Final (group)lesson before the competition was today (I'll go to 1 or 2 public sessions in an other town before competition though) so here's the current status quo:

5-9 rotations on my sit spin
7-14 rotations on my scratch spin
2-4 on my camel (although I've had days that I did more)

Lutz if flutzing again (probably because I've been doing so much flips lately, I suspect). This jump is EVIL, I keep loosing it!
My flips were clean, I was pretty amazed actually when I landed the first one not warmed up!
Salchow's fixed, I could stick a loop behind it any time now and I could see how to turn that jump into a double (which is strange, since I didn't practice the salchow at all, only the axel, and the salchow was always my worst jump).
Toeloop is shakey at the landing but I'll take it. It's suddenly become my worst jump, although it always was my best, weird. On the bright side, I'm not pre-rotating. I'm suspecting the inside 3-turn might be the problem, my inside 3-turns were never good to be honest.
Loop from backwards crossovers+long glide is working, and I've no idea how I used to do it from a 3-turn anymore. It's easy from a long backward glide, it's like, you don't have to do anything, just jump up, and the speed of the crossovers and the curve of the edge just complete the rotation for you! It's like you can actually feel the ice give you a rotating push at the very end of the jump where you're jumping up and only the forward part and the ice pick are still on the ice. I think the loop is my new favourite jump. Feels great!
Mazurka: is looking more like a stag but I'll take this one too. With a bit of luck, friday 13th is the last time I'll ever *need* to do 1.

With only 1-2 trainings per week, my achillis tendon has also been healing. I'm confident that by the end of the summer, it'll be okay. There's only very little residual pain after trainings now!

Did a run-through of my programme in costume, changed the beginning and the end completely, but it got very cool. I also put in a kick I didn't think was possible to do on ice. Got a tip from one of the girls in our best group (who do nationals and stuff) and it's working. The reason I'm changing my programme is because I realized that if I wanted to be in the right mental state for this, I needed to do bring out more ME in the programme and less what I thought judges might or might not like. Doing pleading workshops and everything for my law studies I realized that what the audience likes, is when I bring out more me (actually, the audience seems to LOVE it when I bring out more me), so let's do it, try it, see where we get. The side effect of bringing out more me and doing less performance is that I feel more confident, more YIIIHAAAW THIS IS HEAVY MAAN WOOOHOOOOOHOOOO ADRENALINE KICK! instead of "oh my gosh I'm so nervous I'm so nervous I'm freaking out." So yeah, it's now agressive, it's rock, and people might not like it, but I LIKE IT.


I've also (possibly) discovered a way to skate once every 2 weeks till june! Which is better than not at all. End of june-end of august I'll have to take a 2 month break anyway, but that's okay I guess. Once every 2 weeks should be enough not to loose what I've got. 2 months is still okay for a break too I'm guessing.


Overall I'd have to say that the few april showers I've got, are just helping the flowers to grow.


I think I'm also in the right mental state for the competition next week now. Just gotta keep this state till then.
Gotta keep reminding myself that I'm an adrenaline junkie and how after dancing competitions I was always WOOHOOO ADRENALINE YEAHHHHH. Just keep reminding myself of it BEFORE competition this time too!
I swear, if I land my flip in programme and I do the scratch spin right, I'm gonna screan "YEAAAAH!" through the music LOL!

Yeh that "sideslap" for the toeloop feels strange doe3sn't it but I finally realized that that was what KM was doing, (watching video in slo mo) so maybe I can do it too

Too much love? Gotta love the kids, you must be awefully nice if they like you so much - Kudos

That keep your weight right over your skating foot sure seems to be my theme of the year! Lately, I've been trying to do FI double3's during warmup, just trying to stay upright over the blade and it seems to help with everything well, except bending my knees, LOL, which bending the knee and not the waist, seems to be the key for me to hold the check into the TLoop.
THanks
Lyle

April flowers: Got some good work in on half-flips (not feeling so utterly unnatural) and toe loops today.

April showers: Right glute muscle went "pop!" on Sunday. Couldn't skate Monday becaue dopey rink management double-scheduled (we have only ONE sheet of ice at the moment); couldn't skate yesterday because I realized I had a vet appt for the dog that I couldn't reschedule. Rink too crowded today (spring break!!) so coACH AnD i POSTPONED LESSON UNTIL fRIDAY am.
iCE PACK IS CURRENTLY UNDER BUM FOR therapEUTIC REASONS.

as dd IS PUSHIGN My SHIFT KEy oN AND OFF i"ll STOP nOW
Oh< but she insists i PUT IN A SMILEY.

this is for last night, I signed up for a lesson with my coach which was the LAST LESSON OF THE SEASON AND I WON'T HAVE ANY MORE UNTIL POSSIBLY AUGUST.....and my rink closes in a few weeks...not to re-open until the day after Labor Day.....

