Edge or flat: week of 8/11 - 8/17 [Archive]

mikawendy

08-11-2003, 11:15 AM

Edge--
Practiced on Saturday at a public session and was able to FINALLY get all of the elements I need for my upcoming freestyle 1 test (the BO3s and spin entry had been problems before, but I was finally able to get them!!! Hopefully I'll be able to do them on Wednesday as well!) Even the timing of my waltz jump is getting better.

Got to meet flo's two cats (adorable) when I dropped off her sharpened skates (thanks, flo, for the painted silk scarf!)

Flat--
Not much, really....

JDC1

08-11-2003, 02:45 PM

Edge - happy that my back and legs were free of enough pain to skate. :-) Had a pretty good skate, took it easy on myself.

Flat - nothing really, having to skate less because of pain but am hoping that new chiropractor and possible MRI can help.

TreSk8sAZ

08-11-2003, 05:44 PM

Edge: Once I got the motivation to do anything... Mohawks were much improved on both sides, and 5 step worked out quite nicely. Timing was FINALLY even on all of my edges. Double threes and alternating threes were pretty decent, considering. Jump patters are getting completely comfortable -- too bad I can't jump for another week.

Flat: Every little bobble and I bail. Hard. It's so annoying that I'm so scared of falling (on the cast and in general) that it's causing problems. I know it's going to take time, and the head coach is really helping me get over it. My coach just got back in town and I've only seen her for five minutes, so I haven't even gotten to talk to her about it yet. Oh well, it can only get better :?:

dbny

08-11-2003, 07:51 PM

Edge
I'm getting more and more very controlled multi-rev one foot spins from wind up. F and B cross strokes are still there, and I'm able to look behind me on the back ones at last. Narrowly avoided a nasty collision doing so. B power pulls are really coming along and feel very good on both feet.

Flat
Everything else. Three turns and mohawks feel very stiff and unsure. All crossovers also feel awkward, but I think they are technically OK. This time I seem to have really suffered from being off the ice for a month. I think it may also have to do with the 5 pounds I gained and my general lack of exercise while on vacation. I blame all the rain that kept me off/out of the water.

Edgy news
My coach had her baby, an adorable little girl, on June 28th, and will be teaching again after Labor Day. Can't wait.

garyc254

08-12-2003, 08:09 AM

Edge: Coach taught me all of the parts to the Swing Dance. What fun!!! :D Unfortunately, after practicing all of the elements, we didn't have time to put it all together in sequence. I'm sure we'll do that the next time I can grab a lesson. Backward swing rolls feel a bit strange, so I need to work on my technique. At least I don't feakout on the mohawk. :lol:

Flat: Nothing really other than I spent most of the rest of the session on my cell phone parenting. Nothing like handling teenage problems while practicing 3-turns. :lol:

Figureskates

08-12-2003, 08:52 AM

Edge:Power 3s, crossovers, alternating 3s outside, aternating 3s inside coming along nicely. waltz jump, except I got to stop looking down.

Flat: Salchow..bad case of over rotating. Help!!! For some reason I keep dropping and swinging my right shoulder. Some day it will all come together!!

Black Sheep

08-12-2003, 09:02 AM

Edge: These days I'm a lot more flexible than I ever used to be. Seems even my back, which has always been tight as a drum, is more "bendy"--even good enough to one day soon get a Biellmann (sp?) spin!

Flat: Yesterday morning, I wasn't awake enough to run through my program as cleanly as usual. I didn't feel too bad, though--it seemed everyone else had the same problem.....

8-)

icenut84

08-12-2003, 12:04 PM

Flat:

My skates are still not right. They've felt "off" for a few weeks now, both the boots and the blades. I don't know why, but it's bugging me. They were better after retying them a few times though.

My spins needed their own passport.

Majority of salchows and toe loops were a bit dodgy. Felt like I was toe-waltzing on the toe loops.

My feet hurt (heels and baby toes etc) :( , and one of the landings on my waltz jump was actually a little painful, up my whole leg, hip and body :cry:

Edge:

Waltz jump fine, and I made myself try a few toe loops and salchows (I haven't practiced jumps for ages). Some were ok.

I spent some time towards the end practicing turns at speed, which lifted my spirits a little.

