Whining or Working - 2/16-2/22/09 Practice Thread

[jskater49]

There was a lot of whining in Power class today and that's the one thing I won't do. I'm pretty competitive and if I can't keep up with everyone the one thing I can do is not whine. So I just worked in power...

[chowskates]

Whining: Been in NJ for 10 days, and only today did I finally make it to the Ice House (that's just 10 min drive away). I spent a week getting over jet lag... not all my fault 'cos my baby wakes up at 2am to play!

Working: I can still skate! :lol:

Whining: Singapore Nationals is 2 1/2 weeks away, and I still have no program. I have only this week in NJ to do something about it, as apparently the rink in Singapore plans to be closed when I get back next week, for "5 to 7 days".

[doubletoe]

That's great news, Chow! I mean, that you are still able to skate, and you actually have a full-sized ice surface to skate on this week! :D If anyone can pull this off, you can!

Working: I had a good skate at my practice competition over the weekend (only one major mistake) and another good skate this morning (also only one mistake), so I'm feeling like I may actually be ready for Adult Sectionals this coming weekend.

[Bunny Hop]

Whining: Half-term, so ice crowded with kids. No lesson as coach was ill, so didn't even get time behind the cones.

Working: Forward runs (progressives) finally starting to feel like they might be starting to work properly - it's only been two years. No longer catching the toe pick when picking up back foot going in the 'good' direction, and not doing it very often in 'bad' direction. Even managed to do some in hold with my husband. Didn't take out any of the aforementioned kids whilst doing so either, despite their best efforts to skate right into us!

[herniated]

Nice to hear from you chowskates!! When my son was a baby he would get up at 2am, 4am to 'party'!! That's what I used to call it.

Anyway,

Whining: dance coach put me through kind of a running on ice exercise that left me with a very interesting sensation(pain) along the top of my boot!! That's what I told him. :lol: Now my ankles are in AGONY. Young snot that he is. Only kidding.

Working: Improved on my dances and working on being 'led' through it.

[ibreakhearts66]

Working
-Double flips! They were completely missing for a few weeks, and I was really starting to get frustrated. Today I landed the first one I tried, then the second, then the third, the fourth, and so on! I only fell on probably 3 or 4 out of 15 or so attempts! I even managed some 2flip2loop combos! The technique feels much better, so I think this time my double flip is here to stay. I hope! No more "right hook" when pulling in, but an "upper cut" instead. My coach said my tapping leg is still a little high, but much better than before.
-Flying camel into donut spin is finally getting good :)
-Coach says death drops are "getting there"

Whining
-Took a nasty fall on an axel-loop of all things. Well, I guess I took the fall on the axel. I came down, my right blade slid out from under me and my leg ended up flying to the left, under my left leg. So I fell really hard on my right hip with my legs kind of crossed. All I could do was sit there, stunned, and say, "What did I DO?!?!"
-Coach is thinking of some evil traveling entrances to forward spins. It started with traveling forward broken leg into forward sit, then traveling upright into camel, now I THINK she wants me to do traveling upright into layback (so basically a roller skating entrance). I told her I'd work on it :giveup:

[jazzpants]

For someone who hasn't skated in QUITE a while, Chowskates... the fact that you can STILL skate is still better off than where I am today... :lol: (How the baby? She's so adorable in those pictures on FB!!! :) )

Enjoy the Ice House!!! I love it there. (I would have recommended you going to White Manna and have a burger for me afterwards...until I remembered that you're a vegetarian. Ooops!!! :oops: )

Whining:


Lutz. Can't land any today... :frus:
One foot spin is traveling to Japan today... It'll probably end up at Singapore with chowskates tomorrow... :roll:


Working:
Okay there are things that are working today...


ALL my jumps up to and including the flip did show up today.
The fact that I'm able to show up to skate 3 days after my job layoff and not feel like I'm falling apart is even MORE amazing... :bow: I went to a mid-morning public session and just concentrated on SKATING and taking it easy. (It really is good for a couple of hours to get away from this feeling of "not having an identity" again for a couple of hours and become "Jazzpants -- Adult Bronze level competitive figure skater")
Sit spin went well. In fact, well enough where a kid skater came up to me and said that my sit spin is my best spin! WHOA!!! 8O News to me. Certainly news to my coaches since I normally can't get down low enough to make the IJS judges happy (even though I AM skating 6.0... :P )

[Thin-Ice]

Working:
Okay there are things that are working today...