April Flowers: We worked on "new" stuff!!! So I would NOT be bored over the summer (I can go up north and skate at The Pond). So, it was the back crossovers with extension and cross rolls (front AND back). Hmmmmm very interesting!!!

April Showers: back cross rolls! I am really dyslexic when it comes to anything that involves switching directions....I could do one direction no problem....but not the other...

Spins: I really wish I could fix these, but I did one that was very centered, but it was after lesson and no one else saw it! I did call coach over to look at the tracing!!! Then she made me do another spin....it was ok but not great.

My summer homework: Land the loop; lots of them!!! Spins!!! She wants the scratch fixed (me too!) and a 2-3 rev backspin! and a sit spin!!!!! uh-huh....yeah, still working on that issue!!!

I am leaving tomorrow for Paris (France, not Texas ) and onward afterwards to Italy. Won't be back until 16 April. 17 April is when the summer show rehearsals start (fake ice). Reports to follow afterwards!!!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

April Showers:
Camel spins. GRRRR!!!! That's it! Secondary coach is gonna get a crack at it now!!! Good luck!!! You'll need it!!!

WINTER THUNDERSTORMS:
Lutz!!! Ummmm... are you sure you don't wanna wait 'til I get the take off right first??? (Primary coach is joking that I'm being mental about the lutz since it should be the same as the flip and I'm landing those. I disagree and I think secondary coach also disagrees. Whatever... )

April Flowers:
Flips and Loops are still in the HOOOOOOUZZZZE!!! I also did loop-toe loop on a dare from our Gold level guy. The other thing that was odd was... primary coach liked my flip better than my loop! Gold level guy agreed!!! LOL!!! And though primary coach thinks that the change foot spin could be better (i.e. wrong edge on the backspin) that it's otherwise a pretty decent ISI 3 change foot spin and certain a good start towards doing the sit-backsit. (Sadly I didn't try any... )

In addition, I told my primary coach that my skating knee is almost parallel to the ice. He agrees and worked on lowering the sit spin just a tad. Of course, when he was trying to show me how low I should go by holding onto me, I ended up on my butt instead! He did agree though that at that point the skating leg was lowered... but now I have to push off more behind me with THAT bent a knee!!! WOW!!! This one's gonna be HARD!!! But I want a really good sit spin to show off at AN!!!

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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!!!

April Flowers: I worked on a bit of everything in practice, a bit extra on backward edges and turns, and tried out a new move for my next program (needs practice). I was feeling more solid and secure than I have before.

In lesson my coach remarked that all my skating seems to have improved noticeably all of a sudden, that she was so pleased to see me experimenting with new and creative moves, and that my skating seems to have “opened up” (more expressive). We ran through a bit of everything, mostly old, but some new (lunges and a two-foot backspin) and she had more good things to say about everything! I thought about how different I feel on the ice now and, having competed at the Adult Championships. I no longer feel like an old woman taking space away from the youngsters - I feel I have BECOME a FIGURE SKATER! I guess it shows.

Showers? Nope, not today!

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

April Flowers: Skating is continuing to progress slowly but surely, just found out for everyday on crutches equals one week of recovery so 10 weeks on crutches equals 70 weeks to recover. Oi vey! Currently at 36 weeks out so I must be doing well. Did clean run through of program can rotate doubles but foot just doesn't want to cross so 2 footed axel, 2 sow and 2 toe. All things considered improvement in speed and spins working on grace, or trying, working on dances which are doing better. For AN's just doing a clean program won't attempt anything I cannot do easily.

April Shower: There is some serious pain on and off the ice and just in general but, less than before.

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Okay I'm going to try this tomorrow. The "scratch an itch" is helpful -- I have a tendency to throw my leg way out.

I have a dance lesson tomorrow. Coach is kind of young, not real experienced, better at reminding you of what you aleady know than dealing with someone as helpless as me. With my Dutch Waltz she kept telling me "Edges could be better" until I asked her "HOW?" cuz I was doing the best I could and she finally followed me around the rink trying to figure out why my edges were so bad. (Honestly my daughter told me to rebend before I put my foot down between swing rolls when she coached me at Midwesterns and that helped more than anything)

If I don't get it today I'm going to have my freestyle coach help me - she's amazing. Hey maybe I could try it in the harness

j

Way to go Dianne!! Can't wait to see the improvement you will have made by next year's CAN Onward and upwards.....

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If you keep your eyes on God, you can walk on water.

