Lift: Following a suggestion from Jenlyon60 (Thanks, Jen!), Husband and I actually managed to go straight into our drills from our warmup without stopping, and only slowing down a bit. Managed 3 drills before we stopped, and then the last one (outside swing rolls with me going forwards, him going backwards) went a bit funny. Our spin worked well, but is still a bit slow. We managed to practice our step sequence too - as today was the last day that our elite couple were practising before they leave for the Europeans tomorrow, obviously people stopped what they were doing, by and large, and let them have the ice to themselves.

Laugh: The BBC were in to interview them and everything before they leave. We really did laugh, actually, because at one stage the guy had the camera on the ice, and was talking to them, and our oldest male skater, aged about 75, slipped and went flat on his back (didn't hurt himself) absolutely in shot! Everybody cracked up, including the skater in question - sadly, though, it wasn't being filmed at the time, or he could have made good money having it shown on out-take programmes!

My shins were very sore this morning, to the point that I had trouble dragging myself out of bed an on to the ice - and I knew I couldn't look for sympathy from anybody because everybody would say "Oh good, it shows you're finally bending your knees more!" or words to that effect. Indeed, I said it to myself - but that doesn't stop them being sore! They were fine when I was on the ice, but they're stiff again now.

Needless to say, because Husband decided to get the early train to work, just after he got off, another elite couple did some footwork in a hold that we seriously need to copy! Not their footwork, of course - but a dumbed-down version would work perfectly for us. I checked that theyi wouldn't mind us copying them but whether I remember on Sunday morning is another question! Maybe we'll have to wake up early and go 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!

Can I join? This is a great format for reflecting and journaling! Today was my second learn to skate lesson


Lift: Front double swizzles actually felt (almost) effortless today
It was very cool the few times I was able to find and hold my outside edge when practicing one foot glide on a circle. I noticed that when I was focusing on the edge I actually did better with my balance and could stay on one foot longer.





Laugh: Back double swizzles --- is it possible that my inner thigh muscles have totally atrophied from years of unuse??? I felt like I was trying to move a 1 ton truck with them!
Took my first spill today since I started lessons....good thing for my extra padding!
What I won't be doing tomorrow when those back double swizzles kick in!




Kathy

Lift: Well my coach has been away for a month on holiday. My goal was to get my forward 3 turns before she got back (I've been chickening out on them for the past 6 months). Well I've been working really hard and and got both my right and left FO 3 turns. I've also got my 2 foot spin up to 3 - 4 revolutions. Had an ice dance lesson yesterday, we now have the right pattern, in the right place at the right time.

Laugh: Still haven't got my FI 3 turns. Showed my coach my FO 3 turns when she got back yesterday, I was nervous and they didn't look to good but they still worked. We still have no extension in our free leg during the dutch waltz, even though we are trying.

Lift--
Worked on the flip combo that I'd been trying in lessons (flip-toe loop-loop) and actually was able to pull off a more difficult combo (flip-loop-loop) more than several times. Granted, the second loop was sometimes pretty tiny, but I've figured out where I need to get my free leg during the landing of the flip (if only I could get it there each time I do it!) and I figured out how to put my arms into a checked position after the landing of each jump. Loop-loop was also going better than usual.

Sit-scratch is working out really well, too. Had a few good attempts at the attitude spin, but I usually get too far onto my toe pick--hard to get my back/hips into the right position.

Laugh--
The rink wasn't much more crowded than last Saturday, when I had been able to do a lot of moves practice, but today was just dreadful--kids everywhere, so I didn't feel like it was safe enough to do the alt. BXO to BO edges and eventually gave up on practicing moves.

I also have been experimenting with sit to a side-leaning spin with the free foot on my knee (think pancake spin but with the torso leaning to the side instead of forward and I'm not nearly as low as a regular sit position yet). I used to be able to do this better, but lately it hasn't been working as well for me.

