Thread Title in honor of our US Adult Nationals-bound competitors. You're all Golden, regardless of how you place!

Gold: (American Museum of Natural History - see lower right corner of webpage: I'm worth over $1.7million!)
Even though I *think* there was a freestyle yesterday, I resisted the temptation to skate on Easter Sunday.
Instead, I exercised using some new 1lutz2klutz exercises (thank you!) and my new weight ball.
This thing is great - it's a squishy 3 lb. ball about the size of a softball that you can grip and lift in all directions.
I'm starting to get a good 15-minute routine going, including stretching. Repetition, repetition.

Pyrite: (Encyclopaedia Brittanica - Sparkly sparks, Batman!)
I overslept this morning, missing the freestyle entirely, and now my left side/back is pinched. Back to the Advil.

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Gold: Since I had the day off (Easter Monday) I decided to take in the 7 a.m. session and treat myself to “quiet ice” - it was QUIET - 2 other skaters and one coach. (I LOVE that session!)

I worked mostly on everything backwards; sculling, stroking, and edges, focusing on staying down in the knees and building up those muscles that don’t get used for much else. Backwards is picking up speed, getting better edges and better glides.

Pyrite: Nope, still none (except maybe the continued below normal temperatures). Well ok, the rink was bloody COLD and the ice was rough. I swear they must be keeping that ice at -20C - it's like CONCRETE!

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

My favourite kind! Our rink's always like that. Then I go to other rinks in the region and it messes with my jumps, cuz their ice is like butter compared to ours. But harder ice is nicer for jumps, although softer ice is nicer for spins.



All I'm doing is roller skating right now due to lack of ice. However, I did touch the back of my head in a bielman spiral attempt on roller skates today. With the wheels that is.

Let's start with the bad

Pyrite: I fell on my hand while practicing a layback spin. Not too swift. There also were a ton of people on my session. I guess I was just spoiled for the last 3 months, as we used to have 4:15-5:15 sessions that basically 3 or 4 other lower level skaters went on. So I didn't get to practice MITF as freely as I'd hoped.

Gold: I found the smoothest spot in the world doing my layback spin. It was an awesome feeling(right before I lost my balance and fell over). Waltz 8 was better, so that's good. My loop was amazing. I think it was because I tried going into it with a lot of speed. I still think I'm not jumping up, because when I do a loop-loop, with the 2nd loop I can tell I'm jumping up and not around. I just can't seem to translate that feeling to a loop by itself. Tips anyone?

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Oh my Gosh, I totally get what you mean about the loop - it's my favorite jump, too. I found that going with a lot of speed in the crossovers gains you soo much height. The feeling of the loop jump is amazing, I love it! As for tips, I've learned that you have to keep your arms really steady, your right shoulder behind you on the take off (for CW skaters), and lots, and lots of kneebend!

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The loop recently made it to my favourite jump too, ever since I started landing it from backward crossovers. The edge just rotates your skate and the rest of the body for you! At first I thought it was the heavyest jump now I think it's the lazyest LOL!

PYRITE: Getting out of the shower this morning, I kicked the shower door frame with my left foot, primarily the little toe..proceeded to break the little sucker plus ripping the nail off....going to be awhile before I can fit my foot into my skate..........This has got to be the stupidest thing I ever done...good thing I am not competing at Adult Nats!

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

DOH!!! Figureskates!!! I'm sorry!!!

Pyrite: Very tired legs... couldn't land my loop if I tried. Wanted so much to move my lesson towards the end of the week, but I need the ice time -- if nothing else, for the mental break from life.

Gold:
Well, I was doing this mohawk back crossover type of footwork and I'm supposed to push towards a certain spot. Originally the choreography had 2.5 sequence and then right into the salchow. Weeeeelllll... today I ended up just taking 1.5 sequence before making it to that spot where I'm supposed to do a salchow. Apparently I do have enough power to push thru my footwork to the point where I don't need the 2nd sequence to aim towards my jump spot!!!

