I know it's Sunday, but since the clocks have gone back in Europe and won't go back in the USA for another week, I couldn't resist!

Out of time: Us. We are testing on Wednesday and did not have a good run-through. Ah well.... too many people so we kept having to dodge.

Extra Hour: However, a forthcoming dance test session means lots of music being played, so we got to do a great many dances - including one of the best Willow Waltzes we've ever done! We still have one or two issues with it, but it's polishing up nicely for Dunkerque!

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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!

Out of time: my coach sounds like a broken record; as do I....at least I understand why stuff is crap when it happens and I can tell her why instead of her telling me what I did wrong.

Extra hour: We took it slower today, and started with evil crossovers. I'm still having major balance issues and you can tell on this move. They are slowly getting better.
Her suggestion: off-ice balance training

Spins: I managed two decently centered spins with free-leg correctly placed! yay!!!! I tried to not rush into it and stay focused on only my hands (weird visual thing I know) but it worked.

Jumps: warmed up with the waltz jump and only had to be reminded to "not pitch forward so much" ... been hearing that for a few years

Salchow: was given a longer set up (ie more speed) so that was good if that's all she had to say about this one today.

Toe-loop: not too bad, not great today.

Loop: she reminded me that I'm stepping WIDE and my feet need to be trailing...and to bend then spring up from the toepick. Once I get this, she is sure i will nail this jump. Still, they were much better today.

That is all we had time for.

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

Extra Hour:
Took in a Sunday afternoon freestyle to make up for some ice time that was missed, due to my father's unexpected hospitalization and surgery the last week or so.

Out of Time:
I could tell right away that I have been off the ice for a bit- my spins were off. Need to get a visit to the podiatrist in ASAP to deal with the bursa on my right pinky toe. It's getting painful to the point where there was no loop to be found for me this afternoon.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Extra Hour: I just got back from my comp and Cornell!!! I had fun bonding with the team and getting to see everyone skate.

Out of Time: The 7 hour car ride there and back, not so much fun.

Extra Hour: I GOT THRID!!! There were ten girls in my group, and there was a four-way tie for second using ordinals. I ending up placing third and was super happy! It was in pre-juv. I put up a video of my skate on youtube (not the best quality and the person filming me didn't use zoom so I look very tiny). I got many compliments on my jumps. My spins look a little short to me though, and I have massive helicopter arms while I'm skating.

Extra Hour x2: I skated on Low Team and we ended up placing second!! Woot! I got two medals!!!

Extra Hour x3: My school placed third overall so I'm super happy.

So... I think you should all go on youtube and comment on my program!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss-GbecX-1g

Out of time
rink was packed as it's first day of half term hols so lesson was on part ice

extra hour
rink staff were uncommonly helpful and put the movable barriers up instead of just cones, to keep the public out of the lesson area.

out of timeprobably just as well given we were practising runs in open hold to killian and I very nearly went flying in to the movable barrier several times - think we need more rink space for these. My preferred bailout method seems to be an emergency 3 turn - funny how 3 turns at speed used to scare me to death and now they save me

extra hour had a go at 'butterfly' or 'titanic' hold - a position which seemed a bit like a form of medieval torture for the lady. Still not nearly as bad as foxtrot hold seems to be.

I now have so much more respect for what my kids did when they competed in pairs.

Extra Hour: Our Fiesta and Willow are both definitely better this year than they were last, which is pleasing. And so they should be, mind you!

Out of time: Hope our variation is okay - bit late now if it isn't!

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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!

First let me get this off my chest....

YES I KNOW FRIDAY IS HALLOWEEN AND NO LITTLE JANIE CANNOT TEST ON SATURDAY!!!

Okay I feel better now.

Started my lesson with my 5 minute warm up that went well, then all the pressure of chairing our up-coming competition took over. I got behind just a little doing my freestyle....but a lot of elements are choreographed to the music so that's problem...and my mind is just on everything except what I'm doing and it's time for my half- lutz and I look at my coach "I don't remember where my arms are supposed to be?"

It went downhill from there but when I started to take off my vest my coach says "Oh no you don't - you are going to do this again and you are going to have to get all that competition stuff out of your head and think only about skating. When you put your skates on, you are only thinking about skating"

So I skated out with my presentation pose and smiled and went through the program and did a much better job.