LFO spirals felt great! :)

jazzpants

08-12-2003, 01:08 PM

Flat: Back crossovers again weren't that great. I had to learn to turn my head doing back crossovers. Both my coaches are gonna have a cow... :roll:

Everything else was not as good as can be. I'm half asleep and I'm skating w/ a lot of people buzzing by me. Oui vei! Mornings are gonna be rough for a while... :roll:

Edge: My secondary coach said she was surprised that I actually got into the rink at the beginning of the freestyle session to warm up. So am I!!! :roll: :P (ZZZZZZzzzz....)

SDFanatic

08-12-2003, 02:03 PM

Flat: Woke up late, had to pay my equity line, drop off paperwork, almost cought up on bills and now car insurance is due. Was hoping it would rain so I could go home early and catch up on things, but doesn't look like it. My workers are late and it's been a blah week so far.

Edge: Tommorow is another day I guess.

Steven

singerskates

08-12-2003, 05:37 PM

At Public (unwatched= no skate patrol) Skating Today:

After coaching my friend's son on some basic skating skills because he desperately needs them for power skating for the first hour today, my other friend came to watch me skate. This is what she saw me do.

Edge:
Tried doing another LBI spiral into a salchow and was only successful on the first attempt in my program. I must have been nervous the second time today because there were some public skaters just behind me where I was going to land the salchow.

She diffinately can confirm that my forward spins are twice as fast as last year and have 6 revs.

My friend also said that I'm now jumping 4 inches to 5 inches off of the ice in my jumps as oppose to March/April where I only got a centimeter off of the ice. Also had this light flowy waltz jump that just floated down from 6 inches one time and the landing was so soft, I didn't even feel it and the exit was awesome. (Got to keep this a secret from my coach because then she'll have me try axels as soon as I get back on club ice.)

Flat:
Now if I can just stop over rotating on my salchows and toe loops and check harder that would be great. It seems my hips just want to keep on going around. Just wish this would work for my loop, flip and lutz.

But at the moment, my spins are on vacation and love to travel just like I do in the summer. LOL Now really my friend said that I'd do 3 revs on the spot and then my right shoulder would come up and I'd do the other 3 revs travelling. I think that's because last year I was only doing 3 revs until just before COS Adult Spring Skate and my head says to me, "It's 3 revs. It's time to get out." I have to train my brain to want to keep in possision(sp) until the end of the 6 revs.
Only got one rev on a back spin that turned out to be a 1 rev backspin combo 3 rev forward spin. LOL. Oh well, I'm on vacation. LOL

Brigitte

blurrysarah

08-12-2003, 06:50 PM

Edge: Various jumps slowly improving, I'm actually pushing the jumps higher, instead of merely hopping from one foot to another.

Flat: I haven't spun decently for 3 weeks now, before that I swear it felt almost perfect. My boots are starting to annoy me, they are pronating onto an inside edge (especially on spins) and I keep having to tie them tighter about 5 times a session because of my ankle wobbling. Unfortunately no one around me believes that I need new skates, because I am using a pair of Risport Diamante's which are far above my level.
Wait wait - before you agree with them - These boots also belonged to my coach for god knows how many years before I bought them off her March 2002. So they were already heavily broken in when I got them, unfortunately now I'm feeling the effects. :(

Mrs Redboots

08-13-2003, 07:18 AM

A very foggy Tuesday evening - you could barely see one end of the rink from the other! Various skaters loomed out of the fog, some fast, others slow, and one young lad with total disregard of all the rules of caution!

My lesson was okay, but I do prefer to have lessons in the morning when I'm fresh, and not at 6.00 pm when I'm knackered! So he says "What have you done so far?" and I said "Very little", but when I came to list what I had done, it wasn't actually true. He pulled my shoulders apart (almost literally!) on changes-of-edge; he made me do inside edges with the free leg tucked under; he made me hold outside and inside edges all round the hockey circle (I could hold both FI edges all the way round, which surprised and please me; the LFO edge went 3/4 of the way round, and the RFO edge was a bit disastrous, but all right once I got my balance). Then I had to work on forwards and backwards chasses, at first round the circle, then alternating. Which were horrible because he kept on at me to keep my feet together, and my feet don't go together, my thighs are too fat! Actually, they go together better when I remember to bend my knees, and we discovered that what works for my chasses is if someone reminds me to bend my knee on the chasse step.

