Absolutely! I did this with my pre-bronze moves a couple years ago--got a footwork program choreographed for me and asked for plenty of (beastly things!) 3-turns because that's what I was struggling with. Because at the time I was so bloody sick of that awful inside/outside 3-turn pattern, and it was nice to skate to music and mix up the moves/stroking/edges some. And, as a bonus, after working on stuff that was initially very, very tough and got somewhat more comfortable over the year that I had the program, the pb patterns seemed easier in comparison. Flip jump didn't work, but it was kind of a fluke that I had landed one a few weeks ago, fully rotated and on one foot and perfectly comfortably.

Not practicing: Well, yes! Was off the ice for nearly 3 weeks (vacation and then OUCH! back went haywire) until synchro practice on Sunday. Got my first 'real' practice in today. And tests are in 3 weeks!!! Felt kind of edgeless today--seemed like I was skidding and sliding everywhere, despite my best attempts to really get myself centered over my hips/ankles/feet.

Practicing so hard: Regardless, silver moves were suprisingly un-awful in spite of this. sal, toe loop still there, and drilling waltz/toe for bronze test (end of year, maybe?). Had a couple of sit spins that actually went 3-4 revs, among many that completely did not work. One backspin that worked (yay!), and the loop is, well, coming.

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

Absolutely! Knowing you are an adult and are able to communicate what you want from her, your coach may just be waiting for you to ask! Nothing will make you a better skater faster than mastering a program!

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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

Not Practising:

Coach told me she is moving to another part of the country. The Big Guy said "How many coaches have you gone through? I've only had one for years!" So the count is 5, not including the ones I took lessons from at skate camp that would bring it up to 9 or 10.

So Coach tells me she's leaving, then says "We need to get you another coach." So, I jerk my thumb at the coach across the rink, "What about that guy? He coaches beginners." Everybody happy, Coach was going to recommend him.

When I told the Big Guy, he said "ooooh, you've never had a guy coach before."
I said that a guy coach has one responsibility, to grab me by the collar as i start to go down.

So now I have first lesson with new coach to look forward to. He'll ask me "What do you want to work on." What do I say? "Everything."

Alas, new coach doesn't do figures. So I'm switching to low level dance.

Practising:
I'm not making real progress EXCEPT I can now fall backwards really well. It happen at least once every time I skate. I can fall backwards doing forward inside edges. What with the elbow protectors, the wrist guards and lightning fast reflexes I'm down and up before everyone's face can turn white. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's a good skill to develop <sigh>

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Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

Got new skates last summer.

Started trying to break them in when they were new, but I didn't get very far with the process.

I was preparing for a test in November, so I mainly focused on training in my old skates, occasionally putting on the new ones to try to get them softer.

Somehow in the process my knee stopped working -- I blame this on deep swizzles in the new skates when I was already tired from a practicing in the old ones -- so I had to scratch from the test and take 4-5 months off the ice.

Came back in the spring and started training for the test in old skates again.

I tried it last week, made a few mistakes, and didn't pass.

But the old skates have had it.*

So tonight I went to a public session in the new skates. Very frustrating that I don't feel in control of my feet, between the boots being too stiff to control, the blades being more curved than I'm used to because they're brand new, and possibly the blades being slightly misaligned and too sharp but maybe a bit rusty. So I was skating very tentatively and testing out what I could and couldn't do.

Some guy congratulated me on doing turns etc., as if I were a beginner and should be proud of that. I said he should see me in my old skates. So then he congratulated me on doing as much as I was doing in new skates.

I could barely do forward three turns, but I could do back inside loops (i.e., the easiest edges to make a loop on). Go figure.


*Any advice on how I could get new tongues put into the old boots, since that's the only part that's broken down?

I think it's a very useful skill to develop. If you are okay with falling, you won't be afraid of trying new things.

I fall a lot compared to most people here, at least twice per 2 hr session, and have good backward fall technique. I can avoid hitting my head by using my abs to crunch. Unfortunately this sometimes dislocates a rib, but it's better than concussion : been there, not nice.