April Flowers: Relatively empty ice this morning, only adults on it (today is a public holiday in the UK, and only one coach was in). So could run through all the compulsory dances with the Husband and then work on our free dance.

Swing Dance okay, Fiesta okay but could be better, Willow needs work (what day doesn't it - but it's a lot better than it was two years ago), Canasta start still taking up too much ice, and we can't find exactly where to stand. But otherwise okay.

April Showers: Free Dance is in the "has to get worse before it gets better" stage. Oh well, it will come...

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

Very cute! I was wondering why your post started off so "proper" but suddenly went zany! Here's another smiley for her:

April Flowers:
Worked on threes, which were good. I started my favorite swing-around double back threes just for fun. Must have done them right: someone said it looked like I wasn't touching the ice - just floating along. LOL

Practiced the crossover circles. Not well (too many kids in the way) but still remembered to keep my knees and shoulders in check. Take what you can get, right?

April Showers:
Spins were very off-balance, but I only tried a few dinky ones for my students' benefit.

No jumps and didn't get a chance to work out off-ice due to time constraints.

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Nothing but Showers Today Had trouble getting to sleep last night and was tired and distracted this morning so decided to work on something easy/fun, reviewed the Swing Dance. Coach asked if I wanted to try it to music...I laughed at her. I doubt I'll remember it the next time I skate. This is more a fun way for me to work on edges and mohawks than a real dance at this point. Also looked a little at the back edges/landing position from Bronze moves. I'm rushing the crossovers like I do with every move that has crossovers in this test.


j

Feels good, doesn't it? Having a test this morning and being short on ice time options I went out to a lunch pulbic session yesterday. It turned out to be a rough one, with a large homeschool group meeting, but I had several kids comment on how well I skated. (And *I* thought I was having a bad day...)

Flowers: I passed my swing dance test this morning. While it didn't get any extra points, it *felt* a lot easier than the last test I did, so I'm ready to get back to work on the fiesta tango. By the way, contrary to my expectation, I was *not* the only adult testing low dances this morning. There were three clearly adult women testing (one being one of the other skating parents; I had mistaken her name for one of her daughters'), and a couple of marginal cases (late teens at least) as well, with only four of the expected 10-13 year olds. I didn't feel at all conspicuous for a change.

Showers: Unfortunately, scheduling issues now mean that I don't have a lesson again for ten days. Grrrr. I'm psyched now ...

Rob

Flowers: Went through all programs and Rhythm Blues this morning in preparation for competition tonight and tomorrow. Mostly went well, coach was particularly pleased with my expressiveness.

Showers: Fell at the end of my Artistic program, I have never done that on that particular move before! Oh well, I "interpreted" the finish and all the kids clapped. I was laughing so hard, one of them had to help me up!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Congratulations to all you hardy Ice Dancers! My edges have gotten so iffy lately that I won't let anyone dance with me - heck I don't even want to skate with me, sigh.

Plain film shows some abnormal density in neural foraminae so I'll get another MRI next week. I don't even quite know what to hope for, more surgery, hmm would go for it if it helped but I hate being off the ice. Inoperable, hmm implies no hope for improvement, sigh
Lyle

Oh yea!

What's beyond "obsession"?

Lyle: We'll keep everything crossed for you and hope that whatever it is may be eminently treatable and curable!

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

April Flowers:
I did a scratch spin that traveled at least four feet with ten revolutions.
Without a Passport!
Also did a few decent ones. I always travel at this rink - the ice is hard.

Sit spin was good, with lower entrance than I usually use.

Back scratch - pretty good. Got out of a few cleanly, too.

Practiced Prel MITF nonsense. Inside spirals are coming along; I do them better slowly, but we all know that speed's gotta come sometime!

April Showers:
Sliced my new skates across the laces doing multiple toe loops. Rats!
Just couldn't jump well this morning, other than waltz jumps.
Did a few decent waltz-toe loops, but nothing else of value.

April Seeds:
I learned how to do a Twizzle! (Thanks, Lov2sk8! )
Note, I didn't say I DID a Twizzle, although the RFI's are stronger than the non-existent LFI's. LOL

Lyle - Fingers and toes are crossed, hoping for good news.

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April Flowers:
Went to an afternoon freestyle at my weekend rink today and was faced with a whole new group of skaters to dodge.

Since I didn't know anyone's patterns, I had to dodge and keep moving a lot... and realized today how incredibly FAST I can move. Skating has definitely improved my reflexes!

Spins from back crossovers felt a lot more comfortable (even though I can't do much from that approach!), and after about fifteen minutes of non-stop drilling my toe-loop (formerly known as the pseudo toe waltz), I cut back majorly on the pre-rotation on the toepick. (or at least I think I did... I was kind-of dizzy after all of that!)

