[quote:e2e1641d0d="Yazmeen"]Lynne: Will you kindly stop trying to bleed to death slowly? You are hereby, Doctor ordered, to stop flinging platelets around--same for red cells, white cells and other plasma components....
Beth[/quote:e2e1641d0d]

LOL, will try!

WHATEVER FROM WHATEVER PLANET I'M CIRCLING AT PRESENT!

Gob is still hurting like mad, painkillers are being ingested by the bucketload Hence skating is somewhat er, erratic!

Field Moves - "well, they've improved, I don't know HOW"

Jumps - Flip and Loop are fine, Lutz has deteriorated because I haven't practised it for an age, Axel, suprisingly isn't 'too' bad .... will have to start working on it again I've GOT to get this thing!!!

Spins - getting MORE decent camels and backspins but neither are consistent yet. Did a couple of 'okayish' change sits, haven't even attempted a change camel and the layback has been consigned to the 'must practise some day' bin

Twizzles - except for the back twizzles where I unwrap my legs too early, they're all going fairly well, the FI one's (both feet) are even identifiable!

Dance - feel like I'm getting worse, it was much better a few weeks ago, don't know what the problem is

Programme - urgh, the first bit is FINE up to the step sequence, camel isn't always 'there' but when it is it's 'good'. The step sequence is always crap but sometimes more crap than usual. Today it was deemed to be 'the best yet' but I'm still wimping out of the double LBI3 on occasions! My basic skating after the step sequence came in for a rollocking Apparently I look like I can't skate (Shirelle speak for I'm not stretching free legs and am not bringing feet back together and bending for the push and am probably sticking my butt out too).

Other stuff - she's trying to get me to do the following:

FO3 - bring free leg around and cross it over CAUSING yourself to turn back to forwards (it's NOT a double 3, it's like the first half as a 3, the second as a twizzle) - without uncrossing the legs do a FI3 ending up with the free leg crossed in front - then a BI3. For SOME reason I can do the 'harder' version of a double FO3 but this half and half thing eludes me! I got it once which is an improvement

I'm going to try and cut my 'proposed' interpretive music at the weekend to see if Madame likes it. I'm getting bored at the mo because I'm working towards 4 tests [i:e2e1641d0d](Inter-Silver dance, Inter-Bronze Field Moves, Free and Elements - for those of you in the UK I KNOW that the titles have changed but a) I don't LIKE the new titles, I think that they devalue the test system, I'm working on 'Gold-something' dance and, well, to me a 'Gold' dancer is my coach! and b) I can't remember what level I am under the new system)[/i:e2e1641d0d]. I'm 'hoping' to do the 'Childhood' theme from Free Willy. I've always loved that music but it doesn't fit into any of the other categories so fingers crossed that she's inspired!!!!

STILL haven't got beautiful purple boots attached to less beautiful silver Gold Seals

L x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Had a practice only today (didn't have to go to college), think maybe I shouldn't have bothered! ( For me, that's a big thing to say, lol)
Ok, firstly I almost missed the bus to the train station because I was running late. Almost run down the road (15-20 min walk usually), manage to get it (the next one isn't for about 3 hours!). First train journey is fine (although I had to stand), but have to wait ages for the connection (longer than I thought I would have to). Get on 2nd train. It's normally a 15 minute journey. Get there 1hr15m later. Oh, the joys of British Rail. We broke down after 10 minutes and were informed that the brakes were shot and we would have to wait for the train that had just passed us to go to it's destination (the nearest city) and come back to push us!! One girl asked if we could get off and walk and she was told that if she did she would get herself killed. So we spent an hour sitting on the train doing nothing! I read almost every article in the Metro newspaper I picked up. So we finally get going after the other train comes back, and I got to the rink an hour and a half after I would have had the train not broken down. I also had to go to the chemist on the way to buy some hair bobbles because I forgot mine, and there's no way I can skate with my hair loose. (Can you say haystack?) Oh, I also forgot my skating trousers, so I had to skate in my jeans! But also, because I got to the rink late, I didn't get to speak to my coach about my boot problems (he left at 1 and I got there at about 1:15) - I will speak to him in my lesson on Saturday but the problem is there's never really any time to sit down and talk, or for me to show him my boot and the blood stain in it!
Jeez... and then, if everything else didn't go askew, the ice was really poo! There was a school trip there (I waited till they'd gone and had some toast ) and they didn't resurface the ice when they were scheduled to, so it was really screwed up. There was loads of rubbish on it too! Blinkin kids. Sweet wrappers and soggy tissues and foil and bits and bobs and some larger things I didn't want to touch! And chewing gum!! Good gawd.

