Delightful or Dismal - Lessons/Practises 24-30 November 2002

[Mrs Redboots]

Not a good skate day!

Dismal: Everything! We were having awful problems with the end pattern of the Fiesta Tango, and in the end the coach said I had to stop focussing so much on skating on edges, as it was actually in the stage of being "worse before it got better"..... And our Swing Dance was cr*p, too. Only one more lesson before the Dune of Flanders Cup, and I should like not to come last this time...... Robert looked very stiff when skating solo today, and fell over doing his exercises, which I'm sure was because his knees were straight.

Did manage one run-through of my Interpretive programme - that has its first outing next week. Of course, I'm drawn 1st, which is a pain in the bum, since I have to get into my costume proper after the warm-up. This means I'll get a minute less warm-up. On the other hand, it does mean that I get to watch everybody else. I fully expect to come last in this, by the way - I'm really doing it to gauge audience reaction, not judge reaction!

Delightful: Not a lot. I suppose we did a couple of quite good Rhythm Blueses, although we didn't get a chance in our lesson, and our Cha-Cha was okay "once you got into it", said the coach. I could do with our slalom being a bit more co-ordinated, but it's coming now. And I was quite pleased that our mess in the Fiesta was because I'm getting better.....

And Robert did a Riverside Rhumba with his coach, and oh, it is so much better than it was a month ago - I'm so glad he couldn't take his test when he planned to! He still sticks his bum out when changing hold, but apart from that it looks great - and infinitely better than when he did it solo!

[icenut84]

This is for yesterday morning:

Delightful:

SPINS!!!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: I was practicing them before my lesson first. I've started to go back to the 2 foot spin to get that better, and it certainly is. It's much more secure and consistent than it was, and I'm also getting more rotations. The 1 foot wasn't too hot, but for the second time, we spent my whole freestyle lesson practicing them. First 2 foot, then 2 foot lifting one foot into 1 foot, then straight into 1 foot from standstill, then from the FO edge, then from backward crossovers. Definitely much better!!! :D It's really weird! lol. Coach also said I looked like I was doing a proper spin! 8-) (Which is amazing considering how long it's taken me to "get" it). Even one time when I didn't get the entry properly, I still did 3 rotations and didn't lose my balance and coach said she was surprised I managed it! They suddenly weren't scary any more, I didn't feel like I was losing my balance so much, I just felt like I could do it. I was so happy!!! :D And I can even say... I love spinning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!! I FINALLY GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Step sequences in group class

Dance lesson was good :) Ran through Swing Dance, Fiesta Tango, and Canadian Cha-Cha. Also learnt the British Waltz (new name for the Prelim Waltz, apparently), so that was good. :)

Forward spirals on both feet. Now I just have to get the nerve to try them on proper edges, lol (don't have the same fear on backward spirals, bizarrely)

My knee was ok! :)

I got two compliments from complete strangers! At one point I was at the side relacing my boot, and a woman went past with her son and said they could do with me being on the ice so they could see how it was done cause it looked so easy!! And another woman came up to me and said "I wish I was as good as you!" :mrgreen: Nice confidence booster :)

Dismal:

Didn't practice any jumps at all, I'm giving my knee a rest until I know it's better. Doc said rest, and if I'm still going skating at least I'm not landing on it, so I guess that's something ;) Hope I've still got them when I start them again though!

[singerskates]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots

Did manage one run-through of my Interpretive programme - that has its first outing next week. Of course, I'm drawn 1st, which is a pain in the bum, since I have to get into my costume proper after the warm-up. This means I'll get a minute less warm-up. On the other hand, it does mean that I get to watch everybody else. I fully expect to come last in this, by the way - I'm really doing it to gauge audience reaction, not judge reaction!



Don't you get your costume on before the warm up? Over here we are already in our costumes for the warm up. Althoug you do want to come off of the ice at least one minute early to get some extra stroking and advice from your coach, one last sip of your water bottle and stuff when you're drawn first for competition.

