can't do an adequate mohawk in either direction

Pat on the Back -
Finally learned the loop from back crossovers instead of a 3-turn entrance.

Slap in the Face-
Learned the joy of the leg wrap on aforementioned loop.

doubletoe

07-25-2008, 10:00 PM

Slap: I was in a nasty car accident today - I was rear-ended at high speed. I feel ok, and saw the chiropractor today, but my car is a wreck and I don't know how this will affect my skating next week. I'm sure that I will be feeling pretty sore tomorrow. Also slap - flying camels, which were going really well for a while, are starting to slide, and I'm only getting about 1 out of 4 really good ones anymore. As usual, I'm making no progress on double jumps - they're still clunky and cheated.

Yikes!! Glad you didn't seem to have suffered any major injuries. Did you have an airbag and did it deploy? If your car was totaled, do you get a new one for free? (looking for a silver lining here, LOL!)

ISK8NYC - Yeah!! Rock on, Ringo!!

Kim to the Max

07-25-2008, 10:16 PM

patatty: take care of yourself...as you said, you will probably be a bit sore tomorrow...

[Slap in the Face]
*I am creating an official "I hate axels" club, seeing as I am still fighting with mine...
*Somehow my knee is still stiff and achy...it doesn't hurt per say, it's just a bit sore and a dull hurt occasionally. Fortunately, I have a 3 week period in August due to work that I won't be able to skate at all (unless I am completely nuts and try to go to morning ice Wednesday/Friday).
*Laybacks have decided not to work the past few days...pretty soon they are going to get a letter in their file for not showing up to work...also, flying camels were cruddy
*Didn't work on moves too much today...but tomorrow will be a big day to work on them...
*I feel as if I'm not pulling my arms in right on my double sal

[Pat on the Back]
*Did some good camel/back-sits
*I have been focusing on how I "pull in" for my single jumps and being more aware of where my arms are in those jumps...seems to be working because I can actually see them in front of me :)
*I'm going to skate tomorrow since I am losing Tuesday/Wednesday to a work function.

patatty

07-26-2008, 05:51 AM

[QUOTE=doubletoe;371762]Yikes!! Glad you didn't seem to have suffered any major injuries. Did you have an airbag and did it deploy? If your car was totaled, do you get a new one for free? (looking for a silver lining here, LOL!)

Thanks everyone for the good wishes. I'm very fortunate - I feel ok today. The car has major damage, but it's only in the rear, so it should be fixed in a few weeks. The air bags didn't deploy - otherwise I probably would have been really injured - I've seen those things really bang up people's faces. The car was only 8 months old anyway, and a lease, so totaling it would have been a bad thing, as I'd just have to lease another one. The chiropractor said that it was a good thing that I came to him the day of the accident -most people wait until the pain really sets in and then it's too late. I feel bad for the girl who hit me- she is only 20 and was visiting from another state and was really upset. The road on which I do most of my driving is pretty dangerous, as it has a 55 mph speed limit with tons of intersections and traffic lights, and people who aren't familiar with its traffic patterns can make bad mistakes.

BatikatII

07-26-2008, 12:16 PM

singerskates

07-26-2008, 12:28 PM

For Friday

Slap on the Face:

Stupid sinuses got infected even though I tried to clear them out after running into the hay from the bone marrow cancer benefit car show in which my husband had his corvette showing. It was at a farm. Both my husband and I are allergic to hay. I did take my antihistimine but it didnt help enough and I still got plugged up. The infection spread to my chest and the rest of my body. It's been sapping my energy and making me dizzy.

Spins; not centered when I felt like they were centered and they were centered when I thoght they were all over the place. Didn't have the energy to get low in my sitspin or to get into the sitspin position in my camel/sit/upright combo spin.

Jumps lacked in height and so being that I need the height to finish rotating for my loop and flip, thoughts were under rotated. No energy.

Speed of skating; slower than normal.

Pat on the Back:

SpSq; I've finally got the COE to work again. Nearly killed myself the first time the COE worked. I got so close to the boards on the second part of my COE spiral that I was only 1 inch (2.5) from the boards with my blade. Talk about using the ice.