__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

Wait till tomorrow and the sore muscles kick in! Hope you won't be too sore, but if you are, take a walk and stretch them a bit. Take some tylenol or ibuprofen (if you can take either).

Welcome to the club!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

lifts-
-got new skates!!!!!! im so happy!
-found out i can do a perfect pancake spin without even trying... its so fun i love it!
-jumps are coming along (slowly)
-spins are getting way better
-i think i accidentally did a biellman... my mom saw and was amazed...

laughs-
-rink was way crowded the last few times ive gone this week
-back spin. total disaster.
-layback... or shall it be called stand up/attitude?
-lack of axel
-lack of flying camel

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~Dreams Can Come True~

Figure_skater, what's a pancake spin?

Lift: The rink was totally empty because Pippa and Phil have left for the Europeans so only one of their, and their coach's, pupils was in. So very few skaters, which was nice. Husband had his lesson, and then we did some work together, including some beginning work to the music for our free dance. We still haven't had the requirements - but if it's not a straight line step sequence, we'll have to change our music, because what we have now will be just long enough for a straight line, but certainly won't be long enough for a diagonal! Right now we're not covering the ice, but I think we will when we are used to it.

Oh, and we ended with our lift, which was fun, except we've changed it so that I have my feet crossed, and I simply couldn't get them crossed!

And checked the times of filming Dancing on Ice next week, to be sure it doesn't clash with our lessons, but luckily it doesn't.

Laugh: Dancing on Ice last night! Think Dance with the Stars/Strictly Come Dancing only ice-dancing not ballroom! Dear heaven, this is so going to be unmissable! Some of the celebrities, it must be said, are quite extraordinarily good given that they can't actually skate, and even the one who was eliminated had very respectable back crossovers and a 3-turn I'd kill for! Mind you, her partner was holding her up - now, if mine held me up like that, I'd be a great skater!!!! My favourite, David Seaman the footballer (and once the Europeans are over, I'll be changing my signature to reflect that!) was totally robbed, I thought - he is the only one of them who can actually skate, so the judges marked him down because he had his head down... I do see why, to be fair. I think, if he is in during the week, we'll all be yelling "Head up" at him, or cupping our hand under our chins, like we do for each other. It was fun identifying the various rinks used - I think we knew all of them, which shows how few rinks there are in the UK!

In other news, Husband's coach forgot his CD this morning so they couldn't do any choreography. Husband's loop jump has gone missing, partly because this coach teaches it differently to his old one, and he hasn't yet landed it. He was wondering who had been digging great toe-pick holes in the ice - given that he'd been practising his salchow-cherry combination, I was wondering that, too..... but he swears it wasn't him!

My left skate was playing up, it has been for a few days now. I have changed the lacing, as my coach suggested it was that, but I'm still a bit skiddy on it.... Worrying. Unless, of course, I'm doing something different, which is quite probable.

We were having problems with our tracking today, as usual, and Husband's coach said we looked as though we were doing two different dances (we were finishing off a Swing Dance just before his lesson started).

Other than that, things went pretty well.

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

I think it's a spin in which one has the ankle of the free leg resting on the knee of the skating leg, and the skating leg is bent, similar to a sit spin position but not usually quite as low. The skater is bent over and puts one arm through the legs and the other going down toward the icebeside the skating leg (so that both arms are pointing down toward the ice).

I've been trying a variation on this--I'm not flexible enough to get into a true pancake position, but I put my leg into position and then lean sideways instead of down.

__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

Oh, I know what you mean, sort of what I tend to call a pretzel spin......

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

Lift: Well, we had our exhibition today and I must say, all in all, it went pretty well. My spiral was very, very good. My spin started crappy, but I managed to save it. I didn't get nervous until just before my turn. On of my friends had his own cheering section that threw down stuffed animals and held up scorecards!