Brigitte

[Mrs Redboots]

[i]Originally posted by Singerskates:
Don't you get your costume on before the warm up? Over here we are already in our costumes for the warm up. Althoug you do want to come off of the ice at least one minute early to get some extra stroking and advice from your coach, one last sip of your water bottle and stuff when you're drawn first for competition.That depends very much on one's costume! Last year, for my "Puppet on a string" routine, I tended to leave my hat, waistcoat and apron until the very last minute, and this year, for reasons which I'm not going to go into now, I have to leave a good part of my costume and props until the last minute.

Forgot one delightful thing about this morning's skating - I seem to be beginning to be able to do back runs (progressives). My coach said my feet were too wide apart, so I pointed out I'd not been able to put the left foot behind me before, so not to expect miracles.....

[mikawendy]

For this week's and last week's lessons/practices b/c I haven't had a chance to post until now:

Dismal:
Three turns! Eyuk. Instructor says I've sort of learned them the wrong way in an earlier level, so it's back to the drawing board with them.

Forward spins--I keep flipping over onto the inside edge, especially on CCW.

Delightful:
Today in edge class I was (sort of) able to do cross rolls. Yay! (Thanks everyone who answered my separate thread asking about the difference between cross rolls and swing rolls.)

We also used small soccer pylons to get the feel of really being on a deep edge--we each had a pylon that we were supposed to skate around with our inside hand on it. Basically, we were almost in a hydroblading position but the hand was a few inches higher than it normally would be. Killer on the quads, but it was fun! :D

Last week in a freestyle session, I was finishing up by working on spirals. An instructor who was there giving a lesson to one of her students admired my FI spiral very loudly. "Wow, look at that spiral!" she said. (That made my day :D brighter.) My group instructor was standing right next to her and they were both admiring how high my leg was. I forgot to ask them how high it was. I can never really tell myself--I'm always concentrating so hard on not pitching my weight too far forward! :P

[Debbie S]

Delightful:

I got the salchow! Yippee!! It's no great work of art, but my instructor said it was fully rotated - I just have to fight the instinct to put my right foot down after the 3-turn. Thanks everyone, for the tips. I even pulled off a (very small) salchow-toe loop combo.

BI turns - I got the turning motion down - just need to work on gliding out instead of ending the turn at a standstill.

We spent a lot of time working on the half lutz jump. my instructor wanted to emphasize proper set up and he said that lutz jumps take off from the toe (he also kept saying this about our toe loops) and that they're really pre-rotated by a quarter turn b/c you're still on your toe as you lift the other leg and start to rotate.


Dismal:

Back spin -ugh! Mine was a little better today, like a whole rev w/o stumbling out of it and flailing my arms for dear life. I know I'm supposed to be leaning to the outside and spinning off that edge, but when it actually comes time to do it, I end up trying to whirl myself around and end up tripping over my feet/skates.

More dismal, but OT: My tennis lesson was cancelled at the last minute today, for the second week in a row and the 3rd time in 6 or so weeks. Of course, my notification of this was someone from the tennis place calling me at 8 this morning (yes, I was sleeping at the time - the lesson is at 10:30). I've decided to just ask for the balance of my original payment to be refunded (I have 7 lessons left, but I've lost my patience). The thing that bugs me is that I could have gone to my rink's edge class (also on Sun mornings for the past 4 weeks - this was the last class) - if I hadn't been at tennis, and since this batch of tennis lessons has been a waste of time, I've basically wasted the past 4 Sundays when I could have at least been improving my skating skills. Grrr.

[jenlyon60]

Delightful:

BI edges were much more controlled today. Still a bit slow, but nice lobes and coach was pleased with them (compared to last week).

so... as a result, the BO edges were

DISMAL: Yes. My BO edges decided to go on vacation, especially the LBO, when I have to counter rotate. I kept feeling like I was getting stuck trying to counter-rotate on the last part of the lobe... so we changed the timing of when I counter-roate and that seemed to smooth things out a bit.

Also DISMAL were my alternating FO3s. And it wasn't the choctaw. The infuriating toe-tap is back... Coach says it's because the bottom half of me isn't following through with the check (i.e. I'm not opening out the free leg enough and squeezing the old backside enough..)

I may be the first person this season to actually FAIL Pre-Bronze MIF...