RFO3; is finally being done right with good flow coming out and no scratching of the toe pick. I fixed it when working on the first part of my program (reach up with left hand over head, place left toe in ice while reach up and turning on left toe pick, step onto right foot, RFO3, LFO3, backward snowman, LBI, RFI hydro blade, RFI Mohawk, Loop, L Twizzle, R Twizze, RFx, SpSq. I was so without energy that I was always late getting to the SpSq. in time with the music.)

Ran through my program about 4 or 5 times. Can't remember how many times I went through it because m head was in a fog.

Next week my coach wants me running through my program at full speed. HELP!

RachelSk8er

07-26-2008, 02:33 PM

Pat: Overall got in 2 solid good hours of practice today (with 45 min off-ice before working on jumps). I had gotten the axel around 2 weeks ago but it went on hiatus since, and today it's back to being fully rotated but landed on 2 feet, with the takeoff and height much better...so that's a good sign. Spins were all pretty good, even some of the ones that I typically struggle with. Did some really nice lutzes, too. As for the MIF test--power circles good, rockers good (every once in a while I put my free leg down right after turning the RFI...need to work on that). Power pull quick rockers not bad...turns much quicker than they had been, overall I just need more power. That will come when I quit being such a chicken on this move (this is what I dislocated my knee on 8 yrs ago before I stopped working on MIF...caught a rut on a turn and went down, and that knee bugs me to this day. When I started working on this test again last winter I was scared to death to do this pattern). Did some nice solo patterns of the Silver Tango and Blues (still trying to figure out whether I want to do silver or, if I can get the blues tested and passed in time, gold solo dance at ANs). Put together a version of my program for my prelim free test, which I'm taking Aug 16, and doing my pre-juv free the following week (provided I pass the prelim test, which I don't see being a problem). Also ran my silver free program, wasn't too bad but I got mixed up because I had moved some jumps around to accommodate adding an axel.

Slap: Choctaw pattern on my MIF test. It was actually better than it has been today but not where it should be. Laybacks are a little blah, I'm playing with upper body, free leg and arm positions and trying to lay back more so they've been traveling a lot.

Mrs Redboots

07-27-2008, 01:12 PM

Slap: No lesson today as our coaches weren't in. Very frustrated with scraping in the British Waltz (me), and clunky Mohawk in our variation (also me).

Pat: Free dance coming-along-nicely again, although it does need lightening up a bit. Remembering the new steps now.

looplover

07-27-2008, 02:45 PM

Pat: Really working on getting that sit spin in the correct free leg position and today for the first time I did one that was nicely balanced in that position. I know it could be lower but I didn't fall over either...am trying to just repeat "square" to myself when I'm spinning. Of course after that one I fell over several times but this is progress! Also worked on rockers, twizzles, choctaws and brackets, and I think those are going to be good enough to toss them all into a footwork sequence in my program (as crazy as it sounds, I am still determined to get level 4 footwork in my AN program. Raising the bar that high is good for me for footwork, though it's not really attainable).

Slap: Didn't bother to flip today and I'm on break from it for a while. That's risky, but I'm tired of feeling bad about skating because of that dreaded thing (and its sister, the lutz). Need to get the confidence and desire for skating back up to where it was. Tried a loop-loop but it didn't really happen.

TiggerTooSkates

07-27-2008, 05:40 PM

Patatty = glad you are not hurt too bad. My poor car had been rear ended twice (neither time was my fault) and once was hit in the drivers side door when it was parked up and nobody owned up:( I think maybe I should get a new car that is not so attractive to other cars!;)

Patatty - so glad you hear you are OK. Cars are replaceable - though of course both expensive and a nightmare to deal with - but you are NOT. Sending hugs your way!!

