All my friends seem to be doing very well - I haven't finished looking at the results yet, but will do as soon as I've finished here. You're all awesome, the lot of you!

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

Congrats to flo for her Bronze... and lookie here... she's famous!!!

http://www.usfsa.org/event_related_d...nats/pics1.htm

And congrats to my coach for his bronze in Masters Interpretative Men II too!!!
Go KICK some ice BUTTS today!!!

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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!!!

my buddy duane (not duane who posts here) won silver in silver interp II and bronze in silver II free, although it's not up on the USFSA site yet. YAY~!

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

Congrats to Jennifer on her 4th place finish in Adult Gold Ladies Class I!!!!!! woohoo!

i dunno if you people know her, but she's one of my freestyle 5 teachers

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<333

In case my primary coach isn't joking, I think he should rethink quitting skating at least for one more year! He came in a very respectable 6th out of 9th against a BUNCH of verteran Masters Men and former kiddie skaters at his first competition as a Master's level skater!!! WOO HOO!!!

http://www.usfsa.org/event_related_d...mastersmen.htm

Okay you guys that were watching this event! Did Eric Schroyer had a bad skating day or did Larry pull out another triple jump out of his arsenal??? (I fully expected Eric to beat Larry after attempting a triple lutz at Sectionals!)

Also, any one know who the videographer (is that the correct term?) is for AN? I wanna buy some tapes!!! (Is it Ledin again?)

__________________
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!!!

Eric is a very nice guy who is very much in the spirit of adult skating. Having said that, his performance was kind of a one-trick pony. He landed the triple lutz, but sat down on the triple toe and popped the double axel. His program didn't have the energy or excitement that it did at Mids. However, I hope Eric does come back to compete next year so the Pac Coast and Eastern skaters can see how good he is when he's on....

Larry landed triple salchow, triple toe, double axel, and fell on a second triple sal. He included the left start loop, and had the audience jumping to their feet by the end of the program.

By the way, I apologize if I'm wrong...they had an awards ceremony _during_ the start of champ masters men, and I was trying to see Cinderella's gold medal ceremony (and yes, the costume was fixed after Mids to remove the Shizuka imitation) at the same time as Eric and Larry.

Erin
who was one of the people screaming randomly during Champ Ladies...Larry, ever so shyly, had just told us he won with straight 1sts. (My friend had to ask twice!)

What is the "left start loop"? Also, the article on the USFSA website said he landed a triple sal-triple toe combination - is that true?! If so,

Mel
can you tell me how Duane skated. im a friend of his and was really bummed that i had to miss nationals this year and was wondering how he looked
thanks

Hey jazz, it's Productions East Video http://www.productionseast.com/

Cheers,
Raine

It's a figure, like waltz eight. I didn't see triple sal-triple toe...I saw triple sal, then ran to Cinderella's awards ceremony. I missed the triple toe, but was told about it from a reliable source.

It was great for the USFS to treat AN's like any other National event this year. Yay! Just wait until next year!

Erin
who may be wrong on the figure...but it was a loop.

That's kind of what I figured, I've just never heard it called left start before! :-)

Thanks, Raine. I love footwork, and my coach is a genius at choreographing it! I really loved the support I got from my friends - it helped me get through the tough parts! They're the best (and the loudest ). Now, I just need to get those darn jumps solid.....

Cinderella won the Gold Ladies III!!!!! She was awesome!

Mrs. Redboots - I'm not quite sure who I was talking to, but they were talking about Mountain Cup and this wonderful British couple. She knew her name, but couldn't come up with it, but she said it was Robert and....

I jumped in with your name, and she asked me (surprised) if I knew you. I said, "not in person". What a small world we have. I so wish I could go there, but it'll have to wait until my son is out of travel hockey. I'll see you there in 2015!

As for the masters men, Larry clearly won. He was wonderful! Eric looked nervous - landed a terrific 3lutz, though. Great presentation, too. I have not yet met him, but I have heard he is very nice. My favorites, though, were Jazzpant's coach and the last two finishers.

Jazzpant's coach was great. It was a very emotional performance, with tears and laughter at the end. If he decides not to compete again, he has definitely had a fitting end to his competitive career. As a bonus, he managed to put underwear on his head and make it look like a classy hat! Now, who else could get away with that???

The second to last place finisher always makes me smile with his love for skating. I haven't met him, either, but he always looks like he's having such fun. The last place finisher was the gentleman in group IV from Easterns that finished 4th there. He may not have had the jumps, but he has nice deep edges and strong turns. The guy could skate . I talked with him at the rink and at the competitors party - a very nice man. I hope he comes back next year!

The masters ladies winner had a double axel that had an exclamation point at the end of it. There was no question that she owned that jump. Nice presentation, and loved her dress (she had a periwinkle dress with gold on the underside of the skirt).

My mom doesn't read these boards, but I want to thank her anyway. She stood in for my coach this week, dealing with a rather nervous and neurotic skater with a big, huge double sal that only wants to show up in practice (it's the wimpy, crunched version that shows up in competition) . She gave me a few good tips on the layback to take back to my coach (who as a man has never done one). Yeah Mom!

