Many commiserations to Flo - hope the hamstring heals and the test gets passed very quickly.

Now then, this for last night at Slough:

Elegant: Oh, we had a lovely time! The ice was clean and fast, and Slough is always a warm rink. There were very few people at dance club - the usual couple of little girls who haven't learnt how not to start under your feet like a pheasant when you tread on it, but we worked round them - one woman who had a lesson for the entire 45 minutes, our friend, us, and one other man. Our friend has a broken bone in her hand, and so skating in Kilian hold isn't easy for her, but she can manage waltz hold, and she and Robert had fun with the 14-step and the Prelim Waltz. Robert and I skated really well together, too - one or two things we both noticed about each other's skating, but only reminders, not desperate!

After the club session, our friend left, and we were working quite hard together. We decided to work on our chasses in waltz hold, and then worked on the Prelim Waltz, discovering, to our delight, that it has suddenly got much easier. Not good, you understand, just easier! So we decided to see what our waltz 3s in hold were like - and to our utter amazement,[size=large]WE COULD DO THEM![/size]. We couldn't do them clockwise, though - but we plan to show our coach these, since last time we tried to do them, we failed miserably. Imagine us, doing waltz 3s round the centre circle, grinning away and the grin getting bigger and bigger as we managed yet another one. We didn't stop until we were well dizzy!

Elephants: Nothing much, really. We did one or two runthroughs of various dances that weren't all they could be, but then, who doesn't? The usual things of anticipating rather, not bending our knees enough, not extending our free legs enough.... In the Fiesta Tango, I keep getting left behind on the backwards section. Robert says I'm not pushing hard enough, but if I pushed any harder, I'd produce triplets! He can't sustain it much beyond four pushes, either, but we pretend he can.... his Fiesta is actually his best dance!

His back cross-cuts were desperate - he keeps allowing his upper body to flop forwards, which makes it far more difficult. I don't do that, but mine still run out of "oomph" after about six. His back cross-rolls have been passable for ages, but mine are still far to seek. I am beginning to get some movement on them, but only just.

No skating today! But I need a rest, as I'll be skating twice tomorrow.

Oh, and Beth, I do sympathise about the LFI 3s. They are totally evil. I can either get an exit edge or an entry edge, but not both!

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

Hi,
Thanks everyone! I'm just back from PT. It indeed is the dreaded hamstring. Also she found that my hips were tilted so that my left leg was actually shorter than the right. I feel like a geological formation and my continental plates keep shifting. So I have more interesting excercises. Ms. Redboots, I like the description of the phesants underfoot!

Elegant - I am REALLY close to getting the flip! My waltz jump is much better, my coach was so suprised she said, "It's actually a JUMP". :-)
Had luck learning the waltz-loop combo, still can't fully rotate the loop but I had no problem with the entrance from the waltz to the loop. I guess the best thing is total lack of fear on my jumps going backwards, still confounds me but it's helping me work on jumps. I find the half jumps pretty boring so I am ignoring them (except the half Lutz and toe loop) my coach said it's okay because I am so close to getting the rotation for a full jump.

Elephant - LFO to 1 foot spin, someday it will all click and I'll have a parade but until then I need lots of patience.

Salchow, feels so WEIRD, I finally started getting the hang of it but my first few attempts were comical.

Flo, sorry to hear about your hamstring, sending out positive vibes!!

flo: Do you have a spinal curvature (Scoliosis)? I have one, and that explains the slight droop I have in one shoulder and one leg being slightly shorter.

Beth

Anyone remember me saying this recently?

Well, it's official, and just in case you haven't realised yet or I've not mentioned it I hate, loathe and detest back 3's and FIELD MOVES!!!!!

TUESDAY

Got to the rink, was good, got on and did edges and started the Field Moves .... all was going well UNTIL I got to the MINGING BO3 with mohawk exercise The first was okay, a bit pulled, I did the second one on straight legs and fell over onto my left hand side, trapping my left hand underneath me It hurt A LOT and I already knew that it was worse than the usual bumps and bruises It was so painful that I was nearly in tears but was attempting to be a big (ahem) strong girl and not make a fuss! I was carted off the ice into First Aid and ice packs and then a bandage applied. I could move and feel my fingers BUT I couldn't grip with the left hand and it hurt like a hurty thing on a very hurty day :? Anyway .... I was then taken to hospital where it was announced that I have a Colles fracture and have to go into plaster

I'm now officially fed up, bored, tired and hurty .... I get a 'proper' plaster put on next week which I can't wait for as this thing weighs A TON

Oh, and the date? Not FRIDAY but it IS the 13th!!!!