[JDC1]

Delightful - Spirals..were ON. I did a RFI (a bit on the flat too) to a 3 turn RBO (probably not the deepest edge) the a LFI!! Woo hoo. I did some decent catch foot spirals too. Worked on Swing Rolls..not bad still probably don't look good but they felt better and I worked on back and front power pulls those are getting better.


Dismal - wasn't really in the mood but I tried some loops and that jump still doesn't really exist for me..I just don't get it. Tried one lutz and it was okay but just wasn't a jumping day. STill can't do any waltz's or salchow's or flips because of my left leg and no forwards spins either.

[singerskates]

The weekend: It was all dismal.

Started off Friday after work with a meeting with the boss because I was trying to find out about sick benifits. Boss wants me to go back to the doctor to have the doctor put in writing my limitations. Then I had to go t Human resources and that took up the rest of Friday afternoon. They too want me going back to the doctor. Plus, I was suffering from bronchitis and a chest infection on top of the fact that my body isn't quite ready to be doing full shifts on my feet at work yet. I was extrememly sick the whole weekend and never got to the doctors anyway. I'm still home today after calling in sick yesterday for today. At least I feel a bit better so I can see the doctor today. When it rains it poors.

Oh, how sick was I? Well, this jump junkie never left the house to go to the rink. Instead I had my comforter and cleanex with me all the time at home. I had upper back pain and chest pain from not being able to breath since Thursday night after skating.

Hopefully, I'll feel better by tonight so I don't miss tonight's skating.

Brigitte

[sk8er1964]

Sorry things are not going well, Singerskates :( Hope you're feeling better today.

Delightful

The whole weekend was great - passed my Adult Gold test on Saturday so I get to go to Adult Nationals too! :D :D Then Sunday got to put on my new skates that have been sitting in their box waiting for me to pass the test and I'm in LOVE with them. Now all I have to do is figure out how to jump in them 8O .

[melanieuk]

Originally posted by JDC1
Delightful - Spirals..were ON. I did a RFI (a bit on the flat too) to a 3 turn RBO (probably not the deepest edge) the a LFI!! Woo hoo. I did some decent catch foot spirals too.

Sea-green with envy. :roll:
I too was trying spirals. Even got a comment from coach who wasn't teaching me at the time. I don't think it was a compliment though. :??
I can catch my foot now, but my skating knee is too bent.
How to straighten it and not go on toepick?
I tried the spiral first, then bend the free leg, grab blade and pull up and out, but the skating leg seems to bend while I catch.
Tried bending the leg and catching it first, before going into spiral position, but that's seems harder to do.

I spent scant time on the field moves, but was generally happy with them for once!

My lesson
Started with lutz.
Then loop, flip, axel exercise and axels from standstill.
The axels are definitely better than last week - but they were unrecognisable then!
On to spins.
The dismal backspins were NOT happening at all, (BUT the sit spin from a LFI 3turn was starting to show hope in practise.)
Coach was surprised as I always manage at least one in my lesson with her.
I also had camel-sit in the lesson which was passable.
The salchow-toeloop took several attempts. I was thinking about the picking foot which made the salchow dismal.





:roll:

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by sk8er1964
The whole weekend was great - passed my Adult Gold test on Saturday so I get to go to Adult Nationals too! :D :D Then Sunday got to put on my new skates that have been sitting in their box waiting for me to pass the test and I'm in LOVE with them. Now all I have to do is figure out how to jump in them 8O . Many congratulations!

Brigitte: I hope you feel better soon. I have a horrible feeling that I'm coming down with something, and may stay in this evening rather than go to dance club. I CANNOT afford a cold at this stage (actually, I can't really afford to miss dance club, either, but I've skated so badly these last 3 days that maybe it'll do me good).

Jen: I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has trouble with her LBO edge.... My RBO edge is beginning to happen now, but LBO - no way!

[flo]

Delightful: finished most of the choreography for my new interpretive program. The camel-jump camels are better, and I landed a few double sals - on my feet!

Dismal: I'll miss club this weekend.