The fact that I'm able to show up to skate 3 days after my job layoff and not feel like I'm falling apart is even MORE amazing... :bow: I went to a mid-morning public session and just concentrated on SKATING and taking it easy. (It really is good for a couple of hours to get away from this feeling of "not having an identity" again for a couple of hours and become "Jazzpants -- Adult Bronze level competitive figure skater")



(((((Jazzpants)))))

[Mrs Redboots]

Working: Back on the ice today; in our lesson we did some choreography.

Whining: Still coughing nicely. Quite glad coaches aren't in tomorrow, so good excuse not to go in.

Chow, dear - you can't really expect a one-year-old (she must have her birthday round now, no?) not to realise that 2:00 am in New Jersey isn't breakfast-time if that's what it was in Singapore!

[flo]

Working - Getting close to finishing our program. My partner is doing great and we're having a blast.

Whining - spent 4 hours on the ice on Sunday and my knees hurt. Grrrrr.

Mrs. R - thought about you the other day. I was teaching group lessons and one of the kids had red boots!

[FlyAndCrash]

Working: I made it to the rink this morning and skated! WOO. It's been a while. I only did one day last week because I was very ill and out of energy. And I only did that day because I had a competition this past weekend...

Whining: I skated really bad Sunday and I had to relive it today via an explanation as to why i probably placed last so we can prepare for the next competition at the end of the month. I think it was because I forgot my footwork and got a time deduction for being under the time requirement (my music cut out part way through right before the footwork so I forgot to do it.).

Working: I landed my 2sal today both on the line and on a moving pattern! YAY!

Whining: I did a run-thru of my program w/o music and couldn't make it to the end. I stopped with two spins, a jump, and a spiral sequence to go...

Working: I am pretty much committed to skating three more days this week and four next week in an effort to get back in shape from being out all of last week. Being sick sucks.

[doubletoe]

The fact that I'm able to show up to skate 3 days after my job layoff and not feel like I'm falling apart is even MORE amazing... :bow: I went to a mid-morning public session and just concentrated on SKATING and taking it easy. (It really is good for a couple of hours to get away from this feeling of "not having an identity" again for a couple of hours and become "Jazzpants -- Adult Bronze level competitive figure skater")

Times like this are when we need skating to keep us sane (the rest of the time, it's skating that makes us insane, LOL!). A few years ago I was unemployed for 2 years and it really messed with my head, not to mention my finances. Financially, that was the worst time for me to have taken up skating again, but psychologically, it saved me.

[doubletoe]

Working: I landed my 2sal today both on the line and on a moving pattern! YAY!


Congratulations! :D So how do you do your 2sal on a line? I need to get mine back. . .

[FlyAndCrash]

Congratulations! :D So how do you do your 2sal on a line? I need to get mine back. . .

Thanks! I feel like I've been neglecting this jump lately in favor of my program and other stuff. It is really easy for me to lose too or to develop bad habits (such as dropping a shoulder or early takeoff) if I'm tired.

On the line, I do it from a 3turn on the line so that I can line up the take-off with the wall so I don't take off too early. It's usually a really flat 3turn so i can "spot" the end of the blue line before taking off... If it's a curvy turn, then i use the far end of the rink with the 3turn taking up about a half circle.

I also have an edge exercise on the line too:

backwards wiggles
push back left outside edge (I jump and spin ccw)
push behind left inside edge into a salchow

I usually start with jump-backspin-checkout and then progress into the full jump.

[doubletoe]

Thanks! I feel like I've been neglecting this jump lately in favor of my program and other stuff. It is really easy for me to lose too or to develop bad habits (such as dropping a shoulder or early takeoff) if I'm tired.

