Gift or White Elephant: Lesson/Practice June 17-23, 2003

[jazzpants]

This thread is in honor of Mrs. Redboots b-day!!! I'd imagined Mrs. Redboots got a LOT of presents -- some gifts, but probably at least one "white elephant" gift!!! :P

White Elephant: Loops. Not there yet...
Forward power threes: My coach last Thursday gave me an exercise to work on. No dice so far... (And I need to get this exercise since this is part of the POWER part of the move.) The exercise has to do with getting enough power on the push after the FO3 on the BI edge. (Any hints outside of bending my knees but keeping my back straight, guys?)
Backspin: AUUUGH!!! SOOOO CLOSE still!!! I was able to cross my leg ONCE...before going RIGHT BACK ON THAT INSIDE EDGE!!!! :x
Can I return my toe loop and exchange it for a REAL toe loop? :P
Flip NOT THERE either!!!
Gift: Forward power threes: So happy that it's finally stablizing to the point where I could work on my coach's exercise!!! (Well, that and the LFO3 from forward strokes. Still have to figure that part out...)
Scratch and Sit spins okay
First two salchow was decent.
Flip ALMOST THERE!!!
Camel there, though only for a short 1-2 rev.

[sk8pics]

Happy Birthday Mrs. Redboots! I hope your birthday was as great as mine was a few weeks ago!

Gift Backward perimeter crossover stroking is coming along, or so my coach says, as are the power 3's in each direction. THey're scary when it's the LFO3, but I'm sure they'll get better. Salchow has also improved thanks to some intensive work with both coach #2 and backup coach while my primary coach was away.

White Elephant My new interpretive program. :frus: I'm sure it will get better, but right now it's a struggle. I think my coach has delusions of just how fast I can skate without killing myself! :roll: But hopefully it will be more comfortable by the end of the week. It's still very new and that's part of the problem. Sigh.:roll:.

Oh, not a gift but hard work: I've lost 10.5 pounds in about the last 5-6 weeks. :D

Happy skating everyone,
Pat

[JDC1]

Gift - that I actually felt good enough to skate!! This allergy season is killing me. I tried a few jumps today out of curiousity and found they weren't bad. Did decent alternating 3's outside and inside. Tried to get a good LFI spiral and SPLAT!

White Elephant - spinning. I have totally forgotten how to spin. Will have to work on that with coach some.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Redboots!!

Jackie

[flo]

Happy birthday!!

I skated Sunday morning, and ran through my program, which went pretty well. My doubles were landed, but not pretty - now I need to work on getting them more reliable.

The schedule for the Chesapeake Open is out!

Debbie - then next time any hockey types or anyone does that on the sidelines, get the rink manager and coach and they will be removed immediately. We've done that before.

[quarkiki2]

Saturday morning lesson. I think it was a white elephant -- don't know! I was too sleepy to tell. Summer sessions start an hour earlier (9AM lesson instead of 10AM). 7AM synchro -- I think I'll go next week to give it a try. I believe I should catch on quickly as I used to be part of a Rockette's style tap troup and with 15 years of dance I understand the patterns and rhythm and can remember choreograpy pretty easily. The skating is the only part that's tough, LOL!

First lesson, Delta:

Because there are no other adults at this level I'm in with three 8-year-old Delta kids. With an instructor I've never had before (who wasn't there this lesson). I'm looking forward to it -- maybe he can figure out what's up with my 3turns!

Our learn-to-skate director subbed for our class and we started with inside 3 turns. Same problem with outside 3-s: I drop my foot the minute I get through the turn.

Lunges: A-ok. No problem there. Did a cool one where my weight was slightly to the outside of my skating leg and I went completely around in a circle while still moving forward. Impressed the skate director, though, LOL!

Forward edges: I was wobbly for some unknown reason and my timing was off on the edges. Plus, the kids do nearly twice as many lobes as I do to get across the rink. I think I'll just have to be the first one in line each time so that I'm not screeching to a halt to avoid them. Was complimented by skate director on my pass-through, so I guess they weren't that bad for my timing being off.

Extra stuff: Ran too late in the day yesterday, got really hot and shortened my run by about 4 minutes to 31 inutes. Ran 37038 minuted today earier in the morning. Drinking mucho water!

[singerskates]

White Elephant: No ice. Off-ice. Brand new bike scrtached up by daughter throwing her's on top of mine in shed.

After doing a few of each jump off-ice in the front yard, I no longer can do a normal single jump. I'm over rotating and doing a rotation and a half on all my jumps (didn't do waltz jump). Toe, sal, loop, flip and lutz are one and half rotations now. Still not totally healed with my Achilles tendon but it feels much better. Have to work on checking out stronger or have to try to get the last half rotations on doubles. LOL

Gift:

Moved seat up on bike just a half inch and now don't get knee pain riding anymore. Knee was way above hip when riding before. Felt like a circus clown riding before. LOL

Off-ice jumping all jumps no probs until I tried a little harder. Just don't tell doc/physio guy I was jumping in my front yard. Just hoping that the off-ice over rotation works out on the ice to good single rotation in Sept. so that I can get my prelim FS test passed in the fall.

Question for a coach. Do you get docked in tests if you do a double instead of a single jump? What if I heal up really well, my bunions are fixed and don't cause me to lean inward on ice and give me stronger edges and I end up being able to do the axel and all the doubles, all the spins (scratch=corkscrew, sit, camel, backspin, combo spin, flying spin and layback), do you test prelim and then junior bronze at the same time? Or do you play it cool and only go for the prelim risking doubling jumps when they have to be singles during competitions? What should an adult skater do? This hasn't happened yet. I just guessing that it could happen to me since, for the last two years, I've been competing without full strength because of my Achilles tendonitis and because of severe bunions not being able to jump high but barely enough for single jumps.