Ok, I've rambled for long enough My skating wasn't great today (I blame the ice and my rubbishy blades - I REALLY need new ones. I'm thinking Coronation Ace. Have to investigate on Sat.). My 2 foot spin was a little better, but my 1 foot spin wasn't so hot. (I'm SO on the toe pick!)
Waltz jump took a bit of persuading but then showed it's face. Good height but I still don't feel like I'm swinging through enough. Salchow so-so. Toe loop ok (but hurt my foot!). Half loop zero height and not remotely elegant. Didn't even try loop because I'm never ever going to get it.
Spirals all right (surprisingly! Considering I was in jeans!)
Back inside pivots better, forward inside pivots getting there (never been taught them, just wanted to try them)
3 turns and mohawks fine.
Because my elements weren't exactly ace, practiced crossovers and edges and turns etc, and steps/movements etc.

4 girls were there (aged about 13-15 I think) - came up to me when I was relacing my boot, said I was "really good" and that they envied me!! 8) lol. They wanted me to teach them something so I taught them to skate backwards

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

Klutz:
I have been falling so much on the same spot that my butt (or the muscle around there) hurts whenever I land any jump, so I tried like about 10 odd axels and dble salchows only thursday.
Same for the flying camel... didnt get to practise that at all...

Kwan(oh I wish!):
Heh, I was out of jumps so I practise more spins... the last four or five skating sessions has been spin spin spin and amazingly I have improved! Not that much, my spins are still relatively slow but I am going the slightest bit faster and I can hold a lot more rounds on everything... even my back camel, I think I got three rounds at one time
My layback got 5 rounds... I'm so happy
Still working on power and speed with each stroke and more footwork patterns

__________________
~
Tidesong

[b:ebb12a3aa9]The Next Kwan![/b:ebb12a3aa9]
[list:ebb12a3aa9][*:ebb12a3aa9]I landed my first lutz! Well, it was probably horribly flutzed, but I was on the outside edge until the very last second.... Hey, it was an accomplishment since I only did skate for 15 minutes today in a really pissed mood (see "klutz" part..)
[*:ebb12a3aa9]Sit spin was finally working yesterday!
[*:ebb12a3aa9]Backspin too! (see "klutz")
[*:ebb12a3aa9]Loop. I finally felt I was leaning forward on them less, but I'm still leaning forward. Must fix...but they are feeling better![/list:u:ebb12a3aa9]

[b:ebb12a3aa9]What a Klutz:[/b:ebb12a3aa9]
[list:ebb12a3aa9][*:ebb12a3aa9]Today I only got to skate for only 15 minutes, thanks to my lil sis who wanted me to drop her off at the movies last minute. Soo, I was pissed and planned to go back later, but couldn't. Oh well...I landed a lutz!
[*:ebb12a3aa9]Backspin. I overkill for the BO edge, and end up with my hip sticking out and my shoulders leaning in to compensate for it. Well, when I concentrated on being straight, it worked more or less...
[*:ebb12a3aa9]Scratch spin. They were so good on Monday!! [/list:u:ebb12a3aa9]
Anita

The Next Kwan

My scratch spin looks much better than it did a couple weeks ago. Now, if only I could stop whacking either my leg or my boot w/ my free foot when I pull in!

Waltz jump and half flip are coming along nicely - I just have to work on staying on an outside edge when I land.

In my first freestyle class (USFSA level 1), we practiced stroking and crossovers, and my "bad" direction is getting better. My instuctor was reminding me to stretch out my free leg more.


What a Klutz

For the summer, all the freestyle people are grouped together, b/c of the small number. So after the stroking part, the instructor announced we were going to work on the salchow. Keep in mind that this is a Free 3 skill, and I just started Free 1. So of course I had no idea how to do one, but the good news is I wasn't the only one. The instructor demonstrated for us and had us practice away from the others who were actually doing the jump. She came over and worked with us on the technique, and as she was helping me, I nearly fell doing the outside 3-turn. Arrgghh! Anyway, she said that I understand the technique, after which I joked that the only thing I needed to do was actually complete a rev. in the air

Then we worked on toe loops, which I learned the last day of Basic 8 and which I really can't do yet - I do the Sarah Hughes version (that was NOT intended to be a bash), where I stay on my toe as I turn around. Oh well, I'm a work in progress. The scary part was that the instructor wanted us to demonstrate one at a time, so I had to do my (rough around the edges) toe loop in front of everyone! I was just happy to land on my feet, but I'm sure my technique was horrible. The instructor assumed that it was the first time I had ever tried one, so I decided not to tell her that I'd worked on it before.

