New week, new thread. Although one skater pointed out that this was the end of our week, since Monday is day-off day at our rink, so we don't skate now until Tuesday.

Foggy: Our lesson actually went pretty well. But as we had practiced our runs round the circle before we started, we had to do this awful exercise of run, chasse, run, chasse, in both directions. And I was yelled at for no extension. It was okay anticlockwise, but there were at least 5 elite couples on the ice, and clockwise? I don't think so! We also had problems with swing rolls in waltz hold, what day don't we? And after our lesson, when we were playing around, we realised that we really do need to deconstruct even our easy dances - we have such bad habits.... mostly mental! Outside swing rolls in Kilian hold went better than inside ones, to our coach's surprise (I think we practice them more!). Husband, doing waltz 3s, had dreadful free-leg position, and had to spend most of his lesson on them!

Sunshine: Our chasses in waltz hold went really well. We had to do a lap of stroking in foxtrot hold, which I found painful, as I'd slept awkwardly and have a very sore shoulder - it was fine after skating, but has come back since I've been sitting around. Anyway, that lap did seem to help it a bit. It wasn't great, but still.

When we did waltz 3s round each other, we found we could do them pretty well if we did them across the rink, as in the European or the Starlight waltzes, but pretty dire if round the circle. Coach reckons we start swinging too much... he's probably right.

And I really think I'm beginning to be able to do inside 3-turns without cheating!

[Edited to remove the typo in the subject line!]

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

Fog:
Loop still too inconsistent to put in my competition program. So, my coach and I are taking it out - I assume we'll add extra footwork - or maybe I'll just do a really long sit spin.

Worked with my coach's coach on my pre-Bronze moves. He told only about 4 of the ege tracings I did - and I did a lot during our lesson - were good enough to pass. Talk about ego deflation!

Alt 3s are getting better, but I can't seem to solve the problem of pushing off the toe pick when coming off the BI edge during my switching feet at the axis line.


Sunshine:

I think I have rediscovered how to do LFI 3s. That is, I can do them with some speed and I'm ending up on a BO edge instead of a flat.

My coach did say that she thought I showed inprovement as I worked with her coach.

Jenny Don practiced at my rink yesterday (for those outside the U.S, Jenny finished 8th in senior ladies at Nat'ls and due to withdrawals and declines, will be going to 4 Continents this week). She ran through her LP, and as she progressed, everyone figured out who she was and stopped what they were doing to watch her. By the time she finished, everyone was standing along the boards and applauded when the music stopped. Her pairs partner (she and Jonathon Hunt finished 4th in senior pairs) was helping her. He actually teaches some group lessons on Saturdays at my rink and occasionally gives private lessons, too. This is the first time I've seen Jenny there - they both train at the U of DE, about an hour away. Anyway, Jenny landed a 3 toe/2 toe right in front of me - wow! - and she has an amazing flying sit spin. We don't have many skaters at our rink that do triples or 2 axels consistently, so seeing those jumps up close was a treat.

Foggy

What it was when I set off at 6am this morning to go to the rink for my lesson

Not quite as foggy but getting a bit lighter

What it was when the RAC eventually got my car started again (aka too late to go skating PLUS car is sick so needs to go straight to garage, do not pass go, do not collect £200)

Smog

How I now feel because I can't skate now until the rink reopens again in February because of the stupid piggin SuperPigginBike Show and my coach probably thinks I'm flaky because I had to cancel last week because of illness and now this

Smog plus hailstones

Not only is the SuperPigginBike Show on ON my rink from next Monday (actually ON the rink) they are also putting a dirt track down ..... goodbye sweet ice, we may never see you again! A speck of the dirt gets under the covers and BYE BYE ice!!!!

x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Smog: I need to level my backyard (again). Waltz jumps on the backyard rink are scary when you land going downhill. However I did three of them nicely on the one slightly level smooth patch. Sunshine

just fog. Just total fog!

__________________

Fog: Still chickening out a bit on the lutz. Camel spin isn't that hot. I actually did one good one so hopefully i'll get them going soon

Sunshine: Got my flip back. WOOHOO. I also am solving my problem about rushing. I think of a saying such as "I hate **** flips" This way I'm concentrating on not rushing. Seems to be working.