[dbny]

Congratulations sk8er1964

Delightful
Hubby and daughter both bailed today, so I had an hour long lesson! We did a pre-Bronze moves pre-test to begin the lesson, and I added some finishing touches to the presentation of the edge patterns and the crossover patterns. We ended the lesson with my incipient one foot spin, which I have actually been getting several revs on lately. Coach had me hold free leg out to begin the spin, which I was able to do, but then let it pull me off center instead of being able to bring it in to passe position. Well, it was my first try.

Dismal
This is not totally dismal, but very frustrating. I still can't nail that alternating FO three pattern. Today, coach noticed that my free leg is outside of the tracing, and had me touch my skating foot with the free foot. I can do it, but not comfortably yet. I do think it will help.

FI threes are my biggest challenge, because I am somehow scared of them. With the slightest spot from coach, however, I was able to do "beautiful" turns. Coach insists it's all in my head and that I have the skills to test successfully. I think I'm going to impose on hubby for spots next practice and try to get over my mental block. I went through the exact same thing with FO, and still sometimes chicken out on the R one.

[garyc254]

DELIGHTFUL!!!!!!

I couldn't skate as the doctor hasn't released me for that yet, but I visited my favorite rink last night. What a lovely welcome "home". I spent three hours saying "hi" to adults, kids, staff, coaches, and skaters that I've missed seeing over the past couple of weeks.

Lots of hugs and handshakes.

It was ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL!!!!! :D :D

It would have been more fun if I could have skated, but it made me feel good. :D

[JDC1]

Melanie Uk,

I actually had some one watch me last night so I could get some feedback on how my catch foot looked before I went around trying to "help" others. :-)

So the verdict is it looks "Very good" and "only Sasha Cohen could bring her leg up higher" (not that I believe that but it was nice)

So here's how I do it, maybe it will work for you too -

Skate at a decent speed, glide for a second on your skating leg, reach back and grab your blade as you lift your leg- suck in your stomach and pull back your shoulder blades - and slowly descend into the spiral keeping your free arm in front of you. You should feel the curl in your body, that's to keep you from toppling forward, which I still did last night when I tried to stretch my leg even harder and tried the spiral on a nice outside edge AND a little skater boy whizzed right up to me while setting up a jump combo. Anyway, for me I have to descend and bring my leg up at the same time in a slow motion - try curling your body up and back more and that may take you off the toe pick.

GOOD LUCK

[MissIndigo]

Sunday's session was an absolute delight--had all my good skating friends there and we were able to skate around with each other in between our lessons. Hadn't had that experience in weeks.

Spins continue to be delightful--I had some perfectly centered! Not even a blade-length diameter to my tracings! Managed good camels, laybacks, and even sit spins, which are getting better by the session. I even managed to do a camel-sit-scratch! Camel-layback too!! Also learned a neat sequence--RFO swing roll to inside spreadeagle to spin of my choice (it was a sit that day). Works well at high speed.

Played around with footwork...did quick BO 3's followed by quick FO 3's...wheeeee!!! That will wind you up!

<lament>Now...I ask...why aren't my jumps up to the level of my spins...whatever, they will come.</lament>

Dismal...I skated for so long that I am still sore even today. I am walking around all stiff and getting strange looks from people.:oops: :lol:

[kar5162]

Congrats sk8er1964 and dani!!!

[Blue Line]

Monday afternoon, at my "secret" always-nearly-deserted public skate:

Delightful:
Being on the ice. I haven't had a chance to think much about skating for the past few days, because I've had an enormous school project to that has been stressing me out. After I took the hour out of my day to skate a little bit, I felt tremendously better. When I'm under a lot of pressure, my body (especially my back and shoulders) bears the brunt of it with constantly tense muscles. I felt so much looser and calm after skating that it was like I'd just gotten a massage. It was just what I needed.

As far as actual elements go: Hmmm. Well, at my coach's request, I practiced doing multiple waltz jumps in a row. I called it quits after 15, but they all felt relatively solid, and almost high. I concentrated on (and succeeded in) keeping my head up, too. Yay for me. Also did Salchow/loops, which didn't feel so bad. I'm trying to hold the edge of my three turn longer before jumping (so I'm not so "swingy"), and that change is making the jump combo. more challenging. Had to constantly remind myself to keep my head up here, too. I'd really like to keep this habit I have of looking down from coming into a chronic problem.