Brigitte

[Magz]

Originally posted by singerskates
Question for a coach. Do you get docked in tests if you do a double instead of a single jump? What if I heal up really well, my bunions are fixed and don't cause me to lean inward on ice and give me stronger edges and I end up being able to do the axel and all the doubles, all the spins (scratch=corkscrew, sit, camel, backspin, combo spin, flying spin and layback), do you test prelim and then junior bronze at the same time? Or do you play it cool and only go for the prelim risking doubling jumps when they have to be singles during competitions? What should an adult skater do? This hasn't happened yet. I just guessing that it could happen to me since, for the last two years, I've been competing without full strength because of my Achilles tendonitis and because of severe bunions not being able to jump high but barely enough for single jumps.
i'm not a coach but i think that skate canada does require docking of marks for "restricted elements" such as doubles. I don't know if this applies to testing...but i'd play it safe and stick with singles on you're prelim test then add the axel for the jr.bronze then if you have the doubles you can add them when you test sr.bronze jr.silver and sr.silver hope i helped!!

[dbny]

Gift:
Had a great practice today (would have had lesson, but coach's baby was due yesterday - still haven't heard from her).


Got some real F power pulls on R foot & first real B ones
More one foot spins from wind up succeeded than not
Completed a full Juv cross stroke pattern
Got half the 5-step Mohawk done with OK speed and good pattern
FI threes feeling better, still not in pattern, just doing them anywhere
8-step Mohawk pattern getting smoother, especially CW


There are twin girls with whose mother I occasionally chat a bit. Today, one of her daughters fully rotated her axel for the first time, right in front of me. I congratulated her on it, not knowing it was her first. Later her mom told me so, and also told me she had seen and noticed my power pulls and spins! No one ever watches me except my coach during my lesson, so this was a real pleasure.

White Elephant:
Tried one BO three on my own and scraped it so badly that I didn't continue. Just didn't feel right for them today.

[twinkle]

Originally posted by singerskates


Question for a coach. Do you get docked in tests if you do a double instead of a single jump? What if I heal up really well, my bunions are fixed and don't cause me to lean inward on ice and give me stronger edges and I end up being able to do the axel and all the doubles, all the spins (scratch=corkscrew, sit, camel, backspin, combo spin, flying spin and layback), do you test prelim and then junior bronze at the same time? Or do you play it cool and only go for the prelim risking doubling jumps when they have to be singles during competitions? What should an adult skater do? This hasn't happened yet. I just guessing that it could happen to me since, for the last two years, I've been competing without full strength because of my Achilles tendonitis and because of severe bunions not being able to jump high but barely enough for single jumps.

Brigitte

I think its quite unlikely that you would suddenly start doing doubles just because your injuries have healed. You need practice and timing for doubles, so you probably wouldn't be able to just get them like that. Even if you did, you would still be able to do the singles, so for the test you would just do the singles, just because you can do doubles doesn't mean its impossible to do a jump without doubling it.

When a test requires singles, then that's what you have to do, you're being tested on your ability to do the required elements in a test, not what the most difficult thing you can do is.

[JDC1]

Gift - I wore a skirt for the first time skating!! It actually did feel different, I could feel the "wind" and the speed more. I think as it get's warmer I'll wear more skirts. Hmmm, what went well last night, I figured out some of what was going WRONG with spins. :-)

White Elephant - we focused on spins not dance and we broke it down bit by bit and found I rushed certain parts, too slow on swinging my leg around and straighten my leg too fast. Made some improvements now I need to practice these Wednesdays as well as alternating 3's, I promised to test Pre-Bronze in August. :-)

[sk8clean]

Gift After 4 weeks off the ice due to a sprain ankle I can skate again:) I'm rusty but pain free and cannot complain.

White Elephant Last fall/winter I spent 4 months learning how to do the backward outside/inside edges. They are now gone.

[garyc254]

GIFT: I've been skating for almost two years and it's been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life.

WHITE-ELEPHANT: I think I've peaked in my skating. I've really been pushing hard to try and learn new things, but physically it is starting to take it's toll.

Tried learning a two-foot spin a couple of weeks ago and my knees ached for several days after. I tried to practice back brackets last night and the left knee locked up painfully. Had to get off the ice early. Ice packs and NSAIDs.

I've been trying to skate with the synchro team for the past two weeks, but my shoulder (where I had the rotator cuff repaired) gets extemely sore and irritated. Also, I've glitched my lower back. I'm not sure I'll be able to withstand the push and pull.

Getting old, I guess. ;)

I may have to be content with the things I CAN do.

[JDC1]

You have my total understanding and sympathy. I'm not as old as some people on this board, I'm 38, but I have some "old" people problems, bursitis in my left hip (can be VERY painful) problems with my left knee and neck issues from a severe car accident. I am incredibly flexible but due to the bursitis I can't hold my hip open to do an Ina Bauer (sharp stabbing pains) which breaks me heart and my left knee gets really sore when I work too much on spinning. It is interesting that two of the main things I wanted to learn to do well have so far eluded me but I can jump and do mitf fairly well. But, I've learned to limit my time on the ice, 15-20 then a 5 minute break, I stretch, do yoga and pilates and when need be I cut back on skating. I feel your pain.

You may not have peaked though, do you do off ice training, work with personal trainer or therapists? There may be excercises to strengthen some of the problem areas.

[garyc254]

Originally posted by JDC1
You may not have peaked though, do you do off ice training, work with personal trainer or therapists? There may be excercises to strengthen some of the problem areas.

I skate Monday and Wednesday nights. Pilates on Tuesday night. Yard work and home repairs Saturdays and Sundays. I've skated the last couple of weeks on Thursday night with the synchro team (although it appears I may have to give that up). Plus 9 hours a day at the office/warehouse.

There is loads more I could probably do to get some of these joint areas into better shape, but putting that time and effort into something that I consider recreational might not be worth it to me. Although I'm not old at 49, "a man has got to know his limitations". Having had polio as a child which left some muscle deterioration doesn't help either.