Last, but not least, my dad came along to Lake Placid for the ride. You current and former Michiganders will understand this.....after my Friday skate, he threw a beenie octopus on the ice. Now how cool is that!? Go Red Wings!

Sorry for the book.....

__________________
"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

Hey all! Just got back from LP and unpacked. I just want to thank everyone for the congratulations on my win! I was really excited, since it's a tough group of ladies.

I had a great time, and am definitely motivated already for what I need to work on for next year!

Before I get to the point-- I'm curious about the beanie octupus!

Anyway, does anyone know the link to the company that was taking pictures and posting them on the computers for viewing/purchasing? By the time our final and medal ceremony were done on Saturday evening the vendors were but a memory and a few crumbs. They cleared out FAST. I saw the link for the video people too thanks.

Just a few thoughts on my very first adult nationals:

I had so much fun and everyone did so well just to go and skate

Interpretive is at times one of the "things that make you go hmmm..."

Change the pairs requirements--my partner and I were ready to sneak on the ice and say we were a last minute addition to pairs....didn't anyone check us in?

Don't make qualifiers from Wed wait until saturday night to skate. It darn near ruined my week. I was practically a saint this visit around

Masters ladies and silver ladies II final at same time--bad, no no

When you throw a stuffed (fill in the blank) write on the tag who it's from so I can come and kiss your feet

Maybe more practice ice, engrave the medals so we don't forget what the heck they were for (this is more of a wish list than a learning) and free beer after final events, handed to you right after you skate.

I can't wait to see everyone at various events throughout the year. Have great skates!

Deb Carey

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Careygram

January: Sure I'll compete, quick, send the application
April: I signed up to do WHAT??

Congrats, manleywoman! I missed seeing you in LP to congratulate you in person!

Erin

Actually, it's Larry's figure that started the patch class at my rink. My coach (who has known Larry since he was a kid) was a very strong figure skater in her day. On the way home from Ann Arbor last year, my coach and my training partner were going on and on about the fact it was a left start (I think from Jackson to Kalamazoo ) Our coach decided that she wanted to teach patch, and our patch class was born.

By the way, if any Chicago-area (or southern Wisconsin) skater is interested in adult patch, send me a private message (and please identify yourself) and I'll send you more info.

Erin
who is going to work on 3-turn figure eights to get those 3-turns in the Silver moves.

I'm a rather new Red Wing fan (didn't like hockey too much until my son started playing a few years ago), so I don't know all the details...

What I heard is that originally it took a minimum of 8 games to win the Stanley Cup. (???). Anyway, there is a tradition in Detroit to throw an octopus (8 legs) on the ice to represent the Stanley Cup championship. They don't do it much any more, for obvious reasons. Anyway, my dad's throwing the octopus on the ice came from that tradition. I thought it was cool - but I hope the Red Wings do better tha I did !

__________________
"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

I wish I could tell you, I didn't go, but got play-by-play from my friend Denise who was there. I think he skated clean in interp, but she didn't tell me how he did in the freeskate. Apparently, ok, he did get one 1st place ordinal!

1964, GO WINGS! Are you by any chance competing at the GR Open this year? I'm making the trek again, but because my rink will be closed for the Olympic Diving Trials (what does THAT have to do with skating, I'll never know...) I'm going to visit with my sister in St. Clair Shores and skate there for a week, then go to GR to practice there. It's in June. Reply or PM me.

__________________
Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

From what I've seen you were up against some really good skaters (including of course, our favorite witch) , so give yourself a pat on the back for going out there to skate (and for making it to the Championship round!!!)

YAAAAY Cinderella



So typical of him!!! SOOOO TYPICAL!!!

Well, I hope he's just pulling our leg and does come back to compete next year, but we'll see. He already told me that he's switching MY lesson from Thursday mornings to Monday nights so he can sleep in, instead of waiting a couple of hours for his next lesson. (Geez, and I was just getting used to "sleep-skating" too! I hope I could do my Bronze Moves during the Monday night public session. )

I'm happy Ted had a good skate, especially since he's still skating with an injury!

YAAAAY!!! manleywoman!!!

AWWWW!!! (for Eric...but I hope he comes back next year...)

And we all don't wanna forget dcden for his Silver in Gold Men I!!! WOO HOO!!!

__________________
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!!!

YES! How could we forget?

Congrats to dcden for his silver medal...he landed three nice axels in his program! Our cheering section was rooting for him.

Manley woman,

Are you the one whose pants I really liked? I was there while Kim was getting ready to do her worlds streaker which, by the way, was so totally UNDER appreciated. I cracked up as soon as she started skating!

If so, I still like your pants. If you're not the one with the cool pants--never mind.

__________________
Careygram

January: Sure I'll compete, quick, send the application
April: I signed up to do WHAT??

Thanks manley & jazzpants! I was happy to land my Axel-Axel combo for the first time in competition... it felt really good in the practices so I went for it. But I'm also motivated to start working on improvements for next year. And I'm going to be very hungry to return to the Championship event next year... but I gotta work on a lot.

