No motivation.
Didn't go skating.

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Mel,

We all have times that we just don't want to or feel like making the effort to go to the rink. This will pass. As adults, we all get bombarded with things in our lives that kids don't have to contend with. And we are hard on ourselves about our progress or lack there of as we perceive it.

Hope next week will find you in a better space. The winter can really effect many of us.....but Spring is coming!!

Cought a ride and ventured out to the rink on Wednesday night. It was a good session and I had a chance to run through my program. I had also had my skates sharpened. I knew they were bad, but what a difference (I thought I had just been slow). I dug out my car a bit more last night, so I hope to get to club Saturday morning!

This week the hockey people has booked the rink when I am free and otherwise I am flooded with school work, so no skating for four days now, I went running to make up for lack of exercise.

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~
Tidesong

Skated for the first time yesterday in a week. I have been beyond busy at school and in general felt drained. When the mind gets drained so does the body, and from experiences past all that does is set me up to get hurt.

Did some MITF yesterday and coach says I have very good power, especially on the forward power stroking. I'm getting into my knees more and my lobes and edges are much tighter. However, everything going backwards just didn't move well!! Whatever!

Sit spins are getting much better. The moves have really strengthened my legs--fast! Layback also made an appearance and my waltz jumps were big and flying! Whee!!

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All that glitters has a high refractive index.

Melanie
what you need is a competition to go to. Nothing like a competition to give you motivation for your skating. I don't know if you ever did competitions as a child but adult comps are nothing like that. Everyone is so supportive and helpful. You have taken quite a few tests and if you can get through tests then you can do competitions - they are much less nerve racking than tests and they are FUN!!!
When else can you have all the ice to yourself and just do your thing??
With a test there is the horrible fear that you might not pass (they don't use the word fail now but that's what it feels like if you don't pass). Whereas in a competition there is no failure - only the success of getting out there and showing what you can do. I would admit that I'm not keen on coming last but even then, if you have skated well then you just have to be happy that you did and work on being better next time and if you didnt' skate it well then you know you have another chance next time/year.
Also given the skill you have there is no way you would not do well!!!
I don't know if there are any adult comps up in Scotland but if not then you had better take a family holiday down South in June and come to the Bracknell Adult Open. Some other rinks have adult comps too.

And Tashakat - this may be the wrong thread for it but you have to come back to skating to continue to give the rest of us something to aspire to. When I did that first competition 2.5 years ago and I came something like 15th of 18 and you won it I remember wondering if I would ever be able to skate as well as you. Well I am pretty sure the answer is no I won't - but if you stop skating it'll take all the fun out of trying to catch up!!!!

should mention my lessons this week.
WOW: did a jumps and spins class and the coach had us try getting in the position to do laybacks. Well I doubt I'll ever manage a layback but it did wonders for my centreing and afterwards I did the best two spins ever - 7 lovely circles right on top of each other and on top of the 3 turn. Sure I'll have lost it again by next week but I was so happy.

Step sequence in my programme looks pretty good (for me anyway) though the last bit with step behind to mohawk is still terrifying at the speed I need to do it.

Whoops!
Loads of kids on the ice the week - though locally the half term is next week so it'll be worse then. Still managed to run through my programme but rather lost the timing while dodging kids.
Took my kids with me this morning and they gave up in disgust after trying to help me get my 3 jump to have any real height. We won't even mention the salchow and toe-loop. My son reckons that I am so afraid of falling that I am turning my Free foot before I even take-off instead of kicking up and through. He is probably right but it takes more courage than I currently possess to just launch myself straight up in the air. (where's that 'Fear' icon??)

Whoops:

No backspin. No lutz either. My right hamstring has been tight for over a month now so I couldn't get into position for the flying camel and back camel.


Wow:

I'm feeling really good about my forward camel. I've learned not to dropped the left shoulder on the entrance and not to raise the free leg too fast. I landed both of my 2sals and 2toes attempt this morning. For years I couldn't do the 2toe from a forward inside three. But after studying the technique of the Chinese skater Minh Yan (sp?) in slow motion I corrected my entrance step and am now able to do them without spending any $$$ on a coach. Very happy that I landed a 2loop today. It took three attempts but it has been a while since I've seen a 2loop so I'm satisfied. Axel and sit spins were ok.

On half-term Friday (or isn't it, in Scotland?) I don't blame you! Nor did I, but that wasn't due to lack of motive, merely lack of time.

Edited to add: All the same, I agree with Batikat - we need to see you at Bracknell, and then you would see how much fun it is. You know loads of the skaters there, and even if you didn't take part t his year, you would see why we all love it so.

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

Wow:
I think I'm actually making progress on that 1-foot spin! There's still a little bit of travelling, but I don't feel like I'm going to fall right out of the spin anymore. I even got a 2 rotations in the sit spin before rising out of it, which is 2 more rotations than I could do before!

Whoops:
The take off on my flip is... let's just put it this way: incorrect. I have a problem with dragging the skating foot towards the picking foot just before I jump up. We started with the half flip to practice the take off, but every time I try the full rotation I seem to revert back to the wrong way of taking off. The problem is, even when my coach says I'm doing the take off correctly, I don't really feel the difference. I'll get it one of these days...


We started waltzing mohawks, which is apparently a prelim element in Canada. That was fun, but when it comes to remembering patterns, I get confused. Maybe someone can help.

Say for the RFI mohawk... after the mohawk and I'm on my LBI edge, I step onto my RBO edge... then is it the LBI or LBO edge after that?? I feel like it should be the LBO edge just before I cross my right foot over, but the more I think about it, the more I get confused by the pattern my coach drew on the ice. Anyone out there know what I'm talking about???