Gary, the secret of back swing rolls - and forward ones, come to that, is not to swing wide. And we all do swing wide - I was reminded of this on my back chasses, which were fast and covered the ice, but oh-so-flat, and my coach said it was because my free leg was going way out to the side.... This, by the way, is disastrous if you try it in Kilian hold, as you kick each other.

Robert was supposed to come down for us to practice and we were to have stayed on to Figure Club, but he didn't turn up because of this wretched virus. Which I wouldn't have minded if he'd let me know.... MEN.....

luna_skater

08-13-2003, 08:58 AM

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots

Gary, the secret of back swing rolls - and forward ones, come to that, is not to swing wide. And we all do swing wide - I was reminded of this on my back chasses, which were fast and covered the ice, but oh-so-flat, and my coach said it was because my free leg was going way out to the side.... This, by the way, is disastrous if you try it in Kilian hold, as you kick each other.

Also, remember to keep your toe turned out, not in, on the swing rolls. I constantly forget, and as soon as I remember, the swing rolls improve 100%.

96.23??

08-13-2003, 09:33 AM

edge: get a day off bc of the Jen. robinson seminar today.

JDC1

08-13-2003, 12:03 PM

Gary, I'll share something with you that I just "learned" or atleast remembered to do!! First of all Mrs. R is totally right, do not go swing to the the side, yes I have the same tendency AND also on the upswing tighten your abdominal muscles and use them as you straighten your leg, maybe you already do, but I wasn't and the difference was obvious immediately, they became much crisper.

garyc254

08-13-2003, 03:22 PM

Originally posted by Mrs Redboots
Gary, the secret of back swing rolls - and forward ones, come to that, is not to swing wide.

Originally posted by luna_skater
Also, remember to keep your toe turned out, not in, on the swing rolls.

Originally posted by JDC1
...AND also on the upswing tighten your abdominal muscles and use them as you straighten your leg, maybe you already do, but I wasn't and the difference was obvious immediately, they became much crisper.

Thanks for the tips. :D

I know the first time I tried the back swing rolls, my coach smiled and politely said "Uh, that's not it." :lol:

She did work with me a little more on not swinging too wide, but I'm sure I'll need to tighten them up a lot more.

melanieuk

08-14-2003, 07:08 AM

I went skating for 1st time in months - took my children.
The place had a smell of paint about it but other than that, nothing's changed.
We went to a horrid public session.
My feet didn't hurt at all in my boots. I didn't wear my trustee bunga pad (only need it to land jumps). :(
I didn't jump, no 3 turns, no crossovers, no spins, nothing, nada.
Didn't try, as I had little one's hand to hold on to plus it was far too busy.

TreSk8sAZ

08-14-2003, 03:16 PM

Edge: First lesson since I've been back! Coach was pretty good about the fear factor. Worked on all of the moves that I'm getting ready to test. Most were pretty good. Willow waltz felt great, timing was just a bit off. Started playing with Starlight as well (yes, I skip up randomly). In my lesson with my secondary coach earlier in the day, forward crossrolls rocked as I finally figured out how to strike just right. Was banned from trying them backward until the cast is off.

Flat: Closed mohawks were giving me problems. Anything on the right foot that involved turning just did NOT work. I always hate the 4 o'clock session as it's much more crowded than the 3, but I split ice with another of my coach's students and had to fight for space. Luckily, it turned basically into a moves session after awhile.

Mrs Redboots

08-15-2003, 07:32 AM

Edge: Lots of visitors to Dance Club last night, and we had fun! I enjoyed dancing the Prelim Waltz with a friend; normally I chicken out and do the Dutch Waltz.

Flat: Robert and I got there early to work on our Tango, which has got to the horrible stage where nothing works at all and you wonder why you bothered (I do know from experience that this will pass, but it's horrible while it lasts). Then, doing a solo dance right at the beginning of club, I tripped on some soft ice and fell rather hard, banging my right knee and (of course) jarring my back. Which was fine yesterday - I danced all evening, once I was over the shock - but today I can barely move, and it takes me a few minutes to straighten up when I stand up. So I think I'd better not skate this afternoon, although that would probably loosen me up.... all the same, tomorrow is another day!

blondeangl

08-15-2003, 04:11 PM

For my practice yesterday:

Edge: All my basic 7 stuff is really good so my group coach had me work on the stuff in basic 8, and what I worked on I found really easy! My waltz jumps and waltz-waltz and waltz-waltz-waltz jumps were all really good!

