Back on the ice today after the Christmas break; coach managed to give us a 15-minute lesson as a couple and then my regular 30-minute lesson solo.

We are still working on basics at the moment - and presentation. So our lesson was mostly working on chasses and swing rolls in waltz hold, and then we ran through the Swing Dance to try to do these "in anger", as it were. At least, we intended to run through the Swing Dance, but just as it got to my Mohawk, Robert stepped on his blade and disappeared. "At least I let you go so you didn't fall, too!" he said - but it was pretty darn close.....

In my practice I was having trouble with inside-to-outside changes of edge again; not the edge change itself (that's easy!), but keeping my free leg under control, and rebending so that the run in between the lobes isn't clunky. So we worked on those in my lesson, and then I asked for exercises to do so as not to practice the things while getting them wrong. Our new mantra is "Practice makes permanent!" So I am to practice Russian stroking, tucking my free leg behind my skating leg on the inside edge.

Also worked on the modified stroking exercise from last week: two crossovers or runs, followed by an inside edge on which I must rise up and present, then rebend for the next two crossovers.

Cross-rolls - why, oh why are these the only move on which I can really sink down on to the back of my blade and find the running edge? Even the clunkiest crossovers worked well.

Backwards stroking went much better than normal, I maintained my momentum most of the time! Really pleased with that. Back cross-rolls, yes well, never mind that.....

When it came to Mohawks, I had been given an exercise to practice by the boards, rather than practising them wrong, so that in my lesson they were actually much better than ever - I'm getting the rising up in the right place now. Not quite controlled yet. Inside 3-turns beginning to work, but I need to focus on not breaking at the waist after the turn. And waltz 3s fine, and would be better if I could make myself push into the 3-turn..... well, it's coming.

Robert and I decided we probably will never get a great deal better, technically, than we are now. This doesn't mean we'll give up, though, as there's lots of room for improvement in our presentation, which will make our technique better, and so on. My coach said that since I had been a couch potato and was not and am not very body-aware, he reckons I haven't done badly - contrasting me with an adult beginner who needs both the boards and her daughter's or coach's arm to even move on the ice!

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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'm right there with you and Robert, Annabel. I probably won't get much better, but I'm going to have fun trying.

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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

New Year Hopes: My program is finished. I think it will be a great one for me - I am really pleased with the choreography!

Old Year Flops: Regarding my program - my coach wanted me to try a particular move I was unfamiliar with. I tried it slow at the end of the ice, and slid right into one of those sharp snow-turned-to-ice mounds left by the Zamboni. I now have a beautiful 1" scrape/cut surrounded by a 3" oval bruise on my knee, and a pair of tights that need washing to remove a blood spot

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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

Hopefully Hopeful: Well, for all my "whining" about how the a.m. is not my fave time of day, I WILL say that my competitive skating goals are just the trick to get me out of my toasty bed in the morning. I'm so excited about the progress I'm making (and still need to make!), that I hardly hesitate at all when the alarm goes off. And once I'm out on the rink, well just try to get me off! Today I skated for 2 hours because I was just so joyous about working on my double jumps.

Today was my lesson and my coach decided we were going to start revamping my program to prepare it for competing in adult gold. Eaka freaka, the woman has gone insane! Everywhere she can, she is ramping up the difficulty level until (right now) I feel like this is Michelle Kwan's program. Instead of a camel, we're doing a flying camel/back sit spin. Instead of a lutz jump, it's a lutz/loop combo. Instead of the axel, it's a double salchow. Instead of the salchow, it's an axel/toe loop. Instead of the sit spin, it's a camel/sit/back sit. We're throwing a double toe loop in there somewhere. And so on.

The cool part is she's also ramping up the connecting steps and footwork, so my Tigger-ness will really be challenged. As will my apoplectic arm movements.

Again, I'm not really "whining" because I'm so excited about this that I could burst. It's scary to think that I will be competing in mid-March and that all of this has to be mastered by then. But then, she wouldn't be giving it to me if she didn't think I could do it. So it's great to have her confidence.

Oh, you guys, don't give up on improvements! I am really such a different skater in the past 6 months, it's so hard to believe! And I've been skating for 5 years, but the best progress has only been recently. There's so many technical challenges. Sure, maybe you won't be doing doubles, but that doesn't mean you can't get some actual height and cover some distance on your waltz jump!

As for me, Near Year Hopes: I've been skating great the last week or so. My two programs for the Chelsea Piers competition are about done, unless my coach has any great ideas this week. (Coach's phrase to dread: "Hey, you know what would be really cool?" ) My waltz jump-falling leaf-half flip sequence is covering more ice and I feel good about it. And my one foot spin is progressing nicely.

