Rink Ice/Driveway Ice - Practice 1/4-11/09 [Archive]

jskater49

01-05-2009, 10:41 AM

Had a great session on the rink ice, then came home and took a hard fall on the driveway ice....

Driveway Ice - back to Power class after a two week hiatus....oooh...tough to get back in the swing of things..must confess I sort of goofed off when the coach wasn't looking...I know that only hurts me....

Also coach took the time to send me a two page outline of what all should be doing during practicing...even to the detail of how many times I should practice each thing and I left at home...but I remembered enough of it to give me some structure and keep me going when I might have stopped early "Oh I guess I need to do some backward edges with my free foot forward"....

Rink Ice - I was really able to do 3 turns at speed to the point of doing continuous mazurkas...mazurka, 3 turn, maurka...and so on, without skidding to slow down - I even did a bunch of half flips in a row that way.

Joelle

Skittl1321

01-05-2009, 12:16 PM

Rink Ice Skated at club ice for the first time ever. This is a big accomplishment for me as I'm terrified of the "better" skaters. But I had show rehearsal and had to drive to the club rink, and I'm not paying for ice without using the whole session so I did some skating too. And while it wasn't a good practice (couldn't do a lot, for fear of being in the way/being run over- plus a group number was practicing) I did find out that a portion of my problem with power pulls is the ice at my regular rink. I did them WAY better at this rink with it's hard, clean ice.

Driveway ice My driveway? Gosh I could just take my skates out there...
After a 3 week (2 week?) break I seemed to have forgotten how to skate. Skated one time over vacation (see below) but was wearing jeans, so I only did a few scratch spins- 2 centered really nicely, but of course those weren't taped, and some 3-turns in the field.

Knees are killing me. Started taking the glucosamine with chondrotin the dr recommeded last year, but was too expensive, because with this club show coming up I'm going to be living at the rink.

Also- I wanted to share. Over the holidays, I took my 2-year old nephew (3 in march) ice skating. I told his mom that if he liked it we'd probably get 30 minutes, and if he didn't we get 2 and a huge fit, just to prepare her. We went to the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Euless, TX (nice rink) and at the beginning of the public session there was only one person on the ice (wish I was dressed to practice! But in jeans I couldn't do much on my own) and he had a BLAST. When we first got there he couldn't even walk on the mats, which was not a good sign, but he loved being on the ice. His father and I mostly just took turns holding him in front of us and gliding him around, and he was very good about keeping his feet flat (some kids just don't get that and dig the heels in) so he could go for the ride. I slalommed with him a few times and each time got told "That's too fast Aunt Jessi". After about 30 minutes he got off the ice and went to his Grandmother, where he then decided he liked to skate better out on the mats (he could balance well enough to walk now) :). He did eventually come back on the ice and I got him to "stand like a statue" all by himself. I was so proud of him. We tried marching while holding on to him, but he liked to pick both feet up at the same time, so we didn't really get that down. But just the fact that he went from not walking by himself on the mats to balancing in place on the ice- yay! The best part, afterwards he'd tell people he went ice skating and "it was very fun, but the ice is very slippery". I love when little kids come up with things like that without being fed words. My back KILLED me the next day, I could barely move from holding him up, but it was 100% worth it. (My sister asked me if I do that with toddlers I teach and I said NO WAY- but he wasn't there for lessons, just to have fun with his aunt)

flo

01-05-2009, 08:55 PM

Great title!
Driveway Ice: We're expecting ice/snow/slush tomorrow.
Rink ice: worked on the pairs program choreography. I really like the process and what our coach is doing with the piece. It's something totally new for my partner and he's doing great (and has a good sense of humor!).

miraclegro

01-05-2009, 08:58 PM

Yep, i had to post on this one. Our rink thinks they are saving money by just putting water down and not cutting. Great to try to practice MIF and my competition program.

I'll just keep working past those obstackes!

jazzpants

01-06-2009, 01:52 AM

Rink Ice:
Primary coach has FINALLY changed that God awful footwork that I've been complaining about to something that's a bit more manageable!!! THANK GOODNESS!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

Driveway Ice:
I feel like my choreography for my technical is a bit ummm... over the top!!! Not good either.