On the line, I do it from a 3turn on the line so that I can line up the take-off with the wall so I don't take off too early. It's usually a really flat 3turn so i can "spot" the end of the blue line before taking off... If it's a curvy turn, then i use the far end of the rink with the 3turn taking up about a half circle.

I also have an edge exercise on the line too:

backwards wiggles
push back left outside edge (I jump and spin ccw)
push behind left inside edge into a salchow

I usually start with jump-backspin-checkout and then progress into the full jump.

Thanks! So you do the salchow on the line so that the 3-turn itself is to the right of the line as you go into the turn, and you don't jump untilyou come back to the line? Just like doing a flip jump along a line?

[FlyAndCrash]

Thanks! So you do the salchow on the line so that the 3-turn itself is to the right of the line as you go into the turn, and you don't jump untilyou come back to the line? Just like doing a flip jump along a line?

Yup. If it's a curvy one, i try to get back to the line and use it to help with timing so I'm not as tempted to rush. If it's a straight one, it pretty much follows the line and I use it as a guide to keep me moving in the correct direction to help with spotting.

[pedonskates]

I almost never post on these things....

Working: I skated 2 pretty good programs last week. Considering that sectionals is this week, that's good. The dress fits and looks OK on the ice. Am packing to go to Vegas.

Whining: really pissed off right hamstring. Doesn't like any type of back camel spin. I need a flying camel as part of a "well-balanced program." Am praying for adrenaline to get me through the spin on Friday. Plus the dress sheds glitter. Not stones. Just glitter. It is everywhere. All over me, the table, the pets, the jacket, my car, etc......

[jazzpants]

Whining


My primary coach!!! :lol: (I know. THAT was BAD!!! :twisted: )
My lutz - not consistent unless I go at slower speed.
My loop is not consistent when going into it like I do during the program. And couldn't land any towards the end of the session either.
I feel like I'm stumbling thru my runthrus.
Footwork went to hell during the runthru. GRRRRR!!! :frus:

Working:


I DID land the loop clean during today's runthru though
Did land loop-loop and flip
Did land SOME lutzes today
Did END to the MUSIC on time!!! :bow:
Primary coach FINALLY got rid of the dreaded back cross stroke right after the landing of the flip jump. I took too much time off and I can't get any flow. I'm just going to do a 3turn, step out (ala power 3's), wind up and do my final spin. :bow:


And speaking of whining...(an interesting "Oops!" on Primary Coach's part...)

So my primary coach goes up to me while I'm tying my boots up to skate (never looking up to watch him) His Majesty says in his snotty tone:
PC: "What are you doing here on a Tuesday afternoon? You got laid off or something??? :twisted: "
Jz: "Yes, I did get laid off, (PC's real name)!!!" (in my slightly annoyed but also sad tone)
PC: "You DID!?!?! AGAIN!?!?! 8O " (Now he's shocked at my response.)
Jz: "Last Friday morning..." (still in my defeated tone, still tying my boots up to warm up for HIS lesson...)
PC: *GASP!!!*

Now I see him walking away but with his hands over his mouth with his dropped jaw. He was like 8O

That'll teach 'em to joke about stuff like that!!! :twisted: (I know, I know! He was just joking around. He didn't mean to be insensitive. He had NO IDEA about it 'til I told him then.)

[ibreakhearts66]

Working
-Had a lesson with my jump coach for the first time in a few weeks. He said I've improved quite a bit. Since my last lesson with him, I've been working on going into my jumps with more speed, and he noticed! He said that I was skating into my jumps the fastest he's even seen (from me). But then he said it was kind of scary lol. He pushed me to go even faster into a double toe and he said that I "looked like a real skater." That's good, right?
-Speaking of whining, my coach commented today on how I'll fall and fall and just keep getting up without complaining. I guess i'd rather not fall and fall, but I'm glad I have a good attitude!
-I can now DO my spiral sequence.

Whining
-Definitely need to work on the speed in the spiral sequence. Also, the positions can always be better.
-Double flips weren't nearly as good as yesterday. But they still weren't as bad as they've been!
-I can't get a change of edge forward camel. I just get stuck on the flat. I try and try and try but I can't do it! I can do forward outside sit and upright, but not this darn camel!
-Double lutzes were no good today. I was trying to turn and not going up and it was just not pretty.