And then there's always the possibility of post-polio syndrome.

Basically, I don't want to slave away at exercising so that I can skate for a couple of hours every week. Then it wouldn't be fun.

I skate for fun!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[luna_skater]

Gift : Coach loved my cross-roll step on the Fiesta. I think I do it well because I like doing that step so much. Better flow on all the dances in general. RFO threes are getting stronger; focusing on checking my shoulder more and getter a deeper inside edge after the turn. Have all the patterns pretty much down now. Swing felt great when coach partnered me.

White Elephant : The session was PACKED with free-skaters. I'm really the odd one out, because it's not a dance session, but it was nearly impossible to get one whole dance completed around the perimter of the rink. Thankfully, I'll be on an actual dance session in July. At the start of the lesson, the WE was without a doubt the RFO threes! But they improved drastically by the end of the hour.

[sk8er1964]

Gary - hang in there! I look at my off ice physical therapy exercises (as much as they are a pain in the a** and are inconvenient to boot) as something I must do to be able to do something I love - skate.

Gift: Worked on the Intermediate MIF's for most of the lesson. Coach has shown me the proper exits for the power circles, which tells me that I'm doing the body of them correctly. He's quite happy with my power 3's around the end.

Axel is improving - in practice they are feeling better. We only got to waltz jumps today (ran out of time), but I know that his corrections to the entry will help my axel. I've had some problems with it (mostly pre-rotation), but because I was so gung ho to compete at Adult Nationals (injured no less), we never had a chance to work on improving my 21 year old muscle memory :). Didn't do any doubles - ran out of time.

Oh - most important of the Gifts - I am in week 2 of being able to jump and my injury isn't hurting. A bit sore at times, a bit tight at times, but not that stabbing pain I had before Adult Nationals :D.

White Elephant: My world's worst brackets (on the MIF test). Ugh - they were terrible. Most of them are ok except for the backward outside ones. We discovered something about them - if he lightly held my left hand (on the right BO ones), they were extremely easy. When I do them regularly, I am tensing up something terrible and it is throwing the whole thing out of whack. So he wants me to practice them 2-footed to get the more relaxed feel of them. Hope this works - I knew they just felt wrong but didn't know how to fix it.

[Figureskates]

All Gifts...

Waltz jump is really nifty now. The speed is picking up and the height and distance is really improving.

Salchow, while still in it's infancy is getting it's act together. I am pulling it all together and actually showing some consistency.

Toeloop. Today we started the toeloop and actually I seem to have gotten it down quickly. I think it is easier than the salchow.

Funny sidelight. I am usually the only male and the oldest person out on the ice. I noticed that a few of the younger ladies were watching my efforts, especially when I did a waltz jump/side toe hoop/waltz jump combo together. Maybe they found it fascinating to watch an old guy do jumps.

[dbny]

Originally posted by garyc254
I think I've peaked in my skating. I've really been pushing hard to try and learn new things, but physically it is starting to take it's toll.

Tried learning a two-foot spin a couple of weeks ago and my knees ached for several days after. I tried to practice back brackets last night and the left knee locked up painfully. Had to get off the ice early. Ice packs and NSAIDs.

I've been trying to skate with the synchro team for the past two weeks, but my shoulder (where I had the rotator cuff repaired) gets extemely sore and irritated. Also, I've glitched my lower back. I'm not sure I'll be able to withstand the push and pull.

Getting old, I guess. ;)

I may have to be content with the things I CAN do.

Gary, I know exactly how you feel, being on round the clock ibuprofen myself for arthritic hips. I'm not sure, though, that you have peaked. It's possible that you were going at the two-foot spin incorrectly, and that is why you had knee pain. That happened to me the first time I tried power pulls, so I gave them up thinking I would never be able to do them. Maybe a year later, my coach started me on them again and I told her why I had quit. She said my knees shouldn't hurt if I did them right, and now I am just beginning to be able to do them - with no pain at all. I had to start over learning them, but it was worth it. The same thing goes for brackets. If your weight is in the right place, it shouldn't hurt. One thing you can do is go back to two footing them until they feel like a knife through butter.

I do think it's likely that synchro won't work for you because of your shoulder injury and because of the additional forces of the push and pull.
OTOH, you just may need more time before you are ready for synchro. When your own skating improves, you will feel less force from the other skaters.

Whatever you decide to do, you are echoing what my pre-pre moves judge said to me after my test: "Always skate for fun!", and you can't go wrong there.

[Mrs Redboots]

Last night's skate doesn't count, as I fell asleep and ended up with only 45 minutes of very crowded ice, so did very little except basic skating and chatting to the friend I'd gone to meet (she had her 50th birthday a couple of weeks before mine, so we went out together afterwards to celebrate).

This morning, for the first time in ages I don't take a sweater down to the rink, and guess what? I'm too cold! Sod's law, that is. But skating hard helped that. My lesson was 20 minutes late as the coach had the harness out to try to encourage one of his other skaters to land her triple loop. She so obviously could if she only believed in herself, but I could see from her body language going into it that she didn't really think she'd land it and, sure enough, she sat down every time! But she is very close now, and I'm sure she'll do it within the next coule of weeks.

So my lesson was a bit late, but there was a good reason for it. Spent most of the time working on my rock-and-roll OD; I was wearing the skirt I've bought for it, which is too big (yesssss!!!!!), but it sits nicely on my hips. I think it's going okay now; we've taken out one of the chainé turns so I'm better balanced going into the two-footed turns section. Also ran through my Free Dance, which is okay but still a little tentative in places - I'm going to keep it for another year and try to get it really good, I think, before I lose it.

