Not Cautious Enough? Beats me!!! Was pushing some backwards, deep in the knees - nothing I haven't done a zillion times in the past month - and got a pain in my left ankle, inside, between the Achilles tendon and the bone - quite sharp. Came off the ice and couldn't stand on my left foot This is not good! The left ankle is about the only thing that hasn't caused me any pain in the last month! It isn't too bad now - I can walk but with a limp. Will see my physiotherapist after lunch. Gotta be back on the ice tomorrow - got choreography to finish for a new program that will be competed at the end of November.

Getting old sucks!!!! (But not half as much as the alternative!)

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

Brave: I taped my program this morning! Wow... I have really crappy arms! Anyways, I'm posting it on youtube and will leave a link here, so please comment! Any tips or ovservationss are greatly appreciated!!!

Cautious: My spins... They just weren't really working this morning. I didn't do that many because I had limited ice time, but they definately need work!

Brave: I managed an axel today at the end of practice. It didn't feel that pretty, but I landed it.

Cautious: I skipped most of my moves. I did do cross-strokes, but that was it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHiC6B02AY

Brave: Penultimate couples' lesson before competition so ran through everything in skate order. Was exhausted after! Most things are as good as they're going to get, I think, but one or two minor corrections.

In solo lesson, worked on spins, 3-turns and back edges. My RFO 3 works better than my LFO3 because I have more control of my R knee, I discover.

Cautious: Back edges just fine with a partner, but hopeless solo. I can't get my weight far enough back over my skate. Sigh.

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

Nice job! Your flow and speed are really strong.

I don't think your arms are "really crappy" as you put it by any means; however, I'd suggest that you work on holding your landing positions to really finish off your jumps. Extend the free leg more and don't drop the hip.

Yep, I agree with all of the above! You have nice jumps, and I thought you did a good job on the sal-loop-loop landing. Just try to hold the landing of each of the other jumps for a count of two and it will really show them off to the judges.
As for your arms, you might want to experiment with trying to separate your arms from your shoulders. Not literally, of course, LOL. I just mean trusting that it's really your *shoulders* that need to stay squared and controlled, and as long as your shoulders are in the right place, you can relax and soften your arms, bend them and move them as much as you want. KWIM?

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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

Thanks for the comments. I think I see what you mean about the shoulders vs. and arms. ANd while my arms aren't horrible, it's the one thing that visible lacks polish when I look at it...

The observation about my landing hip is great too. I always forget about it!

BRAVO! Good news - not a sprain but tendinitis - back on the ice tomorrow. (Never knew tendinitis could happen suddenly .... apparently it can!)

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

Glad to hear that you will be back on the ice. I hope you have better luck with the tendonitis then me- I've been battling it in my feet for 14 years (and now I have it in my knees too), and I'd take the sprain any day!

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

CAUTIOUS: First lesson with new MIF/dance coach. She says, "Let's start with something simple" (I am working on Adult Gold MIF). So we pick power x-overs. Hit a toepick on the speed-up/fast part, and PLASTERED myself onto the ice. Thought i had truly broken my back; heard it crack as l landed in a weird way. Turns out, the wind was knocked out of me, but i have MONSTER bruise on one hip, a black (not much blue!) finger, and a stiff neck and bruised knee.

BRAVE (or whatever the 2nd choice was

Went back to the ice today, and did power crossovers, albeit slowly, to be sure, i'll keep the posture UP an think it through more. Did a layback despite the stiff neck! Anything after that was daring and brave i think, b/c it scared me to death!

Ughhh I took a similar fall a few months ago, also on crossovers. Glad to hear you are (relatively) OK!

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Youtube Videos

I had a similar fall on crossovers a few years back! Banged up my knees. Couldn't bend my knees (never mind skate) for about 3 weeks. Not fun....

I had two lessons today. One with my choreographer and one with my secondary coach. Choreographer was first and then secondary coach.

Cautious:

• Choreography runthrus are a bit shaky again, mainly b/c I couldn't stretch out my choreography to the point where I can get enough "rink coverage." Did some adjustments today and we'll see if it works.
• Lutz attempts. Of course, this is towards the end of the lessons I had with secondary coach. That's b/c....

Brave:
My secondary coach gave me some EVILLE loop-loop exercises. First it was loop, then loop-loop, then loop-loop-loop. By the time I was doing loop-loop-loop-loop, I was starting to get a small crowd of people in the FS session watching my torture session that is my lesson. I actually managed to get one loop-loop-loop-loop-loop!!! Kinda ugly, but I landed them clean!!! You better believe there was cheering. Of course, the crowd disappeared when I was tired from trying for loop-loop-loop-loop-loop-loop!!!

I'm telling 'ya... my secondary coach is PSYCHO!!!

