April flowers: We got quite a lot of the step-sequence of our free dance choreographed today, and I think it is going to look so much better than last year!

April showers: Of course, doing it, and doing it well is another matter. Still, it isn't difficult, so we should be able to manage it once we are used to it.

Husband has decided not to rechoreograph his free programme, which I think may be a mistake, as he always looks so tentative until he lands his cherry flip, which is nearly 30 seconds into it. Still, his programme. I could send off the elements sheets now, but he wants me to get the timing more accurate. He also may yet decide to change some of the jumps, but, of course, he can do that "on the fly" as it were.

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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!

all my leg muscles are hurting like I've over-stretched or something, except I didn't do any stretching for the past two days so it can't be that...

April Showers:nothings right. My nerve damage is acting up and I can't feel the outside of my R foot again. So should I withdraw from the competition at the end of the month or just do what I can do?

April FLowers: my hayfever isn't a problem at all while I'm on the ice
Lyle

Don't withdraw yet. Personally, I believe any chance you get to skate in front of judges or a crowd is good and since I usually finish last regardless, I'd go for it. At least plan on going for it and you can always scratch later.

j

April Showers

DD came home crying after her first group number rehersal for ice show. This is supposed to be fun? Says she can't learn as fast as the other girls (this is her first time in a group number in a show) and can't do the skid stop. More tears this morning because she can't do the stop. After lesson coach says she knows the number just fine and had told her last night she could do the stop on her other foot. Oh the drama

I don't think it was such a good idea to practice the mohawk crossover footwork because when I tried to practice my 5 step mohawk - guess what I did--automatically went to a back crossover

May Flowers Since practicing the power 3s, doing 3 turns at some speed is coming easier, getting more comfortable with them. Also, at the begining of the session I could not make myself do a right mohawk (I favor my left) but after just riding the inside edge for awhile, I was doing them eventually.

Mayflowers and spring showers at the same time

Coach suggested the harness to work on my toe loop. Oh my. It was a frightening uncomfortable experience. But she did say I did a few good toe loops. It felt horrible! And I landed so forward I know if I didn't have the harness I'd have fallen. She let me fall once to see how easy it is to fall with the harness.

But despite the discomfort of the whole thing, I really believe it was a step forward for me in getting used to jumping, skating through fear and discomfort, so it was a good thing in the end.

j

April Showers - Still having a little trouble on my axel. I missed it in my program run-through yesterday.

April Flowers - Yesterday I got my double salchow back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been months that I've been struggling with it and I was at wit's end as to what the problem could be (I was landing it pretty regularly last year). But yesterday I finally figured it out, and just to prove that I really had fixed it, I landed it solidly in my program! In fact, I managed to complete everything in my program except the axel.

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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

Three cheers for Doubletoe!

Showers: Trying to choreograph more of our free dance - not easy, as I found it awkward to convey to the Husband what I was thinking of us doing, and then when I could, I couldn't do it anyway! Still, if at first, and all that....

In my private practice, my 3-turns are still awful - I totally bottled out of doing LFI3s today until I'd done one or two near the barrier. And as for my spirals, let's not even go there (rather wish I hadn't!). Couldn't even spiral-stretch at the boards afterwards as a bench was in the way.

Flowers: Coach quite pleased with our progress on Willow Waltz & Canasta Tango. A young skater complimented me on the improved quality of my edges in my solo practice. Managed a solo Prelim Waltz, and something that might vaguely have resembled a European, if you squinted at it sideways.

Although, apart from the FO3s, they were very poor quality, I actually managed all 8 3-turns!

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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!

April Flowers:
That too was my goal for last night's short practice (before lessons). I managed all of them except the LBO3 and LBI3. (Ran out of time) I'm rather proud of myself. I set up camp on a circle and did LFO3-to-RBO3 around the circle. Even did a few RBO3-to-RFI3's. I need that exercise for the loop and I still want to work on twizzles at some point. I did a few RFI3-to-RBO3 turns, but I was just throwing myself around.