Finally danced the Swing Dance with my coach to see if my problems with the end pattern are anything to do with my partner - still a bit rushed, but less so. Actually, I think that dance is so nice with a really good partner! But even with Robert, I enjoy dancing it. I asked the coach whether he thought I'd pass a test - he sucked his teeth, rather, and said that if I were a mainstream skater, then definitely not, but as an adult it depended on the judges and the day! So still iffy - well, I don't intend to test Level 4 just yet, anyway.

Did some off-ice work with one of the skating mothers who teaches that sort of thing as her day job, and nearly overpaid the coach, forgetting we hadn't had our Sunday lessons this week..... oh well....

[garyc254]

Originally posted by dbny
It's possible that you were going at the two-foot spin incorrectly, and that is why you had knee pain......She said my knees shouldn't hurt if I did them right, and now I am just beginning to be able to do them - with no pain at all.

Whatever you decide to do, you are echoing what my pre-pre moves judge said to me after my test: "Always skate for fun!", and you can't go wrong there.

I'm sure you're right, but I'm not sure my knees will hold up long enough for me to learn them correctly. :lol:

When I started skating, I promised myself that I would learn new things until it wasn't fun anymore. As much as I would have loved to jump, I knew going in that it wouldn't happen. Bad knees.

If I incapacitate myself, it's not just my skating that will suffer.

I think I'll take a week or so off to try and heal my current injuries, then see how it goes. I'll not give up skating, though. Too much fun!!!! :D

[sk8pics]

Originally posted by garyc254
I'm sure you're right, but I'm not sure my knees will hold up long enough for me to learn them correctly. :lol:

When I started skating, I promised myself that I would learn new things until it wasn't fun anymore. As much as I would have loved to jump, I knew going in that it wouldn't happen. Bad knees.

If I incapacitate myself, it's not just my skating that will suffer.

I think I'll take a week or so off to try and heal my current injuries, then see how it goes. I'll not give up skating, though. Too much fun!!!! :D

Healing injuries is good, and I think we all have to learn to listen to our bodies and take a break when we need one. But Gary, I'd suggest that your own statements mean you should add some sort of physical therapy or strength training with some appropriate guidance. That would probably help you not just with skating but with any of your other activities, and I really think it's even more important as we get older. I have had knee problems in the past, but have none now thanks to the strength training I do. Sure, there are problems that can't be improved and have to be worked around, but there are a lot of things that can be helped. I think if you want to have fun skating as a, let's say maturing, adult, a certain amount of strength training and cardio work is necessary, unless somehow you're already in great shape. It is a pain to have to make time in a busy schedule, but the rewards can be worth it.

Just my 2 cents.
Pat

[Black Sheep]

Gift: Today I showed my coach my new Adult Gold FS program in it's absolute entirety, and he was actually very pleased--even with the minor changes I'd made to it (which just helped me to more easily fit all the maneuvers to the music. I also showed it to a friend of mine who is a Master skater, and she loved it! 8-)

White Elephant: I still can't land my axels and doubles as well as I'd like whilst skating my program. Seems to me every time I set one up, someone is standing like a post right in my jump path. I try shouting, "Heads up!", but they can't seem to hear me over the music. :roll:

[garyc254]

Originally posted by sk8pics
I think if you want to have fun skating as a, let's say maturing, adult,

:lol: :lol: Very diplomatically said. I'll have to remember this one.


Just my 2 cents.

Actually, what you said is a million dollars worth. You're quite right. Thanks. :D

[dbny]

Gift:

Got in another full pattern of the Juv cross strokes today on totally empty ice (except for the old guy in hockey skates who moves along, but sticks to the wall:lol: ).

I've been trying to get my shoulders and arms to move opposite to my hips for the B power pulls, and really cannot do it, but today when I went to one foot from the two footed slalom lead-in, it just happened and the power pulls (all 6 or 7 of them 8O ) were so easy, it was like a good spin. Can't wait till I can do the whole pattern correctly, it's so much fun.

I'm doing the prelim spiral pattern every time I skate now, as my coach told me she thinks this will be my most challenging prelim move and I intend to prove her wrong (it's the alt threes, both O and I). Of course, my free leg is still only about 3/4 height at best, but the pattern itself is shaping up and I'm getting the leg up before the top of each lobe.

I actually did a whole pattern of the 5-step Mohawk! Those FI Mohawks still scare me, and I was going a bit fast for comfort on the second half, but I'm thrilled with it.

Finally, once again, someone saw me skate and complimented me. This time, it was one of the coaches and also the proprietress of the pro shop, which is on the upper level with a great view of the ice.

White Elephant:

Oh happy day! None in sight today.

[JDC1]

Gift - actually did some spins where I wasn't crunching on my toe pick the whole time!! Got some help from a fellow poster here on my waltz jump, I never really understood HOW to take off on my toe pick and I did last night finally when she explained. Alternating 3's are getting better, less arm swinging.

White Elephant - nothing really, had a low key practice. I did notice I was having a tendency to lean forward some rather than get the knee bend from squatting down, bad girl!! Gotta focus on that.

[sk8clean]

Gift: Second day back from ankle injury and the world is great again. It is so wonderful to skate pain free. I am in my "I can do anything" mode right now so I am trying to get a hold of my coach to schedule a lesson before my courage disapears to try new moves I was afraid to try before the injury.

[sk8er1964]

Originally posted by sk8clean
Gift: Second day back from ankle injury and the world is great again. It is so wonderful to skate pain free. I am in my "I can do anything" mode right now so I am trying to get a hold of my coach to schedule a lesson before my courage disapears to try new moves I was afraid to try before the injury.

Isn't it fun? I'm in week 2 of being able to jump again and I want to get right back to where I left off on my doubles in January. Be careful to not push too hard - I'm trying to limit myself to 10-15 jumps per session (with no flips or lutzes yet - they take off on the injured leg) for the next few weeks to make sure I really am ok.

Better to take it slowly now than have to be off the ice again later 8O .