Old Year FLops: My toe loop stinks, but I suppose it's getting better. It's stuck in the middle of the improvements we've been making. I suppose it will turn out all right, though!

Happy skating and Happy New Year to everyone!

Pat
who's now lost 36 pounds

New Year hopes....Power 3's and alternating 3's are beginning to look reasonable. The inside alternating 3's are still not so good but slow improvement.

Old year flops: Looks like I have gallstones. It has been bothering me on and off since mid October buy the attck two weeks ago and yesterday afternoon is it. Both my parents had the problem and my brother has had problems since the fall which I found out about when I talked to him on Christmas. I see the doc next week.

I want the problem remedied pretty quickly since it is beginning to interfere with the figure skating. Kind of hard to concentrate when your gut hurts.

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Keeping School Figures Alive!!

Congratulations, Pat!

As for me...

New Year Hopes:
Back spin now lasts for more than 1 rev - well, most of the time! My coach gave me some good tips on it that have helped. At this point, I'm including it in my program for the Wash D.C comp.

We made a few choreographic changes to my program that I think will work well. I've been able to get a lot more practice time with it lately since I'm on vacation.

Ran through the pre-Bronze moves. Edges are getting better, alt 3s are still a nightmare. I think I'm going to test in Feb - and do pre-Bronze FS at the same time (of course, if I fail the MIF test, I'll lose $25). I want to compete at the Chesapeake Open in June and they don't have pre-Bronze, so I'll have to compete Bronze (and hope I won't finish last.)


Old Year Flops:
Loop jump still a problem.

Need to improve LFI mohawks. One is in my program, which will force me to learn it - a good thing. Why can't I transfer what can do on my right foot to my left? I have the same issue with FI and back 3s.

Momentarily forgot how to do a toe loop during my program run-through yesterday. I did a FO 3 instead of a FI, and since I can't do a flip, I was pretty much at a standstill.

I have had the highest amount of energy lately!! Maybe it's becasue I haven't been in school. GOOD, another reason why I shouldn't be educated! Tee hee...I'll do better in skating! Aw well,...
I haven't had any chance to jump lately, because I've been working on dances that must be tested at the end of january so basically its taking all my time, but I feel like I'm realyl doing well. My coach is AMAZING, he just totally looks fabulous even when he just takes a step and extends his leg! It's amazing, and I'm reallllly glad to be working with him!

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Ah, Cinderella, I've been there with your coach (literally) when she says why don't we put that in your program? We went through it with this Gold program from June when we completed it to a couple weeks ago when she said add the 2-loop where the flip loop is and add a loop to the 2-sal and start working on an illusion for just before the footwork sequence! Yikes!!! Just keep telling yourself that you can do it and when you compete, it'll be there.

Techskater - Ha ha, I know you know exactly what I'm talking about, since we share the same crazed (read, beloved) coach! My first thought was that she'd accidentally mixed us up, since you ARE the Axel and Doubles Queen! Except then I remembered that I'm only 5'1" and I believe you are MUCH taller than me. Tee hee. Glad to hear that she spreads her sadistic wiles to her other students as well.

Frankly, even writing about those elements she's adding makes me blush because I'm not yet worthy and it feels like soon I will have a program encompassing 100% elements I cannot do! And yet, you know how good she is at making you work harder and push the edges of what you can do. So I'll cross my fingers (or better yet, my legs/feet) and keep working at those doubles.

Hopeful - you can't help but smile after two solid hours of public adult skate! Today I focused on the "new" elements my coach has added to my program: axel/toe loop, lutz/loop, flying camel/back sit, as well as the remaining elements like camel/sit/back sit and scratch spin. My biggest challenge with the jumps is maintaining my speed and flow coming out of the jumps, especially the combos. I still feel like they're a little scratchy and I'm slowing down on the landings. Any hints/tips are appreciated.

Floppy - it was fairly crowded because so many people had the day off. I don't mind newcomers (in fact, they're lots of fun), but I DO dread those one or two people who are so unpredictable in what they are doing and where they are going. Twice the same woman just cut in front of me while I was up in the air for my axel. There is not a lot you can do to change your direction when you are up in the air! Also, I've been fighting off a cold and so decided not to do any doubles today because my head was pretty stuffy.

Hoping Some More: Spins were very centered today, and consequently got a lot of speed and revolutions. The jumps are coming along, just need more repetition. And this guy who I haven't seen for a month must have told me 15 times that I had gotten so much better than the last time he saw me (which may just mean that I was "THAT" bad a month ago!! )

My current new year hope is that we get ice back very soon. It was meant to be our first time back at the rink today but there is a huge problem which has resulted in the entire rink having melted. I hope this isn't an omen for the coming skating year for us at Bracknell!