Toe Loop - Seems to have settled down. I did quite a few with height and I've been working on the position of the picking foot. Not toeing in straight-down takes some getting used to, but it's effective. Can't decide if I like it better.


April Showers:
Stupid loop jump. It might be the shoulder, but I can't keep that d**n free foot crossed. It's in front, but not crossed. Grrr.

Back spin - Felt really uncontrolled and wild. Could have been the kids skating straight at me without looking.
I don't encourage it, but I have about six nutty students that repeatedly come flying at me to give me a hug hello.
They've almost knocked me off my feet a few times. I try to intercept them and turn it into a high five.
Sheesh, good thing I have insurance for sexual harrassment - think I can sue them?


Lyle - You had asked (in another thread) about how to "straighten the three turn" for jumps. The trick is to keep your body weight over your skating foot. Check your arms more to center the weight on your foot. Don't let the free hip drop/stetch sideways or it will pull you onto a too-deep edge. (I've been doing off-ice leg lifts in all directions with ankle weights, holding the lift for 5-10 seconds. It's helped strengthen the on-ice positions.) I also found, for the toe loop, that not rotating the arms/shoulders seems to help keep the after-turn edge straighter.

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Well done for the double sal! The axel was probably just being a spoilt child because the double sal was getting all the attention! Axel will get over itself and return soon I'm sure!

Thank you, Sessy and Kateskate!

Isk8NYC, are you landing the loop and just want a nicer looking air position, or is your free leg position actually keeping you from landing it cleanly? I never really thought of the free leg has having to be "crossed" on a single loop, just bent, with knee lifted and hip closed instead of opened out.

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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

I landed them a few weeks ago, but I wasn't keeping the free leg in front - it opened up as I jumped. (Works for me.) My coach wants it crossed, not tightly, but with the bent knee and free foot in front. All the way from takeoff to landing, then checked out to the back.

I think it's a different "style" - not wrong, just different - than what I'm used to and I'm getting frustrated. She suggested doing them off-ice and landing on both feet, but I haven't been able to work more than a few tries into my routine. I usually workout with some light weights and stretching in my second-floor bedroom. Jumping on that floor might be too much for my 1920's house. LOL

Congrats on the Double Sal. Hope the axel comes back soon.

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Doubletoe: WOO HOO on the double sal!!! I'm sure you'll be able to beat that axel into submission soon enough now that you have done so with the double sal!!!

ISk8NYC: Inquiring minds wanna know about that loop. (Yes, I had the same question as doubletoe too, since I certainly don't have my legs crossed in front either.)

(Okay, this is for both Monday night and tonight...)

April Showers:

Monday:
Well, I've been busy... but at the end, he insists that I go skating tonight. Says something about he doesn't want to deprive me of one of my passions b/c of his situation... and besides that he wants to go say hello to the ice guard and have some fun picking on my primary coach anyway.

My camel is not quite in a good spiral position but at least it's spinning. But what was annoying was that tonight they didn't switch directions for about 10 minutes so I can get in my salchow and waltz jumps at speed! Needless to say, since I'm a CW skater, it wasn't fun trying to go against traffic to do those jumps.

Tuesday:
Secondary coach is sick again with something. Sounds like she has the crud again.

April Flowers:

Monday:
Flips and Loops were in the HOOOOUSE!!! Got a little bit of speed too to boot!!! Though I will say though that after about 5 of each of those jumps, I basically said "Okay, enough of those! Do something else!!! Don't want to tempt fate..."

Tuesday:
I woke up an hour earlier than I had planned and couldn't get back into bed. Thankful that secondary coach called me back to let me know that she's not coming in before I got dressed to go to the rink, I went right back into bed and had the best 1.5 hr sleep before I had to get up to go to work!

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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!!!

I don't know, I think it is just a change of technique and I'm not getting it right. It is a different entrance for me (RFI3) as well. Plus, I have a lesson tomorrow, so it's right on schedule to crap out on me. I also suspect that I'm afraid of kicking myself in the right shin - I still have a scar from learning doubles all those years ago.