Flat: Because of a VERY annoying skater who is 9 or 10 and in my group (shes one level ahead of me in basic 8 but doesnt pay any attention) wouldnt leave me alone during free skate because she wanted to play tag (who does that) and i was trying to practice. Because I wouldnt play tag she was skating directly in front of my and stepping in my way everytime I tried to do something! This made it virtually impossible to do my salchows, and scratch spins! I was so close to finishing my scratch spin cleanly (which I have yet to do with check out yet) when she purpously ran in to me to make me step out! Kids these days!!

jazzpants

08-16-2003, 12:14 AM

Edge: Nothing again! :( Well, I shouldn't say that... I was majorly working on my back crossovers (or rather my "non crossovers.") This week's work was mainly on making sure my head and shoulders are in the right position when I do my back crossovers. My primary coach says that he's seeing some improvements already b/c of the adjustments. But his main concern for my lesson is alt FO3's, which has been majorly sucky as of late. Backspin is STILL almost there though!

Flat: I still got quite a ways to go on my back crossovers and, at the rate I'm going, I'm not sure I'm gonna be taking my Bronze Moves and FS in time for the deadline for AN. :cry: :cry: :cry:

As for backspins, "almost" never counted (both my coaches!!!) :roll:

sk8pics

08-16-2003, 09:35 AM

Edge Finally, finally I "get" how it's supposed to feel when you start a forward one-foot spin off of a forward outside edge! I'd been doing it from a standstill, and on Thursday my coach worked hard on it with me, standing to my right and holding my right hand (I'm clockwise) with his left hand on my waist, and I would push onto a forward outside edge and let it curve around him and then try to do 1 revolution. Well, yesterday, it was working and I was getting 1 1/2 revolutions with him helping me that way, and then I tried it on my own and it just snapped right around and I did 1 1/2- 2 revolutions completely centered!:D It was very cool.

We also starting working on my new free program, and that was fun. Also making good progress on my waltz 8 and holding a back outside edge into the step forward for a 3-turn nto my salchow. Both are much better! 8-) Coach is now very spoiled as I seem to make a step up in something every time he sees me, but that's okay!

Flat My back crossovers, literally! My coach is on a mission to improve them, and it's a struggle. But I'm sure it will get better.

Oh, and one more Edge: I've now lost 23 pounds since the beginning of May!8-) It's very exciting!

Happy skating everyone.
Pat

batikat

08-16-2003, 05:35 PM

Back on the ice after 2 weeks of 'hockey camp'

Flat: my daughters boots had gone mouldy!!!! that'll teach us to leave them in the lockers at the rink when we are not going in regularly and especially in all the hot weather we have been having - urghh!

Edge: My upright spin was good - I got 12 revs - a personal record - and the tracing showed the loops were small and with minimal travel.

Flat: think I have forgotten how to do a toe-loop and a salchow.
Practised the original dance to the required march tempo for the British Adult championships and it was horrible - can't remember everything we choreographed and my pivots were not working at all. Coach is back next week so I hope he can help me but then i am away for a week after that so not much time to get it right.

Enjoyed being back on the ice though!

Mrs Redboots

08-17-2003, 06:41 AM

You're lucky, Batikat - our hockey camp is this coming week. But can skate teatimes, though.

Today's lessons/practice:

Edge: Robert had a Brilliant Idea about the choreography of our Tango OD, and it's going to work, unlike the bit that wasn't working because I was bottling out every time, and it was going to go on scaring me, and I knew I'd bottle it! We have 7/8 of it choreographed now - there are a couple of "dead areas" where we are just doing chasses as a holding pattern. So much more hopeful than I was on Thursday! However, we only have one practice next week, due to aforementioned hockey school, a trip to the theatre (me, work; can't get out of it and wouldn't if I could!) and the fact that we are away for the long weekend. But once that is over, we'll be back to normal and able to practice a great deal, I hope.

Flat: Because of Robert's Great Idea we moved one of our "highlights", which meant we had to come up with another one. Coach did, and it will be all right if it works, but at the moment it's not working at all! I think it will work, though.