I hope you have more motivation soon!!! (See the WOW section at the end...)

WHOOPS!!! My loop doesn't exist. Still two footing the landing!!! >: And b/c of that, my flip doesn't exist either!!!

Right shoulder (mousing shoulder) is hurting badly from tendonitis. I'm gonna get a new roller mouse. Now if I could get one of those sideways keyboard that cost like a couple of hundreds of dollars, my wrist tendontis wouldn't act up either!!!

Camel not happening either...

WOW!!! Sit spins are nice! My coach says "Okay. Sit spin fine!!! Let's see the camel now!!!"

(DRUM ROLL PLS!!!) Well, good news and bad news... Good news is that I managed not one but two good solid back scratch spins with a nice speed!!! YAAAAAAY!!!! Now the bad news... I could only managed this if I did this near the walls (the hockey boxes) If I go towards the middle of the rink... the spin doesn't wanna go! SOOOO... b/c of THAT... my coach says "Nope! You don't officially have it until you get away from THAT wall!!!" coach

But I'm almost there!!! After 2.5 years, I'm almost there!!! 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!!!

Whoops: Trying a RBIO 1 1/2 twizzle (actually it's an RFO3 so you end on the RBI edge, hold that edge for a couple counts then change edge to the RBO, hold a bit, then do a 1 1/2 rev twizzle. Actually yesterday by myself I made it as far as the RFO-RBIO3 twice slowly...

Forward power stroking (aka Bronze MIF) is gradually improving, especially when I remember to put the progressive on the right part of the lobe instead of early.

24 inches of snow on the ground turning into mountains of snow everywhere as it gets shoveled and plowed... and now heavy rain to melt it and flood evreything.

Wow: Playing with the Austrian Waltz is fun...

Skateflo, Batikat, Mrs Redboots & Jazzpants (to give you all your skate names!), thank you for your supporting words.

You might be right about getting motivation from competing, and I'm sure I would compete if only I felt that I wouldn't let myself down - and if I ever had a decent programme, which I don't. I don't imagine my confidence levels will let me even contemplate competing - at present!
I would want my coach to be there if I did compete, and Coach hasn't the time or motivation to do adult comps.

I'd like to come and watch - just to see what it's all about and maybe pick up the "bug", but the time factor and the finances restrict me at the moment - planning anything is a nightmare just now.

On reading what I've just written, I'm sounding negative, and I obviously have to go away and work on that first....!

Roll on summer!

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Friday,

After work and a much need nap in my red 2003 Chrysler Dodge Mini Van, I guest skated at Champions Training Centre in Tecumseh, ON. It's on the way home from work and the time was right. I also needed to get the feel of a NHL size rink as my home club rink is smaller, much smaller.

Whoops, found out I have to push much much harder to get where I want to be with the music to cover the ice in the NHL size rink. Might not try to get so close to the boards like I do at my home rink. Missed elements to keep up with the music.

Loop, still doesn't want to appear fully. Hears hoping it shows for NAAI next Saturday.

Have to stop looking down on my newer elements.
Need to concentrate on my arms more.

Wow
Wasn't fized by the other skaters who were all mixed in levels during the guest skate.
Guest skating only cost me $10 Cdn for an hour.
Going to Guest skate again on Wednesday and on Friday.
Guest skating is cheaper than the official practice ice for the NAAI; $8 US for a half hour.
Salchow is higher and more consistant
Salchow/toe loop working
Waltz jump working
half flip/walz working
toe loop out of alternating back crossovers working
toe loop out of three turns with left toe crossing behind and toe taping in getting there (75 % successful).
variations of upright spins (if I remember what I'm doing where) work OK.

__________________
"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

You step on a LBO edge (just as you would for a normal CW crosscut) and then from the RBI part of the crosscut you step forward on LFO edge. From there you start the pattern again on the RFI edge.

Hope this helps.

I don't think many coaches come to adult comps (if any). To be honest I am usually glad mine hasn't been there when I've competed - don't want him to see how little of his wise words I have actually absorbed!!!!
I was sorry he wasn't there to see me win the level 2 OD last year mind. There are always plenty of people around willing to help you though - to hold your water and guards and calm you down if you need it!!! and to share the FUN! The first competition is always nerve-wracking and I'm sure most people would say they did not skate well in their first competition but it gets easier each time until you really start to enjoy it.
To quote the Dr Pepper ads - 'what's the worst that could happen?' - so you might mess up some jumps, you might come last - but chances are you won't - and while you might not go home with a medal you will have met some very nice people and have a real sense of achievement that you have gone out and competed.
I was pretty much bulldozed into my first competition by a friend who wouldn't take no for an answer but now I am so pleased that she made me do that first one even though my performance was abysmal.
It is more difficult for you living in Scotland but if you can make it down one year I am sure you would find that it adds a whole new dimension to your skating.

DancinDiva, I'm glad to hear your lesson went so well! In dance, were the things that you did clockwise better en dehors pirouettes on the left foot? If yes, that might explain why you're stronger at CCW turning--maybe your left leg/hip is stronger or better at balancing.

The opposite is the case with me--in ballet, I was better at en dehors pirouettes on the right leg (which is CCW) but I'm a better CW spinner. I hope that I will backspin (if I ever do!) better on my left leg (CW) or else I'm going to have a heck of a time doing change-foot spins if my forward spin is CW and my better backspin is CCW on the same foot!!

The next time you get a lesson to yourself, you might also ask the instructor if he or she can show you some elements to practice in sequence (like a combination), rather than repeating the same element all the time. Some people find that this adds some variety to their practice.