I tried to hit a freestyle session on the way in this morning, but alas, it wasn't at 9:30am, it was at 10:15am. That's a little too late for me to then get into work at a decent hour. I teach tonight, so I'll try it some more during my free time. (Hopefully, a lot of group lesson kids will be out. Tee Hee!)

Jazz - check your PM's.

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Ow! Kicking yourself in the shin hurts! (Especially when there's a blade involved!) Do you find that backspins help at all?

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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

April Flowers-
Did a program run - through today and practiced in a skirt for the first time. Spins were on and I landed the loop in the run-through. Coach is attributing the change to the skirt. I think that is just his way of getting me out of my pants so that he can actually see my leg.

April Showers-
Still very sore from the Cherry Blossom 10-miler (decent sized race here in DC) so my spiral wasn't as high as it usually is.
With the skirt, coach can actually see my legs and pointed out how bent my skating leg is on my spiral.

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

April Flowers:
Having a day off allowed me to get on the freestyle session while it was still empty!! Had a good practice with a decent program runthrough. I managed to skate this without gasping for air at the end!

April Showers:
No more ice at my rink in the mornings, public or otherwise!!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

These threads are so fun, I haven't posted in them for a while -

April Showers: Love the new blades, love actually having a rocker again - but now that I have a rocker again the sit spins are more like "fall over or back" spins

April Flowers: Ran through program prior to competition on Saturday and got both flips and only slightly two footed the loop, and did the waltz/half-loop/salchow combination pretty large, but the best was that the first flip did take place exactly at the trumpet blast in the music like I planned it, yay! That trumpet blast is CRYING for a flip jump! Hope I can get it there in time during the competition, heh...

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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)

WOOHOO! I get to post in the practice thread again!

April Flowers: I presented my regular coach and my competition coach each with a picture (taken during my performance at the Adult Championships) with a few words of Thank You - they were both very appreciative. (Hey, everybody can use a frame! LOL!)

April @$#% SNOW!: Well, after a week of irregular skating (at the Championships in Calgary) and a week of NO skating, it was good to get back on the ice. Goodness things evaporate fast at my age! It took a good 45 minutes to get things going again but before long most everything was back.

I spent my practice time on backward edges (coming along nicely, despite lack of practice) and left foot 3-turns, all variations (also progressing nicely) though on the left backwards 3's I am not finding the right balance point and they are pretty scratchy.

Coach and I spent a little time on 3-turns and when I mentioned tight back edges trying to turn into a backspin she suggested I try a two-foot forward spin.

April Flowers: Son of a gun, it actually worked! Only 2 revolutions but well centred and stable. Bet I can’t do that again! Coach said one more revolution and it COUNTS! It seems strange spinning on two feet but I guess it is a start. Funny thing is that I didn’t feel dizzy like when I try it on the spin trainer.

April Showers: I WISH! Would somebody please take this below freezing weather, snow, and blowing snow and give us SPRING??!!

P.S. I forgot to add:

April Flowers: I might get a pair of Jackson ProFlex FREE to help with my "persistent ankle sprain" (that wont heal properly because I refuse to quit skating). For some reason, the ProFlex isn't even in the newest Jackson price list! If I can get a pair custom made (for my "duck feet"), my physiotherapist will write them up as a prescription and then they are covered by my extended health plan at work. Now what kind of an ungrateful wench would I be to turn down free boots!

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

Showers - Even after several months of being back on the ice (after a few years away) I don't have nearly the flow or power I used to have, but it's coming... slowly. Spins were very travel-y today. Especially the scratch, which usually travels, but was really going for distance today. Sigh.

Flowers - Despite the travelling on most spins, I did get a really centred really low sit-change-sit that even earned a "wow" from my coach! High praise indeed! Jumps were generally better than they have been in a while, so that was nice. And I had my first clean with speed runthrough of my footwork sequence - yay!