I also got to FINALLY meet my skating school director's "wife." She's in town for ISI Adult Champs to compete in about 13 events (and with a recovering tibula FRACTURE to boot too!!! ) Nice gal!!! A bit out there but that's part of her charm.... I like her just the way she is!!!

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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!!!

At camp, we were doing loop contests (for the control and knee timing). A few of us got up in the 20s. It was exhausting! But it really is a good exercise, I promise.

Cautious
Well actually, for me, this is pretty brave. I actually *gasp* took the day off to rest my injury! Shocking, right? Well, I still went in to teach, but I rescheduled my lesson for friday. My hamstring is a total mess. It's really bad. I've found an Active Release Therapist (I believe that's what Herniated is always recommending) and hope to get a sports massage soon. I don't have time to be this injured!

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Youtube Videos

Jazz that is SO COOL about all of those loops!!!! Congrats!!

Appropriately-named thread this week for my stuff -

Brave: YAY today I did a camel-sit-backspin (no backsit) that wasn't bad at all! My coach said it was better than I thought, which was cool. I was also able to look up rather than down at the ice and skated more with the music today.

Cautious: Me! Overly so! Today I fell a bit into 'adult skater make sure you get out of everybody's way' syndrome. Yeah not good as the FS was pretty crowded and I was too cautious, which seriously drove my coach up the wall and prevented me from repeating that spin combo on the next four attempts. So not good. Also was cautious doing a loop at fast speed, but I just have to have it set up. I don't often get to practice them that fast so I have to find a way to get to more freestyle sessions vs. publics.

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Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Brave - me working on loop and flip - not that I landed either of them, but I'm trying! We worked some more on my loop approach and I've almost got it. A couple more practice sessions and I think I'll have it. He only started me today on the flip. I've got loads of hang time on the half flip, so it's just a matter of convincing myself to go all the way around and land on the right foot instead of left

Cautious - it was a jumpy morning, not a spinny one. the pretty spins dbny saw did not appear for coach in my lesson. I did get a couple of good notes to work with that helped though, so onwards we go.

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It's all about the dress!

Brave: The ankle did fine this morning, no problem ..... now the other one is sore! Skating after 55 is like taking the old family car out drag racing - you are sure as heck going to find out what's weak or worn!

Cautious: Wish I had been a little more energetic today!

Brave: We did get the next segment of the choreography worked out, made a few changes to the first part, and the program is really starting to "flow". Coach said it looks good and it feels good skating it.

Cautious: I was a bad girl and snapped at my coach this morning. Her heart is in the right place but sometimes I am just not in the mood to be pushed. Sorry Mel!

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

In general, I am in a funk about my skating. I'm royally annoyed at myself for nut having the guts to just DO it. There's nothing wrong with anything I'm doing, but because I'm doing it with no guts, nothing is right. If that makes sense.

So I was in a poopy mood going into synchro last night. And then I got impatient, LOL!

Brave: For some unkown reason I was skating fast last night and, because of my poopy mood, I apparently felt the need to address it in every formation (our poor coach). As in "I don't know why I'm running up the back of the person in front of me in the spiral." Answer: I'm pushing into the spiral and the head of the line isn't. And, "Why am I tripping over myself in the block?" Answer: I'm wanting to push on chasses and not everyone else is. So I guess I was just plain pushy last night. I can honestly say that I am nowhere near the fastest skater on the team, but I'm feeling restrained in several spots: the traveling circle (I know I'm in the center, so I can't skate fast because it's not fair to the rest of my line, nor the other ends of the pinwheel, but TRAVEL, dang it!), the spiral line (how do you slow a forward spiral? I'm NOT going to scrape my toepick as that's a recipe for a fall), the spiral line after it turns (again, not scraping a toepick), the straightline footwork (why do the lunges always = slower skating?), and the first part of the block footwork (push on the chasses, grrr!).

Oh, and I am actually capable of doing all of the footwork. I need to work on the step-cross after my bad mohawk and the toepick runs added last night so that I can do them as fast as we're skating, but I'm super-close on both. Yay!

Who knows, maybe pissy = power for me...

Hope you're better soon. Skating with tendinitis is tricky. You can't push too far. Make sure to ice after skating and then heat and stretch. I hope you're injury free for Adult Canadians.

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"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

Cautious: I was cautious about making my upper back worse so I didn't do some elements.

Brave: But I was brave in the attempt of just getting out on the ice at all since the day before I couldn't move at all I hurt so bad. I couldn't even move my neck from left to right or up and down with out a lot of pain.

Anyway, to give everyone a little smile head over to my Facebook page and read my note.

http://www.new.facebook.com/note.php...id=38697363635

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"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

I will be there, even if it's in a body cast!

