Had my lesson today, as there are tests tomorrow so it's dubious how much of the session will be left for skating. So I'm skating this evening, too, getting "tomorrow's skating done today!" Hope I don't regret it....

Smooth: Worked on alternating FO 3s for the first time in a long time; was delighted to find no toe-tap, but not pleased with my lack of flow out of the 3s. Got a fair amount of speed going backwards, but still have to concentrate so hard on keeping my weight back. My teacher says my main problem, in all my skating, is keeping control of my free leg.

Worked on FO swing rolls, both counter-body and with-body; I realised why one is better than the other, which is that I am able to rise in the knee more on my right leg! I've been told to practice most of my exercises both with- and counter-body.

Clunky: That unprintable Fiesta Tango! I simply cannot do the end pattern as it should be done! I don't have a problem with the Mohawk these days (makes a change!), but I do find the steps after it so difficult. And as for the step to forwards.... sheesh..... it's no easier solo or with a partner!

All my dances (Level 4, mostly) are far, far too small on the back edges. I have so very little flow..... That's what I really need to work on, I think!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I'm also working on that Fiesta, to get ready to test, or so my coach thinks. I was/is having a hard time with the end, we've fixed it partially by making the mohawk more on a curve. Instead of going into the corner, we go from the change edge and then the step to the left foot is directed sharply into the rink, making the mohawk more on the curve, and then I'm not falling off balance afterwards.

This still doesn't fix the step to forward, that's going to be another lesson or two before I agree to pay that test fee.

I've told my coach I want to get the Fiesta Tango & Swing Dance (our Level 4 dances) to test standard, even if I then choose not to test them. Plus the Willow (Level 6 here) to a Level 4 passing standard. Whether this will happen or not, remains to be seen....

Did skate again last night with husband, who annoyed me intensely as I was showing him some steps in the Willow where I had problems ("These are too small!" I said), and all he said was, "They're too small!" Men!


During Figure Club we worked at our Free Dance (I know, but there were all of 5 people on the ice, plus one instructor - yes, he's a person too, but you know what I mean. Youngest was probably in her 40s.....), which is coming-along-nicely, or would if husband could remember the stop we were shown! It will be testable soon, I think, if it isn't already. I did mess up my RFO 3 once, but that was mostly because I was at totally the wrong angle going into it - after that, I had no problems.

The other couple are pairs skaters, and I was so jealous as they were working on lifts, and managed to do a waltz lift and a loop lift before the evening was over! Their spin was not a great deal better than ours, though - we had another go at the pairs spin, but ended up with me turning inside again, although we were beginning to find a little improvement - we did one spin that worked so well I got dizzy!I think we must stick with our dance spin for now, though, although we'll go on practising the other.

Husband showed me the men's steps of the European waltz because I've been told to practice cross-roll 3s, and that is a useful exercise to practice them with. So I did a couple of laps of those, and then worked on various other moves. Finished with my on-ice conditioning exercises and some stretches (is there a smiley that has a halo? Those exercises make my arms ache, never mind my legs!).

Could probably have skated this morning, although there were to be tests until quite late on in the patch, but when I woke up I was so stiff I couldn't face it! So did my off-ice exercises and went for a walk instead.

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Out of curiosity I wonder: what are the different elements of dance?

Smooth: I saw myself in the boards, and I looked like I arctually had good form for once. It made me confident for the rest of the day.

Clunky: I can't land a toe jump to save my life. I can on land, but for some reason the ice makes it harder.

I hadn't skated for a month and a half when I went yesterday, Wasn't too bad considering, once I got into the ice, but still having trouble centring spins, as usual. Had quite a hard fall at the end, when I was doing backward crossovers at a decent speed... don't know whether I caught my toe, or my heel, or hit my blades together, but ended up going flying, including rolling over on the ice and sliding along for a bit. Bashed both my knees pretty hard (got bumps on them now, and will probably go a nice shade of purple), and also my right elbow. My elbow is ok but my knees still hurt a bit, especially my right one. Oh well, it was about time I fell! (Can't remember the last time.) My back also hurts a bit too, which could also be from the fall.

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

First you have the compulsory dances, ranging from the simplest (which consist basically of crossovers and swings) to the incredibly difficult (Golden Waltz is probably the most difficult dance - lots of twizzles and turns, and I'm told the woman can't actually do it without a partner). Then there are variation dances, where you insert steps of your own devising into a compulsory dance, and obviously the steps have to match the rhythm and "feel" of the dance in question.

For an Original Dance, the type of music is given, and your dance must conform to that music (for the 2004-5 international season, the dance must be a combination of 2 or 3 of Foxtrot, Charleston and Quickstep; for 2005-6 it will be a Latin medley), plus any other requirements that may be stated - in many cases, at the lower levels, for instance, the dance must go round the rink in one direction, and must not cross the centre line except at the ends. Or there are requirements for step sequences, lifts, spins, etc.