Laugh: I had to adjust my glasses right as my music started (darn glasses!!!) I flubbed my salchow by 2-footing the landing (surprising since that's my best jump) but that's ok. My toe-loop was also 1/2 way done (or undone depending on your point of view). It was VERY COLD in the rink this morning!!! We had to be there at 9:15 (on ice) for show rehearsal and they never turned the heaters on until 12:00 (they were supposed to be on at 9:00). We were supposed to stay and skate with the public as a P.R. thing but I was hungry, food at my mother's beckoned, and I was tired of skating my then (and freezing!!).

I will put the video up as soon as I can. I have mine and my daughter's; I'd love to put up other's routines but don't know if I should as they are children-one did the cutest routine to the song from Madagascar. My coach came to watch me and her other student skate, but left just before the end. She was pleased. I'm sure she will have stuff to say next week at lessons....

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Laugh:

Not in any laughing mood 'til March... sucks to skate during a public session in a Winter Olympic year... especially around Nationals!!! Everyone and their mothers want to be Sasha or Kwan. I got very little done in Bronze Moves again b/c of it.

Lift:

• Well, it looks like I got another very wimpy camel-sit spin today... Sit spins, scratch spin and even back spins went well!
• I did get some practice done on crossovers, 3turns and mohawks, so not a total waste!

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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!!!

When that happened to a friend of mine in competition, my coach put his foot down and said we were to get contact lenses if possible. The husband still skates in glasses, but I've been skating in lenses for ages now, and wouldn't go back.

No, you mustn't, not without signed permission from their parents. At least, I think it would be illegal in this country to do so; I don't know what the law is like where you live.

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

Amen to the first comment-I am going to get contacts!! Had them years ago and loved them-especially when I only had to put on sunglasses in the summer (fashion sunglasses, hmmm) and could wake up and actually SEE!

I will only put up my daughter's video and a few of the adults (I have one done, the rest will come in time). I figured I would need a release of some sort, so I will have to wait on the kids.

Ok, here they are-mine is Terry's Exhibition, my daughter is Beth and my one friend is Jim (he is 70 years old):

http://tkahline.sk8rland.com/video/

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Terry, you have really nice posture! And your spin was great.

You can tell you feel the music & your arms are really nice. Great job!!

Thanks Phoenix!
I had to "save" that spin...it went all crooked at the beginning.

I used a song from "You Sing The Songs of Josh Groban" which was my daughter's (she sings). Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the soft music at the beginning and my hearing loss makes it hard to hear the first notes...Luckily, the person running the music cranked it WAY UP for me (sucks getting older).

I think my next music will be LOUDER all through.

It was soooo cold! I was also videotaping for the skating director and at times I couldn't feel my toes (I was standing in the hockey box with 2 jackets on, and a blankie wrapped around my legs but couldn't wear gloves and work the control and I had my skates on also....my coach and I were worried that I would get too cold to skate. My daughter took over about 4 skaters ahead of me so I could warm up.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

Lift:

On Sunday, I did two complete program run throughs. In the first, I left the toe off of the flip combo. The second was completely clean. Both featured successful lutz/loop combos.

The competition is two weeks away, so I'm feeling good. I know you usually wind up competing at the level you were at a few weeks previous. I'd be satisfied if I could perform at yesterday's level in a competitive setting.

I even sorta remembered to sell the program. Smiling and such, trying to, ya know, look like I enjoy this. Because I do. Sometimes the stress makes me forget that

My coach thinks my 5 step mohawk sequence is borderline passable to plain ol' passable. That's nice to hear.

Laugh:

Not a great skate this morning. Still have more to do on Bronze moves, not a bad lesson, but not one of my greatest either. The power 3 pattern is much better and my check is much more consistent. However, the entire pattern is pretty slow. I'm at borderline in terms of testing that move.

I've been lazy on practicing the back crossovers to BOE and it shows. Have to sharpen that up. It's not even that hard, but I've been neglecting it in practice.