Just consider your 6-minute warmup the "first run-through" and your actual competition performance your "second run-through" and you'll be perfect! There's something to be said about not leaving your good jumps on the warmup ice.

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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

Poor you - do let us know what the doctors say. If it is concussion, you must do as they tell you, as it is not something to be messed about with.

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

I just got back from the doctors. The doctors told me I do have a concussion and I have to take it easy for a month. I can't skate, do trampoline, play soccer, and I don't get to do phys ed at school. I'm really bummed out, but I rather be bummed out then feel dizzy and sick. I hope it gets better soon.

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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

Sorry about the head! I hope you completely recover!

Fighting: I had almost no upper-body control. This may have to do with me not doing any abdominal workouts for the past few months... just don't well my coach!!!

Hugging: I landed my axel twice on my program pattern and my program is getting a facelift. We were going to just edit my prelim program for the show, but the music was much longer (30 sec), so we needed to re-do it.

Fighting: I have no clue what I'm doing in my program now.

Hugging: My coach found me a dress for my program.

Fighting: I don't like it, but everyone else was saying it was great.

Why not do a first run through on the official 20 minute practice (when they usually play a piece of your program music). Then you will have gotten the bad run through out of the way

Hugginh Hugging Hugging Everyone In Sight:

No lesson today - but everything was just working. Things clicked into place…my foot on my spirals was turned out, my knee bend on my edges was so much better, my crossovers and progressives felt confident and relaxed…and then I started working on waltz/3-jumps and wow! The entry felt confident, the actual jump felt great, the landing felt so smooth and graceful, and everything just felt so fantastic. I made up some footwork of my own, just for fun (then realized I was doing 3-turns that are normally really dodgy!). And at the end of the session…I could have stayed there all day. The ice was just beautiful. And when I got off I just thought ‘Yes Helen – THIS is why I do this – this feeling – this is why I skate’.

Fighting: Still can't do that ruddy Mohawk - coach2 has now changed it so it is still a Mohawk, but a wide-step afterwards, not a barrel roll.

Hugging: Lots of work on the Dutch Waltz today as it was playing. Have exhausted myself.

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

2,5 hour of practice on-ice and then some dry jumping afterwards... Yeah I can learn to like this clockwise jumping thing.


Hmmm today's not really my lucky day though. Bumped my elbow hard after about 40 mins of practice and then nearly broke my neck crashing on the couch at home, youch it made a very nasty cracking sound. Maybe I should go see a doc about the neck if it's sore tomorrow. Gave me a really bad scare I tell you...

Oh yeah and my sit spin went really low today... Which is cool.

Hugging: I just did my taxes, and I'm getting enough money back to buy new skates this summer!!! The soles of my current skates are getting a tiny bit mushy and my screws need to be tightened frequently. When I get my new skates, I think I'll get the soles varnished instead of sno-sealed - hopefully that will keep the soles in better shape longer. And if I get varnish, I can have something cute painted on soles too.

Fighting: My double toes are not consistent right now, and I need one in my program for AN.

[Hugging]
At least had one axel where I was near landing on my toe

Worked on laybacks and flying camels...actually had some pretty good flying camels...they were a little slow, but that's okay for now...Laybacks were really far back (I could see behind me and not just the ceiling), I just don't know if I'm getting my leg where it needs to be because I didn't have anyone to watch me....I'll ask a friend on Wednesday to take a look....

I took a break from working on the program and moves and will start again this next week...I will probably run through moves and my program on Tuesday but keep working on these other things, seeing as I don't know when I'm going to be testing....

[Fighting]
The first session I skated (2nd of the night) had 23-24 skaters on it and many of them were not actively working on stuff, they were standing around...it's show season, so these next two weeks will be quite busy on the ice

Axels were still not what I want them to be....I am still not landing on my toe, however, today I really focused on pulling in...which is helping with the rotation...I am pretty much all the way around, when I remember to pull my arms in

That's exactly it! That's why I've kept skating for 15 years. The feeling you get when you accomplish something you've worked hard on for months or even years. Just one good jump/spin/move on any given session can keep you hyped up for a week.

When I look back on my life there are two things that I never worked so on so hard as anything else. The first thing was my education. The second thing was learning the double flip. It took me about 6 or 7 years to get it. It took me longer to get the flip than it did get through college. But I stuck with it and never gave up. I am equally proud of both accomplishments. I can remember landing the flip for the first time better than I can my graduation.