Your coach might shoot me for suggesting this, but there's a nice little cheat I use on the backspin when I don't have enough control on the RBO exit. I just bring the left foot all the way down (still crossed over right), then step down onto my LBI edge and exit on the LBI edge instead, pushing off onto the RBO edge afterwards.

Ha HA!!! My primary coach wants me to do exactly this actually!!!

__________________
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!!!

Yeah, that's what I end up doing when I mess up on the exit. But is that allowed in the test? In my neck of the woods, I've been under the impression that the judges expect an exit on the spinning foot. Maybe Jenlyon or Ellyn could chime in here?

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

Sweltering Heat Something weird going on with my left knee today! On forward stroking, at maximum extension, just as my foot comes off the ice and the force goes from compression to tension, there was a mild pain, just like when you “pop” a joint. Absolutely no problem with anything else, so I avoided forward stroking with my left foot - which made me look kind of funny going down the ice riding on my left foot and pushing only with my right! Oh yes, and I was my coach's only skater this afternoon so I had her undivided attention for 45 minutes of each hour - oh joy!

Cool Breezes The ice was in better condition today and I could actually do a deep edge without shaving the ice! It was a good day for everything coming together. Backward outside edges were coming nicely, insides were so-so, and backward stroking was really starting to strengthen. My coach said she could see I was much more comfortable as I no longer needed to use my arms to balance on the backward stroking and glides.

In the second hour, I suggested turns - since I know my coach has been chomping at the bit to get me into 3-Turns! - so we worked on 3-Turns and ended up with the beginnings of Mohawks.

. . . not bad for an old broad . . .

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

Sweltering Heat:

-Yet more bruises to add to my collection today. . . what IS it with me? Born on a Tuesday, yet strangely lacking in grace (especially when I forget to look up and pull up my ribcage).
-DH is balking at the idea of getting up early (8 isn't that early is it?) so that I can catch the early early session once a week (he'd need to get dh to preschool). . . I understand, he's a night owl, but once a week?? please, honey, please??

Cool Breezes:
-Learned in earnest how to do consecutive BO edges today, real, true outside half circles. Okay, I *was taught* how to do them. I had a few decent half circles and a lot of crummy ones. Anyway, they were surprisingly satisfying--felt like figures.

Rusty, I hope your knee feels better!

My loop lesson had me turning the RFI3 and getting the free leg in front, and spinning, all starting from a standstill. Then, it was repeated with actually jumping the loop. While my loop is not back to where it was, it got better than what I had been contending with all summer.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Nice empty session today for practice and then my lesson, so it was pretty much all Cool Breezes:

The new program is pretty much done and some of it is actually beginning to feel okay. We worked at length on the footwork today and I did it twice to the music and kept up pretty well! Must mean it's too easy, but we'll see... Also the beginning is coming along and I can skate that pretty much to the music, too. Only a couple of terrifying parts. Of course, we haven't put the jumps into the runthroughs yet, so we'll see what happens. And my salchow has returned from its journey to parts unknown, so that was nice, too. And I am getting the hang of spinning with my arms out, which my coach seems to think will go with the choreography and we'll see about that, too!

So it was a good day in spite of the indigestion I've had all day!

Happy skating to everyone!
Pat

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August 22, back on the ice!

I hope everyone who has been under poor health returns robustly!!!!!

I haven't been skating lately...just can't seem to get to the rink and we only have one week before the kids start school (yay!) so maybe Sunday. But I will say it's been

Cool Breezes: as I've been visiting with a massage therapist for my upper back (auto accident) and leg (problem hip). After talking with him (and getting a great deep-tissue work-out) he suggested we also incorporate myofascial something...He says he can do something to loosen up the tendons that hold the femur in place which will stretch it all out, then help re-align with less pain. I'm willing to give it a try. He did say my stretching has worked great so far (did some range of motion and it has improved).

Sweltering Heat: the waiting for my new skates is driving me crazy!!!! I know it will take a while but I hate waiting!!! I don't think I will get them in time to break in for Halloween....Even if I got them at the beginning of September I don't think 2 months is enough time. Oh well.

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

I don't skate (dd does) and this is a little OT, but i just want to say


SWELTERING HEAT!!!!!!!!!

Absolutely no cool breezes around......................


I am done with the 104 in Dallas! No relief in sight! My head is baking!
Although I thank God everytime we walk into the rink that my kids don't play softball!

Spa Mama

Rusty: Sorry about the pop! eeek. But wanted to say...once you learn 3 turns they start putting them everywhere! giggle. beware. You are well on your way to the Adult Nationals now!