Our back chasses and cross-rolls still need an awful lot of work, and I apparently hang on to Robert like grim death when doing back cross-rolls. I pointed out that I can't do them without a partner.....

I think I'm basically thankful that at our level, they don't require side-by-side step sequences.....

tidesong

08-17-2003, 07:15 AM

Edge:
I can finally do my axel-loop and axel-half loop-etc combinations... the right ankle is finally done with the healing :)
During practices i've been torn between doing the axel (because it feels so good now) and doing the double sal (to try and get it back)
I just sharpened my blades too and the spins went off for a while but they are coming back too.
I'm trying to get my schedule down since school has just started and then i'll be training at the usual three times a week again :)

Flat:
Nothing is moving! I'm still trying to get back :( Nothing that i couldn't do before the ankle injury

mikawendy

08-17-2003, 05:29 PM

Edge:
Passed my USFSA Freestyle 1 test on Wednesday! I didn't think I would and was seriously nervous about the scratch spin and the BO three turns. The BO threes can still use some work, but my instructor told me I did 6 revs. in my scratch spin and that it was centered!! :D Now all I have to do is get that consistently. I was so relieved when I did my spin for her during the test because it wasn't until the Saturday before that I really understood how to make the spin entry work.

Also picked up my new skates and had them heat molded and the blades put on.

I'm looking forward to seeing flo skate this coming Sunday (8/24) in her club's open, all-adult show. My instructor is also doing a number in the show, I think.

Flat:
Had to get home to do some work, so I couldn't go skate to start breaking in my new skates...

Mrs Redboots

08-18-2003, 08:09 AM

Went to Basingstoke last night, to their RIDL, which was fun.

Edge: I now have a lovely new Tango dress, which is absolutely gorgeous! Red, with a black skirt and red under-skirt. Yummy.

Flat: Although Robert and I were pleased with how we skated, we lost our match :(

quarkiki2

08-18-2003, 10:37 AM

Hello!

I decided that before I started my ISI Freestyle 1 class on the 23rd, I'd darn well better re-learn the L-over-R backward crossover. I had it when I was supposed to pick my foot up and cross it over, but in Delta they expect you to do it the "slide" way, but don't really teach you how. I figured it out R-over-L, but couldn't get it the other way and then lost what crossover I did have on that side.

So that was my mission for practice. And I was finally able to get them! The first one is a little wobbly but I catch the rhythm by the third one and then I freak myself out because I pick up speed so quickly -- or it feels that way to me, at least.

I just knew that the instructor for the Freestyle class would get after me if I couldn't do crossovers nor 3-turns, LOL! Now he can only get after me for the 3-turns, which aren't gonna happen in 5 days.

I also started messing around with inside spread eagles and ina bauers. I can get my feet into position pretty easily, but I only go in a tight circle. I think I need to steer a little better with my leading heel to straighten out a bit. I asked a couple of more advanced adult skaters who were on the session with me and they just shrugged and said "I don't do those moves -- my hips don't turn out enough." I just think that they're some of the prettiest moves in skating and I'd like to experiment a little with them -- especially since they don't require me leaving the ice with both feet or turning on one foot, LOL!

That's about it!

Terri C

08-18-2003, 03:01 PM

EDGE:
I passed my Pre Bronze MIF yesterday morning!!!
I chose not to grandfather in the Adult MIF track and can see why it was a wise idea!

FLAT:
I live in Virginia Beach and skate for the Washington FSC, so I drove up for the test session on Saturday afternoon and drove back on Sunday afternoon. TRAFFIC WAS AWFUL- the worst I've seen on I-95!

Debbie S

08-18-2003, 10:43 PM

Congratulations Terri!

I drove from Baltimore to Alexandria, VA on Saturday morning to get the blades on my new skates permanently mounted. I agree, there was a lot of traffic. Fortunately, it was moving.

Did you test in Fairfax?

How did you feel the judges were setting the standard? In other words, how strict were they about the size of the lobes (for the consecutive edges) and the edge quality of the alternating 3's? My FI alt 3's tend to be shallow, plus I'm slow, but I don't think power is one of the things they're looking for in that move. I also tend to scrape my toe pick on the transition in the FO 3's, but my edge class instructor pointed out to me that I needed to hold the BI edge more on each turn.

I'd like to test Pre-Bronze MIF in November.