[vesperholly]

-I can't get a change of edge forward camel. I just get stuck on the flat. I try and try and try but I can't do it! I can do forward outside sit and upright, but not this darn camel!
I've done these (...accidentally) by locking my knee and leaning back onto my heel. Would that help?

[sk8lady]

The fact that I'm able to show up to skate 3 days after my job layoff and not feel like I'm falling apart is even MORE amazing... :bow:
[/LIST]

Sorry to hear about your job layoff. This economy just stinks.

Whining: Same old same old...Toes are acting like they may actually fall off...Weird muscle spasms in back and shoulder...Body determined to fall apart...Flip still has a tail longer than a boa constrictor...lesson canceled this week and no available freestyle ice for lesson next week...yadda yadda yadda...

Working:
Camel seems to be solid in the program.
Got 5 revolutions of the attitude spin in the program yesterday. It's a real spin!!
Got 12 revolutions, reasonably centered, on the sit yesterday--not sure I've done that many before!
Am now doing all Silver Moves except for LBI 3 turn pattern. May actually be able to test them someday in the distant future!!
Loop and half-loop are both now in my program and am actually able to complete them DURING the program.

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, as my old dad says!

[chowskates]

That's great news, Chow! I mean, that you are still able to skate, and you actually have a full-sized ice surface to skate on this week! :D If anyone can pull this off, you can!


LOL, I have a full-size ice, lots of time to skate, but no stamina :P Honestly, I'm not even sure I can last a 2min30sec program!

[chowskates]

Jazzpants, sorry to hear your news. Hope you are able to find something new soon.

My baby is doing well, having her first birthday on Friday. She's having fun in the cold here. There was some flurries this morning!

[jazzpants]

chowskates: I probably have a similar problem this week. LOTS of ice space but no stamina! :P :lol:

Working:
After doing more stroking in the CW direction (and WOW!!! What a difference getting enough sleep makes! I'm not "sleep skating" for once! :lol: ) we went and did BO3's on both direction. The good part is that my BO3's at least is relatively stable.

Whining:
The bad news... my FI3's are NOT stable! Have trouble checking my LFI3's... and my RFI3's are better than my LFI3's -- can check better on that side!!! WEIRD... since I'm a CW jumper and skater... (My secondary coach still thinks that I should have been a CCW skater... :twisted: :lol: )

[jskater49]

.

Lesson today -

Whine: we started with forward cross strokes and my inablity to generate any power - which is because I do not leave my foot behind long enough to push because of course I HATE TO HAVE MY FEET CROSSED BEHIND...

So coach is helping me with that and I said "why don't you show me how to do that undercut excercize we do in Power" and she nearly cried with excitement because no one has actually ever asked to work on that in a lesson.

This is where you cross over, but you leave the foot behind on the ice to do ALL THE pushing - it's all undercuts.

Then on the my eight step which is really improving much better than anything else I've been working on. I just needed to think about leaning a little more into my circle and suddenly I had edges!

Spirals for the silver moves - I really have a lot of power and speed. The question is how picky judges will be about how high and how straight the free leg is - I tend to bend it in order to get it up higher. Also I make it harder on myself because I have a hard time lowering my back. I don't do any off ice stuff but I told coach if that were the only thing keeping me from passing the test, I'd do off ice stretching. Another shock for her.

But there's till other things keeping me from passing the test so I'm in no danger of having to keep that promise...

And we ended with back crossovers and I'm still having trouble keeping my weight back and not forward.

j

[ibreakhearts66]

I've done these (...accidentally) by locking my knee and leaning back onto my heel. Would that help?

Well, I tried that, and it didn't quite work (although I do have to move my weight closer to my heel), but, I DID DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF OUTSIDE EDGE CAMELS TODAY!!! I can't control the circle sizes yet, but they were most definitely on the outside edge and not on a flat.

[vesperholly]

Well, I tried that, and it didn't quite work (although I do have to move my weight closer to my heel), but, I DID DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF OUTSIDE EDGE CAMELS TODAY!!! I can't control the circle sizes yet, but they were most definitely on the outside edge and not on a flat.
Hey good job!! :) Video?