I nailed one SWEET camel spin. If I can only remember how I did it

I also have been interview and pictures have been taken for a series of articles on me. I'll forward them along once I get ahold of one.

Oh yes, they are also planning on doing a calender of "FACES OF MS" They want to use me as one of the months. I'm very flattered

FOG: Besides anywhere near my home. (I live near SF. It's infamously known for fog!!!)

• FO3's still foggy, but at least it's still visible. (i.e. it was slow but I managed to get them most times.) I just can't do them fast though.
• Camel spin...
• Sit spins, but not b/c of the spins... most times it's b/c when I do the first couple of them, my lower back hurts! When I'm warmed up is when I do my better ones.
• Rink CROWDED w/college kids. Adults Only session is 18 and over and there CERTAINLY were a LOT of those college kids out there tonight!!! (It's Martin Luther King's Day today!)
• Loop jump went on vacation to someplace sunnier than here!!! (Come BACK!!! PLEASE!?!?!?)

SUNSHINE:

• Scratch spin were back to being sunny for once!!!
• Sit spin (once I was warmed up and I don't feel like my lower back is stiff.)
• SPEED BABY!!! I felt like going fast today... and FAST I did go... Still couldn't catch up to my coach though. RATS!!!

__________________
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!!!

Fog: Husband forgot I am skating on Tuesday mornings for the duration (of being unemployed), so didn't tell me he was out of the bathroom, and didn't bring me my tea until he was ready to leave for the rink himself! So I didn't hurry down, and nearly decided to leave it and skate this evening, but just as well I didn't, as I have a meeting this evening and need to have eaten by 7.30 pm!

It was raining, and I discovered that my left trainer ("sneaker", in American) had sprung a leak.

Forward cross-rolls decided to disappear on me!

Inside-outside changes-of-edge were simply dreadful, I was glad that I was practising, not doing them in my lesson. "Flat" doesn't begin to describe them. My own fault; I started in the wrong place and couldn't get back into it.

LFO waltz 3s kept getting my free foot in the wrong place.

LFI 3s not there yet - I can just about do them when facing the barrier, but not unless.

"Forgot" (yeah, right) to practice BO edges. Nor, come to think of it, did I practice FI and FO swing rolls. Oh well.

Sunshine: Russian stroking was tremendous - fast, flowy, I was really able to get "up" in the knees on the inside edge.

Realised that when I do runs (progressives) round the circle, I'm not keeping my free leg crossed underneath. I cross it, but then allow it to swing straight back, which it ought not. Corrected that anti-clockwise, but not quite so good going clockwise.

RFO waltz 3s had my feet in exactly the right place.

Outside-inside changes of edge felt okay.

RFI 3s really beginning to happen now - I even got about an inch of flow out of one of them! (yeah, all right, but it's progress - I can cheat them, and they're fine, but properly?)

Cross-rolls beginning to reappear by the end of the session - somehow I was either not extending enough behind, or bending enough in front, or both. Either way, they were clunky and not free-flowing - normally they're my best move.

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

Clouds, Baby - Both of my practices so far this week have been a little disappointing. Even though I worked hard at each of them, I didn't quite have that "on" feeling, ya know? Monday I got to the rink a little late and then drizzled away some time messing with getting my skates right. Yesterday I didn't really perk up until my lesson.

Ray o' Sunshine - my coach had me work through 2 long segments of my program, and she was pleased with how they're coming along. And I had some really nicely centered spins once she made me realize I was dropping my right shoulder and tucking my right hip under on the back sit coming out of the flying camel.

Foggy: Why, oh why, can't I skate backwards? (Fear!). I am just so hopeless at it when alone - much better with a partner. I can't get my weight in the right place at all, at all.... Irritates me, because things were going much better going forwards this morning.

Cross-rolls still not quite right. Either they were fast, flowy and FLAT or they were clunky and on a steeper edge. coach said I wasn't adjusting the rest of me to the steeper edges.

Waltz 3s pretty dodgy, in either direction. "You'll get more flow if you ....." said my coach, to which my mental (and verbal) reply was, "Yeah, but do I actually want more flow?"

