In honor of the upcoming holidays and those who believe in old St. Nick (who knows if you've been nasty or nice....)

Nasty: I've been learning back cross-cuts with my primary coach. Am starting to get the hang of them, edge-wise, but definitely not getting the push I need to make them keep going after I run out of umph from the intro steps. Mostly because I'm not keeping enough weight on the "back" foot and skating hip and then transitioning my weight to the new skating foot too soon.

Nice: Worked on my 3-turn check with secondary coach today. The check is definitely improving... and ALL of the turns were smack at top of lobe. So we took them off the line and now my homework is to gradually start doing the turns with an entry stroke or 2, to increase my comfort zone and flow. The more I work on them, the more I realize how much MORE there is to doing a nice turn. Today she had me doing the 3-turns with my free foot crossed behind (so that back of skating ankle and front of free foot ankle were touching and outside front of free foot boot was touching inside heel of skating foot boot). Coincidentally, the lady has to do this very version of 3-turns in the beginning of the Midnight Blues.

In my other lesson, besides the dreaded cross-cuts, we were working on back cross-rolls. Which felt REALLY REALLY nice today. Everything felt together, from the head movement timing to the shoulders to the placement of the "soon to be skating foot." I felt like I was starting to get a bit of a nice dance lilt in my timing of the drill.

Ended the lesson working on keeping my weight more strongly on my back foot in back crossovers in both directions....to increase the power of my "under-push."

Nasty: ouch - fell on a double sal kind of sideways on the right hip.
Nice: had great improvment on camels - I have problems because my hips are very open and I flop over. My coach decided to show me the proper arm position for a layover on the back camel.

Nasty: Still suffering from a sore back. My once-great camel is now weak, my flying camel has flown away, and I still cannot do change spins because they pinch something in my lower back. Lifting Loops yesterday was quite a challenge (more than she thinks, that's for sure). Our loop lift was on the verge of comical. Yet they hurt a little, so maybe dramedy is the best word. Maybe I'm not as strong as I was a month ago?

Nice: Loops and I blocked our holiday program. Surprisingly, I was the one who remembered the choreography (she's supposed to be the brains in this team!!! ). We managed side-by-side camel spins where our clasped hands are outstretched toward our lower backs--very Angela Nikodinov. The fact that the spins were pretty in sync was a pleasant surprise. We also did a platter lift off ice and a few OK axel lifts on ice. We hadn't done these in weeks. I'm also getting my flexibility back.

A nice thing about yesterday's afternoon freestyle (besides the fact that there were only a few other skaters out there ) was that after our holiday program, we did our competitive program, then I did my singles program, then we went back to the holiday program. If that's not enough to send my head into a spin, I don't know what is!
Anyway, I'm glad Loops and I had a good skate; we definitely had a good workout. And weirdly, we had a bunch of kids watching us (I think there was a birthday party going on?). That's just what this showman needed to rev up his performance engine.

__________________
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,
Glad to see that you're skating again! Now if you're a good boy this year, Santa may work out a deal with the Skate Gods to get you your spins back!

For me today:
Nasty
It was cold in the rink, period! Hard to do anything. Couldn't get the "juice" I need to fully run through my interpretive program.

Nice:

Did do a okay runthrough of my freeskate program today. The loop felt good- I actually had some run on the landing! The backscratch is back!!!

Oh, well, I guess I cannot really count on Santa, then.

Ask Loops just how 'good' I am ... .

__________________
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.

Ugh...first time back on the ice today since before Thanksgiving...I must still be suffering from overall turkey torpor, because everything felt slow today.

Nice: I managed to get TWO full rotations on my back camel in a camel-back camel combination. I think that's a new record...I've been convinced for a while that the spin is actually impossible.

Nasty: Was trying a hydroblading move. Failed miserably, did the human zamboni, and cut a hole down the seat of my pants going over a sharp ice ridge (since the real zamboni apparently didn't do a good job). Well, that was the end of the session for me

Nice: Husband passed his level 3 Dance Moves today, despite doing the elements in the wrong order - the judge had asked him to do his back cross-rolls first, and he wasn't listening and went and did the cross-cuts first as the previous skater had done! Duh..... he said afterwards he was in a total daze. I think it's a good job the judge forgot to write the mark on the paper, just "pass", as the written comment was that he was "very slow over the ice". Sheesh. Still, as his coach said, a pass is a pass, so be thankful! The two skaters doing Level 2 moves both failed, as did one of the others doing Level 3 moves - it wasn't the usual judge.

Nasty: This now means he's a test ahead of me When I finally got to skate (do you think 2 hours standing in a freezing rink counts as exercise???), I had another go and although I can now feel what I'm doing wrong with the cross-cuts, I simply don't seem to have the strength to correct it. Plus I "lose it" on the back cross-rolls after about 3/4 length, and start turning in... sigh....