I wish I'd seen Kim's interp!!!!!! She did the streaker, eh? I also missed her freestyle because I was waiting in line to purchase freestyle ice. I'm sure many other people have already or will soon post about the practice ice situation, so I won't comment on it further.

I agree, Jay skated beautifully and I would hope also that he reconsiders his decision to retire from adult competition.

Careygram: Great meeting you & Tim at Nationals. In regards to your previous post... yes, interpretive is often hard to figure out, regarding the scores. If anyone is considering entering an interpretive event, rule #1 is DO IT FOR FUN! If you do it to win a medal, be prepared for disappointment because it's often a crapshoot as to who the judges will place on the podium.

The scheduling doesn't make a whole lot of sense regarding qualiying groups and finals. While it is in the early stages, Maggie Harding mentioned that there are folks working on totally reworking the schedule which has been used for the past few years. Since it is in the early stages, I can't give any details about it now, only that there will be some tinkering with the schedule to see if changes can be made. But, it must have worked well for you because you placed 2nd in your final round! That is no easy feat in such a large field -- you should be very proud.

You mentioned the adult pairs event and I have to make mention of the Schwabs. While they finished off the podium, I was very impressed with their unison and their original moves. They had a spiral where he pulls her under his leg (a la Kuchiki/Sand), a combination spin where he swings his free leg (in camel) over her (in sit), and their exit from a death spiral had him stopping his pivot but continuing to swing her around by just passing his arm over his head. Very different stuff, good unison, and for me they captured the essence of what pairs is supposed to look like.

Other great performances that not everyone may have seen: Jodie Maier in Junior ladies III... I can't believe she's a III! Katherine Caldwell, who was 2nd, also had a lovely program. While the base mark was lower and the judges correctly had her 2nd, without the various double jumps her program still held your attention from start to finish because the choreography and transitions were seamless and elegant.

Those poor Senior I ladies... they had their official practice at 6:30 am but didn't compete till 11 pm. What was up with that schedule? But a mention must be made of the performance from the winner, Elizabeth Floriani. She had a double Axel and many other solid elements; her performance would have given Stephanie Cooke a run for her money in the Championship event, had she entered.

Gosh, too much to comment on for now... maybe more later. Hope everyone had a great time!

Apparently, judges LOVE ask8ngcat's program, as well as PattyP's "Miss Piggy and Kermit dance." YAAAY!!! (Both, of course, won their respectitive Interpretive.) ak8ngcat: You could say you, Patty, and Sandra had a sweep: You and PattP w/your Interpretive, and Sandra with the Silver II event. (And PattyP, those guys didn't bless the ice right!!! I told them to bless it TWICE! Once for QR and another coat for the final round! GRRRR!!! Do I have to *BE* there to bless it properly?!?! )

dcden: re Axel-Axel combo *shudder*, then (I busted my calf doing a waltz-waltz combo last month. I'm just getting back to jumping this past weekend.)

The "streaker" strikes again, huh? Besides Jay, did the underwear phantom strike as well?

__________________
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!!!

Well, I don't know who you were talking to, but we certainly aren't wonderful! There are loads of British couples who are (Oh, you should see Patrick and Sarah, or Stephen and his new partner - you will, those who are coming to the Mountain Cup), and we usually end up last in pre-Bronze. However, we have enormous fun trying hard not to - maybe this year we'll finally have developed enough speed and flow...... maybe.....

But we do love being there, and all the fun and everything - even though this year Robert has spurned the pre-Bronze solo dances (meaning he can't do a Riverside Rhumba in time to the music solo for love nor money) and isn't qualified for the Bronze dances there. So he's just there to show off my enormous (not) talents!

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

"Congrats to flo for her Bronze... and lookie here... she's famous!!!

http://www.usfsa.org/event_related_...tnats/pics1.htm"

Arggg! that's not me! - I already sent a correction to USFSA!
I wore a very simple black dress! I couldn't make the medal ceremony.

Congrats to all. We had a great time, and I loved skating in the exhibition. There was also a wonderful reception for all the 10 year participants in the Olympic museum. It was great to see old friends.
For the most part everything ran smoothly. There were some problems with the practice ice reservations, but most were relativiely well. I arived on Sunday and had good practice early so gave up several sessions to others.
There were several skaters who did not get practice ice, while there were skaters who skated several practice sessions after they had finished competing! There were also a few inconsiderate skaters on the ice, which made for dangerous situations.
I know that we all want to skate, but we have to be considerate of the other competitors. If you've finished competing, I don't think you should be on the practice ice, and that your fees be returned. Also, the practices should be better scheduled for level. I was on one session where there were bronze level skaters trying to get some practice in, and masters men doing doubles and oblivious to the others on the ice. There was also a pair (who had pair ice earlier that day) trying to skate together on this same FS ice - very dangerous and inconsiderate. The practice monitors did a great job, and will hopefully be given more authority to monitor (or add a monitor) to the sessions.
Finally - everyone who attended please fill out your surveys! For those of you not attending, the USFSA is working on making the survey more widley available.
Congrats to all!