Dismal: Back inside edges. I learned these at my lesson last Thursday, and boy to they stink! I just haven't gotten the feel for them yet, which is frustrating. I usually pick things up a lot faster than I have with these, so I'm quickly becoming annoyed with them. I'm still putting everything together and having to think through the entire thing in my head ("okay, arms here, feet here, push off…"); I can't wait for my body to get the feel of these - I find I do much better when I'm not thinking.

Overall: it was just what I needed. It's certainly not the most productive hour I've spent on the ice, but that didn't particularly matter to me.

[singerskates]

Delightful: being back on the ice since a week ago. I was pretty sick until today so I had to stay off of the ice. I mean, I was just about passing out at work from both the after affects from the surgery/getting back to work on my feet and broncular, chest, throat and ear infections so I just curled up most of the weekend with my comforter.

My waltz jumps is a trusty friend. My spins are getting better.

Dismal: my toe loop, either I over rotated it by half a rev or I couldn't hold the landing. Salchow, Kristy Yamaguchi syndrom. (See Figure Skating For Dummies) LOL

The other thing that was dismal today was that I brought in a Doc's note that said I needed to have light duty and not to have to lift repeatedly heavy items or to stand for prolong times for the next three weeks. Well, they wouldn't give me light duty and put me on lay off for the next three weeks. I'm going to fight this tooth and nail. Plus, I'm now looking for a desk job either in accounting or closely related. I do have an accounting certificate and experience in the field. So, if they think I'm just going to sit back and take it. No way! I still have to get all the papers in order for sick benifits with UI. Boy, am I :frus: and :x !

Brigitte

[Mrs Redboots]

Brigitte, that is so frustrating for you - but if they have laid you off on full pay (which they would have to, surely, with a doctor's certificate?) think of all that extra time you will have to skate!

Dismal: The ice, yet again. Actually, it wasn't too bad - they'd cut it by hand, but when they'd tried to lay water on it, the Zamboni still wouldn't work, so it was sort of stripy! Not as bad as I'd feared, though. There were tests this morning, and I got down in time to watch my friend J going through her Level 5 Elements - this was not dismal so much as Excruciating! She had already passed her Bronze Field Moves earlier, but this time the judges were not being so easy on her. They made her do almost everything twice, and then asked her to reskate her camel-sit-backsit and her double Salchow.... she was totally out of it by this stage, her coach was freaking out, I was trying not to hold my breath, and the judges kept us waiting for the longest possible time, it seemed, while they wrote down their comments. We were all about to scream when luckily, when the judges called her over for the umpteenth time, they shook hands (the traditional sign of a pass) - you should have heard the enormous cheer that went up! The main trouble was, J had an enormous bursa on the back of her heel that was making skating very painful for her (it didn't stop her, though!), so she couldn't get her foot right back into some of the elements. Also, her backsit isn't quite as low as her sit - it's perfectly respectable, you or I would kill for one so low, but not quite as low as she can get on her forward sit.

J started skating at the same time as me, and is going to skate in a show for six weeks in the New Year. I, meanwhile, spent quite a lot of my lesson struggling to control my Mohawk, and doing the end pattern of the Swing Dance round and round the hockey circle, getting cross!

Delightful: Apart from my Mohawks, though, it was a good skate day, to make a change. I was able to run through my Interpretive routine twice, the long and the short versions, and not too bad even if I do say so myself. Then my changes of edge were - okay not great, but not too bad, either. But then, just at the end of my lesson, he told me to go and do a lap of forward cross-rolls - and I've simply never in my life done better ones! Every single one - well, except perhaps one - was on an edge, they were checked, they were fast, they were even..... they felt fantastic! My coach was even complimentary about them!

After my lesson I did a lap of forward swing rolls, and they weren't just so bad, either - more edge than I've managed before. But my back swing rolls are still flatter than I like. My ordinary back stroking is beginning to get on an edge now, but my back chasses are only okay on one side, not the other! I know what I'm doing wrong - I'm allowing my weight to change while I'm doing the chasse bit, which means I'm not quite in the right place for the second edge, but I'm not sure quite how to control that. We shall see...