After about 20 minutes' skating we were told not to have any music on any more as they were interviewing people for "Strictly Come Ice Dancing" as the rink is calling it, whether or not that is its official title.

I had better explain, for the benefit of non-Britons, that Strictly Come Dancing is now in its second series here in the UK. A Celebrity (usually pretty D-list, but not always) is teamed up with a Dancer, and each week they have to do a given dance, or dances now that the original number of teams has been reduced by half, in front of an audience, a panel of judges, and, of course, a live television audience. The judges mark the Celebrity's effort out of ten, but that only counts for half the scores; the other half depends on telephone votes from the public (a portion of the cost of the call goes to charity). The team with the lowest overall score is eliminated each week. So a popular Celebrity - or, indeed, couple, now that the dancers are becoming known - can remain in even if the Celebrity totally can't dance! The actor/actress ones usually can, a bit, but the gardening presenter totally had two left feet! And it's not worth watching any more since my favourite was knocked out on Saturday

Anyway, the grand final is in a fortnight, and we think they must be doing the ice dance format either as a final finale, or in addition over the next 3 weeks, we don't know yet.

So, anyway, they coned off the end of the rink to let the Celebrity (a member of a manufactured pop-group, the other half of whom is in I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here, we think, talk about anything for exposure!) and the Has-been - oops, I mean Former Ice Dancer practice. The Celebrity does seem to know what she is doing on skates - I saw some very nice forward crossovers from her - and I imagine all the Celebrities will have some skating ability, or it will be impossible. Rumour has it that one will be a former very well-known footballer (soccer player), and another an equally well-known television presenter..... and this bird I'd never heard of who was there this morning. All the schoolkids were drooling and longing for autographs....

Edited to add: For further details, click here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertain...io/4052997.stm

Duh!!!! So busy writing about that forgot to mention my own practice, which was okay, but I should have worn snow-boots for the standing around bit as my big toes were so cold by the time I got on the ice that they hurt! Worked a lot on FO edges, swings and chassés, BO ditto, and this new pre-Bronze 3-turn pattern, which is exactly like the Evil Exercise my coach makes me do except you step to an inside edge, not an outside one! If you step to an outside edge, you go round the circle, which is what we do in my lessons. My LFI/RFO 3s are a lot better than the others - I need to push more on my RFI/LFO ones. Certainly wouldn't pass if I were to test them tomorrow, but they are do-able, for a skater at my level, and I'd call myself pretty much pre-Bronze these days. Not in free skating ability, mind..... Also played with alternating 3s, since I'm on record as saying I find them easier than the waltz 8 - and nothing changed my mind. Again, not passable, but I was surprised how easy I did find them!

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

Huge congrats to your hubbie, Annabel. Like you say, a pass is a pass. I bet he's thrilled to bits at the moment.

Just hope we have the same success at this end as my daughter is taking her Novice Field Moves, and Level 1 Elements and Free tests on Monday!

Nicki

Thanks, Nicki - yes, he was pleased. Good luck to your daughter for Monday.

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

Nasty : My nice back crossrolls have disappeared. Where could they have gone???

Nice : Forward crossrolls are much better. The off-ice exercises my coach showed me have apparently helped out a lot. Also, we did back three turns today and they were pretty good despite not having practiced them in over three weeks. Finally, I had my coach check out my boots because I was worried about needing to replace them soon (right boot issues). She gave me a couple alternatives to try first (new laces and replacing the tongues) that are much kinder to my pocketbook.

Sidenote: It was literally freezing - 32 degrees F - this morning when I left for my lesson. Not usual California weather at all for my area! Plus it was windy. For the first time ever I think, it felt warmer inside the ice rink than it felt outside.

Annabel, can you tell me anything more that you know about these ice dancing programmes, do you have any idea when they are on???

HIP HIP HOORAY to ROBERT for passing his Level 3 Dance moves tests!!! (Don't worry, Annabel!!! You'll get there soon enough...)

Nice: Got my blade aligned this morning. I CAN SKATE AGAIN!!! WOO HOO!!! (Though I will add that it's only temporary since I'm still waiting for the new boots.) Time to call up my coaches again...

Nasty: Have to spend more money on another new pair of blades. I want to keep this pair attached to the old blade as a backup for emergencies, so I could continue to skate while getting the new pair of boots -- with new blade #2 -- aligned right.

__________________
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!!!

Nasty: my skating has gone to the dogs. I don't know what it is. i cleaned the ice up pretty nicely today though. But no matter what i did, i would fall. doing back crossovers, which i learned when I was i dunno, 7 and i'm 19 now, left some pretty nice bruises. and you know my problem with my foward spins that i would normally do on my left leg? well, it seems it's not my leg that's the problem, because i can do a back spin on my left leg, so it's the other direction than i normally spin in.