Still can't do the lutz the way primary coach wants it... so I'll probably have secondary coach help me fix it... Of course, I tried fixing the entry by doing the existing exercises I have. Obviously it hasn't worked yet.. :roll:

Stormy

01-06-2009, 09:16 AM

Rink Ice: Almost finished chorography for my program! I get to do a charlotte back spiral into a lutz/loop now. :) The footwork is coming together and it more edgy. I just need to work on more power overall, especially in the spiral sequence which is dying halfway through although the pattern of it is now correct. I think it will be really good for ANs and whatever happens at Easterns, happens. I'm not stressing about it.

Driveway ice: Nothing much, just really need to work on overall power and flow.

looplover

01-06-2009, 03:12 PM

Driveway Ice: I have a cold that is kicking my butt and started out just the left side of my head, now is the whole head. Still, I forced myself to practice this morning. I can't do a camel for the life of me so I'm trying to figure out what to substitute in the program. I hate to be this pessimistic but I don't see it happening by easterns. I nearly had it and then it went on vacation. Grr. :evil::x:frus::evil::twisted:

Rink Ice: Despite nasty cold, my sit/back scratch were pretty good today, better than in a long time! Maybe I can come up with something like change of edge spin (which I've done by accident a couple of times) or sit/back scratch/front scratch instead of the camel. OOH I want that camel though.

I think my flip really is coming back. I did a few today but didn't push it. None were great, but they were flips.

Like the new footwork.

I think I did a loop (figure not jump) this morning but didn't have a coach to show - I'm trying to learn those - I'll show my coach on thurs.

Skate@Delaware

01-06-2009, 03:56 PM

I think I did a loop (figure not jump) this morning but didn't have a coach to show - I'm trying to learn those - I'll show my coach on thurs.

That's cool! I saw the video....they look very complicated and interesting!

Rink Ice: got to the rink for public; just me and 5 others....YAY!!! Got on the ice 20 minutes early, did EVERYTHING (ok, almost everything except for back-3's). Things were really great! Kicked thru on my waltz; toe-loops were popping; and salchow had a nice long 2nd edge. Spirals were better even tho they hurt (my bottom was sore from dance class last night).

Driveway Ice: Spins traveled, backspin sucked, Ina Bauer was a disaster....I am dysfunctional!!!! AARRGGHH!!!! I did some lunges just to prove that I could get down that low in the knee....and I could but I could only do them good on the left, not on the right. Now I'm mad. :x Cause that's the side I'm supposed to do. Grr!

RinkRat321

01-06-2009, 05:03 PM

rink ice: 2sals were good, so were axels. 2flips weren't bad either
driveway ice: 2loops! they were so weird today! and for some reason all practice i was just REALLY tired. i had just adjusted to skating mornings over winter break and now that school is back im having trouble adjusting :/

oh, i got my dvd from christmas show if anyone wants to see :)

group number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFdcv3vtG4
solo number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmejpZQ9cHI

not my best performances, but it was so much fun to be a part of the show :)

pedonskates

01-06-2009, 06:59 PM

I don't usually post, but what the heck.

Rink ice: Skated way early this morning and got some good tips for smoother transitions between program elements. My new FS dress arrived last week and now needs to be bejeweled.
Driveway ice: When I actually skated the program to music I almost keeled over. I appear to have a bit of a cold as well as some other chronic medical stuff that is flaring up that is totally sapping my stamina. Gotta work on that since PACS is only 6 weeks away!!

kateskate

01-07-2009, 09:07 AM

Rink Ice
I landed 3 clean axels fully rotated to backwards at the weekend! :D:D

And I had a witness in a coach. The is a major breakthough. I struggled with this jump for nearly 3 years - half of that time spent with completely incorrect technique and pretty much another year of correct (or at least vastly improved) take off technique but consistent underrotation.

And I managed one and a half turns to forwards on one foot on double sal and double cherry attempts. Progress considering I had double cherry fear for about a year and completely lost all timing on double salchows recently.

Driveway Ice
Camel spins have left me.
Could not replicate the clean axels the next day but the underrotation was still well under a quarter short.