Showers: Very few, today! Most things went well. Slight problems with step sequence in free dance, but that can be dealt with, I think.

Flowers: Realised how much more ice Husband and I are covering with the same steps in our free dance - we now have to start the dance far further down the ice! All that winter work on basics has obviously paid off.

Turned all 8 3-turns today! Couldn't quite repeat it in front of my coach, but managed 3 of the 4 back 3s to show him. Yay!

Good lesson, mostly on Skating Moves.

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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!

April Flowers Apparently I'm actually leaving the ice when I jump! I had a few people tell me this, so it must be true. Not sure I believe them. AND I'm scrapping up the side of my boot when I lunge, so I'm finally getting the side of my foot down on the ice, rather than just scrapping the edge of the sole. YAY. Overall yesterday was just one of those days that made me glad I was a skater.

April Showers I cannot lean into the circle on shallow edges and mohawk patterns (and by default, waltz eight!) I do this weird thing where I think I'm leaning, but my coach says I'm actually countering the weight and leaning way far in the other direction. oops.

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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)

April Showers

After seeing how well I did the Cha Cha at Midwesterns, I am determined to do that freaking step behind.....facing the fall, holding on with both hands...no problem...turning side ways...one hand on the wall, check...move away from the wall...moving a little, actually did a few tenative ones...farther away from the wall, add the swing roll, managed a few where I picked up my right foot as soon as the left foot went back down, so not technically a step behind..but pretty close...

Tried it to music at speed. Forget it

Flowers Three turns are beginning to be much more comfortable and less scary. WHere I used to begin my perimeter back crossovers with a two foot turn (turning the opposite direction because I like turning that way better) - Now I begin with the 3 turn (not ready to do it at speed) and then do back crossovers as the intro - made sure today I could keep it to 6 including the 3 turn, I get 7 but better to keep an extra in case I need it

j

The 3 things that I find make that cross-behind easier are:

1. Bending the knees, especially the knee of the skating leg. This helps give enough space to tuck the other leg in behind.

2. For the cross-behind with the left (step 13), when you finish the LFO swing roll in step 11, make sure that the knee of the skating leg is soft so you can do step 12 (the "optional cross-in-front" RFO) with good rebend on the left leg and then good knee bend with the right leg.

Then after you do the cross-in-front, DON'T do anything more with the left leg as you pick it up except scoot it up the outside of your right boot/calf, then set it back down. (almost like scratching an itch on the side of your right foot/calf with the left boot).

But keep the left foot flexed so you don't set it back down toe-pick first and go flying forwards, or vice versa with the heel.

3. If the left hip is too far forwards (or conversely, if the right hip is too far back), the left cross-behind onto a FI edge becomes extremely challenging.

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

Dodged the freestyle weaknesses by spending the entire lesson on the Prelim MITF weaknesses. Bwahaha!
Might try to get to the rink again today, but it probably won't happen.

April Flowers:
Forward crossovers are sporadically correct. LOL Meaning, if I do the LxR circle properly, I screw up the RxL. And vice versa. But, I did fix the transition and I am crossing in the same places consistently.

Spiral pattern - figured out why I've been struggling with insides - I don't have the free foot turned out or pointed. Also have to work on my entry position - I'm going into each one too upright, which wastes time.

I did tiny little 3s-on-the-line. My coach had me do 3-toe-tap-opp3-toe-tap down the hockey line while keeping the shoulders square with the direction of travel. (Very small threes) Then she said "Well, it's the same thing to change feet for the alt forward threes. It was an epiphany - I've been forcing the free leg BEHIND and trying to step onto it instead of opening the hip and stepping to the side. Hindsight is 20-20, right?

April Showers:
Well, it is raining here and when it rains, it pours.

Still spazzing on the Power 3's. I think once I get the alt fwd 3's working well, this one will fall into place more easily. Definitely have the power, it's the free hip positions that are making me crazy.

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