Toward the end of my program I do a mazurka right after my waltz jump but I'm supposed to hold the waltz landing so I curve around more to get set up for the mazurka. I was so busy thinking "jump jump jump" (because I dont' always jump) I forgot. Coach was still impressed that I jumped. I told her I felt pretty good about jumping, though I still wanted to skid and slow down before I jump "RESIST IT" she said.

Worked on my edge entry to my scratch spin in my spins program. The entry was better but then I tend to go back on my heels and she tried to get me to go more on my toe as I do the 3 turn into the spin. It's a little better but still pretty pathetic.

Coach is so sad that this is my last time with my artistic. She just loves it.

j

Out of time: I think I must be prescient - this is exactly what the judge said about our Level One Variation, and told us we didn't pass because we were!

Sigh.

Failing Level One - how embarrassing is that?????

Extra Hour: Oh well, Buck's Fizz and a Full English Breakfast for lunch make the world seem a better place, and a nap might help even more.

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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!

Out of time Didn't get more than 5 minutes of extra practice in because I had been feeling sick all day and couldn't skate before lessons, and I promised DH I'd be home for dinner after lessons. Of course, by the time lessons were over, I wasn't feeling sick anymore and would have liked to stay!

My knees are getting better but still really hurt me.

Extra hour My parents got me new Under Armour pants for Halloween! They are SO comfy and so warm. I'm so glad I have them! The $5 target leggings work great for the summer, but the rink was really getting cold. I think I got a size too big (M instead of S) because I kind of feel like they are slipping, but that might just be because they are slippery. They are SO long though. If the ankle was wider I could pull them over my heels and have extra length to spare.

Actual skating, it was a pretty good lesson. We started with power 3 turns, which I got to demonstrate, because 2 girls in the class had never done them, 1 had done them but didn't remember what they were (she is about to start working on Prelim MITF) and the coach knew I had passed that moves test. Well, that's one skill for Freeskate 4 I have checked off I really tried to bend my knees more, as that was my critique from the judge, and noticed that on my "good" side (the 3-turn is good, but actually it's the weaker side of the pattern) I am really scratchy...

Then we did sit spins. The instructor told me that mine are definetly getting lower and improving. He has me put my hand on my knee, and last night he really worked with me to get my weight onto that hand, I was just kind of setting it there, but that you can support yourself in the hand rather than the leg. It really does work that way. He says it will make learning variations more difficult, since I'll have to relearn to use the leg, but that it still is a sit spin, and just getting one is what's important right now. I felt like I was higher than I normally am, but since I normally feel sitting and you can barely tell my leg is bending, I'm just going to believe him that it was lower! I try to hold it to 5 sit spins, and 3 sit to back sit attempts when I practice or do my lesson, to save my knees, but I definetly did more than that- probably around 15. I need to figure out a good way to tell him I'm done. If I'm in a lot of pain, I speak up, but this is a matter of preventing being in pain the next day. It didn't hurt last night, but it hurts now. It's easier to tell my coach it's time to move on then the group lesson instructor. I feel like "giving up" on a skill is a bad prescedent to set for the kids in the class, some who are a bit lazy about practicing the skill we've been set.

After lessons I ran power pulls and cross strokes. Neither is good, but both show progress. My power pulls are not gaining speed as I go, but they don't seem to be losing it anymore either. On my right foot I can make it all the way down the half rink at about the same speed, and on my left foot I can almost make it that far. I used to get slower and slower each pull. My forward cross strokes I definetly have a strong side, and it messes my lobes up, but they are getting faster. My backward ones are definetly getting faster- but I started at a snails pace. I'm doing better at striking the ice before crossing, and slightly better at stay on the edge longer. Crossing my fingers these can be ready by next summer!

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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)

Oh I'm sorry. But I still think failing the dutch waltz 4 times is the more embarrassing.

It just takes some of us a little longer...

j

What is this and where can I get some?

Out of time: Second week with no lesson--coach out of town last week and wasn't able to get out of work in time to make my lesson yesterday, and no other days available this week till Friday--and since I'm not skating Sat., Sun., or Mon. it seems pointless to have a lesson then with my next lesson scheduled for Tuesday.

Ran hockey evaluations for my son's team last week at the request of the head coaches and afterwards my son asked me not to come out on the ice any more. Apparently it's too embarassing to have your mom out there, although it's not embarassing to have your dad who can barely skate acting as assistant coach!