But oh, those cross-rolls.....

Then to put the cherry on the cake I learnt that in a recent competition in Czechoslovakia, British couples had come first and second in the Dance - the couple who came second are dear friends of mine!

And what with most folk passing their tests (even if some of them did nearly give us heart attacks in the process), it was altogether a very good day!

[sk8er1964]

Dismal

I was really skating on thin ice today, literally. I took a good fall on a double salchow (see delightful :) ), and the back of my blade went through the ice to the surface (cement?) below. Fortunately nothing happened to my brand new blade! Think they need to build that ice up a bit?

Delightful

Now that the test is over, my coach and I can have some fun. Did my first double salchows since the 1980's in my lesson today - landing on something other than my backside will come....:D. It is so great not to be stressing about those tests any more :!:

[singerskates]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
Brigitte, that is so frustrating for you - but if they have laid you off on full pay (which they would have to, surely, with a doctor's certificate?) think of all that extra time you will have to skate!


OH, I only wish! Nope it doesn't work that way here in Ontario, Canada. Yu first have to try to get the company/employer to pay for sick benifits (60% of gross pay) and then if that doesn't work you have to go to Human REsources to try to get them to pay you sick benifits (55% gross pay). You have to fill out nermerous forms and get many doctor's notes. And if, and only if they feel you qualify then you get paid what ever the going rate is in your area. The lower the unemployment rate, the less you get paid sick benifits. It all stinks.

Anyway, a company called me from Toronto with a job offer. I will check them out tomorrow first thing in the morning. It's a desk job.

Brigitte

[tidesong]

Dismal

My skating!!! Of all the elements I have been practising this past year I realized that my basic skating hasn't been improving as much as my jumps and spins... ( To Do: Work on skating!!! )

Delightful

Just came back to skating after my exams. My jumps are back and better, my spins are pretty ok about where I left them before.
Am landing double salchow fully rotated and crossed foot ( two footed also) and then I quickly take my free leg out to the back.... why can't I do that the split second before I land instead? :frus:
I think dble toe loop is better also... but the best part was that I finally got the guts to try double loop! woohoo it wasn't as scary as my first time trying double toe and I got more rotation then expected...

[Blue Line]

For my Tuesday morning lesson:

Dismal: My state of mind! I had been up quite late the night before, finishing up on a big project for school, and so I wasn't quite
there. Coach was semi-amused at my flighty state, and things weren't quite as intense as they normally are. I'm thankful that she's so understanding.

Because I was so tired, my edges stunk up the ice (as I couldn't seem to manage the top half and the bottom half of my body simultaneously). I'm maintaining that all I need is repetition to really get these down. Let's hope.

Coach asked for waltz jumps. I went out, did two, and came back to her and said, "it felt like there was a refrigerator strapped to my back." Coach was happy to inform me that it looked like that, too! Other attempts were much better, but I did feel sort of heavy on my feet all day.

Delightful: I learned a half Lutz! Fun! It feels awkward, but increasingly less as I practice it. Believe it or not, I have a horrible fear of flutzing...already. Hopefully that'll mean I'll get into good habits.

Scratch spins were 95% less ugly than they were the last time Coach and I worked on them (which, I think, was a particularly bad spin day). Nearly killed myself in a divot in the ice, but besides that, they went pretty well.

All you Americans: have a happy Thanksgiving.
Everyone else: have a happy Thursday!

:)

[melanieuk]

I had 2 hours on quiet ice.

My backspin is all over the place once again! :(
I tried doing back camels from the LFI3 turn and I'd say I have a better chance of success that way than with the change foot.

I still have no prog music or axel.

I've also no PC as my monitor is broken. :(

[singerskates]

Got my toe loop back finally. Although I did feel like a fool asking for help on it. I went to go show these fellow skaters my toe loop so they could help me with it and there it was out of no where. Haven't had the jump since before surgery. LOL

Waltz was there too.

Salchow, ha ha ha ha ha ha. Nope.

Flip, getting closer to a full rotation landing just passed forward on two feet. Didn't pull in my arms or cross my feet on take off. Oh, well.