I guess the good news is that I've got lots of things to practice on Sunday!

Debbie S.

We are doing the exact same thing...right down thw line and are having the same problems. Now I do not feel so bad any more..

Which way is your "bad direction"? Mine is counterclockwise. I am so retarded in that direction!!

Just started the Sal...once I get coordinated I should do alright.

Have you started back outside 3 turns yet? Whole new dimension in terror...

__________________
Keeping School Figures Alive!!

Figureskates,

My bad direction is CW. I guess it's b/c most skating sessions have people going CCW, and that's the direction I tend to go in, even now that I'm practicing in the freestyle sessions. In Basic 8, I had that combo move w/ the mohawk turn down perfectly going CCW but w/ CW, it took me a while to stop tripping over my feet.

We haven't done the BO 3s yet. The instructor said at the beginning of class that everyone starts out doing forward stroking and crossovers (F and B) together and then we break up into different (ability) groups for specific skills, but she kept us together Wednesday. Maybe b/c it was the first class. I guess we'll start doing some more moves next week, so the BO 3 is coming. I actually tried it in practice last Sunday, just turning from front to back on one foot, and you're right, it was scary. And I didn't even stay on one foot - as soon as I turned, I put my free foot down in response to my "terror"!

Good luck with your lessons. And hopefully, I'll have "Kwan" things to report after my practice this weekend.

Kyoko: passed the bronze and silver pairs tests yesterday. The bronze test was ok, but not as strong as I would have liked. I rushed things a little and so our synchrony was not the best.
The silver test was interesting. Before we took the ice one of the judges had a question about the music length for the new pairs tests. I had had the same question and had e-mailed the USFSA for clarification, and my coach also spoke to one of the judges who was on the pannel. Apparently I was given incorrect information that would have resulted in deductions even though I had the e-mail response with me, showing that I had got a decision from USFSA. My coach wanted to postpone the second test, but I was ready to take it and had waited long enough. I asked him to put on another cut of the music with additional time in it that he had used for another test (at that point I was going to play anything that fit the time length). He was a bit hesitant, but I convinced him that we could do it, and we went out and skated. When it came to the extra music, which was in the middle of the program, we did a serpentine spiral sequence that covered the length of the ice and came off pretty well. I would say that although I've made up things on the spot before, this is a first for pairs test! It turned out to be a much stronger performance than the first, and It was really a lot of fun.

Lynne, thank you! You obviously had the root canal my husband was supposed to have had, but the dentist who said this left, and the other one said he only needed a filling, after all! Whew!

Icenut 84, it would have been better in the olden days when it WAS British Rail. These days all these private companies.....

First time I've skated all week, due to [b:cb669f6111]this[/b:cb669f6111], which you will agree is a worthwhile excuse.

[b:cb669f6111][color=brown:cb669f6111]Klutz[/color:cb669f6111][/b:cb669f6111]: We had just had our skates sharpened. Robert was fine, but I could do very little the first hour, it felt like skating through treacle! We did try to run through the Golden Skaters' waltz, which we have allowed ourselves to be talked into doing at a RIDL tomorrow night, but it wasn't much cop. Robert was cross because I was panting and sweating, and he said we weren't going fast enough. I am longing to have a lesson to try to learn [i:cb669f6111]how[/i:cb669f6111] to do some of the things the judge told us we should be working on.

[b:cb669f6111][color=orange:cb669f6111]K-wannabe:[/color:cb669f6111][/b:cb669f6111] (how's that for a compromise?) After Robert had gone to work, I sat and chatted to another skater who should have been practising but wasn't, and then got back on the ice when a friend came in. After about ten minutes, my skates were suddenly perfect! So I did my changes of edge, better than I've ever done them (largely thanks to the seminar with Joan Slater last Sunday), and worked hard on my back cross-rolls. But my back cross-cuts have vanished, and I was doing them so well on Sunday..... oh well!

Don't know when I'll next get a solo lesson; I am working every morning next week, as my boss takes a well-earned holiday, and so can't have my usual Wednesday morning, and the week after my coach is on holiday AND there is no patch ice because of hockey school! Oh well, it won't do me any harm, and I'll try to fit in a lesson some time next week, if only 15 minutes. Meanwhile we have our joint lesson on Sunday as per usual.

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

Practiced Wednesday night and had another lesson with my potential new coach this morning...