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Katz

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

I got new tongues put into my SP Teri's. Just called them up, asked them about it, and shipped them off. So try calling the manufacturer. If the skates are too old, they will tell you there's no guarantee it'll work, but you could give it a try anyway.

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August 22, back on the ice!

With my old Gold Stars, I had the tongue lining replaced by Cooke's Skating Supplies in Wilmington, MA. Here's the url...

http://gormanwhs.sports.officelive.com/default.aspx

I believe Scott Cooke is the contact person who handles figure skates. I was told by another skater that they once produced custom boots for skaters, and had a good knowledge of how boots were constructed.

Cooke's did an excellent job. The turn-around time (including shipping times both ways) was only 2 weeks when I had it done.

The manufacturer of your skate can probably do it too, but you won't get to talk to the person who does the actual work.

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Bill Schneider

Klingbeil's provides that service for their own boots. I had it done to my original pair.

In NJ, C&L (Corona & Liebenow) did great rebuilds and tongue replacements. I think Dante Cozzie Sports on Long Island offered those services as well. Wouldn't hurt to give them a call to ask for prices and turnaround.

The new boots may be dried out from disuse. You didn't say what brand, but if you wear them and "sweat them up" a bit, they might begin to feel more natural.

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Thanks for the advice, all.

Yeah, that is probably the case.

Not practising: My rink melted! Literally! The compressor broke down for a week so we had very, very wet ice (hockey stops would actually send up a wave of water) before a closure last week. All better now though.

I've also pretty much stopped jumping after badly bruising my knee by over-rotating a toe-loop 3 weeks ago and fell forward onto it, totally unprepared At least I over, rather than under rotated I guess

Practising hard: Started a TONNE of new field moves in the past couple weeks. Backwards power pulls, Choctaws, Back 3s, brackets plus a bunch of the patterns from lower level tests. Super-fun, plus I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with my skating again.

Practicing:

Axel is consistent again! After all of that time off the ice(injury financial problems) it's great to have my axel back. I'm actually doing a few doubles. I landed a double flip this past week! Camel Spin is coming together. So is the flying camel and sit spin.


Not Practicing:

Quite Nervous about this Silver Moves test! Failed it twice and changed coaches! Did worse the second time I took them! My new coach says that I've shown major improvement. For some reason I don't believe it. I want these moves to be second nature to me. I really want to do the best I can on these moves so no matter what marks the judges give me, I know I did my best. (Sigh) I just don't understand how I can land a double flip but struggle on keeping back 3 turns quiet! LOL



BlackManSkating

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

Wow! You still skated on it? I'd be afraid of falling and getting my pants completely soaked through, lol.

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Right Brain: In the distant future, I will land all of the doubles.
Left Brain: HAHAHAHAHA
Left Brain: You can't even do a backspin.
Right Brain: ...

figurekb on YouTube.

Practising: A couple of weeks ago I fell off-ice and bruised the bones in my left wrist. Because falling on it would be really bad and it has to be babied, coach has been really focusing on me using the correct arm positions. Just today, I finally 'got' the importance of arm position because I can feel what's going wrong when they're too high too low, etc. I used to think I had to hold my arms 'just so' because it was some arbitrary 'pretty' thing. But today I finally got what I was doing wrong with my arms. I tend to carry the right one too high and the left one too low. Also, my right one will drift upwards, and that's what's led me to do things like fall backwards on forward edges. I didn't have a miraculous breakthru today, but I did take a big step forwards so some basic skills are much smoother with better body position and I can sit down on an edge (well, in one direction).

Not Practising: Had open house at work on Friday, spent all day stuffing little kids with cookies and quizzing their parents with trivia questions for prizes. No time to skate.