LilJen

01-07-2009, 10:34 AM

Ha, driveway (and road) ice is keeping dd out of school today (cancelled!) and me away from the rink. Arrgghhh!! And I really need the practice--synchro on Sunday was pretty rough after 2 weeks off!! Comp coming up in about 5 weeks!

liz_on_ice

01-07-2009, 11:01 AM

driveway ice - lesson this morning was rained out :cry:

Skittl1321

01-07-2009, 11:16 AM

Driveway Ice Stopping is hard! Working on a one foot hockey stop, and a tango stop that ends one footed because we have to kick at the end. These are both in the show, which means I have to do them after skating really fast, not just skating at a snails pace (where I'm successful at both!)

Rink Ice It was good to be back to LTS! I really missed lessons.

doubletoe

01-07-2009, 12:55 PM

jazzpants

01-07-2009, 01:44 PM

driveway ice - lesson this morning was rained out :cry:Awwww, sorry about that!!! :cry:

Rink Ice
I landed 3 clean axels fully rotated to backwards at the weekend! :D:D
:bow: :bow: :bow:

Rink Ice: Well, at least I have a lesson this time around!!! :roll: :twisted: :lol:

Driveway Ice:
Oh, dear!!! My CW forward crossovers are not that great going fast when doing laps around the rink. The punishment is 6 weeks of working on those CW forward crossovers 'til it's as natural as the CCW ones!!! 8O

And FO mohawks on the CCW direction.... ummmm... not good!!! :giveup:

EVILLE choreographer/moves coach tomorrow.... oh dear... 8O

looplover

01-07-2009, 07:23 PM

Driveway Ice: just too sick with a cold to skate today. Probably too sick with a cold to skate tomorrow, but my lesson is tomorrow. Keep thinking of an old school coach in FL who told us stories of basically showing up to practice half alive. Feel wimpy, will drink extra OJ and go tomorrow...

jskater49

01-07-2009, 09:08 PM

Lesson today

Driveway ice....I'm still not shifting my weight all the way on my back crossovers. Coach went through a whole spiel about feeling my hips and my pelvis and I just didn't get it. I don't feel my hip bones inside my body. Finally she said "Lift" and I did better.

Then we went through my moves program to the pachelbel canon and I didn't have time to warm up my inside 3 turns and so I pretty much muffed them. Coach tells me to do the inside 3 turns on the line and I do them. Why couldn't I do them in the program she asked me. "Because they weren't warmed up." You just did them fine just now she points out. And I get a talking to that warming up business is all in my head and I have to get it out of my head and at least once a week I am to run through the moves program without warming anything up.

more driveway ice - ugh power pulls! I get the knee action with two feet, but once I pick up my feet, I just can't get the knees to work.

j

phoenix

01-07-2009, 10:00 PM

singerskates

01-07-2009, 11:12 PM

Figure Skating Rink Ice:
Got to skate on figure skating ice for a change which I haven't done since a week before Christmas Eve.
I got on the ice pretty close to the beginning of the session and stayed on for almost the whole 2 hour session.
Had the first lesson with my coach.
Was in a no fooling around happy to skate mood today; all smiles.

Jumps that were good.
Waltz (note: only a warm up jump and not in my freeskate)
Toe Loop
Salchow
Split

Spins
Forward basic sit spin, broken sit
Forward basic upright spin, corkscrew
Forward basic upright spin, layback
Forward basic upright spin, catch foot from behind

Public Skating Ice:
Loop - got it all the way around and initially land on 1 foot only to touch down for a milli second. this makes me so mad because I'm so close to clean. More practice and need to go to the gym to strengthen my core and hips.

Flip same problem as Loop.

Lutz - still trying to get the timing down on when to bend and reach to pick in and pop and turn the jump. I also have been breaking out with my arms too quickly.

Driveway Ice:

Adding catch foot from broken sit variation in Forward Basic Sit Spin,Broken Sit, I keep missing my skating blade. Thinking I should try doing the Forward Basic Sit Spin,Twist upper body to the left,Pancake,Broken but I'm still working getting the Pancake spin to happen.

Adding Corkscrew to end of Forward Basic,Layback,catch foot from behind not happening. I keep dropping my right side after the catch foot and so I don't get to bring my free foot in front at the knee so I can start the corkscrew. So frustrating. Trying to have at least 3 revs in each variation in the upright.

Just curious, what level my forward upright spin would that be in CPC (a.k.a. IJS and COP) if I got the 4 variations?

CoachPA

01-08-2009, 08:29 AM

Love the title!

