Yellow Jersey:
Finally, finally finally I centered a forward scratch spin for the first time in months- also had a centered backscratch!!
Did more clean loops today on lesson!
Started on my Bronze compulsory moves program for next month.

Lanterne Rouge:
It was very, very VERY hot outside today and we had a boatload of condensation bumps on one end of the rink. Of course I was stupid enough to choose this end of the ice for Secondary Coach to choreograph above compulsory moves program simply because it was fairly empty.
Too many little ones on the ice.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Lanterne Rouge: My regular coach had to beg off this week for a family matter and passed me off to a very high level coach which intimidated the begeebers out of me!

Yellow Jersey: Apparently my regular coach imparted very little information to the temporary coach so I was better than he was expecting - LOL! He praised my forward edges and FXO's (I may not have a lot of moves but much of what I do have I do very well - if I do say so myself!)

Lanterne Rouge: As I suspected would happen, 3 of my forward 3-turns disappeared since Thursday along with my not-quite-off-the-ice Toe Loop and my rudimentary upright spin. (I have come to expect new moves to disappear after a break.)

Yellow Jersey: With the temporary coach, I started on a sit spin (low entry), which I didn't expect to be able to do but I think, with lots of work, it has potential! We also worked on my back XO's. (Temporary coach is a lot bigger than my regular coach so when he held my hands to steady me on the BXOs it actually felt secure, not like I'd pull him down if I fell.)

Lanterne Rouge: The upright spin started to come back but not as good as last week (yet) and the toe loop sequence just wouldn't click today.

Yellow Jersey: Temporary coach is more gung-ho than my regular coach - he does longer lessons and is totally focused so a 1/2 hour with him is pretty exhausting. Instead of having a practice day Wednesday, he suggested a lesson. I might as well take advantage of "another perspective" so I agreed.

Hope I can find the missing 3 turns and upright spin for next session! I wonder if I should mention starting the Flip to new coach?

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

Yellow Jersey: I think I might have landed a double loop. And if I didn't, I came pretty damn close to one. I attempted them about 10 times, all were on tape so I'll get a video up and see how close they were. BUT OMG I ALMOST HAVE A FREAKING DOUBLE LOOP! I don't have an axel yet even!!!

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Lantern rouge: today at show rehearsal, I was called out for NOT following the steps, BUT I WAS !!! Everyone else was turned around because we were set up in a different room and they "forgot" which direction we were supposed to face. Pu-leeze! I've been doing shows for over 4 years. I know how to "face" an audience.

Yellow jersey: She later apologized when she realized I was doing it right. Whatever. It was cooler in the room where we were. It is the room where we will perform the shows. It will get hot when the halogens heat up and we have our costumes on!!!

Anywho, I did some toe-loops on the "ice" and boy, do they feel weird!!! Didn't get time to do any scratch or back spins. Next time!!

I advised a young girl that she follow her mother's advice and move up to a different coach (who happens to be the skating director). She has reached the same level as her current coach. She likes him but I told her she needs to go beyond his level; also being taught by someone with years of competitive experience will benefit her in the long run. I suggested she try her for a year and see how she does at the competitions. She could also ask me stuff, as I have competed (I'm the only adult at my rink that does, besides the ice dancer).

Last note: my husband and I discussed my wanted to pair skate. He knows he cannot do that because of his physical problems. He cant lift me and he doesn't want to spin or jump. He said he is ok with it as long as he can sit in on the practices. Well, he is jumping the gun as I don't even have a nibble of a partner yet. Hmmmm, maybe once hockey season starts back up I can try again!!!!

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

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooo happy for you!!!!! Are you going to put the video up so we can see????? that is soooo cool!!!!

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

WOO HOO!! Give us the play-by-play as soon as you see the tape!
By the way, landing a double loop before the axel is not as rare as you think. I know a teenage girl who did the same thing (and how she has a triple loop!). It's simpler in a way because you can just stay in the same position as your takeoff position and pull in; no need to deal with switching the weight over to the landing hip after takeoff.

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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

FX that your sitspin will be a BIG pleasant surprise and a great new trick for you to play with! Waiting with bated breath to hear about your next lesson.

