Okay! Time to start a new Lessons/Practice thread!!! (And I just LOVE OLIVES too!!!)

Olives:

• Flip: FINALLY landed ONE and it was nice... almost over rotated if anything. (I've been consistently been underrotating the flip by a *small* amount.) WOO HOO!!!
• Loops: Landed TWO of those today!!!
• Scratch spin and sit spins are fine...
• Backspin ALMOST coming... AWAY from the walls too!!!

The Pits:

• The ice: The ice was bad tonight. Seems to be a problem with the ice being uneven or something on BOTH ends.
• The crowds. Can't practice moves w/o both the crowd AND the ends of the rink being screwed up (considering that I have to keep to a certain pattern when practicing the Bronze moves in its entirety...)

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Olives: had a chance to do some pair skating with a friend in town for an interview. It was great to be up in the air again. We paracticed lifts, death spirals and some great throws.

olives: axels and doubls sals landed with new technique! fly camels and laybacks were pretty good! lutz landed on proper edge ( it only took like 3 years to get that one!

pits: absolutely nothing oh except for off-ice which was beyond boring.

__________________
beks~
"winning isn't everything... wanting to is."

" the only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary"

"It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at pracitce that counts; it's what you put into the practice."

Olives: Did an axel-toe today . I think that we have a good technique correction that will make the double sal & double toe feasible instead of frustrating. Set a test timeframe for the Intermediate MIF's.

Pits: I was quite tired and wilted from heat at the start of my lesson today. It didn't help that we had some extreme rudeness out on the ice. I had moved my power circles (in my lesson, btw) to accomodate somebody doing spins in the center during their lesson. Well, on one of my power circles, they decided to move over, and skated right through my line of crossovers, not even doing an element - just skating. I bailed, because if I hadn't I would have been in a collision. Then I went back to my coach, said a word I haven't used a whole lot since my Navy days, and skated off to calm down.

I know it wasn't deliberate, just thoughtless - I'm not the first person this has happened to on this session, and it has happened to me before too. I don't have a problem with somebody being in an element having the right of way - in fact I hope that others have the courtesy to give me the right of way in an element. It's just that, if I'm in a pattern or element, I certainly expect to have right of way over you if you are just starting an element or are just skating around. I am going to have to say something next week, because I can't take it anymore.

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Congrats on the axel-toe!

OOOO I just hate it when I used to do power circles and it seems like everyone is gettin in your way.. especially when you music is on and you're in a lesson. The thing is most of the people on my session are usually on the same skills so when power circles came on everyone would scatter into the middle to start.. which was um.. interesting..

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beks~
"winning isn't everything... wanting to is."

" the only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary"

"It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at pracitce that counts; it's what you put into the practice."

Pits: The ice was terrible as the Zamboni has broken down yet again, and it had been cut by hand. Also this weather - exceptionally hot for this country - isn't helping. There was a shower just as I arrived at the rink so I got wet (Here comes another one!). My sciatica really doesn't like skating much - it's not nearly as bad as it was last week, but I am aware that I possess nerves in my bottom and the top of my legs, put it that way!

Olives: However, despite all that I had a great skate day! Did very little in my lesson except basic skating, but it was one of those days when quite suddenly, and for no apparent reason, I could get my weight transferred at the right moment, pre-bend at the right second, and change feet without slowing down - backwards as well as forwards! As I told my coach, such days are all too rare, and I bet I won't be able to do it again tomorrow..... So I enjoyed it while it lasted. But he couldn't tell me what I was doing differently, either.

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

Pits - still have issues with my left leg but since I can't trade it in I just work around it. :-)

Olives - Mrs. Redboots I had a similar experience. My back cross overs used to be crunchy and my pushes were uneven and then one night I did then and "Bam!" they were even,not crunchy and I was leaning TOWARDS THE CIRCLE. :-) I don't attribute this to divine providence but to DANCE ever since I switched to primarily ice dance my basic skating skills have gotten so MUCH better they surprise me at times. I think all beginning skaters should have to take 1 year of dance it would improve everyone's stroking.