[b:7550d5ea3a]Kwan[/b:7550d5ea3a]
* Back camel and flying camel are significantly faster
* Double loop is straighter in the air, even though it's still cheated
* Current coach said it's time to start working on double flip too

[b:7550d5ea3a]Klutz[/b:7550d5ea3a]
* Fell on a whole bunch of flying change sits
* Fell hard on a deathdrop attempt this morning
* No fully-rotated axels this week
* Potential new coach doesn't like my salchow at all (but then again, neither do I)

Marna

Hi all. I was wondering where most of the people from FSW had ended up. I didn't skate much this past week but I did have a lesson on MOnday where I made some progress

Kwan - I had a GREAT LFO spiral where my leg was totally turned out and secure, boy was I happy. I am actually using my arms correctly in a waltz jump (most of the time) before I was bringing them in to my side and it was very awkward. Had a break through on the loop- had had one brief lesson on the loop and had been getting 1/4 around but now I actually got 1/2 around and I really hope I can get the whole revolution this week-end. I figured out my problem was that I wasn't "pausing" and holding my edge before I tried to jump. I actually have very little fear of the loop jump because when I fall I can control it whereas the waltz scared the crap out of me, but strangely not anymore.

Klutz - I cannot spin well, not even a 2 foot. I think I get nervous and rush the process. I have a bad habit of my hips opening up (very bendy) so I have to work on keeping my hips closed and my eyes open. I like to close my eyes when I spin (nope I don't get dizzy) but it freaks my coach out and she says it's a bad habit so I am trying to unlearn it. The kinda sad part is that spinning is the reason I started lessons in the first place!! Oh well, I am trying to be patient but I am very envious of all the good spinners.



Eek, poor Lynne!!

Jazzpants - wow! I would be so intimidated skating around BB and LL! What a wonderful opportunity.

[size=18:b333281b4f][/size:b333281b4f][size=12:b333281b4f][/size:b333281b4f]

[b:7c01c488b8]Klutz[/b:7c01c488b8] OMG, I am exhausted. I barely make it to Fridays at this point. I'm skating three sessions a day M-F, taking ballet MWF, skating one session on Saturday, and taking ballroom dance on Sundays, and teaching the kiddies Thursday and Saturday. I had to skip ballet today after my morning session was delayed when no one showed up to open the rink until thirty-five minues after I was supposed to be on the ice. I went home and fell asleep.

[b:7c01c488b8]The next Kraatz[/b:7c01c488b8] (Obvious choice for me, as everyone who knows me knows that Shae-Lynn is my favorite favorite favorite skater). Um, after my nap I skated really well this afternoon. My coach told someone the other day that I have three dances left until I can take my Blues and I said, no I have four, and he said he wasn't counting the European because it's ready as soon as I have a chance to test- which is going to be ON MY TWENTY-FIRST BIRTHDAY! How's that for unfair? Oh well, what can I do? At least he thinks I'll pass. Then he said, actually, it's more like two because your Rocker's almost ready to go too. Good news, as I have to compete the Rocker for the final rounds at Lake Placid in less than three weeks.

Kwan (bwaaah-hah-hah)--I'm in Basic 4 lessons and the Sunday BEFORE my first lesson, I did my first 3-turn (RFO)!!! I didn't even know I had done it right--I kept expecting to come out of it on a forward edge instead of RBI cuz when my instructor had taught it to us at the end of Basic 3, I was so terrified that I never finished one. On TV it looks like they rotate 360 degrees, so I must have been watching double 3s...
Then at my lesson, I was able to crank out a few more, better RFO3s and a shaky LFO3. But I quake in terror at the thought of inside and back 3s!!!

Klutz--We're learning forward crossovers and the CW ones feel absolutely yucky to me!! The odd thing is that I SPIN better CW (but my 2-foot spin hasn't been that great lately either. It was great on the day I tested Basic 3--but of course my instructor wasn't looking when I was doing my warm-up and the spins were nice and tight and "narrow"-feeling, then I stumbled out of it when he was looking...)

Speaking of KLUTZ... The other kid in my level (he's about 8 years old ) has NOOOOO concept of where people are on the ice. He nearly knocked us all over while we were practicing crossovers on a circle.

The Basic 5s in my mixed-level class are great though! They are so eager to learn and they were grinning ear-to-ear when the instructor told them they would be learning back crossovers and side-toe-hops!