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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

Yellow Jersey:
Axel was ok, landed them easily but nothing amazing for height and flow
Double salchow was ok too but really good compared to last week when it died unexpected.
Double loop had alot of nice attempts but I think I pulled my knee on them and it started to hurt after doing too many, again I'm not sure but I probably landed them in a range from half under to almost full or full? Still need to get them consistent regardless.
Did a few nice I-spins in a row that I feel like I held for decent number of revolutions (aka.. 3 or more lol... miserable that I have to aim so low but I rarely get that few times in a row)

Ice wasn't too bad!

Lanterne Rouge:
Double toe didn't make much of an appearance and then my knee was wierd after double loop so I didn't dare to jump anymore.
Worked on 3 turns brackets and stuff... I keep skidding my brackets... ugh! And my double 3 turns still feel a little insecure
Turns out that my layback is now back to the not quite side not quite back position which explains my travelling... but... how did I get them centered once in a while then??? Oh well, now I have to remember what to focus on.

Not quite either:
My knee was giving me problems, but on the way home when changing trains it cracked 4 times and was back to normal... lol... yay I was so afraid I would have to deal with it for a few more days...

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~
Tidesong

Lanterne Rouge: Shoot. I accidently taped over the good loops that were 1 1/2 or 1 3/4 rotated. I'm so mad. LKJIAHSIDHF;ALSJDOFIJALKIHSOIE;LJLLJ. I still have the first set, where the most rotated is maybe 1 1/3. But it's something.. So yeah. I'll hopefully have a video up in the next ten minutes. GAH I'm so angry!!!

Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=twqoaLdCxfg

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Yellow Jersey: Major breakthrough, I think, on the Foxtrot - the lady absolutely can't do the end pattern if her bum is stuck out! You have to have your hips forward or it's impossible. Which, I hope, will lead to our waltz hold in general being much better.

Our new couples' spin isn't quite there yet, but will be.

Lanterne Rouge: Not going to be able to afford to go to skate camp in October.

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

Yellow Jersey: Excellent Starlight today! Coach is thrilled that I'm filling out the Olympic rink (thanks to my power and edges), and we're planning on putting it out, along with the Paso, in mid-August!

My axels were also pretty good. I landed all but one, which I popped to avoiding squishing a small kid, so the consistency's there. If only the double sal was the same...

Sit-change-sits = amazing. Lots of speed, low position, revolutions. Good times!

Lanterne Rouge: Two-footed all my double salchows because...well, I was being lazy. I definitely could've landed them, but I just kept letting my free leg's toe tap. When I finally forced myself to land on one foot, I fell. Yep, that's what I get for taking a week off...

Also, the music player was messed up severly today, so I had a limited number of Starlights and Paso's to the music. No kidding - the music was up sooo loud that it was vibrating in my chest. Unfortunately, no one could fix it until the very end because the knobs were all correct, so...only when one of the skaters noticed that two wires were crossed did the thing turn down. Go figure - my lesson was already over...

Last night's lesson was pretty grim in general, partly due to post-competition decompression lingering from Saturday. I think I'm competed out for this season. I was thinking about going to Atlanta for Peach over Labor Day but I think I'm going to pass. After three competitions in Europe (a total of six events in three weeks) and another one a month after getting home, I'm having trouble psyching myself up to face judges again. Of course, having to do two events in 20 minutes was a bit much, too. But I think I need a break.

Yellow Jersey: Coach wanted to try axels again just for fun and I actually have five decent attempts. Height is good and I'm getting a fraction more rotation than I used to. Also sit spins have returned after The Sharpening From Hell.

Lanterne Rouge: Just about everything else. Tendonitis has flared up severely - maybe due to the heat and humidity but it's at the point where walking is painful and putting the skates on is excrutiating. Even stepping through footwork hurt and my "Ow"s were audible to the other skaters. So it's off to the doctor, even though I know what he's going to say; I'm already doing all the standard Achilles Tendonitis treatments. Massive doses of Advil are hovering in my future, I know.