So then, i'm thinking, maybe there's a mental block with these spins, so i figure if i just fall and get it over with, i;d be able to do it. well, i fell and fell again, and no luck. still can't do them. trying some jumps, like a waltz and a flip and whatnot, i think i maybe landed them only twice. and i was doing good up to that point too.

my back 3 turn only worked when i did it accidently. if i tried to do it, it wouldn't work. often times, i would do a very pretty 3 turn after a jump, so my landings on the jumps, not so good, but the tracings on the ice showed a very clean 3. but when i actualy try to do them, forget it, it doesn't work.

then, i'm taking my boot off, and one of the hooks at the top of the boot somehow managed to bend so far in, that it was actually caught in the little hole that holds the hook, so i couldn't get hte skate off. i went over to the rink manager who used a screw driver to pry up the hook. then, i noticed a rather large crease in the ankle of the boot. and i think my feet shrank or my skates stretched out, because i was wearing the same socks i always do, but my skates felt huge.

Nice: I'm getting myself new skates on friday. I'm driving home after my classes, parking my car at my house, and then popping onto the train for a ride into manhattan to get me new skates. so hopefully it'll help.

and even though my hip is so sore and swollen i could hardly sit down because to move it to a 90 degree angle really hurts, at least nobody was at the rink to see me fall that much.

Nasty:
I normally don't skate on Tuesdays, but did today to use up the remainder of my punch card, as our freestyle punch cards expire at the end of each month. Today I was reminded of why I don't skate on Tuesdays- it's learn to skate night at our rink and many of the little ones come and get their private lessons before learn to skate. As a result, it was mobbed and having to look out for little ones can get a little irritating.


Nice:
My spins were awesome- all centered. The sit was secure, and centered on the first try!

Now for the nicest part:

One of the made for TV skating specials, Holiday Celebration on Ice, will be filmed in our area this Friday night- yes, I'm going!
Guess where the cast is having rehearsals tommorrow?? At my rink!!!

After the rehearsals, there will be a meet and greet with the cast from 4- 4:30 pm- it's five dollars to attend, but I'm sure it will be well spent!

So, I'll be at the rink tommorow, but not to skate!

UPDATE:
Just got a e-mail from Coach that the rehearsals are closed to the public- so to not to go to them tomorrow or Thursday- I have a lesson on Thursday morning..... we'll see what happens!

Terri C, I feel your pain. I've been skating on Tuesday afternoons (also right before Learn-To-Skate so sharing the ice with wee ones) so I can go to the grocery store in the morning when it's not crowded, but I think I'd rather have crowded aisles than crowded ice!

AnnM, do you mind sharing what you do off-ice to improve your forward cross-rolls? Mine are just "there" and I'd like to make them better. TIA!

I rarely post in these threads, but I'm going to attempt to get myself motivated to skate more and maybe sharing progress...or lack there of, will help.

Nice: I'm back at my old rink this week as my coach is at Jr. Nats. and there are no crowds and nice ice. My axel seems to have returned. I did a few nice easy ones. I also found the motivation to skate my program, which I have not done in weeks.

Nasty: The way I skated my program it was ugly. I seem to have lost my forward sit spin I'm not getting my free leg around properly on the entry and I fall onto the inside edge. Worked on the d.sal with no success, just can't seem to pull in.

Extra turkey weight is slowing me down too....

I'm skating twice today, as it's the week we go the class and social dancing in North London (which, for us South London types, is like a foreign land!), so I was only on the ice for about 45 minutes this morning, including my lesson.

Nice: Great cheers and well-wishing for "our" skaters as they left for the British Championships, which started today for the Primary skaters, and continue until Saturday evening. We are going up to watch on Saturday.

This left the ice pretty empty and "our" Celebrity and her partner just skated in with those who were there - they didn't get on the ice until I was getting off. They were both friendly and, apart from the presence of cameras at rink-side, you would have thought they were any other skater and coach. In a way, I hope that goes on as it will make for a more realistic film, although getting parental permission if an under-18 strays into shot might be a daunting task....

In my lesson, I worked really hard on my cross-roll 3s. The coach said "If you do them right, I can correct your husband - if you do them wrong, I'm too busy correcting you to see what he is up to!" Secret appears to be to go into the final cross-roll - the one with a 3-turn at the end - with a more deeply bent knee. Also worked on forward and backward crossovers, and in the forward ones, I became aware that I'm not generating nearly as much power in the clockwise ones as I do in the anti-clockwise ones. The "under-push" (to quote JenLyon60) just isn't there, and I'm also not pushing on to the inside edge. First time I've been aware of that, so it's progress.