The Free Dance is done to dance music of your own choice - vocal music is often permitted, but not invariably. Again, there are usually elements that must be included, and, at the lower levels, there are sometimes limits on the number of lifts that may be included. For the two lowest levels at the British Adult Championships, for example, you had to include one spin of at least 3 revolutions (hold optional), and a diagonal step sequence, and you could include a maximum of two different lifts, but these were optional. The solo dance also required the spin and diagonal step sequence - in solo dance, only half-revolution jumps are allowed (I think) instead of lifts.

Is this what you wanted to know?

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Smooth: The ice at YB!!! Smooth as BUTTAH!!! No crowd too!!! NICE!!!

Not as smooth but still smooth: My alt forward crossovers, the 5 step mohawk... well, as smooth as it can be at this point, since there will be a lot of things to fix by my coaches, I'm sure...

Middle of the road: Alt back crossovers. Need on push on the BI edges on both skates!!!

Clunky: Forward power 3's... though they are getting better, they are still MUCH slower than I would like. And I still have to step ONTO a FO edge instead of stepping onto the wrong edge and then turning my foot to the correct FO edge.

B crossovers to BO edge... SUCKS!!! Couldn't go fast enough and could pull back leg behind me enough...

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Smooth: Of all things, the Swing Dance! I suddenly found the exact sweet spot on my blade that one should use when going backwards, my posture was right, and I went through nearly a whole circuit of the dance without toe-noises! Alas, I still can't get into the right place to do the Mohawk easily, and I don't know whether Husband is hindering me or not. It feels as though he is, but it may just be me.

Fiesta Tango went well, for us. Still awful wide-step on the step to forward, but didn't even think of slowing down into the Mohawk! And it is gradually getting bigger.

Clunky: The Willow Waltz. Toe-rake noises galore, you can't imagine. Sigh..... And arguing with husband about my RFO 3 - "You have to come past me!" he said. "Yes," said I, "So you have to get out of my way and be ready to step to forward on the beat......". Men...... anyway, he knows as well as I do that one skates at one's partner to do the 3-turn, not past them.

We tried to dance the European Waltz. This was not a success, mostly because we don't quite know how the partnering works out and Husband was convinced I should have been turning in another direction..... I still think I was right, but never mind that now.

Other dances: Prelim Foxtrot (Novice Foxtrot) with another partner - this was fun as we went right into the corners, only he chickened on the last corner! Also danced a Dutch Waltz with the third man who was there (the 4th man is still a beginner and tends to stick with his own partner, the woman who persuaded him to join the club). Also danced Canasta Tango, Rhythm Blues, Golden Skaters' Waltz, Riverside Rhumba, Festival Quickstep, Festival Cha-cha (bottled the 3-turn, as usual), Canadian Cha-cha, Riolado Samba.... didn't have a go at the 14-step this week, or the Foxtrot, either. We played the "easy" dance tape so they, and the European, were the hardest dances on it.

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Lesson went well today- I had a clean run through of the freeskate with the exception of the ending backscratch, and my interp is coming along well. Coach says that I'm actually making this interp "my own"!

Foot pain towards the end of the session (I have a corn on my right pinky toe and a callous building on below that - too much right outside edge overkill) caused me to bomb the second runthroughs on both programs!

Now to spend the weekend considering if I should add to the mischef that will happen at the New Years Invitational, or just be a laughing specatator!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Add to the mischief, of course! What else.....

We arrived at the rink this morning to find that the Zamboni had broken down (again! Fortunately its master returns from holiday today so it should behave itself from now on) so nobody was there. The ice was not actually bad at all, surprisingly - I've skated on a great deal worse. And a great deal better, of course, but let's not go there.....

Husband and I had a good half-hour together working on our chasses and swings in waltz hold, which really are coming along now. Again, I could feel how back edges were meant to be - not the first circuit we did, when I was still leaning forward too far, but the second one was fine. We went through the Swing Dance, too, but still can't get the position for my Mohawk right. Husband will look at me, which brings his left shoulder too far forward - but he insists I need to get past him on the first step. Well, so I do - so why doesn't he get out of my way????? I get out of his!

However, be that as it may, the dance really is coming along now. We also ran through our Free Dance, and as always, I fluffed my RFO 3 on the first run-through, but got it on the 2nd. Sigh.... one day we will both be in the right place so I can actually do it!

Husband had to leave after that, but I stayed on for another hour and a half, mostly stroking round - sometimes chatting, sometimes working on my spin (which would NOT go past 2.5 revolutions, although I was getting that fairly consistently today). Back edges were intermittently fabulous - for me, that is, I hasten to add! The snag with no pros around is that you don't get any music to cover up toe-rake noises..... so it was good training to try to skate without making any! Managed some of the time, but it was intermittent. Still, given that I'm actually getting the thing my coach has been working with me for at least the past eight years on, I am rather pleased!