Yellow Jersey Overall good feeling of yesterdays practice. Group lesson was on backwards 3-turns and double 3s. Then half lutzes (in both directions) and loops. Practice PB MITF going well. Private lesson was all on turns. Backspins are definetly getting better.

Lantern Rouge No cable Can't watch the tour (or any of the other races, but this one is always fun because it gets more than 1 hour on saturday coverage). Oh wait, about skating. Um, started on a camel- which is just silly at this point. Also worked on a sit spin, which I look ridiculous doing, I have no strength in my left leg (which is why my scratch spin stinks, I have no fan) so it's just awful, but it's good to get it started.

On going boot problems I finally took the sole of my boot out to see how much the width is the problem. If I didn't have a big toe they'd be perfect. The sole fits me perfectly in the lenth, a little bit too big in the heel, and then my entire big toe is off of it. No wonder my feet hurt! Another LTS instructor said she thinks she has spare boots in my size she can let me try. Otherwise- the boots are a year old. One more year and I can get some new ones!

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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)

Yellow Jersey Tested out the freestyle at a new rink. I hadn't been before because it is out of the way and I didn't think I'd be able to get to work on time, but I came up with a scheme, and it worked a peach. Cheaper and fewer people at 6am too. I think I may have found home. Nearly empty session let me try out backwards spirals for the first time. Fun!

Lanterne Rouge: backspin still sucks. I should have practiced it more, sigh. Forward spin wasn't so hot either. For that matter, I never spin well early in the morning on an empty stomach, and that is mostly when I skate. Maybe that is why it is taking me so long to get better.

Yellow Jersey: Coach has been tougher and more demanding recently, this is actually a VERY good thing - it makes me work harder, and she has more faith in my abilities now! Progressive/chasse sequences and spins were wonderful this morning.

Lanterne: Spiral is still not up to par. Coach said I need to work at a ballet bar, and showed me the height I need using the side of the rink. Coincidentally, my washer and dryer are the same height, so since I don't have room for a ballet bar at home, I will use them - Coach just laughed and laughed, but said it's good I'm creative.

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

Mrs Redboots - Great news on the Foxtrot & waltz hold!

Red Lanterne:
Hip felt to much better yesterday that I very foolishly insisted on removing my L blade guard while standing. I should have stopped at the first twinge, but noooo, kept going, and re-injured it. Hip was painful the whole time I was on the ice and heating pad didn't do as much good last night as it had previously. Not skating today, so maybe that will help. L blade is better but still scraping on two foot turns. It almost feels like the rocker is too flat on it. Brand new blades; hope I don't have to take them back. Will do the rocker outline thing later and compare L to R.

Yellow Jersey:
Have blunted blades to the point that I can now just barely do F and B snowplow stops if I'm not going very fast. Only peripherally skating related, but nose was clear all night! Cold is much, much better today. Having read that a recent study showed echinacea + C to be helpful in reducing severity and duration of colds, I reluctantly bought some and have been taking it. I might be convinced.

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I'm a very scientific minded person and do not believe much herb and wholistic stuff - but someone convinced me to try echinacea many years ago and I was convinced. I used to get everyone's cold and flu. With echnicea I rarely get colds. With the flu shot, I rarely get the flu anymore.

And if you have morning sickness - there is this papaya enzyme they sell in health food stores that works really good too. And that is the extent of my herbal cures!


j

Yellow Jersey: All of the yoga classes are starting to pay off -- I got on the ice today and my coach (who I haven't seen in a couple of weeks) said I looked like I was skating better!!! That was nice to hear. I feel like my posture is stronger and taller (something I have been battling with) and the flow is pretty good, so that was nice.

Lanterne Rouge: As I mentioned on the"hip pain" thread" I've been having some problems with the muscles around my hips lately - especially on threes. I had a treatment yesterday that really really helped (all pain gone) but then when I got back on the ice today the pain was back -- bummer!!

So I made sure that I stretched a lot after I got off the ice and then again when I got home I did some yoga stretches and the stretch the PT gave me yesterday specifically for the hurting muscle groups.