SpaMama: I hear you! I think I am dying! Trying to clear schedule at work to at least get a small ice session in tomorrow. Usually it is just that I like to get the additional skate time, but this time it is to have a bit of time to not feel like I am melting! The temp of my pool water is 98 degrees! ick!

Sweltering Heat:
My legs and buns are aching terribly from yesterdays off ice training. I could hardly do anything during todays practice session. I was completely unfocused today.

Cool Breezes:
For DallasSkater and SpaMama, you are welcome to come visit anytime! In the northwest it was 76 and partly cloudy today. My favorite kind of weather.

First rule of skating: whenever you are approaching a BIG event (test/first lesson in a long time or with a new coach/competition) all your elements will "play shy" and hide.

Actually my coach has a real theory about this.. you start thinking about how important this big event is.. and you stiffen up.. and that changes your timing.. so everything is different than how you practiced it.. so you have a harder time with things.

Try telling yourself you've done these things 100 or 1000 or 10000 times.. and you can still do them, then just go do them the way you normally do. Just because someone is watching or you're wearing rhinestones on a dress or your hair is up and you have extra make-up on doesn't mean the jump/spin/footwork is different -- if you don't do anything differently than what you do it practice.

OK, enough theory.. now if I could just DO the backspin in the first place!!! Could I borrow yours while it's on vacation.. so I can see what a backspin really feels like? Then maybe I could replicate it on my own!

Skated a really long public session today. Usually I don't stay more than an hour, but I stuck around today.

Snuck in a program run through at the very beginning. Fell out of sit spin and had to redo end of program due to traffic, but no biggie. I don't think I'll do that on my test and that's what a reskate is for after all!

Spent the majority of the time working on silver 3 turns. Only one set (forward and backward turns). I did all four varieties dozens of times. Really hard, focused basic work. Not very high on energy usage but high on self discipline not to just move on and have some fun. They really got better. Even the dreaded LBO 3 turn. I was able to do it by the end of the session. All the others as well. Axis still needs more work but I can do them all. Want to be able to show Moves coach next Tuesday that I CAN do these.

Well, got back from sunny 'Vegas yesterday. First time on the ice for a couple of weeks this eveing...

Cool breezes
- skated for 1 hour and foot is not hurting!
- I've got most of my jumps back: Waltz jumps acctually had some height, salchow consistent, managed a few decent two loops, landed about 6 loops - not a great running edge but full rotation
- upright spin pretty good - well centred

Sweltering heat
- flip has totally gone. About a month ago I was just about landing maybe 3-4 per session. Now I'm not even close, it's TOTALLY gone
- I'm losing my sit spin again. I was getting it consistent before, even though not very low. This evening it was all over the place (literally!)
- oh yeah, and how could I forget to mention - BL***Y SHOOT THE DUCK!
I'm still not even close! What's even more sickening is our mintypoppet has a PERFECT shoot the duck...

Shoot the duck? I feel like shooting something lol!

S xxx

__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Sweltering Heat:

• Ice is crap. It's dry and slushy today. I tried doing the drill that secondary coach gave me and I literally felt like my blade was stuck to the ice!!! (Yes, the ditch is still there too!!!)
• Could not do the loop to save my life. I really need some time to play around with some of those drills from yesterday before trying it again and this drill is awful to do on dry slushy ice!!!

Cool breeze:
Waltz, Waltz-toe, Toe loop, Salchow is fine...

__________________
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!!!

Only one thing worse than dry slushy ice, and that's wet ice. I find dry, slushy ice a nightmare for spinning, and hate wet ice for jumping, because I get scared of falling over.

S xxx

__________________
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

[Cool Breezes:
For DallasSkater and SpaMama, you are welcome to come visit anytime! In the northwest it was 76 and partly cloudy today. My favorite kind of weather. [/QUOTE]


Thanks, Dallasskater and I just might take you up on that! I am not kidding - it just seems relentless! it was what, 95 degrees at 10pm last night? 30plus days over 100 is a bit much! Today when we walked into the lobby I was half tempted to do a swan dive onto the ice myself...............

Spa Mama

Sk8pdx: another 104 today. Cannot even imagine what 76 feels like anymore! But it does sound nice. You are so lucky right now! But I understand that you guys get rain 150 days a year so I will have opportunity to tease you later!

Cool Beezes: I got to skate for about 2 hours today! Since school just went back into session, I had the ice with only about 3 others for most of that time! Public ice no less! Was able to work on everything for my lesson tomorrow uninterrupted! I was mostly improved in my crossover into a spin which I have struggled with for several weeks now. One footed seems to be trying to center a bit more in several attempts. Two footed from back cross overs are now there more than not and fully centered! Finally!

Had a few better height waltz jumps and half flips by the middle of this practice too!

Sweltering Heat: I am really growing tired of the axis with outside 3 turn. I have to place a foot down to change edges too many times and it is frustrating me to no end. I tried to have my coach show me what was wrong as I have no problems with 3 turns but when I do this on the semi circle it is like I cannot successfully move outside to inside 50% of time. She did a try this, try that with a bunch of things but it has not helped. My inside to outside were harder on the axis only when I learned but doing great now. I am not always able to turn exactly on the half though. I think I have done these a million times and they now bore me to tears! I know they are important so I will keep trying.

Jazz: so sorry about your ice situation. That sounds so tough especially for your level of ability! I cannot imagine a ditch even for my level.

Sweltering Heat: It was THE LAST DAY of Winnipeg Summer Skating School!

Cool breeze: I took a couple of boxes of chocolates in today for all the coaches and a little gift for my summer coach.

Left knee was fine today. We did a bit of everything in the first hour and lots of backward stroking. In the second hour we did mostly 3 turns, enough to know my right 3-turns are going to be better than my left, both inside and outside 3's. A bit more practice and I might be able to do 3's without putting my free foot down. We finished up the second hour on Mohawks - ok, LOTS of practice needed there to!

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Jocelyn for a wonderful summer season. There were lots of laughs and giggles, a few scary moments, and a very productive summer. All the best Sweetie - you

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

Spa Mama: no swan diving until you at least waddle on the ice in beautiful blue boots! giggle. I must have missed you there today! Are you signing up for LTS this semester? Feel the pressure? lol It is such a relief to get on the ice right now after even walking from the parking lot!

Well, FWIW, that's how I exited my backspin when I passed the backspin requirement on my Bronze FS test, as well as the combination spin on my Silver FS test and combination spin on my Gold FS test (I even managed to win Nationals at Silver with that exit, LOL!). Come to think of it, I've never exited a backspin on the spinning foot in any test or competition!

Sweltering Heat: My back cross cuts were horrible! It is physically impossible to do these wretched things - you have to put your foot down in front of you, on an outside edge, with your knees bent, and keep your hips forward and your shoulders back! I get about half way down the rink like that and then I find I've lost the posture and grind to a halt. On the positive side, they are better than they were - if I could do a reliable length of them as they are now, I'd be pleased. As it was, ended up cross and backachey.

I cannot do the length of the rink in four pushes when stroking backwards. Mind you, nor can't the Husband (oh good!), but, rather alarmingly, we don't seem able to do it in waltz hold when we do our chasses & swing rolls in our warm-up. I'm sure we could if we set our minds to it!

Start of our step sequence was pretty dire, too - we found out we simply were not able to do swing rolls in foxtrot hold. Substituting cross-roll swings works a lot better! But we ran out of time before we could run through the thing to the music - we have to compete it in a fortnight, and I don't think we've done it to the music once since the end of June! Help!

Cool breezes: Back cross-rolls do seem to be coming along, though. I know I'm not holding them quite as long as I should, but they do appear to be improving. I think.

We did a reasonably reasonable Fiesta Tango, and a Dutch Waltz which we realised we needed to take to pieces and do a step-by-step of the bit in the bottom right hand-corner, but once we'd done that, it was fine. It was basically about getting the LFO/RFI run in the right place on the lobe; once we had that, the rest followed.

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

If that's the corner I think it is (the quick run to the long barrier after the 2 SRs?), then we were having a problem at the same place. Unless we finished that run pretty much perpendicular to the long axis, we would run out of room across the end. But if we got the curve of the run right, I ended up ahead of hubby and he had no hope of coming around the end. Turned out I was trying to push to the barrier, when I needed almost to push right at DH and he had to curve hard to the barrier, bringing me with him.

Swan dive? or Belly flop? ....hmmmm maybe we could use that for next weeks lessons and practices theme.

yeah, that is why our gardens are so lush and green and colorful -- Even in the summertime. Plus the drinking water here doesn't taste like moldy dirty grass.

Also we have the mountains and the coastline as points of reference other than the big tall "Pickle" building in Downtown Dallas. I don't mind the rain at all. It comes down in a small drizzle or a mist on most occasions (in fact, we know you are visiting if you are using an umbrella). instead of bucket loads like it does in the South.