Rink Ice: I'm doing well on my calorie-watching so far, and am now down to my pre-holiday weight! Also, had my first lesson in a month, and it went well (whew!!). We worked on Blues, and started working on getting my pattern bigger, faster, deeper. I'm very comfortable w/ that for the first 3rd, then it kind of falls apart on the end pattern/choctaw sections. But I think it will get there. I got a comment in Russian that basically means "very, very good!" I almost never get that word, so that made me very happy.

The choctaw on the Blues can be tricky, but try working on front-to-back Rond de Jambes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet#Rond_de_jambe) (from ballet), which mimicks the movement of the free leg in this dance. You'll have an awesome choctaw in no time!

phoenix

01-08-2009, 08:33 AM

The choctaw on the Blues can be tricky, but try working on front-to-back Rond de Jambes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_ballet#Rond_de_jambe) (from ballet), which mimicks the movement of the free leg in this dance. You'll have an awesome choctaw in no time!

Yes, I actually have an exercise on the ice that uses rond de jambes, both front to back, and back to front. I like it a lot, but my students don't! I've had enough dance training to isolate the movement easily, but none of my students are take ballet, although I bring it up to the parents on a regular basis! :roll:

Skate@Delaware

01-08-2009, 10:09 AM

not even leaving the driveway today-migraine so balance is waaaay off!

had a one-year visit with ortho surgeon yesterday (re: my back hernia operation)....he said "be patient with the pain/stiffness...." but ordered x-rays anyway. Said "better posture" and "keep working out"

yeah, whatever

this is the same doc that would not sign a release for a personal trainer/private physical therapist to help me overcome balance issues and muscular weakness and said not to dance or skate anymore

again, whatever

Skate@Delaware

01-08-2009, 12:51 PM

another post: just found out that my next comp is on 8 Feb in Bowie Maryland......good thing I'm only doing artistic!!! Talk about time crunching!

How much do I have to cram into 1:40? Always seems like TOO MUCH! 8O

doubletoe

01-08-2009, 02:03 PM

Adding catch foot from broken sit variation in Forward Basic Sit Spin,Broken Sit, I keep missing my skating blade. Thinking I should try doing the Forward Basic Sit Spin,Twist upper body to the left,Pancake,Broken but I'm still working getting the Pancake spin to happen.

Adding Corkscrew to end of Forward Basic,Layback,catch foot from behind not happening. I keep dropping my right side after the catch foot and so I don't get to bring my free foot in front at the knee so I can start the corkscrew. So frustrating. Trying to have at least 3 revs in each variation in the upright.

Just curious, what level my forward upright spin would that be in CPC (a.k.a. IJS and COP) if I got the 4 variations?

Don't forget, you only get credit for two difficult variations of position, so on your sitspin just do whichever two of your three variations (twist, pancake, broken leg) you do best. To get beyond a level 2, you'll need to do either a change of edge or a reverse entry (i.e., do it as a reverse sitspin from its own entrance edge).
Your upright-layback-catch foot-corkscrew would actually be considered a level 1 combination spin, or a level 1 layback spin if you limit your revolutions in upright position to two. You need two features to get a level 2, and the catch foot will only count if you do a haircutter (i.e., pull the the free foot up to the back of your head). Then you would also need to come up with one more feature, since a regular layback, upright and corkscrew (scratch spin) aren't considered difficult variations.

dbny

01-08-2009, 04:31 PM

Driveway Ice:
Until yesterday, I haven't been able to practice for the past two weeks, and sat last week out with exhaustion and a cold.

Rink Ice:
Yesterday wasn't half as bad as I expected, even though it took me most of an hour to warm up and feel even close to comfy. FI threes are back, and I surprised myself and did a few RBO threes which just seemed very natural after some of the RFI's. Spins weren't too bad, but I'm not back to entering from a T push yet.