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Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
Maurice Setter

I agree wholeheartedly. There were three coaches at my old club who put their students right into dance lessons along with freestyle as soon as they finished learn-to-skate, and they stayed in dance until they passed their pre-bronze, like it or not. Some of them were kept in dance through the Bronze test if the coaches thought they needed it. Those girls didn't all have great jumps- I don't think any of them ever got beyond double lutz- but they could skate. I remember one in particular- she was my age, we would have been about 14, and she was skating Intermediate. Her jumps came and went- at competitions they often went- but she consistantly placed well because she had such style and extension. I fully intend to do dance with any student I teach beyond learn-to-skate.

Olives--
Worked on waltz 3s and spirals in practice today. Spirals on the left foot are coming along. They still have a "dead fish in the air" feel to them, but less so than before.

Lesson was fun, too--worked on spin entrance (choctaw), and I'm finally getting the hang of it. If I remember to bend my knee enough and almost step toward my free foot's shoulder, it's almost there. Worked on doing waltz jumps with a moving entrance (instead of from standstill). Mine are definitely waltz hops or waltz hobbles, but they're coming along.

The Pits--
Saw DebbieS take a *hard* fall today during lessons. Debbie, I hope you're feeling better. (And lay off of those quad loops!)

Felt all spaced out at show practice on Saturday. We rehearsed with props that will look great once we all get the hang of them. But it was tough for me because I had to concentrate on my prop, plus what my feet were doing, plus my spacing with the group, and by then I was feeling a bit discombobulated and missing my cue in the music. Ack! I know it'll get better, but it stressed me out a little.

Got sad news from a friend that a mutual friend is very sick. We're going to make plans to see her soon.

Olives: Had a terrific couple of classes last night.

In the adult workshop we worked on setting up the waltz jump from back crossovers. Once I got the proper form, I actually got a little height into the jump.

Also worked on a dance sequence from one of the II levels (I never remember which as I'm not planning to test it). Front crossover, swing roll, mohawk, cross behind, cross front, step out. Whatever it was, it was fun.

In dance class, reviewed the Dutch Waltz and worked on the Canasta Tango. Unfortunately, we're still trying to do the dances with limited rink space, so when we finally got to try on the full rink it wasn't very pretty.

Pits: Was working on the cross-roll for the end of the Canasta, leaned a little too far back, and went horizontal. Bounced off of my knee. Not serious, but definitely purple.

Debbie - ouch! Hope you're better. Would you and Mika like to skate with me in the all-adult show on August 24th?

Olives--

Layback spins were on last night. On, on, on!!! And centered on a dime. Waltz jumps were big and floaty too.


Pits--

Couldn't get my usual trusty camel going.
Power 3's sucked. Bad.
Have lost timing on salchow. That used to be my best jump.

And my body aches all over today. No reason for it to, so I'm puzzled.

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All that glitters has a high refractive index.

Forgot to add that I watched Mel's group run through this program several times last night. It's really looking sharp!!! I especially like the part where they're purposely bumping and pushing each other around. Just like roller derby. What a hoot!!!

Good luck this weekend, Mel!!!!!

Pits: After a few weeks off the ice, things were pretty whacky Stepping wrong on waltz jump, looking the wrong way on salchow, looking down at the ice on loop, arms flailing wildly....you get the picture!

Olives: I found the whole session very funny and laughed myself silly through it all. It just felt good to be skating again!

Olives: double flips were so close got to go in the harness today too

__________________
beks~
"winning isn't everything... wanting to is."

" the only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary"

"It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at pracitce that counts; it's what you put into the practice."

Olives: YES! YES! YES! I did FO3 turns on the right and left today! Away from the wall! I had my first lesson since mid-April, and I am taking prive lessons now. My instructor showed me FO3s and had me try them holding on the wall. Then he showed me what the goal was for me to do by the end of summer...a series of FO3s away from the wall. After he left, I still had 20 minutes on my session, so I tried the turns around a hockey circle. I actually made did a full circle of turns in each direction. I was SOOOO excited, but my coach had already left and there was no one else there that I know that I could show-off for. Maybe three turns aren't such a big deal, but I'm super excited about learning them Oh, and I'm at a different rink for the summer, and it is SO nice! The ice is perfect, like skating on BUTTAH! And there are only a few people skating on that particular session, so I had plenty of room to practice.

Pits: Nothing, except that I finally had to get off the ice! I felt like I could stay there doing 3 turns forever!