Working: Have two dance intros and one exit choreographed, and now I'm just fine tuning my freestyle program. For 8 weeks out from ANs, I'm feeling pretty good about where I am. Now I just need to start huffing and puffing through my runthroughs. And book the hotel. And order my dance dresses! :P

Whining: The inside of my right knee has started to hurt. That part of my leg hurt months ago when I was working on double sals, but I haven't worked on them in over a month. I've started RICEing it and so far it's fine to skate on, but I'm nervous. Please, please skategods, don't let this become more serious right as I'm trying to train for ANs!

[sk8lady]

Whining: OW OW OW! Entire body is sore from working on loop, half-loop, and flip yesterday, running bronze program 2ce, and show program 1ce, plus many stupid silver moves. Body is saying, "You stupid human, why didn't you do this when you were 16 or at least before menopause???"

Working: Woke up this a.m. and realized how sore I was going to be when I got out of bed and started counting jumps, and realized I now have 5 jumps (including the flip which is really just a wannabe) and a combination (waltz-toe) in my bronze program since I figured I might as well put it all out there and hope enough of them work to get me through. Last 3 years I've only done interpretive programs with 2 jumps. No wonder I'm sore! (Actually, I guess this is still pretty whiny!!)

P.S. STILL HATE SILVER MOVES.
Had a very realistic dream last night where I suddenly figured out how to do the 8-step perfectly.

[sk8_4fun]

WORKING I passed level one compulsory dances and level 2 free dance this morning 8O:D:D I'm still on a high!!!

[Rusty Blades]

Not Quite Working: After nearly 2 weeks off the ice due to inclement weather and heavy work schedule I finally got back on the ice.

It is amazing how much can be lost in two short weeks!

[LilJen]

Working:
-Started digging into the cha-cha yesterday with dance buddy & coach. Whew! Lotta details to remember (in addition to the bend knees, stand up straight, hold correctly, don't look down, etc) but I'm enjoying it.
-5-step mohawk is getting there. I can get through a couple of half circles with good edges.
-Good FS & solo dance at Miami open last weekend.

Whining:
-Wow, the glute that started to bother me this past weekend just snapped soon after I'd taken the ice yesterday. A little sciatic pain there but I managed to get through the skating. Iced when I got home, will ice more today & more ibuprofen.
-5-step mohawk: Duh, I have to get up and down the rink (10 half circles) with good edging, instead of losing it after about 3 or 4 patterns. . .
-Decent FW at Miami Open last weekend, but wobbly enough to get me a second against the book--and apparently I need to add a bit of difficulty as well. Can't do some bits steadily and up to speed, but spent some time with the toughest parts yesterday.

[Morgail]

Whining:

Count me in among the injured :roll: After my (really good) lesson yesterday, I somehow caught my blade doing a t-stop and twisted my knee. It's not too bad (compared to when I dislocated it a few years ago), but it hurt like crazy when I tried to practice last night. I'm hoping it's just a sprain, since I can walk on it with no pain. Just putting all my weight on that leg and then bending my knee was painful. ugh. I hope it clears up soon. I need to practice! Gold Moves test is a month away. :cry:

Working:
Axels are SO close. I feel like I've been saying that for a few months now. :lol:

[looplover]

Whining: After yesterday, which was the greatest practice I've ever had, today was one of the worst! LOL. Whine, whine. It wasn't so much about the elements is that I still have this weird complex on freestyles that I'm in the way of the high-level kid skaters, so when I am in program and technically have the right of way I still feel like I need to get out of the way. I'm so neurotic. :roll:

Also whining: Left leg is currently elevated, knee and ankle are killing me, look forward to getting this checked out next month but somewhat dreading it as well...

Working: I think I was more nervous during my run-throughs today than I will be at the competition. Yesterday I did the program clean 3 times, which is really all I want out of Easterns! I think I might just have fun at this event, even if I screw stuff up. If my knee and ankle issues don't require surgery and mandatory skating breaks then I'd like to go to Peach Classic. Kinda wish I were going to Nationals but financially/physically it's probably better that I'm not (seriously the heel lock system on my boots seems to be screwing with the front of my ankle)

Can't wait to meet people from the board this w/e!

