Well, I've been on a emotional rollercoaster with skating since
Adult Nationals. I had a blast and loved meeting everyone, but I
still get embarrassed from time to time that I am so proud of a last
place finish, and have gotten very frustrated as of late on my lack
of progress in getting the flip and lutz.

I got pretty whiny about flip progress last night and thought I
would never land the flip again, ever.

Well, I didn't land a flip this evening... I landed about 25!

The breakthrough came last night while I was getting whiny. I took
particular interest in my ice tracings going into the flip. I would
turn the LO3, then my left foot would rock to an outside edge, which
left me with a gracefully arching tracing, but I was basically
trying a lutz from a flip takeoff. So I corrected that.

The second breakthrough was the landing leg, which always seems to
thunk down at the last minute. I spent a lot of time on my right
side before trying to jump tonight. I was doing backspins and
loop/loop combinations. Then I tried the backward glide exercise my
old coach taught me, hopping in the air with the leg crossed and
landing in position.

So I started trying them again, and landing on two feet. Then on one
attempt, the free leg managed to stay hung in the air for a fraction
of a second longer than the last and I got the same feeling I got
with the loop, "... that was close. Hmmm..."

Then I just started landing them!

Oh, some weren't pretty, but I fought like heck to land it on one
foot. Many though, were big, beautiful with a nice runout on the
landing. I tried them from a simple 3 turn, then the toe push 3,
then a mohawk into it. WOW!

Wait... it gets better.

With the zamboni chasing me and coach Mary Sue off the ice, I asked
her if I should try a lutz for giggles. You should have seen the
look on her face when I landed it. Then I landed another. Then I ran
over to get my music and sweatshirt and landed a third.

THree lutzes! Granted, they weren't pretty, the arms were all
akimbo. BUT I LANDED THE FLIP AND THE LUTZ TODAY! OH MY GOD!!!!!!

Mel, who hurts all over and doesn't care...

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

Wang chung!

Congrats on your breakthrough, Mel!

YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! Congratulations!

I knew you'd get that flip really soon, and WOW, the lutz too?! It's just a shame I had to miss it!

I think we have a REALLY GOOD chance of going 1-2 @ GRO!

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I've got mad salchow disease!

YAY! Let's rock f~c! I wish you were there, the look on Camille and MS's faces was priceless. I got whiny with Camille in the corner as I was dissecting the tracings and by time she came back around with MS in her lesson, I had something to show the both of them.

I have some VERY adventurous free arms in the lutz, MS likened it to a certain favorite skater of ours.

I'm going to try skating tomorrow so muscle memory doesn't lapse.

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

Wang chung!

Do you mean the "pink-skirt princess"?

I wasn't going to skate on Saturday, but now I may have to...

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I've got mad salchow disease!

Woo Hoo Mel!!!!!

I love the flip - hopefully it will soon become your fav too!

When's GR?

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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

no, I didn't barrel over anyone screeching "excuse me!" Think happy crossovers and lunge with BIG ARMS.


End of June, the 26th?

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

Wang chung!

YAAAAY!!! Hooray to you, Mel!!!

I wish I was going over my jumps right now, but I'm still on moves... no rest for the wary until I passed that !#$&*@ Bronze moves test... It's okay, I'm getting the flip on my own now and am playing around with the lutz too... I'll get it eventually...

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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!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Mel!!! I've noticed a lot of people hit a plateau right after a big event.. and then about a month later have a big break-through... It sounds like you're RIGHT on schedule. As for being embarassed about your pride in finishing last in your AN event.. STOP IT!!!! You are a winner just for going and having the courage to get out there and show what you can do on a given day. And NEXT YEAR, people will come up to you and say "Wow, you've really improved since last year!" And that is a great feeling... not to mention, you will see the difference in your videotapes.. so be glad you have that as your baseline to compare yourself to.

And congratulations again.. by the way, may I please borrow one of your lutzes for about a week? I want to see what a real BO edge feels like going into that jump... I promise to return it in good condition, (hardly used at all, really)!

Well done, well done! That's terrific news.... I hope they'll be just the first of many (and don't be too disheartened if they now proceed to vanish for a while - they'll be back!).

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

Ahhhhh... yes... how could have I forgotten about "the entertainment"??

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I've got mad salchow disease!

Well My flip went through various stages mostly with finding the right approach. I tried a curving LFO 3 into it for a while with some success early on...usually made me lean. (I think it was the insecurity of the 3 turn though and not the jump) I tried what I called the Jeffrey Buttle entrance... same 3 turn but with a push from the right leg first on less on a curve. It wasnt till I was able to do RFI 3 to LFO 3 then flip. This gave me a good rhythm into the jump while also getting me to be in the best take off position.

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Yay Mel!!!!

And I'm proud of your placement at Nationals because YOU ROCK!!!! I'd be thrilled to place below you!!!!

Since I can't be on the ice right now, you are going to have to do all of my improving, too. I give you some extra momentum! Last night, a leg cramp woke me from a lovely figure skating dream -- I had Angela Nikodinov's layback... alas.... perhaps if she'd swallowed an entire watermelon...

CONGRATS!!!!!

Congratulations, Mel! What an awesome session for you.

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

Great job, Mel! Your enthusiasm and joie de vivre over these jumps has inspired me to return to working on the double flip!

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

We can work on our lutz consistency together next week

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I've got mad salchow disease!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve