What's in your stocking?

Sweets: had a nice practice tonight with partner. The throws were like flying, and the death spirals are going well.

coal: no skating till next week.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

This is for yesterday.

Sweet: Almost landed about 10 double toes!! One was really close and then I fell. I haven't been able to do them in weeks so I was happy with the attempts. Double sals are still an epic fail, all I do is two foot them. I did a couple of good axels. There's still practically no distance on them, but the takeoff and landing is clean now, at least.

Lump of coal: There a few spots in my new chorography I just can't get down. Hopefully she'll be open to tweaking them tonight!

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

sweets: I executed all of the freestyle elements for my part in the Christmas show number, along with my girls, one of which is flying~camel, who posts here too.

coal: that's it for me and freestyle elements until the baby is born. I'm at 17 1/2 weeks and while I still have plenty of oomph in my jumps, they are now becoming less about sureness of edge and position and more about cat-like reflexes to reach the ground in vertical position.

But the overwhelming deciding factor was my body's reaction to spins - I was showing off last week to a couple of the teen girls we skate with. They thought I looked so cute with my little bump and wondered how it affected my skating. I said outside of losing the lutz and camel, everything else was good, and thought I'd show off a sit spin. Bad move - my heart rate shot straight up and I was lightheaded and wobbly coming out. In the show, I did a scratch spin and pulled out pretty quickly as the same thing happened.

It's MIF for a month and a half until I kick myself off the ice. My mom, the anxious grandma to be, is pleased that I made this decision so early, and that I did it on my terms instead of being nagged off the ice.

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

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Congrats, Renatale!

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Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

Congratulations Renatele!!!!

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

Sweets: After many months away from the forum, I'm so pleased to be back. My skating was sporadic after April or so, and I had nothing to contribute to the conversation.* Now, however, my edges, jumps, spins -- everything -- are so much more solid and confident, and it all came back (and then some) in just six weeks or so of steady work. Also, I've totally relearned how to stroke.

Coal: My year-old skates still look new. If you ain't fallin', you ain't tryin'. So here's to plenty of leather scrapes and cuts in the new year.


*Plus you wouldn't believe what we've been through with the lovely greyhound we adopted in June. Compound fracture + surgery + $5,000 and counting = UGH!

YAAAAAAY, renatele!!! No more cross strokes!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

(unlike ME, who is STILL trying to figure out the back cross strokes, even thought they are only SLIGHTLY better than back in October. Speaking of which...)

Sweets:
Okay, I really shouldn't complain too much about those back cross strokes. Sure there's still not that much power going into it, but at least NOW I'm moving down the length of the rink and not slowing down to a grinding halt!!!

Lump of coals:
Forward cross strokes need practice!!! BADLY!!! Same with the CW forward crossovers too. And same with that footwork that I'm doing on my artistic program, though it's not as bad as it used to be now. There are glimpses of glory though where my bad side is almost as good as my good side on those on the stroking part. I'll conquer this!

Sweets:
I got back all of my jumps!!! Of course, the half axel thing doesn't count since I haven't GOTTEN it in the first place!!!

I had more glimpses of glory on those camel spins.

Lump of coals:
My sit spin! On the pressures of my last lesson with my NYC coach, I felt I had to get down my sit spin low enough that he will see that there is progress and he knows that I'm practicing what he assigned me. Well, I got down, but I can't seem to STAY down w/o going on my butt. I know. It's progress since last year I wouldn't even go down on my BUTT on this one. But there were some moments of glory here as well as I do get down to about 1 or 2 rev. on the "shoot the duck" position that I'm trying for.

All this happened on a much emptier morning public session. The mid-afternoon public session was a MOB SCENE!!! I did managed to get on though and skate.

Sweets:
Now why, oh why would I want to knowingly go into a mob scene of a public session, especially since I just skated on a quieter public session just a few hours before? Well... this should tell 'ya why!!! (If you're not on Facebook and you can't see this, lemme know and I'll put up a link on flickr or something...)

And yes, it was well worth!! I got to pass on my message from my NYC coach to him... and apparently he will be in NYC again on the 28th while I'm still visiting there. (I don't know if he's skating at CP again, NoVa... )

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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!!!

Thank you, all!

But... I rather LIKE cross-strokes, at least the backward ones!
LOL

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--renatele

But I HATE THEM!!! (Yeah, yeah!!! I should have known better than to say that since you SHOWED me your back cross strokes and I thought there were definitely passable then. I see from your blog that it was the 3's that you were most nervous about. That said, you did JUST FINE with those!!!