[Figureskates]

Had a chance to practice before work.

Gifts all: Waltz jump: Getting some real height and distance now.
Salchow: Better. Getting the hang of kicking my leg through and lifting off on the left leg. Some of them look pretty good but nothing to alert Nicole Bobek about.
Alternating 3's: Better. I am getting a better handle in checking the upper body consistently

White Elephant: Toeloop. It is more of a coordination thing. I am one of those individuals that has to do it at least a thousand times before it all sinks in.

All-in-all, slow but steady progress.

[TreSk8sAZ]

White Elephant:
Coach is nitpicking on my dances (which is good) but it got to the point I'd take two steps and she'd stop me. Oops! Also was completely blanking for some reason... Coach would ask me to do, say, three turns and I'd do mohawks. Or, she'd change my into steps and I'd do them exactly the way I've been doing them... WHERE was my mind?! Oh, the threat of figures was always just a threat --until now. Had to start learning and working on it for more edge control. I honestly hate figures.

Gift:
Finally was allowed to get up to speed on my dances, meaning good patterns, finally. Burned my dance CD and it worked, which was great! Finally landing all of my jumps up to my flip, and starting lutz. Just nitpicking on those, as well, to get them more consistent. The best part is they only hurt if I land too hard. Just can't do salchows because the twisting hurts the ribs --pain is almost gone!!! Started brackets, which aren't too hard.

[tazsk8s]

Gifts this week:

EMPTY evening sessions! I love when the kids skate during the day in the summer.

Finally getting the back sit part of the sit-change-sit spin. Okay, so the back sit is still quite a bit higher than the front one, but at least it spins now.

TWO!! clean program runthroughs in the same freestyle session. One of them even included the aforementioned sit-change-sit instead of the sit-backscratch that I had been doing.

Lutz-loop combos - Duh! It helps when I actually take the time to LAND the first jump before taking off for the second. :frus:

For Taz Jr., this was actually the previous week, started playing with double-double combinations. She was on a complete roll with the double toe one day last week, normally her worst jump, and managed to tack it onto each other double at least once (except the 2axel - we're not there yet!) Also trying and standing up on some 2sal/2loops that her coach said were pretty clean.

White Elephant:

I knew I shouldn't have tempted the skategods by declaring out loud that I finally "owned" the backspin. Couldn't beg, borrow, or steal one on Tuesday.

For Taz Jr., a *horrific* fall late last week. Her coach was working with her on a rocker entrance to the axel, she got caught up on the rocker, could not get her hands down to break the fall, and faceplanted. Right over her left eye, to be exact. Mother Taz got the call I didn't want to ever get at work, "Uh, Taz, Junior had a bit of an accident on the ice". The area around the eye swelled up and was already turning colors by the time I saw her a few minutes later, and she had a small scrape right below the eyebrow. Luckily it was not bad enough to require stitches, and there was no apparent damage to the eye itself, but it was very NASTY looking. Junior still skates in eyeglasses and I am truly amazed that they didn't break with a direct fall like that. 8O She ended up with one nasty shiner, though. She has been back out on the ice all week and we're starting to see some big improvements in the appearance of the eye. She has NOT, however, tried any more rockers. :!:

[dbny]

Originally posted by tazsk8s

For Taz Jr., a *horrific* fall late last week. Her coach was working with her on a rocker entrance to the axel, she got caught up on the rocker, could not get her hands down to break the fall, and faceplanted. Right over her left eye, to be exact. Mother Taz got the call I didn't want to ever get at work, "Uh, Taz, Junior had a bit of an accident on the ice". The area around the eye swelled up and was already turning colors by the time I saw her a few minutes later, and she had a small scrape right below the eyebrow. Luckily it was not bad enough to require stitches, and there was no apparent damage to the eye itself, but it was very NASTY looking.
Yikes! Glad she's OK.

Junior still skates in eyeglasses and I am truly amazed that they didn't break with a direct fall like that. 8O She ended up with one nasty shiner, though. She has been back out on the ice all week and we're starting to see some big improvements in the appearance of the eye. She has NOT, however, tried any more rockers. :!:

Is she too young for contacts? I skated in glasses for a year, then got single use lenses because my glasses were slipping down my nose. I have astigmatism, but didn't get a correction for that in my contacts, as I only wear them to skate. I can't imagine doing doubles wearing glasses.

[tazsk8s]

Originally posted by dbny
[ Is she too young for contacts? I skated in glasses for a year, then got single use lenses because my glasses were slipping down my nose. I have astigmatism, but didn't get a correction for that in my contacts, as I only wear them to skate. I can't imagine doing doubles wearing glasses. [/B]

Funny you should mention contacts. I just made the appointment today with the eye doctor to have her fitted for them. 8-) She is 11 1/2, and there are plenty of kids her age, and younger, who have them already. However, it's only in the last six months or so that her dad and I have felt that she's responsible enough to care for them properly. I've worn them myself since I was in my teens, and I know all too well that she could really mess up her vision if she doesn't take care of them. We had been talking about contacts for awhile anyway, and this was the final shove in that direction that I needed.

[blondeangl]

Heres the scope for yesterdays basic skills lesson and free skate:

Gift: All my basic 6 stuff was great and Im testing next week, and the basic 7 stuff I worked on was great! During free skate I was working on my scratch spin and drum roll please ... I got it closer then ever!! Usually I step out before my leg comes in tight and i got it coming in (not all the way down and out but it was IN) and all of a sudden im like "oh my god, oh my god!!" lol

White Elephant: The next time I tried the scratch spin i got my leg to start coming in again and i leaned really deep on an edge for some reason and went flying down and i got really wet and really cold but it was pretty funny ... lol ... I was also really hyper and full of energy yesterday so I like HAD to move so it messed me up several times on things because I was going so much faster then i usually do ...