We also worked on a new footwork sequence and Jay is playing around with it some. He now wants to put THAT into my program (instead of the previous one.) Hmmmm... let's see if he changes his mind next week. After all, a woman has the perogative to change her mind!!! (The hidden joke being that I'm referring to my primary coach as a "She.")

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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!!!

Pyrite: Although the bursitis in my right hip has gone down, now my left hip is starting to give me trouble The only good thing is that I don't feel it on the ice... only in everything else in my life!

Finally got a video of myself skating. Oh, boy. Now, I KNOW that I rush my entry into the waltz jump, don't stretch my legs enough in crossovers, and do some floofy thing with my hands that makes me look truly silly every time that I get frustrated!

Spins haven't been working for a few days now. I didn't even TRY those for the video.

Gold: All in all, I don't look bad when I skate, toe loops are kind-of... sort-of not rotating on the toepick, and although my spins are broken, the crossover entry into them is starting to flow-- now I just need to GET ONTO MY LEG!

And for all of my whining above, the video actually looked kind-of cool. Especially on the first viewing, when I didn't pay attention to any of my mistakes. It's nice to know that, in general, I look nice on the ice.

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

(((((Figureskates))))) Ouch! Hope you heal up fast!

PYRITE:
After taking the whole previous week off because of Passover and crowded public sessions due to school being out, I intended to get back on the ice today. Instead, DD called from Australia last night (this morning, really) at 1:30 AM and kept me on the phone until 3 AM. After that, I couldn't get to sleep until 6, so definitely no skating for me today. Then, on the way home from grocery shopping, the brakes started acting up, so we have to take the car in tomorrow morning and our mechanic just moved from 5 minutes away to 20 minutes away. I'm going to do my best to skate, but I can't count on it at this point.

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Pyrite:
-It's spring break this week and the rink was invaded by crazy preadolescent boys in hockey skates throwing rubber bouncy balls.
-Also had trouble finding the "pull" in the power pulls today.

Gold:
-Jumps again! Loop from mohawk & back edge was still there, and the flip is sooooo close to being landed neatly on one foot. Also got to start working on the lutz
-And spins! Worked on all kinds of different spins - camel (I actually got two whole revolutions!!), camel-sit, sit-change-sit, upright change foot.
-Back cross rolls felt good today. I think I'm sitting more in my knees, which makes them easier.

Morgail... you and I need to work together. I'm having trouble finding the "power" in power pulls! (yeah, yeah, I know, it's in my knees.. now how do I bend them deeper? )

((((Figureskates)))) Get well soon and take care of that toe.

I gave two 30m lessons during a session that was 90m long, so I ended up with a half-hour to myself. The session was empty since it's Easter break, so I had a whole corner to myself for spins and jumps.

Pyrite:
Fussed with the Loop a bit, but not in earnest.
Can't do anything RESEMBLING a Twizzle with my left foot. Really have to have a "Skate Left" day and work on all the things using that side.

Back scratch and back camel spins were fleeting, but correct. Just wish I could hold them longer for more revolutions.

Gold:
Managed a few weak Tango stops on/near the wall. Really hope this doesn't make its way into next month's Show program.
Also practiced forward cross rolls and cross strokes. One of our coaches from the Ukraine has been tutoring me on the difference after I admired one of his skaters' cross rolls.

Worked on backspin exits, which were okay and single-footed.

Good waltz and toe loop jumps. (Oddly enough, Bunny Hops and Ballet Jumps were good, too.)

I can do RFI and RBO Twizzles decently for one turn, two backwards. I love them!

Gold-Plated:
I did my off-ice workout with "all my twins and toys" tonight. We had fun stretching and exercising together!
The girls reorganized a corner of my bedroom to make room for the bands/weights' storage bag and balance ball.
Scariest part: laying on the floor doing leg lifts while the twins stood, wobbling on my bed above me while holding the hand weights. I think I might have rushed the leg lifts to get out of the "drop zone." LOL

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Pyrites: Although the rink wasn't crowded, it was busy (if that makes sense), and we often had to steer round people doing lutzes and stuff.