Hope everyone else is faring better than I am .... I hadn't realised how LOST I am without my left arm! How can I wash my hair? Even putting on udergarments is a feat!

L xxx

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Aww. Lynne that's horrible. Hope you're feeling better soon. At least within a few days you should be better able to do normal stuff.

Kim

OUCH, Lynne!!!! Sorry to hear of your fracture.

Don't ask the doctor if it's okay to skate. He'll probably say "no".

I fractured my left wrist while skating last year, got the cast put on, and was back on the ice two days later. I figured that I had sufficient support and protection from the cast (plus the megadoses of Ibuprofin).

My coaches asked if the doctor didn't suggest I not skate. I told them he didn't say and I didn't ask.

It wasn't too bad skating with the cast, but it did require a little balance adjustment.

Hope you heal quickly!!!!!

That's horrible Lynne. ((((hugs)))) Hope you're not in too much pain.
By the way, here in Mexico Tuesday the 13th is the bad luck day not Friday. Please forgive my ignorance, but what is a Colles fracture?

Oh Lynne, I sympathize with you having to wear a cast. I had my right hand cast for two weeks just recently here due to severe tendonitis. As a result, I lost the rudder action of my right wrist, and really missed it!!! Funny how my subtle wrist motions aided my balance! The cast came off yesterday, and boy, was my hand weak. The goal was to immobilize the thumb (since that's where the main problem was)...I'm especially weak there so it's still near impossible to write or hold a book properly or anything like that.

BTW, for washing your hair, showering, etc., put a plastic bag over your affected hand and secure it tightly with a rubber band to keep out water. Do the best you can with your other hand...shampoo spreads out pretty well over the head so I'd think you'll be ok here. Now my hair is about waist length...imagine what a feat it was to wash my hair with a cast hand!!!

I'll send good vibes your way for a speedy recovery...8)

Elegant:
Waltz jumps were the best they have ever been. Don't know if they were so good because I felt so light after having that cast taken off (!)...whatever, I'll take them! I got both good height and distance today. Salchows were high and floaty also. Even my loops were decent. I'm now comfy with the mohawk entry vs. the RFI 3 turn; the challenge comes now to keep my feet crossed in the air. I have a tendency to tuck my free leg up under me.

Did a true half-lutz today from back power pulls. This marks the first time I have felt the counter rotation in the air--wow. Those power pulls got me on a true back outside edge, with the ankle and hip angled properly for the lutz takeoff. Gives me hope that I'll have a lutz someday!

Camel spins were good before I got tired, then they fizzled into elephants. Sits good. Layback getting there. Flying camel flies (I'm surprised! I thought I'd always be afraid of this spin, but I just *go* for it...it is not nearly as hard and scary as I thought it would be!), but it just needs to spin now! Cool to be working on it though; I am confident I'll get it!

Elephants
Scratch spin. Ugh. They were better with the cast on!!! They'll come back; they always do.

Flip. Don't ask.

__________________
All that glitters has a high refractive index.

Lynne,
About not being able to use your left arm. I've been there. Broke my left elbow 3 summers ago just before I joined a skating club for the first time. I was stuck learning only ice dance the first year. Anyway, when you want to wash your hair and take a shower, get a green garbage bag, rap it around your whole arm all the way up to your shoulder, then tape it and elastic it to keep it from moving. Make sure you have room to move your fingers. Do keep taking the pain killers because when you can rest, it makes you heal faster. Losts of fruit and veges to help promote healing. Rest as much as you can.

If you have a DVD player, buy the Salt Lake City Olympic Figure Skating Competition and also the EXhibition DVD's. You can spend time studying all the skaters moves in 1/16th of the normal speed. This can help you improve your skating, even when the doc has said no skating for now.

Hope you feel better soon.

Brigitte

__________________
"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

Thanks for you good wishes and advice I feel pretty pathetic right now but that should pass soon! I can't skate in this cast because it's only temporary and weighs a TON but I should get my proper, lighter one next Tuesday

All the best

L xx

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Poor Lynne. Hope it hurts less soon, and heals quickly.