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by tazsk8s
Funny you should mention contacts. I just made the appointment today with the eye doctor to have her fitted for them. 8-) She is 11 1/2, and there are plenty of kids her age, and younger, who have them already. However, it's only in the last six months or so that her dad and I have felt that she's responsible enough to care for them properly. I've worn them myself since I was in my teens, and I know all too well that she could really mess up her vision if she doesn't take care of them. We had been talking about contacts for awhile anyway, and this was the final shove in that direction that I needed. If possible, make sure she gets the daily disposable kind, as they need no maintenance. My daughter, who started wearing lenses at age 15, now has them and swears by them. If yours is astigmatic or long-sighted (or both, as I am!) she'll have to settle for monthly ones, though. Mine simply don't correct my vision well enough to wear all the time, so I only wear them while skating - not quite sure why I bother (having just shelled out rather a lot of money for another six month's supply), but they are marginally better than nothing.

Did not skate yesterday or today as ate at a Chinese buffet at lunchtime yesterday and lived to regret it.... still daren't move very far away from the loo and it's the World Challenge tomorrow.... anybody here ever competed when not quite well, and if so, did you do better or worse than usual? Actually, since "usual" for me is to finish last, I can't actually do worse.....

[tazsk8s]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
If possible, make sure she gets the daily disposable kind, as they need no maintenance. My daughter, who started wearing lenses at age 15, now has them and swears by them. If yours is astigmatic or long-sighted

She has quite the astigmatism - inherited from her dad's genes. I am purely nearsighted and the traditional soft lenses work fine for me, supposedly they are out for astigmatism as well but the rigid gas permeable ones are supposed to still be a little better for correcting astigmatism. Also they are a little easier to maintain, and harder to destroy, than the soft ones, so that is one option we are looking at closely.

[Mrs Redboots]

Originally posted by tazsk8s
She has quite the astigmatism - inherited from her dad's genes. I am purely nearsighted and the traditional soft lenses work fine for me, supposedly they are out for astigmatism as well but the rigid gas permeable ones are supposed to still be a little better for correcting astigmatism. Also they are a little easier to maintain, and harder to destroy, than the soft ones, so that is one option we are looking at closely. You can get soft lenses, called "toric" lenses, for astigmatism - I have them, and have had for some years now. They are not as accurate as spectacles, and they're a lot more expensive than ordinary soft lenses, but they are a lot better than nothing. It is worth while discussing all the options with your eye specialist. Disposable lenses are the best if you can get them, even the monthly kind, since they don't risk such a build-up of bacteria, especially if you change the case every month.

[dbny]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
You can get soft lenses, called "toric" lenses, for astigmatism - I have them, and have had for some years now.

I've heard that toric lenses don't work well for freestyle skaters, as they rely on weights to keep the lenses oriented properly, and the rapid spinning throws them off. Maybe someone here knows more about that.

[singerskates]

I usually practice in my glasses but for competition I wear my contacts because well, I just can't stand to wear makeup and glasses at the same time. But yeah, once and if I ever get to doing doubles on ice, I'll be wearing my contacts all the time. I have the regular contacts and do have astigmatism. For skating it doesn't make a difference. If the hard contacts fall off, then I'd go with the regular. But then if your medical coverage covers the dailys, go with the dailys. My teens, ruined a pair each of their contacts. Well, one lost a pair and the other dropped one on the floor while taking them out and then we found it a week later dried out. Dailys for teens if you can afford them are best.

Brigitte

[luna_skater]

How much the weights in the toric lenses affects you while skating depends on the degree of your nearsightedness and satigmatism, and whether you have an astigmatism in both eyes or not. I have been wearing contacts and skating for the past 10 years, with an astigmatism in my left eye. Sometimes the left eye gets a bit blurry, but it's nothing that has ever affected my skating. I was wearing one-day disposables last year because of an eye infection that was healing, and they were great, but SO expensive. They are more permeable, and from wearing them, my optometrist though they were actually slightly correcting my astigmatism. But each lense cost $1, so you if you can afford $2 a day for contacts (or if you have coverage, which I don't) go for it.

In terms of care, I never had a lot of problems because I am VERY nearsighted, so my contacts are rather thick. So they don't do a lot of folding, and aren't quite as delicate as ones that are a weaker prescription. I think in 10 years I've only ripped one, or two at the most.

[quarkiki2]

Just wanted to chime in about the contacts: I've been wearing them since my 12th birthday and always, alway wear them for sporting stuff. For one thing, you get better peripheral vision because you're not looking out of the sides of your glasses. This was very beneficial to me when practicing martial arts and free-sparring. I never knew from which direction an attack would come. The one time I practiced in glasses, I got dizzy and ended up taking them off and seeing everything fuzzy, not just the sides.

Though I have the slightest measurable astigmatism in my right eye, I have always worn daily wear soft contacts. I am not interested in disposable lenses as my eyes have always ben exceptionally clean and my vision has been very stable, even while I was still growing.

If your daughter is responsible enough to take care of them, I really recommend tht she wears them. She was extremely lucky with this fall -- I'd really hate to see he get injured in a situation like that.

As for me -- lesson tomorrow and I haven't practiced this week. I think I will depart my house at 6AM tomorrow to go to the synchro practice. I realized that I don't really have any friends in the area as my hectic schedule (office manager by day, drama teacher by night and weekend, married to theatre professor) rarely permits socializing and I'm related to my co-workers, so I spend more than enough time with them. They've been asking me for a year to join even though I'd be the least advanced skater on the team (something about natural carriage). Practices just did not fit into my schedule at all until they moved them to before God's awake on Saturday morning, LOL!