Extra Hour: Ummmm...how bout some of the Buck's Fizz stuff????

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Out of Time - zero practice between last week's lesson and this one. Forgot my music. Work has been

Extra Hour - coach got me back to basics drilling edge change for back crossovers in a figure 8. We worked on the change across the middle of the 8 which is (briefly) on a flat, free leg back, turned out, toe pointed, all without dragging the free hip back and messing things up. We worked on a few other niceties of form. I feel prettier

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It's all about the dress!

Extra Hour: All four of my skaters that were testing today passed! One passed her Dutch Waltz and another her Dutch Waltz and Preliminary MIF. The other two passed their Fiesta Tango and Hickory Hoedown respectively. As their coach, I couldn't be prouder!

Yea I gave in and told Janie's Mom she could test on Saturday. It's going to mean begging the judges to stay another 15 minutes...and I begged her not to tell anyone because once they find out I made once exception...it's all over for me....

I think Buck's Fizz is known as a Mimosa in the USA - sparkling wine mixed with orange juice?

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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!

Oooh, yes, I can see where that would be very helpful.

And Buck's Fizz sounds a lot less wimpy than "Mimosa." Next time I have a crap practice session I think I'll make myself one. (Although once one opens a bottle of sparkling wine one must finish the bottle or waste it, I guess!)

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Didn't feel like doing much freestyle today (I was only on the ice for an hour anyway).

Extra Hour: Did a few flying camels, like actual real flying camels and not the wimped-into hopping thingamabob I did in my program at Buckeye. They're getting easier, I just have to go into them with speed and be patient and not jump too soon.

Working on getting the sit spin lower...I do this fine in practice but in looking at the vids from Buckeye, I don't do it in my program. Only did one but it was lower than I've ever gotten (as an adult) without falling over.

Spent my entire lesson this week working on dance. Blues was a little stiff at first after not doing it for a few weeks but after a few patterns it was better. The partnering today was the best I've done it. I mainly just need to work on keeping my free leg turned out going into the choctaw and my free hip down on the 2nd edge of it, and staying on axis during the turn. Not too much farther to go, maybe I can test this one in Dec.

Also had my first lesson on the Starlight and the Paso. My coach had never actually seen my Starlight solo before and it was a lot better than he was expecting, we just have little issues to work out (the corner switcheroo on the partnering, timing of the mohawks--I fell into the habit of doing them on the 2nd count not the 3rd). Paso isn't too bad either, we just worked on the solo, fixing the inconsistencies in placement of my pattern.

I'm not sure why, but I just feel so much more at ease with the pre-golds than I did with the silvers.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Extra hour - 9am freestyle on my day off, wide open spaces with just a few other girls for company. Ran my program througha couple of times. Actually had a decent changefoot spin Drilled BI3 turns. Right is coming along very well, left is harder. I think it is because my head and torso don't twist as far that way. If I lay on my stomach I always turn my head to the right, so it is looser. Have to work on those left twist stretches.

out of time - backspins. sigh. onward I struggle. Didn't even try loop or flip - spent some time just playing combining elements in different ways.

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It's all about the dress!

Extra hour: Coach is getting nitpicky on bronze moves now, which means I am getting close!! If we have a test date in Feb we'll probably go for it then. Prelim dances are going well & ready to test Dec 4th.

At practice on Wednesday there were just 2 of us on fresh ice for a while, so we played with circle 8s and serpentines. No scribes or anything but it was clear enough that we haven't ever really worked on figures, test levels notwithstanding (she's juv/adult silver or gold).

Out of time: Okay, I'm starting to get why everyone hates the 5-step mohawk!!! Time to get duct tape and doggie squeaky toys to tape to my boots, because I clearly have little awareness of when my feet are/aren't together between strokes
Need to "screw my courage to the sticking plate" and just go for it on sals and toe loops. To date I've just been kind of wimping out, and coach says my setups are fine and I just need to JUMP!!
Tried a different spin entrance. I still suck but I think I have a better idea of what I'm doing so wrong now!! Tend to lean back and pull my feet too far together on a 2-footed spin. . . Now: Can I actually FIX it??

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"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

This is for yesterday evening...