Can't you get some nice gentleman to help dress you and wash your hair???!!!!

Hugs, mel xx

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Oh, poor Lynne!

I hope they can give you a removable cast next week so that you can not only skate, if you want, but also shower and wash your hair, etc. Our friend at Slough now has one, and feels the better for it! But then, she has only broken a bone in her hand, not her wrist. ("Only" - I gather it's horrendously sore, still).

So you won't be at Dance Club tonight, I take it? I shall have to rest before I go, given that I have already skated for 1.5 hours this morning!

Rotten: The ice! Was horrible - cold, hard, lots of "speed bumps", and the Zamboni had gobbeted in one place and nobody had picked it up. Almost unskateable, but not too awful once you actually got going. There had been tests on it earlier, and people had passed in spite of it!

My free dance! The middle section, which is slow, and which I want to use to show of such skills I have, but my coach says I look far too tentative doing them. He's right, of course, but I don't know quite how to fix it. If I skate forwards, as he wants, I shall go faster, but then won't be able to turn round, which I never can at speed from forwards to backwards.

Said as much to my coach, who was exasperated: "But you know as well as I do that if I hold your hand, you can turn as fast as you like!" which is absolutely true, and nobody could be more frustrated by it than me..... I was not meant to be a solo skater!

He wouldn't let me use the "trick" someone had shown me on Friday for improving my back edges, saying it exaggerates one of my faults. Oh bother - it did make the edge better.....

Regal: Not a great deal. Did manage some nice BO edges, which pleased him, and some good back chasses. Also some waltz 3s both ways - but still toe-scraping on the step to forwards when going clockwise. Deep sigh. The coach said it was because I was involving my upper body too much.

He then pointed out that even he still works his 3-turns sometimes, and that all skaters should and must work on their edges and turns, especially dancers.

Had great fun watching him with a Level 6 dancer, who is actually not quite as good as she looks, and who had a horrendous blister on her ankle, which didn't help her back edges any (how come that suddenly got posted in the middle of that?). But this particular young woman has always looked better than she is, and she really isn't at all bad!

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

Elegant
Not a lot today.

For some reason, the loop -loop isn't working "nicely". After the 1st loop it curves round too much. It's never done this before.

I thought of Lynne when I did the hideous RBO3s with mohawks. They are so elephants . I thought to myself: "Keep your arm out the way in case you fall and land on it...!
I can't say it did much for them though.

Also elephants is the steps for level 3. What's happened to the BO3s? Is it subconcious because of Lynne?

Oh I tried the sit spin in my prgramme. I did 4 revs (minimum 3 required) but could do it much faster than my 3 camel revs, so change it to 5 revs and still had time to keep in with the music. If I do 6 or 7 revs, I become too dizzy for the flip, and start to freak before I go into it.
I haven't discussed it with coach yet, but she can decide what I cam manage best. She DID say last week (about the camel spin) that it "nearly made it" - the minimum 3 revs. So technically it wouldn't have passed.

The parallels are away to pot. I'm trying too hard. Or else I need my blades sharpened.

I tried exercise for laybacks (complete beginner with these).
All I do is spin with leg out to side and arms held in a circle in front of me at waist level approx. I don't do anything special with the leg, just the toe is facing forwards and the blade is almost parallel with ice, but the leg is lifted slightly(raised free hip).
My coach says to get used to spinning, centred, with leg and arms in those positions, then the next stage will be the hardest! I managed about 8 semi fast revs on the spot in this position. I think it is harder than it looks, especially holding it there and keeping it going.
Anyway, lots more practise needed for that.

The flip -cherry is ever so slightly better than it was last week - it was completely hideous then.

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Lynne-I'm so sorry to hear about your injury! I hope you will heal fast and better than ever!

Flo-Sorry to hear about your silver pair test and your injury! Hopefully you will heal soon and get through that test! I admire you just for trying it.

Beth-I had to laugh at your post, not because it's funny really, but because I've also been in tears on the ice with 2 of my coaches, so I can really empathize with the level of frustration you were feeling. My primary coach is used to me by now, although it hasn't happened that often, and he knows how to soothe me very well. I also tend to tear up and then cry after I get off the ice after my test, I guess from having to hold in all those emotions while I'm skating. Anyway, I'm glad you had such a breakthrough.