Best Ice Ever:
I had an ice dance lesson today!!!! We have a new coach, who was a competitive dancer, and I had talked with him about the possibility of lessons, but couldn't make up my mind to do it. Today I came in early to give a lesson and stayed to practice. I was feeling pretty good on the ice, when I noticed that the new coach had walked in. Biting the bullet, I skated over and asked if he was busy (he was not) and did he want to give me a lesson (he did). We did the Dutch Waltz a gazillion times. Is it silly to enjoy discussing how to fit the pattern properly? He prefers to do the FI, FO edges distinctly instead of progressive style because it rounds the corner better. We also did swing rolls in killian hold, and he showed me a FXO exercise that was HARD. That really surprised me, because I thought I had pretty good FXO's. This is a dance specific exercise that is going to be a lot of fun, when I can do it with confidence. Right now I'm pussyfooting thought it. This guy is an excellent coach, and I booked a lesson for next week. I don't know if I can afford to do this every week, but I'm going to try because I loved that lesson and really had fun too.

sk8pics

01-09-2009, 05:54 AM

this is the same doc that would not sign a release for a personal trainer/private physical therapist to help me overcome balance issues and muscular weakness and said not to dance or skate anymore

YOu might want to talk to your primary care doc about a referral. I remember my PT mentioning that as an option to me when we didn't know how much PT my surgeon would prescribe when I was recovering from my broken ankle. Turned out not to matter because my surgeon was very aggressive with PT for me.

liz_on_ice

01-09-2009, 01:37 PM

Rink Ice - lots of it today, since I had a day off from work. I spent the whole morning at the rink. Skated a freestyle session, sat one out with coffee and a snack, and recovered enough strength to do an hour of the public session. I did two runthroughs of my program, one of them with a passing changefoot spin. I'm just about ready to do this one, finally!

ibreakhearts66

01-09-2009, 07:41 PM

Rink Ice
-Good lesson. I'm feeling much more confident in my moves. I really hope I don't choke. Made good progress on my 8-step and back power 3s, and my coach said my cross strokes and double 3s should be a tenth or two above passing.
-Did some good double doubles. Double loop double loops were pretty big. Double sal double loops were pretty good, but I still have a hard time controlling the rotation on the double loop.

Driveway Ice
-Didn't get to do a program runthrough because of the crowd. I've done a few runthroughs. I just have to remember to breathe, and I should be fine.
-Beillmanns. I don't think I will EVER be able to do a Beillmann spin.

Testing tomorrow 8O8O8O Have to be at the rink bright and early. NOT looking forward to that.

phoenix

01-09-2009, 08:56 PM

Rink Ice: Woo hoo, I got through a pattern of the Viennese Waltz today ON TIME with the music!! It wasn't great, and it probably wasn't pretty, but it was on time which I'd never managed yet. Including that awful forward run--anyone have any tips about how to make that happen without your arms going all akimbo?? And the other good thing was, I finished the pattern with enough fight in me to go for another, but had to bail out because someone got in my way. There may be hope for Nationals yet!!

I'm starting to finally get that these upper level dances must be skated all out, for them to really be right.

dbny

01-09-2009, 10:36 PM

Rink Ice - lots of it today, since I had a day off from work. I spent the whole morning at the rink.

Clearly not my regular Friday rink, as there was a pack of a dozen hockey boys raising h#ll and no guard. They finally called someone to come in to work, and he took several of them off the ice for a while. The owner even came out and read them the riot act, but it was still crazy.

Testing tomorrow 8O8O8O Have to be at the rink bright and early. NOT looking forward to that.

Good luck!!!

Rink Ice:
I had a really good lesson today, much better than I had hoped for, given my lack of practice. I did some very, very good FO threes... in fact my best ever. Showed my coach the FXO exercise I learned from dance coach, and she said that she had seen it before and it was indeed, dance specific. She likes it and urged me to continue practicing it. It actually got better after showing it to her and to DH. I managed one side of the Dutch Waltz, and was surprised that I covered the ice properly, and that my swing rolls were halfway decent. I hit every spin I tried 8O. None of them were perfect, but I could feel every wobble and fixed them all enough to get 4+ revs out of every one. Did a few in my lesson from T push, and coach said they looked so natural in the CW direction, which they never had when I was spinning CCW.

Driveway Ice:
Those insane hockey boys :x. One has to wonder at how many half days the Catholic schools have and why all the craziest boys want to wreak havoc at the rink. Seriously, my FI threes are garbage. I have lost the feel for rocking up to the toe to make the turn. It's back to the two foot, very slow exercise for me, until I can feel the rock up again. At least I can still do them.

singerskates

01-09-2009, 11:15 PM

Thursday and Today

Thursday

Driveway Ice:
Headed out of the house too late to skate where I normally skate so I went to my old rink where they have a sort of public skate. That is anything goes. And so, there were little kids on the ice complete with hockey sticks and puck, which wasn't too bad for most of the session but at the half way point some men came on the ice with their hockey sticks and pucks too. At that point, things got crazy.