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

Cautious
My entire program run-through this morning. Not only was the session crowded with panicking pre-Regionals skaters, but I noticed my right boot was a little loose just as I was being called out skate my program. The result: 3 aborted elements due to traffic, plus one skipped axel and three messed up jump passes because of my boot. Ugh.

Brave
Earned a few karma points for giving up my lesson with secondary coach so she could spend some extra time with a kid who's heading into her first Regionals this weekend. She later brought the girl over to introduce me and thank me, which was really sweet. Then, as I was getting off the ice, the coach of one of the kids who got in my way brought the little boy up to me to apologize, which was also very sweet. If only all coaches taught their students such nice skating etiquette as these two do!

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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

Ah, THAT explains this morning's freestyle session...I knew something was in the air - SE regionals are 10/14.

ooh, next week's lesson is going to be a madhouse

__________________
Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Brave: Did some dance today for the first time since June--thanx happyskates!
Trying lots of loops--about one in every three is more or less clean--haven't been able to have a freestyle lesson in 3 weeks (since the one where I did my first loop) so I don't feel too bad!
Prez of my son's hockey league cornered husband last night and wanted to know if I would teach power skating. Going from not being allowed on the ice to that in two years makes me feel like I'm busting the glass ceiling!!!!

Cautious: Had to restrain myself when the only rink currently open suddenly posted a big "figure skaters--no jumping or spinning" sign at the door to the ice, forbidding us to practice on public skating ice. I was unrestrained enough so that they sent the new guy out to talk to me and the eventual result is that we can do whatever we want on public skating ice so long as it's not busy (since we're the only ones there M-F this is most of the time). Sheesh. Like it's not a safety issue when kids throw themselves on the ice facedown and slide as far as they can when 60 people are on the ice?????

I HATE SILVER MOVES.
The people who picked the ones for adults are cruel.

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Cautious: I got in only 1/2 hour skating practice when a fellow adult skater (& dear friend) fell off the back of her blades and hit her head. I didn't see it happen, but her coach did.

She was obviously suffering from a concussion, so rink staff called the squad to take her to the hospital.

Since she lives alone, a number of the adults at the rink pitched in to take care of her dog this evening, to take her car home, and to accompany her to the hospital (which I did). At the hospital, the nurse said that she'd be there a few hours while they do x-rays, etc. and that I should go home and wait for a call from the hospital later this evening.

I'm proud of the rink parents, fellow skaters, and rink management because of the way everyone pitched in to help.

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Bill Schneider

That's great that everyone helped out. The same thing happened when I broke my ankle, with the biggest accolades due my rockstar coach, who stayed with me in the hospital for hours. And plenty of fellow adult skaters (and some coaches) visited me over the weeks I was laid up, helping me with food, laundry, and taking care of my cats. They were all awesome! And I will be forever grateful.

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August 22, back on the ice!

Brave: Got the axel back to where it was in August (before I stopped working on them to focus on a competition, test sessions, etc)....actually they're better because of the off-ice work I've been putting in at the gym. They're up, they're rotated, just gotta quit two-footing or touching down on the landing. Need to drive the knee up more to get the height to give myself enough time in the air to get the R foot down and L foot out of the way. I was going into them with much more speed and the takeoff feels pretty comfortable now. Maybe tomorrow will be the day!

Had my first actual lesson on the Blues today. Worked with my coach to fix the choctaw, so far so good, the partnering will get more comfortable with some more work. Hopefully I can knock this one off soon since I already have a pretty good solo and it's one of my favorite dances. If I can pass it by January, it means I will be able to compete it at ANs instead of the horrid, stupid "silver tango of death"! (I'd rather do the Viennese than the silver tango...am I sick in the head? Don't really mind partnering the thango much, but I HATE soloing it.)

Spins were actually also pretty good today, did two really nice laybacks with fast rotation. Didn't spend a whole lot of time on spins but also cranked out a decent camel-sit and a pretty good back camel (got almost 5 revs!). One of my goals is to get more height on my jumps (been doing a lot of work off-ice to help that) and did a few nice, high but controlled loops, flips, toe-half loop-sals, and sals.

Cautious: Lutzes. Working with my coach on my takeoff so as not to flutz...made some changes which right now feel really darn awkward but once I work that out they'll be much better.

Annnnnd they hiked up our ice rate (so $11 now for an hour session, $20 for a 2 hr session.....it was $10 and $18). I know that's not by a lot, but in light of everything else going up, it's still annoying. Although they used to not let us do half hour increments, it was either 1 hour or 2. Now they will let us do half hour increments, which helps me a lot. I guess that's a decent trade-off. An hour before work isn't always enough for me to get in everything I want to work on. However, I usually don't have enough time to get in 2 hrs before I have to be at work.

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