As for me,
Elegant: My secondary coach worked on the foward power 3's move with me on Monday, and it was initially scary but then so exciting! He was helping me, but still, I did all the turns, crossovers, and steps properly (after a couple of tries, of course!). On the sequence starting with a RFO3, I actually was able to go the whole length of the rink without freaking out or losing focus and maintained my speed. It was very exciting! He tells me we're going to do the alternating back crossovers to back outside edges next week, gulp!

My primary coach has been doing mostly choreography with me and my program is almost finished. It has a waltz jump, half flip, toe loop (I love this jump), bunny hop, right forward outside spiral, some spins and edges (not in this order). I like it! But I get so dizzy trying to skate it. My coach always starts laughing when I get this stricken look on my face because I feel like my eyeballs are spinning in my head! And it covers pretty much the whole ice surface, which is amazingly hard to do!

And last night when we were working on it, the last 15 minutes or so there were just adult skaters and Olympic coaches on the ice; quite amazing really! It was really fun. When we were working on the choreography at one point we went through the area where the other coach was working with her adult pair, and they all jumped back for us. It was nice to see such courtesy. And did I say how much fun I had?

That's it for now. No Elephants for me this week!

Pat

Lynne: I am so, so sorry about your injury!!! The plastic bag over the arm does work wonders with showers or any other situations where the hand might get wet. It was a lifesaver for my husband when he had his broken wrist. Believe me, you will get very talented at shampooing with one hand!!!!

Pat: The program sounds great!!!! Are you doing two foot or one foot spins? On the alt back crossovers to back edges, I think your coach is talking about backward extensions. Similar to doing back edges down the line, you push off into the back crossover, but then hold the back edge on the skating foot (ie: with a left crossover its a right backward edge) in the same position you would hold when landing a jump--in other words, you do the crossover for less than half the "curve", then you push arms out from chest and hold the edge back to the line. Then you switch sides. Its quite fun, one of those RARE things I caught onto fairly quickly. Its marvelous practice for the "landing position" for jumps.

Slightly Elegant Elephants (and that's hard for me to say, I'm a Democrat...) Made a little more progress with the LFI3 last night at Adult Skate. (And thankfully, this time it was adult skate--not a kiddle in sight!!! ). We have an older gentleman there, a professor, who's very talented and a sweetheart. He can do these change edge spread eagles that are to die for--one time he did them around Anna and me and cheekily informed us that we had just been "circumSCRIBED!!!!"
He suggested I try more speed with the LFI3 because he thought I wasn't building up enough momentum to keep going after the turn. He was right--it helped. Ahh, millimeter, by millimeter, by millimeter.

Still truckin',

Beth

Lynne, Ouch!
Things to do:
Get a cast to match your boots.
I love the idea of a nice gent to wash your hair.
After he washes your hair, go get a massage.
Pick out a nice bracelet to go with your cast.
Go out with a couple of friends and linger over tea.

Thanks to all for the good thoughts. Beth, I do have slight curvature, but my left leg was shorter because it was jammed up into the hip and stuck.

Seems like an icky time for many of us. Must be sun spots, or the moon having an inexplicable gravitational pull on our blades, throwing everything off just enough to make us crazy. Yes, I'm sure of it. We could probably get a federal grant to study the effect.
ta,

Beth,
Thanks! Actually, my coach seems to have conveniently forgotten my resolve never again to do a two-foot spin! He wants me to do one directly out of my half flip. So, I land on my left foot and then put my right foot down on an outside edge and enter the spin from that edge. Sigh. The one-foot spin will be at the end someday...

Yes, you're right about the backward extensions. If you look in the usfsa rulebook or on-line, it's named the way I referred to it. I don't know how quickly I'm gonna get this, but we'll see! I'm looking forward to trying it.

Pat

I agree. An astronomical research study should be started. We can find out what magnetic and gravitational effects are doing to us. Why our skating elements suddenly enter parallel dimensions where we don't exist. What effect sun spots, the moon, and earth's rotation has on our routines. If solar flares cause bad ice.

Since I started skating last year, I think there were two weeks (not consecutive) that some part of me didn't hurt. And I thought karate was physically damaging.

LOL, Flo, I had to laugh at that I'd already decided to go for purple if they offer it .... to go with my boots!! Mind you, I NEED a dark coloured one, this one's already got a spinach stain (because I'm being good) and a chocolate stain (from the choc chunks in the biscuit I was eating to cheer myself up ).

