Nope. You have a common misconception about the T-stop. Your skating foot is actually usually on a flat. If your free foot takes the ice on an inside edge, then you will indeed drag and could hurt yourself also. It takes a bit of practice to get the right angle of blade to ice to get the outside edge that stops you. Pick a good skater who can do a T-stop on a dime, so to speak, and carefully observe the angle made by the stopping foot to the back of the skating foot. You will see that the foot is angled back to apply the outside edge. If you apply the inside edge, then instead of a crisp stop with feet in T position, you will get your back foot dragged away from your skating foot, and if you have too much weight on it, you will most likely fall and pull a muscle in the bargain. The T-stop can also be done with the stopping foot in front of the skating foot, which is called a tango stop. That may show you more clearly that there is no dragging and that the outside edge is used. Accomplished skaters can also do the same stop on only one foot.

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Flowy
As a spectator this evening at a test session:
-Got inspired by watching a team take the adult gold pair test. After they finished the test, they showed Loops and me how to do a back press lift tonight.
-A test judge answered questions on our pair elements and other sundry items.
-Another judge said nice things about Loops and me to a few other judges--that felt kinda cool.

This morning, at a deserted rink (and I mean deserted--I was the only skater on one of the 2 sessions that I skated. I had to share the second session with another skater. <sigh> ):
-Landed a few decent flying camels and did some nice stars/flying camels
-Executed a new spin combo: camel/twisted body-half sit spin/side layback.
-Achieved 12 revolutions on my sit spin.

Blowy
-Still dealing with bursitis in my right shoulder, so should not have been learning back press lift.
-Lost lutz due to shoulder problem and cannot do fast scratch spins (but, ah, this gives me time to work on my slow back scratch).
-Have to modify my camel spin (my camel spin!) so it doesn't hurt my shoulder.
-After watching the adult pair team, I realized I need to gain some muscle/weight. I look like such a shrimp next to that guy!
-Have to miss my pairs lesson this Friday morning owing to an early-morning work meeting (unless a last minute "doctor's appointment" should arise ... hmmmm ....).

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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.

Yes, I know this. But the only outside edge I could think of was the skating foot...maybe the person was talking about a T-stop when turning or something weird.

In any case, the rest of your reply and the others are in direct opposition to books on the subject (I have this one: http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/sit...16076300F58E46 )...

In this country (the USA is different), it's frequently skated to the same music as the European waltz. As, indeed, is the Prelim (British) waltz and the Willow Waltz, which is why everybody loathes it!Your teachers will indubitably have a copy. If you hear the slow waltz being played, no matter what other dances people are doing to it, do a Dutch Waltz, as you can't practice it too often.

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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!

Yeah! And besides, if you gain some weight it'll make me look smaller too!

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

Perhaps ... but I'm still looking to lose a few more pounds. Don't worry, I can temporarily gain some for nationals. But really, I've had no problem lifting you.
I was quite impressed that you could lift me!!!

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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.

today, i skated by myself until one other person showed up. but the ice was so hard, since they're a big hockey rink.

Flowy: i landed some waltz jumps with the back crossover entrance. although i'm not sure if my feet are going the right way on the back crossovers. times like this i wish i had a better concept of left and right. i also did some nice inside spirals.

Blowy: back 3's are eluding me, as are turning CW. i keep forgetting which way to turn and confuse myself. the only way it kinda works is 2 footed. i was also feeling a bit queasy, so after doing a nice fast spin, i ran to the bathroom to throw up. not a pretty site.

I think you (and Dbny) are both right. You can do a perfectly good T-stop by using the inside edge of the dragging foot - it is less efficient certainly but it is commonly taught to beginners. It's the only version I can do and I can stop pretty quickly using it (though I tend to use a one foot snow plough as I can do it fast and well).

DBNY's version could be thought of as the advanced version (in the same way there are beginner crossovers and the more advanced versions) - it is the way our head coach tries to get us to stop but few of us (adult learners ) can do it well. It is much better but not that easy to learn. He also calls it a show stop though the show stop I know is more like Dbny's Tango stop with the foot in front.


As for skating - I ran through all my preparations for testing so practised dance moves which coudl still be improved and then the level 1 variation (a UK specialty I think) which is a variation on the Rythm Blues - actually felt I did it OK til my coach said I was out of time on the second corner - darn it!

Then ran through my Free dance. I want to take level 3 but here we have to take all the tests in order, which is annoying as the level 2 is only a 1 minute Free dance so will have to perform two versions at 1 minute and 1min 30 secs. Again I thought I did quite well in these until I was practising after my lesson and my son says "I thought you were supposed to be dancing to the beat!" Well duh! There was me thinking I was!

Then he tried to teach me to jump higher and complained I was cheating on my salchow and then he tried to teach me the Loop (making fun of my pathetic efforts) and then the backspin. Although he is actually quite a good teacher it is also a bit demoralizing having him look at my efforts with such disdain . Ah well, it was a one off occurence as he did not have to be in school til late today. Next time I'll only have my coach to cope with.

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'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Flowy: Literally just got back to work from taking my Silver FS. I PASSED! So I can go to Nationals now!!

Blowy: Wasn't the best test. My camel spins were both wonky, and probably short of rotation. But I passed and I'm thrilled!

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"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Hurray, another ...
Congrats!!!!

Welcome to the wonderful adult silver level!

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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.

Stormy - Congrats! So welcome to the world of Silver - see you at Nationals!

Congrats, Stormy! Looking forward to seeing you in Kansas City!

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

Yes, the T-stop is taught initially with a little drag of the inside edge, gradually bringing the back foot in to the heel of the skating foot and onto the outside edge. This could be the source of the confusion.

For my own skating, I've been pretty demoralized about it lately, but this week I seem to be doing better. I have hardly had any time to skate for myself for the past three weeks, as I've been spending all my time coaching. Two weeks in a row, I've had to confess to my coach that I hadn't practiced much of anything.

Yesterday before my lesson, I tried and succeded at getting all the way across the rink on just one push, thanks to the previous week's focus on stroking. We actually stayed away from three turns in my lesson, but did the 8 step Mohawk instead. My RFO Mohawk is good, with both edges being true Outsides, but I get stuck on the RBI Mohawk! Getting an under push on the cross front helps. Going CW, my LFO Mohawk needs work. I have to set it up first, which is scary. OTOH, the step forward in the LBI Mohawk is a piece of cake for me as it is right out of dance.

At the end of my lesson, I asked my coach if it would be possible for someone with such poor turnout as I have to ever do a spread eagle - and she said YES! We began work on it, and I love it. I will probably never be able to do an Outside one, but even an Inside spread eagle will be a thrill for me.

Today after the ice cut, when the school kids had left, I got in a little practice and managed to actually get the power threes going again. I also went back to the B cross stroke/power pull exercise that I fell on two weeks ago, did it slowly, and it's back! This is a move that I can get too relaxed with for my own good.

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Where's Dani????