Also a few times, the little kids with their hockey sticks and pucks got too close to me while I was spinning. One time I was doing my forward upright spin with 2 variations after the basic position when one of the kids just about touched me as he skated by be. When I started the spin in the center of the ice, that child was clearly with his brother at the far end of the rink. Next thing I knew while I was holding my skate blade after doing the layback, the child was less than one inch from me. I told the child that he nearly gave me a heart attack because I could have chopped off his head. Not a good feeling.

Rink Ice:
Started working on my Canadian Interpretive (Micheal Buble's Feeling Good edited down to 2:19) with my coach. Not sure how much we got done but the beginning is done. Somehow, I'm getting more comfortable doing RFO and LFI 3's (CW is my bad direction). I'm doing some loops as part of my footwork in my interpretive.
If there was ever a tune to get me to bend my knees, it's Feeling Good. It just feels so good. No wonder Jeffrey Buttle used for his exhibition piece at the 2006 Olympics when he won that Mens' Bronze Medal!

I've now got the second variation of my Forward Upright Spin (Usp in CPC) added cleanly to be doing 4 basic revs, 3 layback & 3 grab free foot blade behind while in layback. Now I want to try and do a change of edge at the end too as the last variation to bring it up from a level 2 spin to a level 3 spin. I'm not too sure I can do that change of edge but what the heck, why not try? If I can pull this off, the points I'll earn at Adult Canadians from doing the spin should help me out when I mess up with a touch down or two with my jumps. That is if I can do it under pressure in competition.

Public Ice:
My legs and butt were so sore that I couldn't get down and up that easily in my sit spin and so about 40 percent of the time I was catching my free foot while exiting the spin. Got to make sure I have no soreness and stiffness in my legs, back and butt when competing. Anyway, I was only able to do my sit spin with 4 revs basic, 4 revs broken 3 times in the hour and half. It just hurt too much. The rink was and is much colder than where I'm normally practicing now. Hopefully, I can do better sit spins on Monday.

Today (Friday)
Driveway Ice:
Well, I was up so late waiting for my brother to come home (Brother came back from the US after living there for 8 years the day before New Years Eve 2008 and has no job or place to stay yet.) that I ended up sleeping in past the Public Adult Ice to make up for the City Ice (ticket ice) that was taken away because of a stupid hockey tournament. Good thing that my coach too a trip to Toronto for the weekend. I didn't skate at all today. Nor did I go to the gym. Didn't stretch at all either. Just lazed around the house all day watching TV, computing and washing laundry. :oops:

Skate@Delaware

01-10-2009, 08:26 AM

YOu might want to talk to your primary care doc about a referral. I remember my PT mentioning that as an option to me when we didn't know how much PT my surgeon would prescribe when I was recovering from my broken ankle. Turned out not to matter because my surgeon was very aggressive with PT for me.

I did talk to her about it....and she deferred to the ortho (cough-evil-cough) doctor....but I just had my one year checkup with the ortho and he sent me or x-rays because I have limited mobility and pain....I re-hashed the whole incident. I got the deer-in-headlights look and he suggested I keep doing the pt exercises. I said, oh you mean walking the treadmill and the squats? because you said "no lower back exercises"....hmmm so he said I could do lower back stuff like forward flexion, hamstring stretches, etc. I said I have been anyway. (he is a doofus). I made him feel my stomach muscles but i don't have enough muscle tone in my back....or strength.

anywway, no skating today-migraine still lingering with it's aftereffects. I walk like i've been drinking so I have no balance.....not taking a chance of falling all over on ice; wallking on dry land is hard enough.

ps-i looked at the x-rays; not exactly sure what i'm looking at but between L4-L5 the disc has degenerated (space is smaller) and the vertebrae have some calcification...arthritis? I will find out in 2 weeks when I go back for a follow-up.

liz_on_ice

01-10-2009, 10:39 AM

Clearly not my regular Friday rink, as there was a pack of a dozen hockey boys raising h#ll and no guard. They finally called someone to come in to work, and he took several of them off the ice for a while. The owner even came out and read them the riot act, but it was still crazy.

Nope, your other regular rink. I had errands in that area Friday and needed to skate earlier. There was a pack of teenagers who started to crowd the place acting like idiots around 12:30, but I was already getting tired so it didn't bother me.

