No, I've never gone in the hot tub before I had to skate, but once my coach took a bunch of skaters, including me and my daughter, to a training camp, and I spent the week trying to keep up with the kids. (I was the only adult skater participating.) If I hadn't had that hot tub at the end of every day, I wouldn't have been able to walk by the end of the week!

Have you ever considered trial judging?

I actually did trial one test session when I was about 17; the problem is that I was, and still am, so frequently testing myself that it rarely works out for me to do my club's test sessions. I would like to get back into it at some point, though.

What boot/blade did you have when you started lessons, or were you in rentals?

The boot was a Wiffa gold star, and the blades were 4 aces. The skates had belonged to a friend of my brother's who didn't want to move them cross country!

If you were the skating fairy, what one gift (skill) would you give to a skater? I'd give great crossovers.

I'd give great presentation skills (Charisma and posture)!
What irks you the most about other skaters?

Poor stroking! I watched a Preliminary competition tonight, and these kids could jump and spin- most of them anyway- but their stroking in warmup was appalling!

Age-inappropriate choreography bugs me too- little girls doing seductive, butt-wiggling choreography. I saw some of that tonight as well.

And of course, the ever-present sandbagging.

Hopping off my soapbox, now- do you skate mostly with adults or kids?

Synchro - all adults. You have to be at least 18 to skate on my team. For my private lessons, it varies. Mostly kids, with a few adults scattered in there.

What's the best thing skating has taught you?

That my knees can bend!

Seriously, that I can find the time out of my busy life to do something just for me, something that I love to do, that is even good for me too!

Have you ever obsessed over a particular jump or spin?

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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

not really. Waltz jumps have been driving me crazy though.

If you could skate like any one skater, who would u skate like? (For me it would be sasha)

An American adult dancer whose first name is Michelle - I won't post her full name without permission, but she dances with her husband, and anybody who has ever been to Adult Nationals will know who I mean!
Anyway, I'd love to skate like her!

What skill do you not have that is driving you crazy? For me, it's keeping up speed on my back stroking.

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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!

A proper scratch spin. I keep practicing upright spins (in both directions) but haven't really been able to get it good & consistent enough to think about turning it into a scratch spin yet. My old coach tried to teach me a spin with the free foot crossed over (not the whole pulling-in scratch movement, but the final position) but I couldn't quite cross it. Grr.

What aspect of your skating are you most proud of?

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

A few things: (1) The degree to which I've been self-taught by watching and analysing other skaters and videos. I quit taking singles lessons over 10 years ago, but continued to do synchro and was very committed to perfection. (2) The fact that when I joined a new team last year, no one had any idea I had never taken a test in my life. (3) That I took the big leap, got over my fears, and started to test this summer. (4) My knee bend.

How do you warm up for a lesson?

streaching and then stroaking.

do you taake private lessons?

yes, yes I do


If you could have any color of skates (including patterns) what would you pick? (hehe, how bout some nice plaid skates!!! )

I want TashaKat's purple Harlicks!!! (But I'm already wearing the next best thing... BLACK FS BOOTS!!!)

Do you have multiple coaches and if so, how did you divide up the teaching task. I have one primary coach now, but when I start working and get a paycheck, I'll have a secondary coach too. (My primary coach does moves and spins and edgeworks. My secondary coach emphasis will likely be on jumps.)

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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!!!

I have a primary coach who works on dances, jumps, and moves. My secondary coach is her boyfriend, a former pairs skater, who works mainly on jumps and spins with me. I work with two other coaches, on a less formal basis, mainly on moves and any random questions I have on my dances, sometimes grabbing a quick group lesson during Coffee Club (all adult sessions).

What skill do you know that is WAY past the level you are at? (For example, I'm on my pre-bronze dances but I've learned and gotten some of the gold and international dances WELL before I learned any of the moves for FS or MITFs --and before I learned any of the dances inbetween)

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

Well, I only have my Junior Bronze dances, but I can do twizzles, rockers, counters, brackets, hip twists, and the kilian step, to name a few!

OK, two-part question:
(1) What's the biggest sacrifice you've made for skating?
(2) Have you ever had to sacrifice skating for something else?

i havent really.

what move do you do when you can do NOTHING?

Plain stroking, focussing on keeping on a edge, changing my weight at the right time, proper extension, bringing my feet back together, and keeping it up all the way to the end of the rink!

And some days, if I haven't the energy for that (if I have a cold, for instance), I work on compulsory figures and/or doing turns round the hockey goal.

How old were you when you started skating?

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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!

I believe I was 8 or 9 when I started.

If you could have any skater as your pair or dance partner who would you pick? ( I mean ANY skater!)

That's an easy one - Christopher Dean!

What do you wear for everyday practice?

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

Usually a dress or sometimes skating pants and of course, my skates!
I have a pretty big collection of skating dresses...(a girl can never have enough dresses!)

What's your favorite JUNIOR event to watch?

I don't watch Junior events as they're not often televised, but I did watch some of Junior Worlds this year and it was interesting to put faces to names (that I'd read on the internet), and also thinking about how these skaters could well be at the top of the world some day (as a lot of junior world champions do).

Is there anything you *have* to wear when you skate? (I'm not talking about skates, lol). I have to wear my ring (that my boyfriend bought me). A couple of weeks ago I got on the ice and realised it was in my jeans pocket (in my locker), so I got off the ice to get it.

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

Umm, ok, well, I always have to wear my bunga pads (those gelly sock tube things you place around your ankles to stop your boots from giving you blisters).


What type of blades do you have?

MK Dance.

How many years have you been taking lessons?

4 years.

What is your toughest jump?

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!