Coaches were rather late in, very apologetic - heavier traffic on the motorway than they'd expected. They are coming in later than usual this week, as their 7:00 lessons aren't happening because of school holidays, so of course there is more traffic, what do they expect?

Gold: Our lesson! We worked on the Swing Dance and the Fiesta Tango, and coach was actually fairly complimentary! Then as an exercise we did swing rolls in reverse Kilian hold, and finally got them working as the coach wanted them. I think when we stopped trying to take our shoulders and hips round, and did them contra-body, this helped enormously, and we must keep them like that in our tangos.

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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!

Gold:
I almost had one double toe loop! A nice, decent height (my coach says its fully rotated, but I could feel that toe pick in there so it might have disguised the landing(but definetly not more than 1/4 under... haha) and not on purpose though) And "landed" for a while before my free leg had to touch the ice too lol
oh well I got close to that one other time.

So yeah... here we go again with my annual ... will this be the year I finally land my double toe loop?

Flying camel was being a nice sport and let me attempt the flyingcamel-backsit-forwardupright-oppupright combo I'm wanting to practise for next year... eventually i'll add some variations and edge changes in there if possible. But hey for now, I wasn't even sure my flying camel would still be there after concentrating on flying sit for nationals. But it was being a dear lol.


Pyrite:
I hurt after falling so many times on the double toe attempts
(gives me incentive to land them next week huh...)

My shizuka change edge spiral is still miserable (aka S-L-O-W)... but ha! I have a whole year to practise that now

I managed a decent beilmann spin attempt two or three times before i decided to show my coach. And then I tried it three times and couldn't get my leg up!!! Ok I'll show him one day

Overall:
I'm glad to be on the ice after competition again with new goals and stuff

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~
Tidesong

We once had a whole thread on the topic of cross strokes vs cross rolls, and I believe our conclusion was that cross strokes is the US term for the same move that is known as cross rolls in the UK. What does the Ukrainian coach say the difference is?

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Pure Gold: Worked on all my backwards, up to (but not including cross-overs YET) and most everything was working and slowly improving, LBO being the weakest (but my left side is usually the weaker). Started working on back COE’s. No problem going from outside edge to inside but inside to outside doesn’t work worth ‘coon sh... heck.

In lesson my coach wanted me to try a spiral. Yup, they work - I can get the free leg WAY up and my nose WAY down near my ankle, on my right foot - nice "dying swan" Left foot? Nope, not anywhere near that far (yet).

Fool's Gold: In lesson we worked on BO edges and I managed to end up on my asssss... derriere. I can go though more gyrations in a fraction of a second on the way down! Why don’t I just FALL and get it over with LOL! One of the other coaches said “I see you have been out clubbing....” I looked puzzled. She added, “I have never seen you do that dance before.” Yea, yea, everybody’s a comedian

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

Sounds like a plan! It's always in the knees. I really think the answer to any skating problem is "bend your knees" (well, except for spirals...).

I'd really like to hear this too. My coach calls them cross rolls and she's not from the UK. I honestly thought they were the same thing - like swizzles/snowmen/all the other names for that move.

Pyrite:
Only two weeks to the Show and not one of my soloists has a decent program finished because they were all late with their music. Grrrrrr.

Had a half-hour of freestyle time unused because of a cancellation, but another student asked to extend her lesson. She really needed the time, so I gave up an impromptu practice. Tomorrow's lesson should be a mess. Sigh. Back to crossovers.

Gold:
My private student tonight landed a few more flips using yet another version of the running threes. I told her that I don't care at this point which ones she uses, as long as she lands the jump in the Show!

I "demonstrated" this section of her program in my direction and landed the flip on one foot, but it wasn't a good landing.

I nailed almost every spin, on both feet, in both directions. Very good night for spinning.

Footwork for this program is challenging, and I taught her a forward Choctaw without anyone being injured. Even the choreographer (me!) LOL

Chrome: Cross-Whatsits
One of this coach's students has the most gorgeous flow when executing this maneuver. I made him promise to teach me (in tiny little broken-english lessons here and there) how to imitate her cross-strokes. He corrected me, saying that the student was doing cross-rolls. "Is dance, not freestyle. Is different." was the explanation to my "What's the difference?" question. *shrug* (I'm so dance-phobic, you could use that explanation for anything with me and I'll back off.)

