Thought I'd start one for this week. And yes, I had Chinese food tonight, which is where the title came from.

Sweet: dances. About the only thing I can do with my stupid ribs hurting so badly. Everything up through the Cha-Cha went very well.

Sour: Everything else. Hoedown was the worst I've ever done it, since the LFO3 hurt horribly. No jumping at all. Any twisting, even on edges, had me stopping in pain. Yippee. I probably shouldn't have been on the ice at all, but I'm stubborn and been off for the last 2 weeks (until Friday when I fell) and I want my lesson on Wednesday.

Have fun with the thread!

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass

I haven't posted on these threads much for the past couple of weeks because I haven't really got much to report! "Same", "Ok", "Bit better", "Not great" gets a bit boring. I'm still not having regular lessons yet but still skating, which is the main thing.

However, my last practice was a bit different from my last few. For example, I went easy on the spins, as for the last few weeks I've spent practically the whole session doing them, trying to improve. I didn't let myself try any till half way through the session, and then only did a few before I left them. Travelling was a little less than it has been.

I spent most of the time on footwork. I practiced every type of turn I could think of, several moves etc, and field moves. I also invented a new sequence, which was FO3 - change feet - BO3 - change feet - FO3 etc, round a circle. I don't know if I actually invented it or not, but I haven't seen anyone do it before. It was fun actually, surprisingly easy to go fast and keep it going.

I only did a couple of jumps, but my waltz jump imparticular felt great! Good takeoff, great spring, lovely strong landing.

Couple of "sour" things - my blades needed sharpening quite badly (I left them to get done tomorrow), there were several kids in hockey skates (some of whom were annoying me!), and I tried a few spirals but the trousers I was wearing meant I couldn't lift my leg properly! Maybe it's time for a skirt... I've never worn one on the ice before.

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"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

Sweet: I was able to pick up a lesson from my coach. I'm not taking regular private lessons, but if I'm around and she has an open slot she'll ask me. Since neither of us could remember what elements were in Free Style 1 (my next level), we chose to work on a two-foot spin. I've never really tried spinning before, so it was an experience. FO3, back crossover, back crossover, hold, rotate shoulders, step forward, hold, rotate shoulders, spin. Okay, so it took me most of the half hour to get the sequence imbedded in my brain. The spins weren't much to look at yet, but what fun!!!

Sour: My hips and knees are a tad bit sore today. Ah, the cost of progress.

Summer is going to be fun.

Monday night: 1-1/2 hour adult only public skate

Tuesday night: 1 hour pilates class

Wednesday night: two 1/2-hour group skating lessons
* Adult workshop
* Ice dance
Thursday night: 1 hour synchro practice

The rest of the week will be spent healing my aching muscles.

Sweet: let's see. 10 miles on the inline skates this morning. Yard work until 2pm then skating for 2 hours including a 1/2 hour lesson. Today it was back to the salchow which I had been working on last summer before the fun and joy of Lyme Disease set in. The real good news that is I actually pulled off a couple of them. Granted not much speed but at least the mechanics were there....You should see my waltz jump now which we spent a few minutes on in the beginning. Getting more speed, and height. I just have to consistently kick through.

Sour: gad I am sore!! I glad I go back to work tomorrow. Hours in front of a computer seems like heaven as my muscles get a chance to rest.

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

Back on the ice after competition, not very motivated, I must say!

Sweet: Getting all the compliments from my coach and the other skaters, and being able to show him the marks sheets, so he could see that it wasn't just me saying we weren't outclassed in the couples dance. Decided to leave Jake the Peg alone until just before Bracknell now; I know it so well there's no point in getting stale, plus my Free Dance and OD both need work. Did some work on Mohawks, and some forwards and backwards stroking, all of which went well until I fell down a hole in the ice. Didn't fall over (just), but rocked a bit....

Sour: My free dance is woefully out of practice. OD had to be replaced on the ice, as the highlight was just where the judges couldn't see it. It seems okay now, but needs tidying up.

The ice was foul, especially after Villard-de-Lans! Ah well.... back to the grindstone.....

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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!

Well, this isn't exactly a skating lesson, but I had to report that my hips and tailbone are bruised from taking this class. I used a mat, but there isn't enough padding on it or me to protect the bones.

A great workout, though.

Why? I've never had that problem with my pilates lessons. What exercises did you do that bruised your hips and tailbone?

Pat

It was all mat work on the floor. Leg lifts in every which direction. Crunches of every sort. Any of the leg lifts done on my sides and any crunches where my feet were off the ground put pressure on my bones. Also the rolling exercises where you roll back to your shoulders then up again.

My girlfriend, who teaches aerobics, also has bruised hips. Her tailbone is okay, but she has a little more padding in the rear ( it's cute though ) than I do.

The instructor did the exercises on the bare tile floor, but she has a lot more padding than either of us.