So, here's to early rising! Have a great weekend!
quarkiki :D

[blondeangl]

I had a great practice today! :D

Gift: My scratch spin was better then ever!! According to my coach "10 times better" :D yay!! i brought it in and together the check out is the only thing just not there yet because my leg isnt going all the way down yet but its still a big improvement!! My waltz jump and salchow were great today!! My pre-pre moves are coming along really good im still having a little trouble with the Waltz 8 but its coming along ... I also stared learning the sit spin and back spin today!

White Elephant: My loop jump isnt working at all for me ...my right leg pops up when its not supposed to ;) the takeoff is all wrong and i cant get a full revolution :x Back spins are really hard and confusing im not very good at them ... today was my first day with them but they are horrible .... now my most funny horrible part of the day .... it really amused my coach and i ... i was doing great with my jumps, spins, and moves ... not falling or anything ... however SEVERAL times i was just standing there or just turning forwards or something and id going FLYING down to the ice ... lol i was a complete klutz ... but only when i WASNT moving :lol: i also ran into wall hit my head and fell down while doing a straightline spiral because i didnt stop lol ... my but really hurts right now from falling so much!

[TreSk8sAZ]

White Elephant:
SO MANY PEOPLE at Coffee Club today it was nearly impossible to move. My lesson was very erratic, because I'd start a jump and someone would skate behind me and scare me into popping it. Dances without music, people wouldn't move. Dances with music I had to stop multiple times from people simply standing and not moving. It was highly annoying. Sit spin disappeared, though not sure why.

Gift:
Despite the stopping, dances went well. Getting to the point where I'm confident enough to compete them in July -- Yay! Jumps were much more consistent, and changing the pattern for my loop helped a ton.

[singerskates]

Anyone here remember the US senior pair Karen Courtland & Todd Reynolds? Well, over the years, Todd has been a long distance friend of mine. He just got back on the internet today after moving and stuff. Todd will be coaching somewhere in the Houstin area this summer. He's not sure at which club though. He found out that I haven't gotten very far in my skating as far as he's concered. Like the last time I talked with him was over a year ago and I was working on the flip then. But then I wasn't even close to a flip. He's now on my case about my lack of no flip and lutz.

Todd had a very good tip for those of us who are checking challenged. When you land (CCW skaters) make sure you have your head look to the right and this will force you to push your right shoulder back and start to check your left arm for the landing. Wish I could try this out now. So if any of you are having trouble checking, please try this out for me.

Another tip Todd told me about is for the lutz. When you are going into your lutz on your back outside edge before you go to reach back don't put your right arm back (CCW skater). Keep it next to you until your reach back with your right leg so that you don't over rotate on the left outside edge before you jump because otherwise this will make you pick way to the left of your left leg and make it hard to rotate in the air. Don't forget to pick in the ice as you bring in the right leg to the left leg as your left leg straightens and as you bring your right arm forward and in.


Brigitte

[Mrs Redboots]

Today was the first of four days of competition this week - today and tomorrow are the World Ice Challenge at Slough, and Thursday and Friday are the Bracknell Adult Open.

The World Challenge is a little different to most competitions in that you compete one dance at a time, and several couples skate at the same time. The top few couples in each dance progress through to the final tomorrow.

Robert and I entered for three dances, the Dutch Waltz, the Rhythm Blues and the Swing Dance. To our intense delight - and surprise - we are in the final of the Dutch Waltz!!!!!!!. I can't think how - I messed it up totally, right in front of the judges, who must have been looking at someone else at the time. Robert had said "Two more pushes" before we started the dance proper, but he rushed them, so I was counting and concentrating on getting us back into time - and quite forgot what dance we were doing! Thought I'd blown it for sure. Don't know why our Rhythm Blues didn't make it, but suspect it was timing - next Sunday, once all these competitions are over, I'm going to make my coach show us exactly where we go off in the timing of it. Didn't expect to make the final of the Swing Dance - well, didn't expect to make any final, but certainly not that one - but we skated it well, for us, and I didn't rush the MOhawk too badly.

So my goodness, but I'm thrilled!

Also pleasing - because we are skating "seriously" tomorrow, I decided to see if a dress that I bought a couple of years ago would fit me yet - it has always been too tight. Well, Robert managed to get it done up, for the first time ever!!!!! I'm not going to wear it, though - my green dress is also very nice - because it still looks marginally tight - I need to lose another 5-6 lbs before it'll really look good. But I'm pleased about that, too.

Spent the intervals when not skating reading the new Harry Potter and fending off intrusive questions about who gets killed (you think you know who it is, and then it turns out not to be who you think).....

[Debbie S]

Congratulations, Mrs. Redboots! Good luck in the finals!

Today was our first rehearsal for the summer show. I've never skated that long continuously. I was in skates for almost a hour and a half! Perhaps it was the lunges that did it -I haven't done those in a while, but when we got off the ice, my right leg felt like it was about to give out. I stretched a lot while waiting around for the freestyle session to start (right after the rehearsal block - we had the early practice time) and I wondered how I'd gotten so out of shape.

Anyway, during the freestyle session, I'm proud to report that I landed several good loops. I've been experimenting trying it different ways, and I think it's almost easier to do it from an FI mohawk-step on RBO edge than from plain back crossovers. I tried the FI 3-turn entrance and that's not happening.

Unfortunately, my flip attempts were not as successful. And my camel spin doesn't really rotate long enough. I'm hoping that with properly-fitting skates, these skills will get easier.

Speaking of which, I got a call that my skates arrived in the shop from SP-Teri. The woman from the shop who called me told me they would have to order the correct size MK Pro blade b/c they didn't have it in stock. Gee, do you think they could have arranged to have the blade ordered ahead of time? After all, I ordered the skates 7 weeks ago and chose the blade then - all they had to do was look at any SP-Teri size 4 to see what size blade I needed. Grrrrrr. So it will be another week before I can go down there and have them mounted. They also told me that they test-mount the blades, meaning that I skate in them and then go back to have them permanently mounted - and I can't do any jumps (and I imagine spins as well) until it's permanent. And the skate shop is an hour's drive for me.