Later, when I was doing European waltz steps as an exercise, I realised what I do wrong - on the push into the 3-turn, because I don't like pushing into 3-turns, I either hold back with my foot, or with my upper body, Either way, I don't get a smooth push into the turn!

Mohawks still clunky, but not too bad. Got one half-decent one.

Sunshine: For some reason I could feel exactly the right place to be on my blade when doing forward stroking, and it was fast and smooth. Not as steep edges as my coach would like to see, but even still! And when it came to the changes of edge, I could feel exactly where my free leg needed to be - I won't say I actually put it there every time, but it's coming! I had to slow my inside-outside ones down a bit to get the free leg in the right place, but my goodness, it does make a difference!

Russian stroking was lovely - fast and flowy; coach said I needed to lean into the circle more on the inside edge, but that was his only criticism.

New back edge exercise - 3 pushes, then hold the edge. Horrid - can't do it nearly as well as I'd like. But then, can't skate backwards..... oh dear..... oh well.....

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

Foggy - me. Skated late last night an didn't get home 'till 11.

Sunshine - had a fun skate last night. Ran through program then we worked on the harness. After the double salchows and axels we worked on double loops and double flips - the flips were better than the loops, and both were fun to try.

Fog
Mmmm, the lutz..it just won't jump.

Sunshine
Did field moves and flip and loop. Lots of spins, as always.
Backspin "sort of" coming, then goes.
Camel ok!
Did all level 3 elements but wouldn't have passed on the backspin and steps.
xox

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Foggy

I had one of those rare skates today where you come off the ice at the end feeling a million dollars because you've had such a good skate . The only foggy bit of today was trying my axel. I just cannot get the full rotation on this jump and it's really frustrating!

Sunshine

My Bronze Field Moves were much improved today and for the first time in a week I managed not to fall on any of the double three turn exercises. Having had a hard fall last week I really felt my confidence disappear but I'm happy to say that it was a little improved today and my moves were better for it.

I also found the camel spin that I somehow managed to lose at the start of the week. Always the way that when I go and tell my coach I lost it I go and do a perfect one for her and prove myself wrong!

My sideways spin suddenly clicked into place today and I managed to spin looking up at my hand without losing my balance for the first time and did several. Also managed a couple of camel/sit/back-sit combinations.

Programme went well and I landed my loop-loop combination and lutz fine in it plus did a couple of lutz-cherry combinations afterwards!

Nicki

Congratulations, NickiT...

but ZOIKS! I didn't know that Bronze Field Moves had double threes in them. Are you doing the US Moves in the Field, or are you talking about NISA or Canadian Field Moves?

I'm working on the US pre-Bronze moves and would be much chagrined to hear that double threes are on the next-higher moves test!!

Sunshine: Blues choctaw is slowly getting better. In isolation by itself, I'm definitely getting on the right edges at the right time. When adding in the flare before the choctaw, from the dance pattern, I don't consistently lead with my left shoulder like my coach wants. But it's getting there. We worked on the choctaw in unison today, only in Killian hold instead of Foxtrot hold. Coach likes to teach it that way.

Went through all of the Bronze MIF in prep for future testing. Did those dang power 3's better than normal, although they still have aways to go. "Alternating BO crossovers to BO edges" decided to bug-a-boo today. I am S-ing the transiting from the LBO to the CCW back crossover much more than coach wants. But they have good flow ...

Not sure what tomorrow's lesson will hold... Coach and I did decide that we're going to try and put my Bronze MIF out on the April test session.

Foggy: Had a horrible stressful day and brought it onto the ice. Was a spaz for the first 1/2 an hour.

I keep dropped that dang right shoulder. I swear I need ropes attached to it so my coach can pull when the shoulder drops

Sunshine: My lesson was good.... a nice 1/2 hour one. I am over my lutz fear and I can even feel if I don't set the jump up right.

Did TONS of combos. My fav right now is lutz/half loop/salchow.

Learned my flip from a mohawk and it worked.