Leg lifts done on your side can be hard on the hips depending on how you are built. When I have done leg lifts in general--not necessarily in pilates, I always have to be careful of how I lay down on my side or it is just uncomfortable at times--sometimes I have trouble getting comfortable at all, and all I can feel is the awkward feeling of my hipbone on the mat. So, I can relate.

I will say that in terms of your back, it can feel awkward at first if your mat is relatively thin, but I think you start to get used to it. I used to exercise with a thicker mat, and then started using my yoga mat for doing ab work. When I first switched, it bothered my back a little bit because I could feel the various bones touching the ground. But after a while I became used to the thinner mat and it does not bother me anymore. Or after doing a specific thing more often it becomes easier and sometimes less awkward.

Today was wonderful... my ankle has improved enough that if i do it a certain way, the loop jump doesn't hurt ! woah... Now i got to ask my coach if that is right or not...
Things are coming back slowly... hope i can start back on axel and double jumps next week.

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~
Tidesong

Back in my early 20's while taking karate classes, I had a constant scab over my tailbone from doing sit-ups, etc. I guess it's just the way I'm structured (darn it).

SWEET!

I finally heard the words from my coach today that I have been waiting a year to hear.....he told me that my knee bend and extensions were where he wanted them to be on my counterclockwise power circles (crossovers)!

Week after week after week I have heard "you could bend your knees more" and "I'd like to see better extensions". And now, success ! (Of course, there's still the pesky problem of the clockwise crossovers, but I'm getting there).

Sour -

Hey, after hearing those words, nothing can be sour today.

Bummer. I guess that is the same as with the hips for me--it never gets more comfortable to do those leg lifts. Good luck with your pilates! I have only done them with video instruction--I have never taken a class.

WAY TO GO!!!!!!

I'll bet it made your coach happy too.

Sour
All of Monday's practice. I felt so weak that I left the ice after half the session. I think I've been overdoing the Nordic Track. At least I didn't have my regularly scheduled lesson, due to coach's lack of babysitting.

Sweet
On today's very empty public session, I was able to put in a good 1.5 hr's work.

For the first time, I was able to do the B cross stroke exercise of three cross strokes, circle around on third and do the same again, circling on the other foot.

My slaloms were so good last week that my coach wanted me to try four at the boards, then pick up a foot for power pulls, with hand over wall. I found this to be impossible, I just stiffen up. Today, though, I tried getting up a good rhythm on two feet (that floaty feeling is great!) and then picked up one foot. I actually got 4 pulls before putting my foot down. R is much better than L, and back is not there at all, though the slaloms are better on B. I am going to love these like I do the cross strokes.

Got several decent one foot spins from wind up.

Worked on spirals with no ill effects - that "weird falls" thread has me a bit spooked.

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Saturday was the sweet part of the week:


MY FIRST USFSA GOLD MEDAL!!!!
I won competing in Pre- Bronze ladies free!
My loop jump came along for the ride too!


Sour:
Last week, I bellyflopped on the ice durng a lseeon with my coach on that tripping the toepick while in a spiral fall. While it did hurt the next day, the pain disappeared during last weekend's competition. It came back on the ice with me on Monday afternoon.
Went to the doctor yesterday. While my ribs are not broken, I did bruise them and am taking a couple of days off the ice to heal. Hope to start back tommorow to prepare for State Games!

Woo Hoo!!!! Congrats!!!

Congratulations!

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Awwwwwright!!!!

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All that glitters has a high refractive index.

[size=large]CONGRATULATIONS TERRI![/SIZE]

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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!

Winning a gold sure feels better than a bellyflop.

And the pride of winning the gold will long outlast the pain of the 'flop.

Congrats!!!!!

Way to go, Terry! Sorry about the bellyflop! Hubby did that once while trying a spiral -- not a pretty sight.

Gary, sorry about your bum! But what I wouldn't give to take a Pilates class! If only I could find a free one.....

Sweet: Was on vacation this week up near Gull Lake (Didn't see Kristi Yamagichi, though) I ran for a full 30 minutes, then walked another 20! And I felt great! Then my allergies go thte best of me and I woke up with asthma issues the next couple of mornings and passed on the running. Darn wildlife!

Anyway, it's odd, but since I started running, it's been increasingly difficult to exercise my abs -- I could do crunches for hours and not feel a thing. Do any of you other runners find that to be true? At the same time, my abs are firming. What a conundrum. My littlest brother and I have the tendency to "muscle" rapidly and I know there's a sixpack under my fat, I can see a faint mark of it now and I haven't been doing abs for a couple of weeks because I can't "feel the burn".

No skating to report.

Sour: Poor hubby was the only one to not catch a fish. Well, I didn't either, but I didn't buy a license, nor did I try to fish. And he had a terrible golf game on Tuesday. So did I, but I've only played golf three or four times in my life, so I didn't expect much.