Nasty: Am jealous of Celebrity as she is young and skinny, and, with her partner's help can do moves I'd kill to be able to do! Like go right down so her back is parallel to the ice - AND COME UP AGAIN! I can do the latter, just not the former! So I'm jealous. She's actually a good skater, and (partly because of the "local" thing) will have my vote - she seems like a nice person, too.

Worked on forwards outside swing rolls and chassés. Sigh..... I am simply not maintaining my momentum to the end of the edge, and the coach says it's because I'm on the wrong part of the blade. This is going to be horrible to correct..... but then, I can do it on cross-rolls and inside edges, so why not on outside edges?

Melzorina, I know no more than you do when the various ice-skating shows are to be screened - I expect the BBC one will be the week after Simply Come Dancing finishes, as they have booked the ice for 3 weeks. Yesterday the Beeb's website said that the Torvill & Dean one hadn't had a date set.

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

Nasty: New exercise assigned by coach. Well, actually it's fairly simple, I'm just not comfortable with it yet and since my back 3's are abysmal on a good day (except when in dance hold with coach)....

Anyways, my Evil Exercise (to quote Mrs Redboots) is a figure 8 pattern... LFI3, RFO3 (for 1 circle) step forward to start the other half of the 8 and do LFO3, RBO3 back to center and repeat. If possible, also go the other direction (RFI3, LBO3, etc..) to work both sides. And I have this sneaky feeling that when I can do this drill, he will change it to have a BI3 instead of BO3.

Nice: Back cross-rolls were better today. I'm only occasionally lightly touching the toe picks to the ice. I got spared back cross-cuts and had to work on forward cross-rolls... first slow, using the same "point the toes of the new skating foot towards the barrier" idea that I was given for the back cross-rolls. Then 2 slow, 4 fast down the ice, to work on different timings. Next up was a bit of the Tango solo, starting with the forward cross-back chasses and through the mohawk. Because the cross-roll 3 was better today, coach had me add a bit of expression with my left arm which he wants to eventually add in the partnered dance.

My reward at the end of the lesson was 5 minutes of playing with the Midnight Blues.

Terri,
I am so jealous ... Be sure to tell John Z. that Loops and I say hello!

(This is the event that will be shown on Christmas Day 2-4 PM on NBC, right?)

Give

__________________
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,
Don't worry- that was part of my plan! I'll post the happenings this afternoon when I get home!

Didn't skate today, but went to the rink for a celebrity meet and greet.
Who was there, let's see Yags, Ina/ Zimmerman. Weiss, Yamaguchi, Eldridge, Sato/ Dunjen (sp?), Bobek, and Jumpin Joe.
Nicole or Joe didn't stay for the meet and greet, but the rest did.

For the nasty part:
I didn't recognize Kyoko Ina until I got up close, and I mistook Jason for Steven Cousins, who is not doing the show after all!

For the most part it was a autograph signing and well if I knew that, I'd have brought one of my big skating books for them to sign. Instead I brought my camera and had someone take a couple of shots as I moved through the line.

I have a lesson tomorrow and they might be there again- we'll see!

NoVa- I'll be sending you a PM!

TerriC, that's cool that you got to meet some of the skaters! I saw Joseph Sabovcik (sp?) standing around the rink at nationals last January and at first, I didn't even know it was him. He is so skinny in person and shorter than I thought from seeing him on TV.

As for my skating--
Nice: Got to skate 4 days in a row over Thanksgiving weekend! Forward to back spiral to forward spiral is getting a little better, though I run out of speed on the last turn. I'm in the adult group number for the Reczone holiday show, and we're almost done learning the whole thing to "New York, New York"!

Nasty: Despite getting lots of sleep, I couldn't land most of my axel attempts on Sunday. My forward scratch-change to back scratch spin still sucks. The forward scratch is fine, but then I often can't get into the back spin at all, or else the back spin is drastically worse than the forward spin. I was able to do it consistently years ago, but then I never practiced it, because it wasn't in my programs. Now I'm learning it again for the Ashburn spin event--eek!

Nice:

I landed the most awesome salchow of my life last night. It was just so BOUNCY!

Nasty:

It's bounced right out of my life. Couldn't do it today, and my spins have pooped out. I had no legs. Well it is my fault, I did do a 12 hour shift on six hours sleep then went right to the rink, and I stand all day at work.

Did I say Bouncy!!!???? Yippee!!

Ina and Dungjen in the same show (yes, I realize they're not skating together)? I hope it's a big rink.


I'm glad you got to meet the skaters in such a small and up-close setting, Terri. I'm sure the kids at your rink were practically bouncing off the walls!

You better believe it about the kids bouncing off the walls! They were practically in a candy store.. all they could do when they watched the end of rehearsal in the lobby was this- !!! I was a little like that too!

Kyoko was at one end of the table, Jason on the other- what does that tell you?