I have just realised I was nearly 2.5 hours on the ice, not 1.5 as I'd thought. Perhaps I won't go back this evening - but it's tempting. The Zam will be mended by then (it was being worked on when I left), and I do long to play with those back edges again.....

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

That darned Fiesta Tango! I have gotten the mohawk and the step forward, I actually say out loud "bend knees" which makes coach laugh. However, and there is always a however in dance, the crossover-crossbehind in the centre of the ice has gone to pot. The lunging toepicking that was apparent on the end step forward has mysteriously gravitated towards the centre of the ice and attached itself to the steps there. And to top it off, I saw my name on the test list which means I have to manage to put three patterns of this dance together by next week! I'll test it, I'm just not sure which version of the dance will show up!

Smooth: Because I haven't been jumping, my jumps have all improved. I really can't explain that but it was nice to have some jump in my jumps today. I should quit jumping more often.

Hmmm, secret sources tell me you might be a hapless victim.
But my good-natured self wouldn't know anything about that.

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Chunky:
Got hit by a car a few days ago crossing K Street in DC. (I'm convinced 'K' stands for 'Killer.') No major injuries, just a bruise on my leg. I'm more annoyed than angered. I'd been through 4 weeks of back pain, followed by 2 weeks of a shoulder injury, now this. Ugh.

Smooth:
Was supposed to have a pairs lesson ~8-9am--business as usual on Fridays--but I had to go to work early (usually come in around 11am on Fri.). Therefore, I opted for an early-morning singles lesson in my other training rink. I was gonna cancel my lesson this morning 'cuz I didn't want to aggravate my leg, but I rarely see my singles coach due to the pairs lesson conflict. So, pumped up on ibuprofen, I braved the torrential rain and headed for the deserted rink (it was great to see you, mdvask8r, by the way!)

Anyway, after warming up for 30 minutes, I felt OK for my lesson and ended up working on flying camel, flying camel/jump sit, axel, death drop (oh dear God, I must have a death wish here), and double flip. I landed 2 clean double flips in the harness and almost hugged my coach. It's a start. Then the harness belt came off and, well, yikes on those unassisted attempts.

Before I left the ice, I did a program runthrough. By that point, I was so tuckered out that I had to scale down my program, leaving out jump combos and such. Oh, well. But I did all the choreography and ended on time. I even added a few new spins, so it wasn't a complete wash.

No pairs lesson today means I'll be extra strong for lifts on Sunday?

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Nova - Ouch - take care!

Smooth - Started practice with lots of energy.
Clunky - Ended in frutsration trying to fit in all the elements and have room for actual skating. I'm trying to arrange time back with my coach to get the program ready for Washington. Since I did not really intend to compete with the program I've been working on, I now have to stick in the silver requirements. Unfortunately this means that some of the nice stuff needs to go.

On the good side, the camel sit is much faster, and I think I can squish the spiral sequence in there.

Owie. I hope you're doing okay.

One of my friends was once hit in a crosswalk. It knocked him over, and he was sore for a long while but no broken bones. It destroyed his Palm Pilot. He took the driver to small claims court and was awarded enough money to buy the next higher version of the Palm.

I'm doing fine. I just can't do salchows, toe loops (which I hate anyway and never do), or sit spins since it's the back of my left leg that's bruised and so hurts when I bend it or put lots of pressure on it.
Everything else is in working order.

Thanks for the concern.

I'm sure I deserved it, since I'm such a "naughty" person.

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Chunky: I actually took a tumble on a FO spiral - totally ridiculous - just felt like my blade stuck to the ice, and my body kept going. At least I fell forwards and didn't have the blade slip out to the side like last time.

Smooth: well, everything else was okay - not brilliant, but okay. I still have the running 3's and the knee held up on the sit spin, the LBI 3 still works, and both back outside 3's as well. I actually left work an hour early to skate (there was nothing to do).

Question: Am I not supposed to make scratchy noises when I skate? I truly feel like a cat, using all her claws to hang on sometimes. In my next life I'm definitely starting younger!

NoVa,
I have one, er, two things to say to you!

1. Thank God that you're okay after the accident!

2. About the above quote from you: BULL@#$% that you do not know anything!!!! Remember, what can come around can go around!!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Gee, I don't know whether to skate at New Year's or duck for cover!

NoVA, I'm glad to hear you're doing OK. I was almost hit by a car walking to work a couple of years ago. I was crossing a driveway (of a police station, no less!) and some woman started to pull out (she was in a regular car, so I don't know if she was a police officer leaving work or an admin employee) and I had to jump out of the way (and scream). She told me she didn't see me (Gee, I know I'm short but I'm not that short ) and acted like it was somehow my fault b/c I was in her way. And last year, I had to stop dead in my tracks and jump back when some kid on the U of MD campus started to pull out of a driveway that I was crossing and told me he didn't see me b/c he was looking for cars and didn't think someone would be walking (of course, no one ever walks around on a university campus). I wonder how these people got their driver's licenses.