Showers:
I knooooow I need to stretch my legs on my crossovers and stroking. WHY is it that I can't remember that half of the time?

Backward edges. eew. I think I need to ask my coach to work on those with me again.


Team Arthritis: Sending best wishes for you!

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

April Flowers

I've been so stressed out and dealing with stuff lately, decided the $20 walk on fee would be worth it to just skate it out. It was a good choice. Worked on moves and my freestyle a little. I find it easier to get into the back pivot entry position from a waltz jump than a 3 turn for the toe loop.

Then I had my Artistry in Motion Class. I really love this class. We began to work on actually choreographing a program. I plan on this being a solo for the holiday show next xmas. Yes, that's right it takes me that long to put together a decent program that I will subject people who actually paid for tickets to watch.

I was just putting stuff together and realized why it is important to do a mazurka from a backward, not forward edge. oops : I start out with back taps and then a 3 turn mazurka and a half flip. Only I want to slow down going into the half flip and coach suggested if I must slow down, I do a lunge in between instead of a skid that says "I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO A HALF FLIP THIS FAST"

She also said I have made amazing progress in both my presentation and the amount of elements and how well I do the elements...

One of the stresses I"ve been dealing with has been financial (it's tax time on top of everything else) and it did cross my mind if I quit skating it would free up a lot of money and then I realized today, that's like saying if I quit eating I could save a lot of money. Gonna have to find something else to cut. Like manicures (except for just before a competition of course....)

j

April Flowers: Didn't skate today but got measured for my new ProFlex - woohoo! The more I look at the boots on the shelf (NOT my size darn it!) the more I am looking forward to trying them. It will be SOOOO nice to be able to flex more, to get deeper in the knees! (I can't believe how little forward flex my Elites have before that little notch closes up and they STOP!)

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

April Flowers- The ice was empty this morning with only two of us on it.
Pre-bronze moves are test ready (I hope.)
Loop in program was clean.

April Showers -
Went down hard on a backspin. Have a nasty bruise on my knee.

April Snows -
Why oh why is it snowing in April. Especially since it was 85 degrees on Monday. I live in a weather pit.

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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:
Jumps!!! Waltz jump is getting good and big with the bent free leg technique. And.....I landed a loop from mohawk & long edge today!! Whee! And then I did about 7 more to be sure it wasn't a fluke Flip with crossed legs is getting closer too.

April Showers:
Ha! More like snow flurries!
Let's see - camel spin is still not really spinning. And I can't seem to get my free leg straight. Scratch spin was off today. I've started working on sit-change-sit, which is more like semisit-change-ugly squat thing right now.
And outside mohawks. Wow, are those difficult. I'm having a hard time keeping them on an outside edge, and not riding up on my toepick.

Was practicing in mommy's living room yesterday (she's just laid parquet, really lots of polish on it, so it's soooo slippery, when you're barefoot it represents the ice quite well actually!)
Quite a lot of fun.

April Flowers: Pretty good competition yesterday! Got all of the flips and loops. Was half as nervous as I was for the first competition. One good spiral (um out of three). Managed to put the first flip right where it should be in the music. Managed to cut some connecting moves at the end so I could get my waltz-half loop-salchow and sit spin in, whew...

April Showers: Wasn't as bendy as I can be, heard the toe pick scrape and that last sit spin was weak, weak, weak. Have done them a million times better! Plus I know I looked down at the ice most of the time, grr. Skated this program much better during my practice the day before, which at least got me the nod of approval from a former olympic medalist who was there. (that part should go in the flowers paragraph, heh). Am moving so have to leave my beloved coach and rink (definitely April showers).

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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)

This is for April 7th (yesterday).

Today was totally a jumping day. I actually thought I had my lutz back - I did not flutz most of my tries (though many times I did a half-lutz instead). Flip and loop were so solid and consistent that I fell only once doing them and I could just feel the height I got out of the jumps. I simply love loops and flips. I also tried combos for the sake of them and managed some loop/loop/loop and flip/loop combos. I like the loop so much now that I think I am going to stick in it after every one jump. Anyway, I did some axel prep-work, including waltz/loops and waltz/backspin - I don't think I'll try the actual jump anytime soon this month. New video from today!

This was not a spinning day for me, though. Definitely. The only spins that were decent were the scratch, back scratch, and change-foot spin. Sit spin traveled horribly, even though it was fast and I managed a low position (which is pretty rare for me!). Camel spin had 4 rotations at most, and looked rather messy; but I hope it will improve once I get more time to work on it. My coach told me that I am shifting back and forth to my toe pick during spins because of the slight hole in my blades (which came with my current Blue Ribbons) I can't wait until I get new normal freestyle skates!

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