I'm not sure if he's 100% right, and there is a language (and ego) barrier, but here's the definition I think he gave me:

Cross-strokes are done by bringing the free foot across to the inside of your skating foot and stepping down onto the FO edge of the free foot. This I can do rather clunkily. (Much prettier if I sink down into my knees/edges.) Many of the skaters do this beautifully, pushing off the skating foot's outside edge. Others "jump" onto the free foot's outside edge. Practice, practice.

Cross-rolls are done by bringing the free foot in front of (not across) the skating foot and stepping onto an INSIDE edge of the free foot. You then immediately execute a power pull to shift onto the former free foot's outside edge.

The differences are 1) the position of the "step down" and 2) the initial edge used.

I don't know if what he's taught me is right, but it sure is fun and challenging to do his Cross-rolls. My Cross-strokes have gotten better as well - I guess they're jealous. (Or, I'm actually using the skating foot to PUSH for a change.)

I looked at that old thread you mentioned, DBNY. Am I right in thinking that the conclusion of it has absolutely no relationship to this new theory? Ask a hundred people, get a hundred answers. As I said, I still like 'em and they're fun!

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Isk8NYC, I think the difference that was explained to you is more of the difference between cross-steps and cross-strokes in FS (ie put the foot over, or do it progressive-style, but switch to FO edge right away). Cross-strokes in MITF are expected to be executed the cross-roll style by his definition.

That's my understanding of all those things, anyway.

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--renatele

He was an ice dancer in his youth, and he didn't mention MITF at all, so I'll stick with my translation. I'm not testifying that he's right, I'm just repeating what I've learned from him.

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Gold: Two lessons today, the first with Coach2, choreographing our free dance. She approves of our "maneouvre to lose speed" ("Although you'd better not call it that!"), but as I can't bend as low as the Husband, I am to look as though I'm standing tall on purpose!

We seem to have it choreographed as far as the end of the step sequence; a bit of hard work on Friday should have it ready for her to help us choreograph the end of it on Sunday.

Went through three of the compulsory dances in our practice. Canasta pretty good now.

Pyrites: Did a pretty dire Swing Dance and as for the Willow - well, how am I supposed to do the 3-turn in the right place when my partner isn't in the right place, please?

Solo lesson was okay; did the two Level 3 moves I can do, and then worked on back edges, both inside and outside. Insides okay, but my weight is too far forward on my outsides, and even an exercise designed to help correct this didn't. If I bend my knees, my weight comes forward. It does when I squat down at home to get something out of the cupboard, too. I suppose the great skaters have years of pliés in ballet....

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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!

Maybe turning to gold....

Though my toe is a lovely shade of black and blue, the swelling has gone down quite a bit and the pain has greatly diminished....ssoooooo, this afternoon I am going to see if I can put said toe and foot into said figure skate...

I am blessed with an extremely high pain threshold...I didn't need pain killers after knee surgery many years back and had a bad case of shingles last year but not bad enough to require painkillers.....

Am I obsessed or what?????

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

If I be a good girl and finish all my homework, I can skate tonight.

Want a laugh?->
Gold then Pyrite:
first I pulled my groin in hiphop class (when I do it hits more FlailFlop class)monday having too much fun. Yesterday skated 2 hr, had my lesson, hobbling a bit and THEN the College young lady I've been skating with some wants me to help her with some pairs stuff - she's auditioning to be for a new pairs partner to get back into pairs but is a lefty and needs to learn to do things CCW. So we are flying around the rink (She skates fast ALL THE TIME!) working on death spirals and some pairs camels and we are throwing each other around, spending way too much time spinning around on my back across the ice. Well I hobble off and coach asks "what are you doing!?" So I answer "I'm not dead yet!"

I can hardly walk today but boy that was fun!
Lyle