[flo]

Working: My partner did his first split twist today - our first together. It went quite well! We're pretty much at the end of our program, so one more session and it will be complete.

Healing thoughts to all in need!!!

[FlyAndCrash]

WORKING I passed level one compulsory dances and level 2 free dance this morning 8O:D:D I'm still on a high!!!

CONGRATS!!! That's amazing. :bow::bow:
Are you going to start new dances soon?

[FlyAndCrash]

Working: I made it to the rink tonight... I got there about 15 min later that I wanted to, but it was great that I even made it.

Whining: I had to walk to the rink in the rain. It sucked. It was a .8 mile walk too :(

Working: I worked on my footwork and I think I changed one "lobe" of my footwork to make it flow better... The problem is now I can't do it very well. I changed a back double right inside 3 to a inside hop forward double forward 3 outside rocker... We'll see how it goes.

Whining: I still can't properly get through my program. I crap out after my footwork and before my last two jumps, spiral sequence, and spin... And I fell out of the entry on my last spin too...

Working: I landed a few axels and axel sequences and combos! They were small and wimpy, but it felt good to do them.

[ibreakhearts66]

Hey good job!! :) Video?



There are two in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5mmHVO2kw)video, starting at 1:30. They're not great, but they're on an outside edge! The rest of the skating is kind of blah.

[vesperholly]

There are two in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5mmHVO2kw)video, starting at 1:30. They're not great, but they're on an outside edge! The rest of the skating is kind of blah.
Very impressive! I think part of your struggle is that your regular camel spin is spinning very close to your toe pick, on the front of your blade. Your foot is almost pointed, and it makes for a very pretty line but makes the outside edge that much more difficult. I can see you roll right forward onto the toe. Maybe push your heel down/flex your toes up more as you go onto the edge?

[sk8_4fun]

CONGRATS!!! That's amazing. :bow::bow:
Are you going to start new dances soon?

well I've been playing with all the dances up to and including level 4 - (well I know the steps!) but I guess I'll have to start beating them into shape now. so yes, its Dutch waltz, canasta tango, golden skaters, riverside rhumba, fiesta tango and mt absolute fav, swing dance :D

Yesterdays judge was so nice, in fact she said my foxtrot and RB 'almost danced' :P for me, that was a compliment lol!

[Audryb]

Whining - I fell hard on my keister last night. Right on the right side of my lower back where the pelvis has pretty much no padding... HURTS this morning. Also hit my right elbow on the same fall. I wasn't even doing anything, and I think those are the worst falls, since you go straight down.

Working - I love my jump and spin class! Best $98 I ever spent. Last night I learned to do a loop from back crossovers. I totally couldn't do it and the coach was razzing me "I KNEW eventually SOMETHING would be hard for you.." and then it just kind of clicked and I could do it. (plenty of things are hard for me, spinning for example)

And then the same thing happened with the flip. Up till now I've been doing these weird, ugly slow motion things that somehow pretty much get around, but don't feel like a real jump. Well last night after the 3 turn I kept wanting to bring my right leg around like a salchow instead of reaching back and picking. So it occurred to me that my arms still had to do kind of the same thing as for a sal, so when I felt like my foot should come around, I planted it, but let the arms come around like they wanted, and it turned into a real jump! I was so excited. Thinking about the timing in terms of the jump I can actually do just somehow made it click. I'm sure I don't want to see what it LOOKS like yet, but it was a big leap forward.

Whining - next week is the last week of my jump and spin class. :-(

At the end of the class the coach handed out flyers for the spring show that we could all be in (and most of the little girls in the class are already signed up for) and I was like "no way I'm being in any show" and this one little girl says "my mom would do it with you, she's too scared to do it by herself too" hahaha, I don't know if that's whining or working... cracked me up though.

[Mrs Redboots]

Congratulations, Sk8_4_fun!

