Clean Edge: First lesson this morning after almost 2 weeks off The time off was not by choice, it was lack of ice time due to other commitments. Also first lesson with coach for the school year, she hasn't seen me in over 3 months. Things are a little different than my summer coach but overall not bad at all. Mostly moves today with a little freestyle, next week should be mostly freestyle with a little bit of move.

Skid: First skate after sharpening, always fun. Living in a hot dorm room with no a/c plus wearing flip flops equals my feet didn't like me very much this morning trying to squeeze them into my boots. Took a while to ease into them but not bad overall.

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~Always Dream!~

Check my progress at www.freewebs.com/sk8tegirl06

Clean Edge

-Pratically finished my Gold artistic
-I hate doing flying camels but I did a really nice one last night (I prefer death drops
-Learned the Paso and Blues

Skid

-Did my program and landed my double lutz in it then fell(It made me so mad cause I did it why did I have to fall)

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2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

Clean Edge:
- Coach was back after not seeing her for a month
- Axels
- Spins, esp. my camel-sit-back sit, which all had at least 4-5 revolutions per foot
- Changed my program based on the new Intermediate requirements and I love my footwork
- Ended up skating two hours instead of one, so I got a lot accomplished
- Stamina has improved greatly during my program
- Double toe loops were pretty good, although they're somewhat cheated

Skid:
- Double salchows were improved, but I only landed a few
- Back-to-back program run-throughs (BTW, I survived, hahahaha!)
- Double loops...ugh! There's so much fixing up to do on these, hahaha!

Overall, a wonderful day. Coach was happy, I was happy, so it's all good!

Clean Edge-
All jumps were clean today including flip, lutz, and salchow-loop.
Dutch waltz and canasta tango went reasonably well.

Skid-
Attempts at change foot spins were laughable.
Step behinds on rhythm and blues weren't happening.

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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

Okay, if you find death drops easier than flying camels, maybe there's hope for me! How do you do a death drop?

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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

Skid:
My coach finally got approved to teach at the only rink near with summer ice, but now summer's over, so no lesson until next week . Prelim power 3's on the L foot are once again making me feel like a cripple. It's the %$#* Choctaw, that I did have, but not this week! Slightly closer to properly checking FO threes on the line, but still not there .

Clean Edge:
One foot spin is responding to internal command of "pull it all in, stay tight in the middle". If I can just force myself to work this every time I'm on the ice, I might get to doing it from a windup in the near future. Fiesta tango is pretty good, except that I'm still scared of the FI Mohawk at speed. Have been watching a friend have lessons with a fabulous dance coach and that helps. I want some of those lessons myself!

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Clean Edge: Ordered my first new pair of skates in over 5 years. The old ones had been worn clear through the leather lining and padding inside, so it was past time. Had to take a deep breath when I heard the price! Got Riedell Gold Stars (375) and Aces again.

Also, the roller rink opens again tonight after a month off. I'll be on skates, though not ice -- yet. Have to wait another couple weeks for that.

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Bill Schneider

Clean Edge:
Still making progress on Silver moves!! Did a RBO 3 for the first time this afternoon on one foot!
Getting more comfortable with camel spin. Ran test program and was happy!!


Skid:
Have a tendency to rush my forward inside threes when doing them. Need to work more on three turn patterns for Silver moves test- these are going to be my thorn in the side on this test.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Skid:

Got stuck at work the ENTIRE morning and part of the early afternoon to finish a project. Thought I wasn't gonna get any skating...

Clean Edge

...but I managed to pull a miracle and get "MAJOR NASTY project that's due today" done and out of my hair!!! WOO HOO!!! And since I don't have anything coming down the pike 'til tomorrow, I went skating!!! And had a WONDERFUL and pretty EMPTY public session. Quite nice too, considering that it's HELLA HOT here in San Francisco today!!!

I did a LOT of practice on entrances to jumps and spins on my FS program. I'm basically trying to get used to the entrances and the speed to them, so I'm not gonna beat myself up over it if I don't get it. But I did land ONE loop clean on one of the tries. Back sit was there too. (Why can't they be there when I'm in lesson!!! )

Saw a couple of really good skater visiting our rink at the FS session after the public session I was on. One was trying to crank out some triple axels today (and landed one clean on probably the 3rd or 4th try. WOO HOO!!!)

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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!!!

What- you're not going to tell everyone who you saw??

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Hmm - was it a certain male Olympic Champion with the initials BB?

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Skid: My blades, this morning! Stoned them and it was better.

Awful runthroughs of both Riverside Rhumba and Free Dance. Still, bad dress rehearsal, etc....

Clean Edge: Reasonable runthrough of Willow Waltz. Worked on my outside edges to try to stop dropping my hip on my LO edge. Successful, but I wasn't able to translate that to changes-of-edge. Ah well...

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

clean edge - very clean on newly sharpened skates. I felt like I could just leeeaannnn over sideways.

skid - can't spin worth a damn on newly sharpened blades. Will use that for my excuse to cover generally pathetic spins for the next several weeks, after which I'll have to think of something else.

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It's all about the dress!

Keeping lips zipped... at least on this board!!!

(But geez, this is strange that I've been seeing a LOT of famous and semi-famous people in the skating world this month alone...) In addition to the two, I saw Rudy G., Bebe Liang and Frank Carroll. I usually see 5 famous people within the space of a couple of years... not ALL in one month!!!