Sour
Today I had my last lesson with my beloved coach. Her baby is officially due on 6/15, she doesn't have babysitting for next Monday, and has finally decided that she will end her season this week. By the time she is back, in the fall, I will have moved upstate. I hope to visit and have the occasional lesson, but this was the last one with her as my regular coach. I must say that she is some incredible skater, still doing brackets, cross strokes, power pulls, you name it by way of moves, with her belly out to Jupiter. She is actually more comfortable skating than walking.

Sweet
As often happens, I went into my lesson with little confidence, and finished up with a lot - boy am I going to miss my coach!

Power pulls are here! I did F two footed (slaloms) halfway across the rink, then RF pulls the rest of the way! Coming back, I managed to get about 4 pulls out of my L, which is my weaker foot. I even got a few on my RB.

Worked on spins from wind up and did a few good ones, then coach had me hold free leg extended for a bit longer before pulling it in and up to extend the life of the spin.

Did the B cross stroke exercise, and got my shoulders corrected. I knew I was bending at the waist, but didn't realize I was also tipping my shoulders. It's a plus for me just to be able to do the exercise at all.

Ended the lesson with the alt FI three pattern. Once with full spot and perfect, beautiful turns, and once with the empty glove spot and decent turns.

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Hi

WEDNESDAY

Joined up to the adult classes again .... have decided to do another set before embarking on patch ice again!

Unfortunately there was a lack of instructors and no-one from last time's level 10 SO I was in a group of level 6's!! The head coach did ask me three times if I should really be there but what can I do? I don't feel confident to go onto patch, public sessions are a nightmare ...... Anyway ... we did backwards and forwards crossovers, FI3's .... and then I was told to do double FI3's which is where my brain starts to freak (about the back 3). Does anyone have any ideas how I can erase or at least diminsh this block? (FYI I broke my wrist (idiot) doing a back 3! Not only a back 3 but a back 3 on my best side and one which I didn't have too much trouble with). We then did some FO and FI curves. Maybe I'll get to test Level 6 this time .... I just hope it's not a testament to my future skating career ..... taking tests in the reverse order LOL

After the lesson we have a rather generous 15 minutes practise time. I did jumps up to loop and then tried a few axels!! I still haven't 'got' the axel but I'm not afraid (which begs the question of WHY I'm quite happy to throw myself up into the air in a vain attempt at an axel but freak out when keeping my blade on the ice for a back 3!! it's not 'just' a post injury freak out I've always been that way!!!).

I then did the Moves class which was good fun. We started with FIGURES which I used to hate BUT actually quite enjoyed .... maybe it's because I was pretty much a beginner when I did figures before and now I have a bit more control the flow is much better so they don't feel QUITE so crap! The NICE thing was that the coach said to me "you've done figures before haven't you?" ...... I must have remembered SOMETHING then!!

The head coach has offered to teach me which is nice, unfortuately I can't get in when he's there

Here's hoping that I can get the bug back .... PLEASE ...... nearly £1000 worth of boots/blades are saying PLEASE

Best wishes

L x

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The best whisper is a click

Had 2 lessons this week with a Club adults-only comp in between.

Tuesday lesson went OK but my compulsories are a bit rusty (hate practising these) and neither my free dance or OD were totally finished or ingrained in my brain. Also tried to practise jumps a bit as I was doing an 'Improvisation' comp where you make it up as you go, after hearing the music for just 15 mins! Had to include up to 3 jumps (of 3 jump, sal and toe-loop) and 2 spins (upright and original).

The Competition.
Improv was first, 3 entries and much to my surprise I came second, placing above an 18 year old Free skater (I have never done a Free programme or taken any Free skating tests that involve jumps). I managed to do my 3 jump and salchow (good enough that they recognised it anyway!!) but ran out of time before I got to the toe-loop. It was very scary and so hard to remember any other moves to do.

My compulsories were better than I expected. Out of 4, I placed 3rd in one(Can Tan) and 2nd in the Dutch Waltz (which I usually think of as my worst dance!) and ended up 3rd overall.

Sour
My Free dance was a disaster as I was off balance in my back spiral which threw out everything that followed - I nearly hit the barrier and had a struggle to stay upright and then went blank in my step sequence and had to make stuff up. Finished 2nd again (of 3).

Sweet
Lastly was my OD. With thanks again to dbny who helped me obtain the music I wanted, this went well. Admittedly there were only 2 of us in it but I did win and everyone loved the music (rock n roll rhythm) and said they enjoyed my performance. I just hope I can do it again in our clubs Open competition in a few weeks time.

It was a fun evening, though exhausting doing 4 classes within an hour and a half!

Thursdays lesson was spent trying to sort out what went wrong with the Free dance and I managed a much improved run through compared to Wednesday night. Also tried to tighten up a few messy areas on the OD.

Not a bad week on the whole.