Anytime you master any element in this sport, it is a triumph! Plus, 3 turns are a serious basic that it is very important to own. Congrats on your FO3's!!!

Olives: As for me (DancinDiva - the level may be higher, but the challenges are the same ), after my coach's advice this week, the 2Toes feel more comfortable. They are still way under-rotated, but I don't feel all twisted around myself. The falls are easier too - before they really jarred and hurt and now they don't. So, there is hope!

__________________
"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

The PITS: I didn't have enough time to go skating b/c I woke up late and I had to eat before going to skate. I only had ONE HOUR to skate at coffee club, so my session was kinda rushed and I didn't accomplish much...

And the worst PIT of all... I didn't go "star gazing" this week at my home rink. Scott Williams was at YB Tuesday morning!!!! WAAAAH!!!!

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Olives:

• Backspin, Loop, and Flip all very close to getting it!!! My coach asks me to do a backspin today but before I started, he says "Today is gonna be the day you get your backspin! I can just FEEL IT!!!" (Yeah, I feel it alright! I can feel the PRESSURE that is... )
• Camel better ... too bad my coach raised the bar already and said "I want a camel-sit!!!"
• Coach liked my very LAST salchow! WOO HOO!!!

The PITS:

• 18 people signed up on my FS session today and our rink is NHL sized only. WAAAY too crowded!!! Can't do moves at all!

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Olives:

* Worked on re-learning the Tango this week...the way my current coach wants it skated. Discovered parts of my quads I had forgotten existed

* 5-step mohawk sequence is MUCH better this week. Even some of the pesky RFI-LBI mohawks were better.

* Got rid of my old tank (beat-up 8 year old SUV with dying transmission) and bought a new Honda

Pits:

Forward power 3's are my permanent nemesis.

Olives:

• Scratch spin: improving the final position of this spin, the vertical S-T-R-E-T-C-H
• Layback: starting to get my weight over on the skating side more and levelling my shoulders more during the spin. If I could only stretch back further...
• Lutz: still hesitant on the takeoff, but kicking the habit of kicking my free leg back in the air :p

Pits:

• Backspin: No way can I spin on the BO edge of my baby toe without pitching forward. As I said in a previous post, it's time to blame the equipment.
• Too chicken to air my potential program music over the rink's sound system

Happy Skating,
Raine

Thanks, sk8er1964

OMG! One of my fave performances is Scott skating to "Walking on the Sun" by Smashmouth. He's skating in shorts..........Love it!

Olives:
Landed a loop and a flip at my practice on Tuesday.
Got 2 revs on my camel spin.
My new skates are feeling a little less painful. They still need more breaking in, though. I'll be looking forward to when I can get the blades permanently mounted so I can get rid of my current skates.
Scratch spin is getting to be show-worthy - I'm doing it in a group number in our show on Aug 2, so it better be show-worthy by then!

The Pits:
Aforementioned (by mikawendy) fall at group lessons Wednesday. I was trying to do a waltz-loop combo from no speed, b/c our group was crammed into a tiny area. Every time I did a couple of crossovers, I'd end up practically in someone's lap. I fell down on my left side, got a large bruise on my left hip, left leg (just below the knee), and hit my face just under my left eye (a little diagonally to the left). I was terrified about what I was going to look like, but lots of ice helped the swelling go down. Now it's a red circle, a little swollen, but not that noticeable, and covered with lots of foundation makeup.

I decided to withdraw from group lessons, as the setup wasn't that productive, given the lack of space and the fact that there are so many diff skill levels in the group, and I was the farthest along. My next step will be private lessons. Fortunately, the skating director agreed to give me a credit of the balance of the lessons toward my next purchase of a FS sesion punch card, which I'll need to get sometime next week.

Fortunately, I looked well enough to go to a happy hour last night at which Dorothy Hamill (she lives here in Baltimore) was the guest bartender. (I posted a thread on this in General Chat.)

I bet you are! Many congratulations - and can you do them moving yet (I still can't do them at speed by myself, even though I've been working on them for years). I've offered to play with a friend who is learning them, as I want to play with some of the other 3-turns; she needs the confidence to do them away from the barrier (thus needing a friend to grab if necessary), and I have some I'm not too sure of my balance with.

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