I went to the 8am freestyle this morning, which was fun. Enough skaters to feel energized by the company, not so many to feel at all crowded. Fun!

ibreakhearts66

01-10-2009, 04:16 PM

Rink Ice
-Passed my Juv Moves and FS! I had a pretty tough panel, and I passed the moves at 12.0, 12.1 and 12.1. I got a 3.1 on the cross strokes from one judge, and a 3.1 on the double 3s from another, and everything else was at passing average. I'll take it.

Driveway Ice
-Even though I passed my FS, I was really disappointed. I had a panic attack/meltdown before the FS, and almost dropped out. I just didn't think I was ready. I had done the test program all of two times (although I've used the program with different elements, footwork, and certain connecting steps changed before). So when I did go out, I was really, REALLY nervous, and didn't skate my best. One judge gave me a retry, but the other two passed me.

Story time.
So I finish my FS, run off the ice for the trash can as usual, and my coach tells me that they're going to want to see my layback again. She tries to drag me back out there before I'm quite *ahem* finished, and the judges hold their hands up as if to say, "It's ok, she can reskate when she's done." Well, I guess they were saying they didnt' need me to reskate anything. But I went back out there, and the head judge said, "You're back?" to which I replied, "layback?" (thinking he'd just said layback, not you're back). THEN one of the judges goes "Well, I guess we could see that again, hers only had 3.5 when it should have 4. I did a layback, then got a pep talk from the head judge about how that layback had 8.5 revs and I just need to take things element by element and relax.

Finally, I'm done, right? Nope. I step off the ice, and my coach goes, "Nope, the judges are done so you're doing another program runthrough right now for me." So I did another, much better, program, and then died. Or at least that's how it felt :P

aussieskater

01-10-2009, 04:19 PM

Wow! Congratulations!

CoachPA

01-10-2009, 04:33 PM

Congratulations! All the stress pays off in the end!

dbny

01-10-2009, 05:50 PM

-passed my juv moves and fs!

congratulations!

AgnesNitt

01-10-2009, 05:53 PM

Driveway Ice I bit the bullet and asked my coach to work on my strikes as I can get no further around the 8 now than I could last year. So it was a half hour of fuss fuss fuss over my posture (it sucks, and I tilt to the left). So to make a long story short, I spent my lesson doing inside and outside and waltz 8s. Coach puts one finger in my lower spine and I can hold position and get around the 8 (she's not pushing, it's just a positioning technique). The body position is like the sitting trot, very hard to hold while you're on the back edge. Once that finger's gone everything falls apart. I've been given instructions to do my warmup as in/out/waltz 8s rather than stroking.

Rink Ice My right mohawks are now as smooth as silk. Driveway Ice My left mohawks are just as bad as the first day I learned them.

Rink Ice My alternating 3 turns on the line are really coming along. I can't quite get the transition, but it will happen.

liz_on_ice

01-10-2009, 06:18 PM

Rink Ice
-Passed my Juv Moves and FS!

Yay! way to go! :D:bow:

Skate@Delaware

01-10-2009, 07:53 PM

rink ice
-passed my juv moves and fs!

hooray!!!!

CanadianAdult

01-11-2009, 01:20 AM

I've now got the second variation of my Forward Upright Spin (Usp in CPC) added cleanly to be doing 4 basic revs, 3 layback & 3 grab free foot blade behind while in layback. Now I want to try and do a change of edge at the end too as the last variation to bring it up from a level 2 spin to a level 3 spin.

Please talk to your coach about your spins. You are wrong about the content and levels. You will get a big fat zero based on what you do now.

Mrs Redboots

01-11-2009, 07:18 AM

Congratulations, ibreakhearts66!

Rink Ice: Back on the ice for the first time this year; good lesson on togetherness.

Driveway ice: I'm still bringing my free leg in too early - this is what failed us our Level 1 Variation Test; it is a huge nuisance as I don't feel that I am doing it, so don't know how to correct it.

CoachPA

01-11-2009, 08:55 PM

Rink Ice: I spent the entire day (well, 11 hours) coaching at a competition where my three skaters that I brought there earned three gold, two silver, and a bronze medal. A fabulous day for all! :D

doubletoe

01-12-2009, 02:30 PM