Extra Hour:
Because it was officially Halloween in the city, few skaters showed up, although it's usually never too busy here. I felt at home on the ice quicker than in past sessions this autumn, so maybe I'm finally getting my skating legs back.

Out of Time:
I was trying to relearn my CW spins (the "wrong" direction for me). Last year, I could get a few nice spins with 5-8 revs, but not yet this year. They feel completely alien again. During one of my last attempts, I took a hard fall out of the spin onto my elbows. Even though I had on my elbow pads, it hurt right through them! Ouch! Another bulbous bump on the right elbow today.

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Bill Schneider

Out of Time:
Still lacking the confidence I used to have and really need. Dragged myself to the rink twice this week before my lesson, but didn't put in nearly enough time on anything.

Extra Hour:
Had a good lesson today anyway, and in spite of the dozen out of control kids racing around. I am now holding onto the exit edge on my FO threes for about 3 feet, but then still skid and hook in. Coach videoed me today so we can watch closely again and again. I check the turn, then let the leading shoulder go for just a second, and that's enough to do in the edge. Did the Pre-Bronze three turn pattern - well, at least I finally got through it again. Was doing it fine and picking up speed before loss of confidence. Ended with CW spins. Doing a two footed entrance - push off from the line, deep RFO back to the line, and just skim the ice with free foot. Got one so fast that I couldn't get my arms in, because I knew I couldn't handle the additional speed. It's my best one so far, and gives me hope for the future. Getting off the ice, I did F cross strokes that just ripped and flowed, with no effort at all!

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So, on Thursday I got to skate for 2 1/4 hours all by myself. Lonely but very nice, got to do thousand of choctaws, 2 back to back run throughs of my free skate and several patterns of the paso, blues and v waltz.

Friday, had free skate lesson jumps are looking better, I am just still something of a chicken 2 sow is getting better quicker and axel I am just being a wimp. Its hard changing over to the hinged boot I am still not as sure as I was before all my issues.

Had free dance lesson with coach first rotational lift rotates well but stopping is another issue all together. Anyway having with the skating at this point, totally over my head with the dances but love trying them anyway.

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

Out of Time
Been sick all week, yet again, this time with nasty cold/chest infection, so missed skating Wednesday night. Wasn't up to much this morning, but went anyway.

Extra Hour
It was nice just to skate, even though not a great skate. Tried some music I'm considering for my next program, played on my ipod & skated around. And it did feel good and create the kind of skating I envisaged, so that's encouraging. Just nice to skate today.

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Katz

Saved by Synchro!
I was over it, now I'm into it again !

Extra Hour: Overall a good two-hour practice this morning. My R knee was killing me--it just feels weak. I wrapped it and that helped.

Junior moves test was actually really good today! Rockers were pretty strong, even the forward insides (my weakest). Power pull/quick rocker sequences were the best I've ever done them! The rhythm of the turns was much quicker and I didn't bring my hip around too much and get "stuck" on one of the turns on the R foot like I normally do! Just need a little more speed, but today was a huge confidence booster. Choctaws were also better too, still not edgy enough but they had good speed!

Did some decent flying camels, laybacks (I developed a bad habit of bringing the free leg back and throwing off my spin, rather than turning into the free leg....that's fixed so now I can work on laying back more). Working on lowering the sit spin, extension in the camel position, did a few nice camels.

Axel...ALMOST there. I've been working it off ice, keeping the shoulder checked back, and it's starting to translate to on the ice. I actually landed two and then put the free foot down, rather than totally two footing them. Now I'm just not driving the knee through enough because I'm thinking of keeping my R shoulder back. Good news is that I no longer hit the toepicks to slow down on the back edge before stepping into it and I'm going into it with some decent speed.

I only did a few of the rest of my jumps, didn't want to overdo it with the R knee. Some good lutzes, didn't get to loop jumps at all (those HURT).

Did a few patterns of the Paso incorporating the fixes my coach and I worked on yesterday. MUCH better! I was a little tired by the time I got to the Starlight so I only did two patterns but they were ok. Didn't get to the Blues, but I did a few patterns of some dances I already passed because the dance teams on my session put the music on (the Tango, American, Rocker).

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

extra hour:

my double lutzes were really nice today! :] I landed all of them so that was nice
layback free leg got better!

Out of time:

double sals were over rotated from trying triples the otherday. oops
sits were travely

from practice today! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92vzOw0mIgM

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