[quote:a9f7e2b409="Mrs Redboots"]Lynne, thank you! You obviously had the root canal my husband was supposed to have had, but the dentist who said this left, and the other one said he only needed a filling, after all! Whew![/quote:a9f7e2b409]

LOL, anything to oblige I was 'quite' lucky anyway in that I was scheduled to have TWO root canals done but he decided that I only needed ONE! I've now got a raging infection which, at least, explains the pain At least it's a good excuse as to why I was so wiped out at skating last week!!

Because of said infection (including extreme tiredness, hot sweats, pain, agony ........ sympathy? LOL) I'm not skating again until Tuesday but at least it will give me time to cut some music for my Interpretive I'm BORED with skating right now and desperate to do something different.

Have a good weekend everyone.

L x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

[quote:f90450bfaa="TashaKat"]
Because of said infection (including extreme tiredness, hot sweats, pain, agony ........ sympathy? LOL) I'm not skating again until Tuesday but at least it will give me time to cut some music for my Interpretive I'm BORED with skating right now and desperate to do something different.
[/quote:f90450bfaa]

Lots of sympathy! Poor you, how very nasty. A good reason not to go to the dentist, I always think - if my mouth doesn't hurt, why should I spend good money having it made to hurt?

But - bored with skating? Oh dear, you [i:f90450bfaa]must[/i:f90450bfaa] be ill! Surely, to misquote Dr Johnson, if you are tired of skating, you are tired of life?

All the same, I could live without having to skate in a RIDL this afternoon!

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

[quote:02a6200e28="Mrs Redboots"]Lots of sympathy! Poor you, how very nasty. A good reason not to go to the dentist, I always think - if my mouth doesn't hurt, why should I spend good money having it made to hurt?

But - bored with skating? Oh dear, you [i:02a6200e28]must[/i:02a6200e28] be ill! Surely, to misquote Dr Johnson, if you are tired of skating, you are tired of life?

All the same, I could live without having to skate in a RIDL this afternoon![/quote:02a6200e28]

Thanks Annabel When I said I was bored with skating I actually meant with my current 'place' in my skating 'career'. All I'm doing at the moment is working for various tests and I'm bored stupid. A break from the norm means working on the dances of the test above (Rocker and Blues - LOVE both dances but pulling them to pieces at every lesson loses some of the joy!). That's why an interpretive would give me the opportunity to do something different (I've just ordered a US skating book which gives details of ballet jumps, falling leafs etc and HOPE to get Madame to incorporate (and teach me) some of those!).

Where's the RIDL this afternoon? Hope you have a good time, those things sound like great fun

L x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

[quote:2cc66419c0="TashaKat"]
Where's the RIDL this afternoon? Hope you have a good time, those things sound like great fun

L x[/quote:2cc66419c0]
Well, why don't you? The one at your rink is in September, I can't remember the date; ours is on 1 September. And if your club doesn't need you to dance for it (and I'm fairly sure they would - they are as short of senior dancers as we are - then you can dance for us!).

Today's was Gosport's, at Guildford. Robert and I were skating for Slough and were delighted that we had a lucky draw and actually [size=18:2cc66419c0][color=red:2cc66419c0]WON OUR MATCH!!!!! [/color:2cc66419c0][/size:2cc66419c0]This is the first time this has ever happened to us, and we are delighted. Okay, so it is largely luck - there are folks there who we wouldn't have won against in a million years - but even still, it does mean we are making progress!

The [color=olive:2cc66419c0][b:2cc66419c0]Klutz[/b:2cc66419c0][/color:2cc66419c0] bit was that I had taken my over-boot tights, and forgot to pack any socks! So I had to skate bare-footed. Luckily, my skates don't rub anywhere, but I don't think that's something I'd want to repeat unless I had to, or not without loads and loads of talc on first. My feet were really sticky, and I was just "off" a bit. So I didn't skate much other than for our match, and a couple of dances besides. But then, I never do at RIDLs.

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

[quote:be5626578a="Mrs Redboots"] Today's was Gosport's, at Guildford. Robert and I were skating for Slough and were delighted that we had a lucky draw and actually [size=18:be5626578a][color=red:be5626578a]WON OUR MATCH!!!!! [/color:be5626578a][/size:be5626578a]This is the first time this has ever happened to us, and we are delighted. Okay, so it is largely luck - there are folks there who we wouldn't have won against in a million years - but even still, it does mean we are making progress![/quote:be5626578a]

[color=orange:be5626578a][size=18:be5626578a]YAY!!! Well done Annabel Keep up the good work[/size:be5626578a][/color:be5626578a]
L x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

CONGRATS TO Mrs RedBoots and husband Robert on a GREAT SKATE!!!

(couldn't post earlier since my home computer is dead...)