Spins, faster.

Not bad even though I'm not suppose to even be jumping yet. I'm sort of ahead of schedule.

Worked on the first footwork section that goes into my waltz jump many times. Still doing revisions on it. Have more speed in my footwork. Took a while to figure out what to do not to lose speed from the landing of my waltz jump to where I switch to CW's into combo forward outside/inside spiral into flip. Finally figured it was better not to stop the landing edge of the waltz but to let it guide for a second more and then do a closed mohawk to FO edge do a LFX, pose while gliding and then do RFX going CW's. This works much better.

Did some skills with the intermediate and senior skaters. Did Forward inside/outside edges continuous skating on one foot all the way down the lenth of the ice first on the left foot and then on the right. Didn't do it backwards as I was late for skills.

Brigitte

[melanieuk]

Over and over, I did the field moves.
I practised the elements required for the next test, and the backspin was the only thing that let me down....consistently. :(

All the change foot spins were rubbish.
(Dismal, actually!)

:roll:

I need a spiral sequence.

Spins and spirals knackered me today. 8O

[Mrs Redboots]

Friday Practice:

Dismal: Still those wretched Mohawks. I've decided to say to my coach that it's no good telling me to do it again and again, when it just isn't working - let's see if we can't break it down into bite-sized chunks to find out why it isn't working, and what we need to do to fix it.

Anyway, we did manage to stumble and kick our way through all our dances, some of which were better than others. The Swing Dance is definitely the worst now - I used to think the Fiesta was, and, indeed, there is lots we could do to improve that dance, but I'm now agreeing with my coach about the Swing Dance. Oh well.....

Delightful: I haven't been down on a Friday for some weeks, and it was good to see "the gang" again. Including one friend who, much as I love her, I wished she hadn't arrived just before I ran through my interpretive, as I didn't want anybody who is competing next weekend to know what it is! Oh well, I swore her to secrecy!

Robert's and my Rhythm Blues and Cha-Cha are, I think competitive, even if the other two dances aren't!

Did some good work on my basics - the coach would have been pleased. Went faster than I like going backwards, but really didn't bottle - I was pleased with myself. Still can't get decent RBO (not LBO - I was turned around!) edges doing back swings, but the chasses are better - and I even managed a few back cross-rolls! Not very big, and not very crossed, but they were on edges!

So all in all a good practice. One more lesson before Sunday's competition (which is really only a practice-run to gauge audience reaction before France), and this time next week we'll be off to France!

[twinkle]

Melanie, what level is it you need a spiral sequence for?

I think I am on the same levels as you, level 3 elements and free and inter-bronze field moves?

I am taking my field moves test on the next session, hopefully before Christmas. I've been doing these field moves for at least three years now so I'm totally sick of them, I can't wait to take the test.

Since last Friday I've landed five axels (out of many tries but it's a start), and yesterday it was clean! Now I just need to carry on practising them after I land one, as I always stop when I land it so I can finish on a good note.

[tidesong]

Dismal:
I am still two footing my double salchow.
My axel is not 100% and I cheat some of those I land
My flying camel is taking off from the wrong edge
I can't do my harder jumps from footwork! I get all giddy and can't control the jumps... arrgh

Delightful:
Remembered to work on crossovers today
I landed 5 axels in a row ( although the last few were cheated)
I did a centered layback... felt very good...
Finished choreographing my program, have to check with competition rules to see if I added some stuff or missed out stuff.
My camel-sit change sit is getting better

Not really anything:
Double toeloop is at the best rotation 1 and 3/4 stage.
I managed one double loop with 1 and 3/4 rotation but it is more often at 1 and 1/2

Some questions:
Is 5 positions in a spiral sequence just too much for pre-juvenile?
If I am not doing spirals what else can I fill the time with?

[emyh]

Delightful

Got back on the ice after six LONG months.

Dismal

I'm 25% of where I once was. It's gonna take a while to get it back. Oh and my foot hurts like %!$@ ... I think I'll take my new skates back and get it punched, and have it permanently mounted. I almost complemtated on getting a new pair of boots at the after-Thanksgiving sale, but once I put the right boot on, I realized it would be foot suicide....