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Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

Not practising: spending my days studying for finals...tuesday wraps up the testing portion of college, then the rest is just doing clinicals and writing papers. I'm hoping to squeeze in some skating soon-I need to skate with my partner PLUS I sent in my form for the spin clinic (for next month). If I don't skate at least ONCE before then I'll be wobbly. but I'm hopeful! I just don't want to head up north on the weekend-too much beach traffic!

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

Not Practising On Ice:
I've been off of the ice since the last week of May and will be off until the first week of August when I sign up for what is left of Summer Skating School before the fall schedule begins again.

Practising Hard in Liquid Ice:
This past week I've been going to my gym using the pool for ab work and off-ice practice. Been doing double crunches (lift head and shoulders at the same time as lifting knees and feet), rotating sideways walking sissors (twist at the waist while laying on top of the water without floatation divices making my legs walk with knees staightened), and criss crossing legs over and under each other while floating on my back to work on my inner thighs.
Using pool noodles (here comes the fun part), I've been racing across the pool riding the noodles like a horse (regular, left side saddle and right saddle) not touching the bottom of the pool without using my arms using only my abs by flicking my abs muscles. Also surfed on the noodles across the liquid ice.
Most importantly for me, and not my friend who isn't a figure skater, I practiced all my jumps upto single Lutz in the pool taking off from in the water which forces you to do everything right to get the jump to work. It's also forced me to use my arms correctly. Can't wait to try what I've learned in the pool on the ice when I go back in August.

Who else has been playing in the Liquid Ice?

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"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

Blackman: I hear you on Silver moves. I'm on the verge of taking them, and while coach has said that yes, they're passing, I'd especially like those back 3s to feel a lot more second nature.

In any event: Pulled my hip flexor on Thursday so I'm going to be a good girl and stay off the ice (rather, put the ice on my hip, several times daily) and do rehab for it once it's past the "feels like someone put a knife in my hip" stage. I was all set to sign up for the test on August 5th, but I didn't figure I'd get a pass if I was involuntarily wincing and yelping while skating

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

Not practicing:

Summer bizarro rink schedules, vacation time (which included hedonistic eating!), coach’s holidays, and other commitments led me fill out this category nicely. I was forced to go to horrible public sessions filled with homicidal teenage hockey skaters that only increased the not practicing. Worse, the rink decided to save money by never resurfacing the ice for any public session, resulting in ice with the consistency of gravel ( and I have a pretty high tolerance for crappy ice). Luckily I managed to make the dive to a rink with decent freestyles and hence….

Practicing:

I’ve made great progress on the Bronze Moves. In fact, my Pro declared everything passable, with the notable exception of the right-sided power threes and the five-step Mohawk pattern. Yet even these two Moves have improved to the point where I have something to work with. Actually, I now can do the right-side power threes, provided that I fool myself into thinking I’m setting up a spin going in the “wrong” direction. They aren’t very powerful but they’re controlled and on pattern so I’m pretty happy. My loop jumps have been good lately—way better than the old loop “hops.”—these actually have air and decent landing edges. The flip is getting better though it is two-footed most of the time. Coach pronounced my sit-spin “normal looking” ( faint praise but I’ll take it) and my nascent camel-spin is now in the proper position, with about three revolutions to boot.

Practicing but sucks:
Figure-Eight. Do any rinks hold actual patch sessions anymore? I suspect this might help me buckle down and get these right My goal is to get to a competition level (like in Portland) but I’m just too awful right now.

To all the posters above; You guys are awesome! Keep up the good work. Reading your posts is inspiring!

dr skater: I love the term "homicidal teenage hockey skaters." It describes them perfectly.

There are a few rinks here and there that have patch sessions (I know at least one rink in Chicago does them). With advent of a few new figure-related moves on the USFS testing structure, there may be more of them coming down the line. My usual remedy is to get to the very beginning of a relatively uninhabited session and mark out some turf. I don't do figures very often, but I am SOOO grateful for the bit of coaching I've had from my very-biased-toward-figures coach. Working with someone who's done them and coached them for years makes a huge difference.

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