Nicki

Goodness, I hope not! I like skating at Bracknell sometimes - but, NickiT and Batikat (and the others), do come and visit us if you are able: Figure club meets at 7.00 pm on Tuesdays and Dance Club at 7.00 pm on Thursdays (I usually go to the latter, but only to the former if I know I have a guest there!).

Have not skated since Tuesday because of cold, but it is passing now and will skate again tomorrow.

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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!

Skated today for the first time since 10th Dec. I felt quite rusty - not helped by my boots hurting my feet. I didn't have a lot of motivation, didn't feel like I was getting anywhere, and left after half the session.

Let me see, what was good? Well - I guess my crossovers weren't bad, I did a nice faster LBO double 3, back crossovers to BO edge were nice. I also did a nice FI pivot to a 2 foot spin with unusual head/arm positions - just kind of felt like it, and it felt nice. And BI pivots to 1 foot spin (a few revs) weren't too shabby either.

What was bad - didn't do any spirals, didn't work on jumps because my feet hurt (especially heel of my left foot, which is my landing foot), spin entry as pitiful as ever.

Sorry for the whining I hope this slump changes soon.

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

I've been lucky and have been on ice, although not really *practicing* until today. I didn't start the session off well, managing to step on the back of my blade doing a mohawk for the coach and it's the funniest feeling, suddenly it's like the ice just swallows you up and you're looking up at everything.::flop::

Hopes: Got to practice dance patterns on almost empty ice, I was so sick of holiday public sessions with no room to move.

icenut - aren't boot problems just awful? I've been having some problems with my right (landing) boot and it just drains my will to push myself sometimes. Hard to push when you know it will result in pain.

My problem seems to be in the instability of the landings of my double jumps combined with my tongue slipping way to the right. My pain is in the muscle/tendon above my right outside ankle. I'll be taking my skates to be sharpened next weekend - the guy who sharpens them is also my fitter - so I'll ask his opinion then. I think I may also contact my physical therapist to see if she has any stretching exercises for that part of the leg. What is your problem with your boots?

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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

skater1964, what kind of boots? Do you have the notch out at the point where you start lacing up the hooks? I found that that has really helped me a lot - I am able to get a heavy duty boot with a lot of support, but I can still bend at the ankle to take off and land my jumps. Three pairs ago, I had pain when I landed jumps and someone suggested this to me. Also, if you have SP Teris, you can get the eyelet in the middle to keep the tongue from slipping. If not, maybe your boot fitter can help you with that anyway?

I have Klingbeils, and I have just absolutely loved them until now. I've had these boots for a year, and they are nowhere near broken down, so that's not the problem. They have a slit in the middle of the tongue that I have been looping the laces around (kind of like the loop thing that are on the new Reidells), and that has helped, but not enough. I thought a week and 1/2 off over the holidays would fix any over use problem, but coming back it is just as bad as ever. Ater being injured for last year's AN, a boot problem just makes me !

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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

I've never seen that solution to the moving tongue problem on Klingbeils. What he does locally is put a hook on the tongue so that it catches the edge of the boot and cannot move to the side. Maybe Klingbeil can work with your fitter to get that done for you.

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I had that problem at the beginning with my SP Teri boots, and the fitter put a velcro strip on the tongue. So when I lace across it, the laces stick to the velcro and help keep the tongue stable. Maybe that would help you, too.

Pat

Do you have a bump on your leg there? I sometimes get pain in the same place, but on my left foot, and it turns out that I've developed a ganglion cyst, which sometimes swells up. Most of the time it's not a problem, but when the swelling hits I can't push on an outside edge on that foot without pain. I use a blister pad cut in half to lift the boot away from my leg a tiny bit; by cutting it in half (and USING both halves) it takes the pressure off the cyst.

Treatment is with anti-inflammatories.

A friend of mine had a ganglion cyst in the same location. She took anti-inflammatories, but it didn't help. Her doctor gave her cortisone injections, but the cyst came back. Finally, they gave up and her doctor drained it with a needle. Sometimes draining a cyst will get rid of it permanently. I had one on my wrist that was drained twice and still came back so my doctor operated on my wrist and removed it, and it hasn't come back.

Nope - no bump. I've been to the doc, too, to rule out any stress fractures (before) I submit my $240 in non-refundable fees for Sectionals and AN . Anyway, I bought a gel blister pad from Bunga that you can cut to size, and added it to the inside of my Bunga ankle sleeve. That helped a lot today. Plus, I discussed this with my skate fitter and he's going to show me a new way to lace up the skate that should hold the toungue in place. So there is hope --- thanks for the info and the help ! I love this place for practical tips!!!

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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

Sk8er1964 - Just for my information, can you tell me which bunga you ordered that is cutable?

I believe it's called the 4" Blister Cushion. I can't find the darn box!

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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