Does anyone (JDC1, jenlyon) know of a rink in No. VA near Skater's Paradise? I'm thinking I could have the mounting taken care of in one day - unless it's better to skate for a few days. Thoughts anyone? (And is there a consensus as to how long I should wait before deciding if I need the boot stretched?)

P.S.: Got a postcard from mikawendy. She's enjoying her stay in Monte Carlo (who wouldn't?). :)

[jenlyon60]

Mt Vernon Recreational Center is on the other side of Fort Hunt Road from the shopping center where Skaters Paradise is located.

Don't know when their schedules are, though, especially now that summer schedules have kicked in at most rinks around here.

Nice ice... (Of course I have a fondness for Mt Vernon, because its where I first learned to skate and where I tested and passed all my dances so far except EW)

BTW, I don't think there's enough consistency in sole lengths for same sizes of boots to be able to know ahead of time what size blade you will need. My current pair of Klingbeils (which Mike measured me for) I specified to have them made to fit a 9" blade. And then I called up to Klingbeil a week or so before they were shipped to double-check.

And... Mrs. Redboots CONGRATS ON MAKING THE FINAL!!!!!!

[dbny]

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
To our intense delight - and surprise - we are in the final of the Dutch Waltz!!!!!!!.

Also pleasing - because we are skating "seriously" tomorrow, I decided to see if a dress that I bought a couple of years ago would fit me yet - it has always been too tight. Well, Robert managed to get it done up, for the first time ever!!!!! I'm not going to wear it, though - my green dress is also very nice - because it still looks marginally tight - I need to lose another 5-6 lbs before it'll really look good. But I'm pleased about that, too.

CONGRATULATIONS on both counts!
Good luck tomorrow :D

[Mrs Redboots]

Thanks! We ended up finishing 5th out of 5 today, but 5th out of 10 overall, which is unheard-of brilliant for us! So we are quite pleased. I rather expect we rushed things because we were nervous today, but didn't get a chance to ask a judge. Not that we expected anything more, although it would have been nice.

A friend gave me a Tango dress, which I'm having altered by another friend, who takes commissions, so should be great!

The competition has been great; now I'm looking forward to Bracknell at the end of the week - but the White Elephant part of today was that our coach no longer has a tape of the Riverside Rhumba music, which we shall need for Friday, and our run-through of it without the music, in our lesson, was pretty dire! Oh well....

[jazzpants]

WOO HOO, Mr and Mrs. Redboots! You guys kicked butt!!! :D :D :D

Gift: Camel: WOO HOO!!! It was a GREAT camel day!!! I actually got around 2-3 rev and then tried the sit.
Actually, except for the backspin, it was a good spin day today! :D
My last two sals felt GREAT!!!
White Elephant: Loop!!! :x
Waltz jump. It's mostly me, but I really REALLY hate it when I'm about to set up for a waltz jump and some KID gets in my way!!! :evil:
Salchow: Same as waltz jump... except the last two salchows!!! :D
Backspins: ALMOST!!! ALMOST!!! (But no cigar still...) :( I could do backspins relatively fine when I'm near the barrier. But away from the wall??? 8O I'm a BIG http://www.mediawatchers.nl/smileys/chicken.gif

[Debbie S]

Originally posted by jenlyon60
Mt Vernon Recreational Center is on the other side of Fort Hunt Road from the shopping center where Skaters Paradise is located.


Thanks jen!

[quarkiki2]

Many congrats to Annabel and Robert! Way to go!

I had my first synchro practice Saturday morning and it was tons of fun! We were working on patterns and I caught on pretty quickly. I only cause one boo-boo when we were doing a moving circle and I lost my grip on one hand. I was able to get it back together, though. My right leg was quite unhappy with me afterwards, though, as it was my supporting leg for almost the entire hour of pumping.

Delta Lesson #2: Worked on FI3s for most of the lesson. Instructor showed us two different sequences we could practice: FO3 with extra rotation straight into FI3, both rotating the same direction, and then alternating FI3s down the line. I understood both exercises, but struggled with the turns, of course. When I did the alternating FI3s with a spot they were pronounced "pretty" by one of my classmates.

Then lunges. Mine is still my best skill. I worked on the forward edge patterns during our free time.

Just as I suspected, the turns are giving me the most difficulty in the level. I was actually more sucessful in the alternating pattern than when I did the turn alone, so I'll pratice that a bunch and maybe the solo turn will evolve?

[dbny]

WTG Annabel & Robert!

Originally posted by quarkiki2
Instructor showed us two different sequences we could practice: FO3 with extra rotation straight into FI3, both rotating the same direction,

What am I missing here? How do you go from a FO3, which puts you on a BI edge, straight into a FI3? Do you possibly mean BI3?

[quarkiki2]

Nope. It was kinda crazy, I thought, but then I just did it without thinking and it was better.

LFO edge, turn all the way around until you're going forward again, RFI 3

There was no back three -- you just kinda do the FO3 and rotate all the way around then step with the other foot into the FI3.

Maybe he was teaching a twizzle without calling it that? I've never done a twizzle, so I don't know. *Shrug*

[dbny]

Originally posted by quarkiki2
Nope. It was kinda crazy, I thought, but then I just did it without thinking and it was better.

LFO edge, turn all the way around until you're going forward again, RFI 3

There was no back three -- you just kinda do the FO3 and rotate all the way around then step with the other foot into the FI3.

Maybe he was teaching a twizzle without calling it that? I've never done a twizzle, so I don't know. *Shrug*

What I was missing: You didn't specify the change of foot previously.

Twizzle: Consecutive threes on the same foot without a check. That does seem to be what you were doing. Technically, there is no other way to get from LFO3 to LFO again with no change of foot or edge and not leaving the ice, except a LBI3. The speed and absence of a check is what makes it a twizzle.