Smooth: Ran through my program yesterday and my coach says I am looking more confident. She has charged me to smile at the beginning of my program - instead of looking panicked - lol! She also liked my forward and back perimeter stroking (although on the back stroking I need to push harder on the first push after the wide-step, and step wider). She was able to look at the stroking b/c after my run-through, she had me skate 2 laps of the forward perimeter and 1 lap of the back perimeter. Yikes! At the end, I was ready for a nap!

Clunky: Flip deserted me yesterday. And my loop, which I landed practically every time I tried it on Tues night, was very fickle yesterday. And I still can't get that alt back crossover to BO edge glide move to stay on pattern - I keep finishing each side short of the corner hockey circle.

NoVa: Thank goodness you're okay and it's nothing more than a bruise on the leg!!!

I have kept my promise to secrecy... but I'll tell 'ya... this is gonna be one big PRANK-FEST!!! Can't wait to see it all go down...

Clunky: My FI mohawks and my forward spins. Didn't want to try sit spins b/c the forward spins are CRAP!!!

Smooth:

• The ice
• My forward crossovers are better... we'll see what the coaches think when I'm back with them again. (Job hunt is going surprising well!)
• Nice and somewhat empty afternoon public session... I might as well enjoy while I can...

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

clunky: ugh my back 3's are killing me in skills but ohwell i just keep practicing them as well as the t-stops i hate them i cant even attempt them i just switch to my favourite stop.

smooth: o0o0 my flip loop combo its so perfect i get great speed going in and i even can feel myself pointing my toes in the air to get more height and then the loop is good and solid with a nice flowing exit very exciting lol.

clunkydance: for sum reason i couldn't get square to my coach during the 10 fox so of course ater the left mohawk i basically kicked my coach and he nearly fell but luckily didn't and then we worked on the willow for a bit and i kicked him again. he wouldnt even let me try the 14 step with him. heheeheh

smoothdance: had 3 very goood run throughs of the willow waltz (testing in a few weeks) good strong pushing and edges throughout!!

Emergency fix: "If you can't put it back, don't take it out," as one teacher rather vulgarly said when I took a group class on that dance! Don't try and extend on the cross-in-front, just lift your left foot off the ice like a chasse, but keep it tucked under. Then put it back down, and do extend your right leg in front.

I always have problems when Husband and Other Partner dance this - they do it much better than he and I do it, but one of them extends and the other doesn't (and I can't remember which), and it looks most peculiar! I must remember to check with Husband which we are to do.

NoVa, for heaven's sake man - remember your Green Cross Code next time! Glad you weren't badly hurt.

No, KatieC, no scratchy noises. A deep, beautiful edge noise is one thing, but a scratchy noise means that your toe-rake (or my toe-rake, let's be accurate here) is scraping along the ice. Sometimes working stuff in a silent rink can be most challenging and instructive!

Babeonblades: What's the secret with the Willow? If ever I scratched in a dance, I scratch in the Willow - how do I manage not to?

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Clunky: The first couple sessions on my new skates, and the blisters that formed when I decided I'd find out what skating barefoot was like. How I look in the mirror when practicing ballet.

Smooth: I haven't fell down on the new skates at all! And the toepicks are nicely out of the way. I can put weight onto the ball of my foot now properly. I've relearned nearly everything now...even got a couple back 3-turns in today (I got bored with stroking after a while and was naughty...no jumps or spin attempts though), but they need practice. Worked on some interesting body positions while holding a stable position on an edge for as long as possible. My muscles have responded to my stretching, I can now stand up with legs straight and place my palms on the floor!

It's been a good week.

You know, that's it exactly. I didn't figure it out until this morning and you diagnosed my dance dilemma over the internet! I'm trying to extend on the cross-in-front, to look nice and graceful and extension and all that, and it's just too much so I can't get the foot back and under me. Coach says forget about the extension (also less chance of kicking him) and just cross and glue my left to my right. I would fail the dance for the lunging thing, but it doesn't matter if I have good extension or not at this level. I'm going to tell him that saying though, he's full of twisty phrases too.

Everything was clunky.
Everything was crap to be blunt.
I was supposed to be having a half hour lesson, but my instructor forgot, and had plans to go and watch football, Liverpool Vs Manchester Utd. He said we'd work more on the actual skating, such a edges etc, and I couldn't control them for the life in me and I absoutley hated it. I don't think I was putting much effort into it anyway as I wasn't in the greatest of moods.

I hope his team loses!!!

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