Whining: Ice crappy this morning, and they were aiming a hose at it at one stage, so you didn't want your step sequence to fill the rink, for once. Fortunately, ours doesn't quite yet. It will.

Working: Most things.

[Morgail]

Whining:
-Knee still hurts. I ran through moves last night, but it was awkward and stiff and sometimes painful. I only stayed for 30 minutes of the session. As much as I don't want to, I'm going to take Fri-Mon off from skating. I'm telling myself I must be smart and give it time to heal, or else I'll end up really injured. I'll reassess how it feels on Tuesday, and go from there.

Working:
-I did some decent camel-sit spins. I hardly ever work on those (and, as a result, they aren't that good). But I was trying to avoid doing things that put too much weight on my right leg, so I did a lot of camel-sits. I discovered that getting a good sit spin is much easier when I don't hold on to the camel for too long.

[herniated]

Whining: My back hurts, my back hurts.. oh my aching back hurts. Mostly my butt. OMG, can hardly sit. :frus: One of coaches at the rink today kind of snotty to me. This coach does have that rep though. And did I mention that my back hurts? :lol:

Working: Empty ice this morning!! Nice kids too. Good skate and good run throughs of my dances!!

[jazzpants]

Whining: My back hurts, my back hurts.. oh my aching back hurts. Mostly my butt. OMG, can hardly sit. :frus: One of coaches at the rink today kind of snotty to me. This coach does have that rep though. And did I mention that my back hurts? :lol:OW OW OW!!! You definitely have my sympathy!!! Sounds a lot like me a couple of weeks ago when my sciatica flared up again. :(

Congrats, Sk8_4_fun!!! :bow:

This is for Thursday....

Whining:
My energy level sucks again!!! And on top of that, my loops are inconsistent. :frus: Needless to say, still LOTS of work needs to be done on the artistic program end too. :giveup:

Working:
I am reminded by a fellow skater that I have improved my stroking and overall basic skating LOTS in the past few months...and apparent one of the judges at the critique a couple of weeks ago mentioned that my skating has improved LOTS since the last time he saw me skate.

So all my coaches, please take a bow!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

[jskater49]

So this was the first day I skated an hour and did not do Moves class. When I arrived I saw the rink full of people working 5 minutes just on double 3s and I was not at all sorry I wasnt' in the class. Had a good hour of practice. It was the right decision. No whining.

[herniated]

Thanks Jazz for your sympathy.

[dbny]

HUGS to all of you in pain!

WORKING I passed level one compulsory dances and level 2 free dance this morning 8O:D:D I'm still on a high!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

There are two in this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5mmHVO2kw)video, starting at 1:30. They're not great, but they're on an outside edge! The rest of the skating is kind of blah.

I think they are great!

Working:
Had my ice dance lesson on a freestyle last night, and was told by one of the young high level skaters that I looked really good skating with my coach. FO swing rolls are definitely better since I realized I have to press into the heel even though I'm rising up on the knee. I was able to catch my breath in a reasonable amount of time, so I'm definitely well at last.

Whining:
I really did not have the energy for my lesson last night. Caught my toe very slightly on our last time around the Dutch waltz, and bailed. I've gotten very complacent with my FXO's, and now I need to start doing them faster and faster and can't afford to be sloppy with that under toe or I'll be doing a face plant at high speed. I know the Dutch waltz is a baby beginner dance, but my coach is skating it like a high level dance (a lot of power, deep edges, cover the ice) and insists that I do likewise :roll:. (Of course, this is one of the things I love about lessons with this coach.)

Drove an hour to my MIF/spin lesson today only to get there and realize that we had forgotten it is public school holiday week, and no lesson scheduled, or even possible considering the crowd. Now, I've been battling the public session crowds coaching at my home rink all week, so how I forgot, I do not know.

[Skate@Delaware]

Working: me-did two sessions today back-to-back: freestyle for an hour and club session for 45 minutes. Really felt it towards the end, started running out of steam!

Whining: my loop, although I'm making sloooooow progress with the new "tweak" tip that coach added last week, I'm still fighting the security issue. My spins traveled today but I don't really care to much, I'm fighting major congestion and I feel it. I'm getting tons of revolutions and I enter it but I either tilt one way or another (no balance because of my ear or due to the ongoing back therapy).