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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!!!

clean
NEW SKATES came in!!
good double loops and double toes
good flying sit spins

skid
blades dont fit new skates (GRR)
stayed up really late last night so i was kind of off today

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I found that to be true when I lived in Boston - I mean, after a while it was old hat to see Paul Wylie, Nancy Kerrigan, Suzie Wynne and some others, but at first it was like: !!!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Clean Edge:

New coach is emphasising stretched free leg on waltz, sal and toe and i've started getting it a little.

Loop - i've only ever managed to fudge this from a forward inside 3-turn but she's insisting on a back edge glide and emphasising the jump up then rotate...and i got a few good two footed ones as well!

Finally got some twizzles out as well.

Skid:

New coach has completely changed by sit spin technique so it's faster and bit lower but i'm not sure i like or agree with the position. My old coach had me hold both arms forward and free leg straight out, knees together and new coach want free leg bent, turned out and absolutely not knees or legs touching (which feels realy awkward) and left hand on bent spinning knee. Feels awkward for now.

Ant

Big Skid: Well, the roller rink opened but the session ended disasterously for one of the adult regulars. The floor was freshly painted and very 'sticky'. This particular skater (let's call him George) expressed his concern about trying three turns on the new surface early in the session.

Near the end of the session, George tried his trademark mohawk, back three-turn, and fell very hard. He was knocked unconscious in a pool of blood. He awoke in about a minute, but was very confused about the month, time of day, his age, etc when asked by a registered nurse who also skates. Thank goodness she was there to assist. I'm useless in those sorts of situations.

The emergency squad transported him to the local hospital, but his conditioned worsened and they took him to a larger hospital in a distant city. They are suspecting that he also had a mild stroke either immediately before or after the fall.

I've seen quite a few people hit their heads on ice too. I do wish this sport - both ice and roller - didn't involve so much potential for dangerous impact.

I'm feeling bad today (you can probably tell) because George is such a good friend and is a fellow skater even though he's on wheels instead of ice.

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Bill Schneider

Oh, that's just awful! I hope George recovers fully. I also worry about the potential for serious injury, especially since my broken wrist in 2001. If I don't keep it out of my mind, however, it hampers my skating, and the stiffness actually makes it more dangerous.

I was a roller dancer as a kid, and the only floors we ever skated on were unpainted wood. They did some sort of special finish that (I think) increased traction. I skated on a painted floor once as an adult, and never would again.
Too slippery!

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Clean Edge:
Just did my first competition of the season tonight and achieved 3 of my major goals!

Skid:
- Fell on the double sal. It has been totally sucking lately.
- Focused a little too hard on my axel takeoff and missed my timing in my program. Never left the ice.
- My legs were rubber as I skated into my final jump combo (I used the full 6 minute warmup, then had to skate first) and I missed my spread eagle entrance.

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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

Clean Edge

-Got a new dress
-Did beautiful jumps

Skid

-Got my skates sharpened and I could really do spins

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2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

I hope that you're not doing an "artistic" program but instead are using old terminology picked up from a coach. Artistics still exist, but it's all about interpretives now.

Clean Edge:

New skates!

Skid:

Skating on them! I was too cheap to go pay ticket ice to try them out, so went to a public session. I got new boots and a different blade and everything felt all wrong. Then I realized, darn it, how do I teach these little kids to skate and started in on bubbles and snowplows. I got my old skates sharpened too, with a different grind than usual, so after a while I put them on and it was like I couldn't skate in those either. So I fit in perfectly in a public session, I didn't hang on to the wall but I must have been confusing everyone switching between slow stroking/walking and then trying flips in the middle. I would have liked to have done dance stroking but the ice was too wild with tag games and kids every which direction.

Backspin seems to have disappeared, there doesn't seem to be "the spot" on the blade for it, and I didn't try loops. Next session maybe.

And public sessions...........it's a good thing that I was concentrating on trying out skates because I would have just taken a piece out of the dad in the middle encouraging his daughter to try her flying camels. This was a public session with push chairs and skating aids, she had absolutely NO control over what she was doing.

Clean Edge:
- Nailed all axels in program (to music!)
- Double toe loops were okay...cheated, but okay
- Double salchows were awesome! Landed 3 consecutive in program!
- Got my new footwork down pat...well, for the most part
- Did a few decent run-throughs of the Starlight, Blues, and Paso
- It wasn't crowded

Clean Edge:
I went skating with my husband, and a couple of friends and their kids. We had a great time. My friends' 5 yr. old daughter picked up skating rather easily - she could march and keep her balance, and even did a one foot glide I did a couple of semi-decent camels. I'll work a little harder on those tomorrow.


Skid:
Decided to show off my spiral and did a dive over my toepick. I have a nice bruise on my thigh and a good ice burn on my arm. Oh well - did a good spiral after that. Later on, I showed off my flip. When I came back, my friends' daughter said, "You jumped up in the air and didn't fall down!"

Clean Edge Started my Power/Edges class today- we focused on edges- not much power today. It went well- the girls in the class are all very nice. A mix of levels, but I'm right in the mix, so it should be good.

Skid For some reason I was so nervous about this class I was shaking BADLY when we started. Like as bad as during my test! This is a ridiculous thing to be nervous about!

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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)