Nice gent sounds a good idea, unfortunately I don't own one of those

I'm not allowed to do clinical work (because I would be unable to do life support) and had a major panic as the thought of 6-8 weeks without pay flashed before my eyes ..... HOWEVER the new database has arrived so I've got the job of setting it up and putting all the patients from Jan 2002 on, won't be paid as much but at least it's money!

Everyone was fascinated about the ins and outs of my injury, one doctor in particular kept following me around teasing me that a Colles fracture is an 'old woman's' thing' and how I look so young!! He then proceeded to ask if it had hurt, did I know right away that I'd broken it and was it deformed!

I doubt that I'll be getting a removeable cast, to be honest I wouldn't want one even though my skating is on hold. The break was actually very 'neat' with no deformity, 'good' movement in my wrist and fingers, only my 'grip' suffering and that's because it hurt too much.

Thank you again for your good wishes

L xxxx

ps a Colles fracture (sorry, can't remember who asked) is a break across the end of the main bone of the forearm (the radius), or both of the lower arm bones (the radius and ulna).

__________________

The best whisper is a click

(((Lynne,)))

Poor you!! Sending lots of good vibes so you can get back to your routine – and the ice – as soon as possible!

-- wannask8

(((Lynne,)))

Poor you!! Sending lots of good vibes so you can get back to your routine – and the ice – as soon as possible!

-- wannask8

EEEEK!!!! I'm SO SORRY, Lynne!!!!

I am just reading up in my Sports Medicine book about your injury. First thing it said was that in adults it's a very common injury for those who are in contact sports or "in activities with potential for falling accidents."

Did your doctor mention anything about surgery and inserting pins? Or are they going through the "closed reduction" route? (Sounds like since you mentioned it was a clean break that this route is likely your route...) My book tells me that depends on the severity of the injury, you'll probably be in that cast for about four to six weeks and you probably won't be allowed back on the ice for another twelve. (Or in more severe cases six months.)

If you can, this is probably a good time to watch all those skating tapes of your favorite skaters and study their moves and technique. I like the one of the 3 (or is it 4 yet?) tape Lussi technique series, though I will warn you right now that the technique stuff has been known to put me to sleep a lot after a while! Of course, no skating tape collection is complete w/o my primary coach doing his MK routine at Adults National this past year!

Keeping to the original thread...

Elegant:

• My primary coach gave me some stuff that helps to get over that "cheat" on my spin entry.
• Waltz 3's are okay. Not the best, but at least I could do them on both sides now. (My LFO3 is a bit weak...)

Elephants:

• My backspin. I did one try and my coach says "Let's go onto the next thing." Yeap!!! That bad!!!
• One attempt with said Spin Entry results in a nasty bruise on my knee. (Caught a toe pick... I was supposed to go into the FO edge HEEL FIRST!!!) Coach was CHEERING "YAY!!! She FELL!!!! YAY!!!" (Weirdo!!!)
• Could even get simple edge exercises right. (Well, not that basic...)
• Started up on cross strokes this week! Oh, boy! This one's gonna be hard!!!
• Loops are totally gone!!! WAAAAAH!!!!

Cheers,
jazzpants

I had a great skate today.

Not put off by the babysitter coming late, or being stuck in traffic for ages, I skated ALL the field moves, my programme several times, some change sit spins, and camel change camels. Even the backspin was working (sometimes) today.
The flip-cherry is not as elephants as it was last week.
All the jumps to lutz and flip-loop were working well.

I love it when you skate well and it just lifts your whole day.
I wanted to try an axel, since the skatng was good, but I declined, as it was nearly time to come off.....and why tempt fate, and end on a bum note?

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Elegant - I fully rotated my flip jump!! It took about 10 tries last night and I did it, I still land on 2 feet, not quite on my toes, but that's what I'll practice next!! I did the half toe and it worked really well, I think I am finally figuring out where to "pick in" on my boot to actually get UP in the air. :-) Practiced jumps in and around the center with the "big girls" i.e. the more advanced skaters, I'm definitely getting more confident.

Elephants - Spins were yuck, hope I'll have more luck this week-end. The salchow still feels SO uncoordinated. If I break it down into parts I can do it really slowly but if I try and do it quickly I am at a total loss.
Got really winded and quit after an hour. Still can't skate for more than an hour without a sufficient rest.