Working: backspin-finally getting some in the right position! And therapy with my back is finally kicking in-my core is feeling stronger! Less numbness in my foot!

I still have a major confidence issue because of my back injury-I need to work on that. So, I will be taking classes with the other adults at the rink just so I'm forced to attend another session of skating (if I pay-I go). Not that I'm dissing my coach, I miss my friends and I need the support I used to get from them. We all have one injury or another. I don't think my coach will have any issue with that. I have also agreed to go to the adult camp at Hackensack with them (any word on that yet?)

And I'm skipping the next local competition and going to ISI districts, so I'm forced to work a little harder.

[AgnesNitt]

Whining My last lesson for a month--so I told coach "NO INSIDE THREES! I only want to do stuff I like."

Working So we did outside and inside eights for figures. So I'm going to summarize how to skate outside eights: Put your boob over your skate, tighten your stomach, put your shoulders back, tuck your tuchus, and clench your buttocks together. Smile like you haven't a concern in the world.-- don't look at the ice, bend your knees,---then push.

WhiningAnd after all that, I'm still on the flat on the left. Showed coach my edges on a serpentine, and she agreed they are lovely and NOT flat. Apparently, I have figures performance anxiety.

Working I can actually do forward power pulls for about 10 feet.
Coach showed me how to do power crossovers, which after about 3 tries I am successful at doing--second push and everything.

Whining Back serpentine--well it sucks, but at least I can do them.

[Skate@Delaware]

whining: it was C-O-L-D in the rink tonight!!! Not just an "ice rink" cold but far, far colder than normal! And, ha, silly me, forgot my little heater things for my boots....:frus:

Working: me at jumps and spins. After WHINING that my spins have been traveling, I somehow (still wondering how/what I did this time) managed 3 in a row of wonderfully-centered scratch spins (even entered from back crossovers) and.....get this.....managed to have free leg properly crossed over then have it slide down skating leg!!! We stopped at 3.

Did a wimpy waltz jump and coach berated (kindly) me for not "owning" the ice to get people to move out of MY way. Sheesh! So I did a few more and they were better; however on my salchow I had a minor collision but no one was hurt (ran into one of the guys-thing is-he SAW me coming towards him and did not dodge).

Loop jump tonight was nothing to whine about-it was all work and I EARNED IT!!! After not having success in it for such a long time, being told to sweep the free leg across makes more sense and pulling in with my arms gets me more rotation...I managed to land two and one was fully rotated!!!!

Backspins-I whined about these, but did manage to do 2 with free leg out then crossed. Again, it's about swooping that free leg across.

We talked about ISI Districts then about me signing up for a skating class (group lessons) at my home rink. I did not want to do it without discussing it with her first. I'm taking the class (it's a 4-topic hour long class: moves, dance, jumps, basics) mostly to skate with my friends. I rarely get to see them any more. Coach is fine with that.

I was a popsicle when I left (headed to Panera for refueling and thawing) and by the time I got home was feeling the past 2 days of skating.

[AgnesNitt]

Coach and I squeeze in one more figures lesson before my 1 month hiatus. We get on the ice while it's still clean and camp out for figures practice on a hockey circle. The freestylers come up and look at my pathetic eights (I've got a spread about a 4 inches wide on my layouts), "Wow" one says sincerely, "Those are really nice." Coach and I laugh hysterically.

If I'm up to skating during the next two weeks coach gives me homework: eights with 3 turns at either end (to break me of my pathetic inability to do an 3T in the right place) and serpentines with change of edge (with the swingy leg move at the change).

So, what do you not want to see at the rink? Two elderly women bent over with their butts in the air, and their eyes a foot from the ice, examining tracings....

Yep, still on the flat on the left. It's not a bad flat. If I go to a 1" ROH, I think it will go away.

[Isk8NYC]

Working: Spins - pretty much all of them. Camel-change-camel, back sit spin in a cross-behind position, a few laybacks. Amazing.

Whining: Jumps were better, but I haven't beaten the cheatin' yet.