YAAAAAY!!! CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS!!! Definitely earned some rest now!!!

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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!!!

Lump of coal first: There was traffic everywhere so I missed 10 minutes of my 45 minute chorography lesson last night. I also managed to catch my pick and take one of those awful sprawling falls and I hit my left elbow, hip and knee. That one hurt. My knee is all scraped and bruised. And those falls are just emparrasing too.

Sweet: Finished my footwork sequence and she agreed to make some of easier since the spiral sequence is first anyways and that will be a higher level than the footwork. It's still tough footwork for me, though. Worked on the spiral sequence a bit to make sure it's changing edge in the exact right spot.

She also gave me a little skate ornament as a Christmas gift which I love. I wasn't sure whether or not to get her anything since we'd only been working together a few weeks so I didn't have anything for her. She said her birthday is in a couple weeks so I'll get her something for that.

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Ouch. Those falls are the worst

And I totally left your gift, which was going to go out in the mail today, at home on the kitchen table along with my coach's gift and my lunch when I ran out the door this morning. Grrgh.

Lump of coal:

Freakin stupid !@($#* axel. That's all we worked on today. Drill after drill after drill at 6am. Take off drills. Landing drills. Same awful, frustrating lesson we've had before. I know what I need to do, my body just does not do it and it's so incredibly frustrating. I hate his drills, I'm more scared doing it from a standstill or slow LFO lobe than "my way" of just going for it when he's not around (but obviously my way hasn't been working), and it feels like a stupid jump I almost had a few weeks ago has taken a huge step back. My coach is a saint for putting up with my frustration, I feel bad because it seems like he keeps having to tell me the same thing over and over and over again...at one point I looked at him (trying not to cry) and said "Chris, this is the point where I need you to remind me that a year ago I couldn't even do a back scratch spin or whatever other words of encouragement it takes to try to make me feel better." And he of course reminded me that now I do flying camels.

If only axels (and skating in general) were more like my "intellectual" pursuits. Law school? Piece of cake. Work? A breeze. A stupid jump that in reality is only 1.08x around in the air? Heck, I might as well be trying to climb Mount Everest, that would probably be easier for me.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Sweets: No skating today, but I got a reply from my coach about my music and I have competition music!!!! This actually happened backwards, as we usually pick music first then the dress.....but I saw the dress on ebay and I had to grab it quick!

So, it is Shakira's "Eyes Like Yours" in the instrumental version. Of course, it will be cut down to 1:30-1:40......

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Lump of Coal: We shut down last week until January.

Sweets: Got an email from the head coach this morning saying we nowo have ice next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday WAHOO!

(Guess I should email my coach and tell her she can't go to Jamaica next week 'cause I want a lesson LOL!)

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Lump of coal: Thrown jumps! It's not the jump so much as the 3-turn in Kilian hold first. Which I am finding impossible (where does the man go?)... so we have to practice that, not that we have any practice time before next lesson, as there is no skating this week.

Sweets: Pairs spin working better than ever. Most of the time....

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

Now that work is winding down and the freestyle sessions are emptier, I'm not only getting into the holiday spirit but I'm actually enjoying skating this week more than I have in awhile. . .

SWEETS
We got a 2-hour adult freestyle session on Sunday instead of just one hour, so I didn't feel rushed and uptight like I normally do (trying to practice everything and get a decent program run-through in in one hour is stressful for me). It has been awhile since I've had a chance to just play on the ice and I finally did, which was SOOOO nice! The best part was that I actually made some good headway on that LBO I-spiral I've only had the guts to try on the floor up to now! Other than chickening out of one axel takeoff (I get spooked on axel takeoffs whenever I see someone out of the corner of my eye), I also skated a clean program.
On this morning's 6:30am freestyle there were only 5 of us on the ice, which was lovely! I had my MIF lesson and also gave out my Christmas cards and gifts to my coaches, which put me in the holiday spirit.
Novice MIF quick rocker chocktaw end pattern was just fine CW and finally starting to get better CCW.

LUMPS OF COAL
The Novice MIF back rocker-chocktaw sequence down the length of the rink makes me feel like an idiot and I still sometimes exit wrong on the bracket-3-bracket pattern. I'm also working on the lutz from a bracket-3-bracket setup but it's hard to get outflow on the landing from that entry. I'll keep at it. . .