BUT I also noticed that some things were easier after yesterday's treatment and I understood where some of the restrictions in my hips might be causing some of the problems I've been having - like not being able to step forward from LB to RF - and also feeling tight when I try to do a LBO swing roll (as in the Tango after the mohawk), so I feel as though I'm heading in a good direction body-wise.

It's all a process... I just have to keep reminding myself.

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

Lucky you! I've done everything remotely possible to keep myself from getting colds and flus and it NEVER fails that I get sick from the flu at least once a year... EVEN WHEN I GET FLU SHOTS, take vitamin C/echinacea, wash hands, etc... My immune system SUCKS!!!

Yellow Jacket:

• Had fun working on FO-BI brackets. Secondary coach is seeing progress!
• Well, I don't look like that particular American Idol singer that my secondary coach mentioned about the other day. She commented that the stroking posture is better now.

Lanterne Rouge:

• Unfortunately I still look like Lurch. (Think Addams family...) She wants my head to pulled back more.
• Still working on doing the forward spin entry correct. It will take a while to finally get this correct and working, needless to say...

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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!!!

Lanterne Rouge: I don’t know if I am coming down with something or it was just the tough day at work but on the ice I was sweating and cold at the same time and everything I tried made me dizzy.

Yellow Jacket: Ok, so I am dizzy anyway, lets work on upright spins! Most of them weren’t very good but I hit the axis and the sweet spot a couple of times and had a couple of beautiful spins with enough revolutions to be worth points

Lanterne Rouge: On sit spins, I am still not finding the balance point to bring them together.

In lesson today my temporary coach said my regular coach said we were to do 3 turn, so we did 3 turns ..... well we ATTEMPTED to do 3 turns but most of them weren’t working at all. We also did a bit on back XO’s.

Yellow Jacket: I told the coach I still haven’t figured out how I can get such great “reach” on my FXO’s and can’t get my foot across on the BXO’s and demonstrated some FXO’s with huge inside reach - that seemed to impress him (snicker!) - but still no answer to the riddle.

Tomorrow at Summer School it is “All That Glitters” day so I am going to wear my practice dress with LOTS of glitter. I also made a “glitter wand” (hollow, for sprinkling glitter) and have 16 Oz of multi-coloured glitter to recharge it so tomorrow I am THE GLITTER FAIRY! Noone will escape un-glittered

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

Yellow Jersey:
My spins are all back! Hooray! I'm also getting the compulsory moves program down.

Lanterne Rouge:
The loop decided not to show up for program runthrough today
Also, some coaches at my rink are obivious to skaters doing programs, I had to bail out of my end of program footwork because of this.
How do people practice for compulsory moves events? Since you don't have any music for this, how do you designate that you are doing a program?

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

These are my yellow jerseys from last night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCPWtY7S_do

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oooooh!!!! Very nice!!!! I also see you do those little "backspin hoppy things!"!!!!! cool!!!!

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

Here is a new one from tonight. My Yellow Jerseys are throughout the video, and after it goes black at the end, you'll see my Lanterne Rouges.. haha.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=X6jF5q1mSRI

OH and I convinced my coach with what I did today that I'm ready to work on doubles and my axel seriously, so tomorrow during my lesson I get to go in the harness and try them!! YAY! I'm so excited and nervous and scared. My goal from before I started skating was to land a double. Well.. double axel.. but double is like, an amazing feat for me, and I'm SO close.

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Lantern Rouge: gaaaah I worked on my axel for about an hour and I only landed one or two... I did my best ones when I thought "geez...I hate that 10 year old working on her double axel" lol but I didn't land any where I thought "wow that was good" or anything...not much flow coming out of them, and I think I was cheating the entry too much...

Yellow Jersey: I practiced my American Waltz everytime a coach asked for the music (the music people pay a lot of attention to who asks for music...if you are a coach you have priority over skaters, so usually if I ask for my music it takes about 30 mins before I get it, soi just use it hwen hte coaches ask for it )...so I MUST have improved! My test is on Friday...eek I've failed this dance twice and it's also Friday the 13th but I guess I'm happy to test it again because maybe I'll pass this time I also landed some pretty good double salchows on the harness the other day in my lesson!