Batikat - my parents had a car like that once. Let me see - it got rear ended once, I rear ended someone in it once (legally my fault, but the idiot in front of me SLAMMED ON BRAKES for no reason, and no, I wasn't tailgating either - no major damage, just some surface stuff to the bumper cover), I backed it into a guidewire once and scratched the rear bumper cover (which of course was repaired when it got rear ended a couple of months later), and once someone hit my mother in the front quarter panel - some genius turned into a driveway going the wrong way, tore the front of my mom's car up, and then had the nerve to ask the state trooper who was called to the scene (and wrote her a ticket, I might add) if he could hurry up because she was late for an appointment! :roll: The trooper was a friend of my dad's, ironically enough, and I remember him looking at her from beneath his hat brim and over his sunglasses as he wrote the ticket, and said, "Ma'am, I'm thinking that being in a hurry is what got you into trouble in the first place." :o HA HA HAHA!!!! I swear he slowed WAAAYYY down after that comment...:mrgreen:

Anyway, back to the thread...I'm nowhere near the level most of you are at, but here's my week so far...

Pat: BXOs are getting less and less scratchy. I've started saying under my breath, "sit, sit, sit" with each cross to keep me from bobbing up and down and keep my knees bent, so of course that's helping with the scratching. I was glancing at myself in the Plexiglas and I think my form's coming along as well; what I need is DH with the video camera so I can self-correct.

Also I was showing off for my niece yesterday and realized I've somehow improved my two-foot spin without even thinking about it; I was getting four revolutions with no effort and STANDING UP STRAIGHT, which of course is the secret. Lunge is getting more consistent, straighter, and a longer glide.

Slap: I'm an idiot when it comes to three turns. Don't ask why, but I want to turn the wrong way (!!!!!) - which of course is impossible. I'm more coordinated than this (and smarter than this!) - I think I'm chickening out somewhere halfway into the turn, so I want to go the other way. It's like I'm doing them backwards. (???) This is why I took a lovely tumble onto my left knee today - haven't done that in months. Hurts like the Dickens and has a lovely bump on it...what a goofball. I really want hot threes; I know threes are completely essential to advancing and I have no idea why I keep making this ridiculous mistake. I have to consciously think about which way I'm turning, and it makes me feel stupid.

But I'm not giving up; I want the hottest threes at the rink. I spent ages today three-ing at the boards, trying to turn correctly. I can get what I'm jokingly calling "one and a halves" - I get the turn on one foot and then drop a foot to complete the backward lobe. I can accept this; it's fine-tunable. But why I want to turn backwards is a mystery to me.

phoenix

07-27-2008, 06:04 PM

Slap: I'm an idiot when it comes to three turns. Don't ask why, but I want to turn the wrong way (!!!!!) - which of course is impossible. ..... But why I want to turn backwards is a mystery to me.

Actually, it's not impossible---it's a bracket!! A 3-turn turned in the opposite direction is a bracket--which is what you'll hear a lot of us complaining about! They're difficult, and not a required move until quite far up the testing ladder, which is why it *feels* impossible to you at the moment.

And not to worry, the compulsion to turn in the wrong direction for a 3 turn is very common, I see it all the time in classes when it comes time to learn either a 2 foot turn or a 3-turn. Eventually it will come more naturally.

And you're absolutely right--those 3-turns are a critical skill, so good for you for spending so much time trying to master them!!

TiggerTooSkates

07-27-2008, 07:44 PM

Actually, it's not impossible---it's a bracket!! A 3-turn turned in the opposite direction is a bracket--which is what you'll hear a lot of us complaining about! They're difficult, and not a required move until quite far up the testing ladder, which is why it *feels* impossible to you at the moment.

And not to worry, the compulsion to turn in the wrong direction for a 3 turn is very common, I see it all the time in classes when it comes time to learn either a 2 foot turn or a 3-turn. Eventually it will come more naturally.

And you're absolutely right--those 3-turns are a critical skill, so good for you for spending so much time trying to master them!!

Thank you so much for the encouragement and insight; it really means a lot to me! :P:D:mrgreen: (Maybe filing this frustration away will help me out when it IS bracket time!)

(And will remind me to invest in kneepads!) :)

[TiggerTooSkates smiles at her laptop, now feeling less the idiot and more the on-target beginning figure skater....]