Hi there. I'm talking about the UK NISA Bronze Field Moves here! I really am finding them quite difficult but I guess not practising them for most of last year didn't help! There are plenty of double three turns in these. Three of the six exercises consist of double threes - the first is one side of forward double outsides and one side of forward double insides; second exercise is two circles of backward double outside three turns (one circle on each foot) and the third is the same but with backward double inside threes. The latter were the ones I took a really hard fall on last week .

Nicki

The NISA Bronze field moves are really hard - they are the next-to-highest test available at the moment, so that shows you what level Nicki is working at!

As for me, I haven't skated yet today, but as some of you know, I'm a great believer in visualisation, whether it is moves, or one's whole programme. So imagine my chagrin last night when I decided to try to visualise myself skating backwards as well as I can skate forwards - low, weight in the right place, finding the sweet spot, balanced, free leg over the tracing, hip open, feet together on every step, all that jazz - and, guess what, for the longest time I simply couldn't! All I could feel was me stumbling and kicking, the way I do in reality. I think I've cracked it now - let's hope it translates to on-ice very soon - but it's horrid when you can't visualise yourself doing something so easy! Grrrr.

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

Sunshine:

Landed loop in the program run through with Coach yesterday!

Clouds:
My salchow has decided to take the week off- it's okay but it needs to come back in time for the New Year's comp in DC next week!

Spins are still rushed!!!


Suggested to Coach that we take out the sal/toe combo, with just a single sal and do toe/toe/toe loop combo. She wants both in the program instead! Don't you hate it when a suggestion comes back to haunt you???

Fog:
Surprisingly, my lesson today (22nd) was basically fog-free. Except for one small slip. Landed on my left thigh, in the same spot I landed the other day.

Sushine:
My backward stroking is greatly improving. I also did a good mohawk and mohawk combination, despite that fact it was about the 1st time I tried it (boy, my coach sure was holding me back... I should've done the mohawk a long time ago). Where's my mohawk been hiding all this time?!

My coach is pretty comical, which always helps the vibe - today asked me if I've ever seen a frog do a mohawk.

__________________
Andrea

It being Friday, husband decides to drive to the rink so that we can practice together (every other day this week he's gone down on his bike, and has left before I've arrived). So, of course, he starts rushing me before I've had a chance to get my porridge inside me!

However, once arrived we had a good practice. His back cross-cuts are really getting good now, and he has built up a terrific head of steam when going backwards that I really, really envy. But his posture isn't all it should be!

We were deconstructing the Rhythm Blues; I realise I have no idea what to do with my free leg after the lilt - how do I bring it back smoothly into the promenade? And both of us are "wasting" the run after the inside swing rolls, not getting a good push on it. Robert's free leg was too far inside the tracing on the second inside swing roll.... and so it goes. But we are becoming aware of these things, which really, really helps. I'm hoping it'll lead to a great improvement.

We also worked a little on the Canadian Cha-cha, which we will also need for the Mountain Cup - we still fight each other on the slalom, instead of enabling each other. Actually, I think we do throughout the dance. It's going to need some work! We ended up slaloming round the rink in Kilian hold, in time to whatever really difficult waltz music was being played! But we both felt we were holding each other back, not enabling each other. Sigh.

We didn't do any of our waltz hold exercises; it's all very well us concentrating on the Swing Dance, but if we're going to get any marks, it'll be on the other dances!

After he'd gone, I did my own exercises; realised what has gone wrong with my cross-rolls - I'm letting my weight come forward too far. If I settle down on to my heels before I start, they work a lot better. Changes-of-edge went well, and I was much better able to control my free leg. Back edges as clunky as ever.... one day, one day.... Sigh again!

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

Mrs Redboots... I discovered the same thing late last week working on crossrolls for the Paso. Coach had me first do bunches of forward crossrolls at a slower tempo (about a 4-count per edge) than in the Paso, and we realized that on one side, I push just fine, but on the other side, I was definitely toe-picking. Spent some time playing around, and I still don't know why or how I changed things, but I realized if I sat more on the mid-section of my blades, I could definitely PUSH with more blade on the bad side. So they are getting better. The quick cross-rolls in the Paso... oooo-la-la, they are interesting. They bring a bundle more problems...

Anyways...