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Lumpy coal: Is it possible or probable that I pulled an abdominal muscle while working on the loop yesterday? It's on my right side - same side as my takeoff/landing leg. It hurts to breathe, laugh, sit up, or lie down. Yay.

Sweets: I'm 99% sure that I'm going to Adult Easterns! A real yay now!

Good to be back after a couple weeks hiatus! Overall not a bad session, but I didn't have my goals or to do list written out to follow, so basicly I improvised.


Sweets:
-All single jumps!
-My 'It's possible spin'...flying broken leg into sit into a back sit.
-My F!#@%in double salchow is getting better..and closer
-My scratch spins were surprisingly cooperating today!
-Didn't really fall today..had perhaps one when I was spinning, but nothing major.
-My back twizzly things were also behaving today
-Not to many people were on the ice..so thats always good.


Coal:
-My stupid axel..it just wasn't working today
-My camel could have been better..yet it wasn't horrific and I wasn't jumping out of it.
-I was having issues with my skates at the begining of the session and thus messed up my bracket pattern.
-Tried a double toe and ended up doing one of those things where you'd try to jump, but your feet dont really want to leave the ice.
-Not landing my F!@#%in double salchow even though I tried it like ten times..yet I realize what I do wrong...I dont really jump. Its more of a small leap which doesnt provide the air I need to get up and spin...though I have th rotation and idea of that jump...one of these days.
-Im down to my two last skating days until I have to give it up to go to Massage Therapy school...well I must make the best of it then.


I suppose thats it, maybe I Sat I'll have a written down list of 'To dos' so Im not going around and improvising. I mean it was fun, but I dont feel like I worked as hard as I normally do..despite the fact that I am sore.

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[i]Beauty May Be in the Eye of the Beholder
But passion is in the heart of a skater.[/I]

sweets - spirals are getting better, keeping my skating knee straight (i have to consciously think about "straighten the knee, straighten the knee!) when i get into the position ...even on the left leg, which is my weaker side. Toe loop and one foot spin are also improving and coach is pleased. she said the spin is okay, we are just on the fine tuning part now which is waaaaay past where i was a year and a half ago (yes it took me that long for the 1 foot spin!).

lump of coal - salchow wasn't cooperating last saturday...i am not getting the knee through and my free leg was kinda flailing around instead of keeping it straight and low to the ice during the three turn. change foot spin--well let's just say when it comes to the first change foot part, i just kinda sway around and nothing happens!

Sweets:
Have managed to learn 3 gold dances, V, arge, and quick. Will I remember them? Who knows!!

Skating is progressing slowly but surely, jumps are still missing and lacking height but they will show up eventually.

Manged back camel-front camel-back camel, just need a little more snap going to the front camel. This is not the step and recenter back to forward camel it is the stay in the same spot series of camels.

Continue working on choctaws and getting the to be deeper and trying to get them quicker. This could take a while. Sigh....

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Sweets
-Was jumping fairly well today through double flip.
-Moves are going well. I'm feeling ready for my test January 10th

Lump of Coal
-Skates were making my ankle bleed and I forgot my bunga pad. I got blood in my new boots But someone had a bunga pad that I was able to wear for the second half to the session.
-2lutzes weren't as solid as they usually are today.
-2axels are still stuck at about 1/4-1/3 of a turn short

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Youtube Videos

Oh you WONDERFUL people... it's great when people go to rescue organizations to help animals who would otherwise not have homes. There's a special place in heaven or whatever you believe may comes after this life for people who do what you're doing. I hope you and your "baby" have a long and happy life together!

In that case, please send some of your magic to the Bay Area.... because I'm with Jazzpants on this one... I hate back cross strokes.. I can maintain flow (for Adult Silver MIF) but now I need to gain power for the Juvenile test version. I promise to share them with Jazzpants!!! (all in the holiday spirit)

Oh and CONGRATULATIONS!!! on YOUR Juvenile Moves test!!! Feeling ready to take that test (not even necessarily passing it) is my goal for 2009!

Thanks!

Little confession: I used to absolutely hate the backward ones, they used to be dreadful... going nowhere, slowing down. What has changed it for me: lean. Lots of lean. Also, I don't know how you do them, but I've been taught to almost do a back power-pull at the end of BO edge before setting the free foot down.

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--renatele

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