SUNSHINE: About 90% of the time solo and in isolation, my Blues choctaw is spot-on. So I started doing it on pattern and adding in the flare first, and about 1 in 10 is clean right now...combination of more speed and I'm not consistently syncing up the rotation with where I am on the lobe. I did one gorgeous one yesterday... started with the cross before the flare, through the flare, sat on the inside edge, held it, held it, rotated, rotated a hair more, sat on a clean RBO, no touch downs. Happy Happy Happy.

FOG: 2 of 3 days this week, we had to split the ice with hockey. How many figure skaters can you put on half a sheet of ice? Paso breakout did not want to work the last couple days, but that may have been because I really couldn't skate it properly between worrying about pucks and what-not. Also we started working on the Blues choctaw in the proper dance hold, so all of a sudden I felt blocked. From the way my coach explained it though, I think that if we're good and close together, I can use him as my "rudder" to steer some of my pre-rotation before the actual choctaw... Any other "Blues-ers" out there have any suggestions? Coach basically said... it's uncomfortable, and when it's VERY uncomfortable, do the choctaw.

Coach is on a well-earned vacation this week, so my homework is Bronze MIF (Power 3's), Blues choctaws, the other pieces of the blues, and lots of crossrolls.

In roller skating, we had to just about hop them from foot to foot, meaning good knee bend and spring up to the next one. Do you do them that way on the ice?

Sunshine
FO threes are definitely coming back and I have figured out exactly how a spot helps me and knowing that is also a help. When I have a spot, I reach forward to touch the spotter's hand as I rotate. That reach puts me on the front of the blade, which is where I need to be to make the turn, of course. I am also doing them from one side of the blue line, with the turn taking place on the line (apex of the arc). That gives me the mental equivalent of the spotter's hand as I rotate.

Fog
The dead ice I have come to regard as my own after the Mommy & Me class was co-opted by AMC for a scene from their upcoming Ice Castles
segment. Peter Tchernyshev was the coach, so at least I got to watch a little bit of very nice skating, but would rather have had the practice time as I'm not getting very much of that lately.

While showing another coach (who didn't have to do moves as a kid) the Prelim power threes, I managed to fall as I explained that the step from BI edge to BI edge is a power move. Some power
I wasn't injured except for my pride, but more than half of my body is still complaining.

__________________

Fog: LFO3 - Both my coaches says "It's nice that you got good LFO3's and stable forward power 3's. NOW can you do them a little bit faster?" Unfortunately, the answer is still NO.

Sunshine: Rest of my moves are getting better, though there are still things to be concerned about. Like my primary coach's famous funny line of the day is "I like your forward alt. crossover, but why is it when you first push off you look like you're pushing a skateboard?" (i.e. get off the toe pick and push on the side of the blade to get your power.)

Possible rain storm coming according to secondary coach... she thinks that I will be ready to test Bronze Moves by May!!! I'll humor her and see if I could pass it.

__________________
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'm returning to the ice after a month-long break. It wasn't a deliberate break, nor an injury. My schedule has just been insane since the Winter ice show on Dec. 20.\

First there was Christmas. Then hubby and I worked like crazy o the scenery for the opera. Then there was New Year's. Hubby and I (and some of his students) loaded in the opera, ran it, and struck the set between Jan 1 and Jan 11. I've been choreographing the musical at hubby's school since Jan. 5 and have evening rehearsals EVERY night. Plus all day long Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention my work/commute from 8AM-5:30 PM M-F. I've desperately needed a day off, but my employer (my FIL) is on a cruise and so there is no one to watch the office, plus the rink is 1/2 an hour away from my home and my office. So I'm completely exhausted, cranky, and worn-out.

The show opens next Thursday and you can bet that the first free moment I have I'll be back on the ice to practice.

My Freestyle 1 group leson starts tomorrow and I'm hoping that the woman I ride to the rink with is up for a Freestyle session before the lesson so that I can get my feet back under me.

I have the feeling that I may be the only adult in the group, wah! I was so close to passing Free 1 before the craziness that is life and now I think it will take nearly all of the 8-week session to get back to where I was. Next year, I refuse to let my schedule get so insane that I can't skate!

So look for a report from me on Monday -- finally!!!!