Remember this: Finished interp choreography, like the changes. Had nice consistiency with the camel-fly-camel.
The Mountain cup schedule is out. My interp will be a little after the pairs. If it were before it would be a good warm up, after it's a good end to the skating.

Forget it: Hope not to when Rob comes up for practice. We haven't done the program since Nats.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Remember this: How to do the salchow/toeloop combo that is in program that I landed in both runthroughs today, as well as the two sitspins!!! Basically, the program is coming together well!!

Forget it: Yes it was nice to do eight step mohawk into sitspin, but since it's taking up too much time, take out the eighth step and do the second sitspin out of step seven, leaving time for the closing loop !
Let's hope I can remember this change for Wednesday's lesson!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Remember This Spent the session working on my backwards - FINALLY starting to hit some shaky one-foot glides (more than a Second or two) after WEEKS of backward sculling! I can feel backward edges just around the corner

Forget It With all this work trying to get my backward skating, my LFOs suck big time from being neglected. I don't care! I've got lots of time to work on them along with my BACKWARD edges! (Having all 8 edges by September was my first return-to-skating goal that I set when I started in January.)

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Remember this: Which is exactly what my coach didn't do - he rang up last night having had a horrible suspicion he'd forgotten to tell us he wasn't in today! Oops.... but at least he told us in time. Lessons rescheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).

We did remember to take the camcorder to the rink - but didn't take the charger and discovered the hard way that it was completely discharged! It is now charging, and I hope to take it tomorrow.

Ice absolutely empty - I don't think there were ever more than six people on at any one time. Husband ran through his programme to the music at least 3 times, it is definitely going to be "all right on the night", I think - he doesn't! I did mine a couple of times, but I'm not too worried about mine. His, after all, is his first-ever, after all these years.

Together we ran through the Canadian Cha-cha, the Swing Dance, our free dance and the Rhythm Blues, more or less well. But the Mountain Cup is in three weeks oh help! And Bracknell closes while we're away, so I must sort out whether I can add an extra 15 seconds to my Interp for it and the Lambeth. If there is a Lambeth, I don't know.

Dance Moves reasonable - bit scrapy. I do hate it when there's no music and you hear every scrape!

Forget it! Why can I never remember which Dance Move I am doing after I've done the back crossovers round the top end of the rink? And why can Husband never remember to wait on the back edge before doing his loop jump, he always rushes it! I've told him to think spiral, back edge, loop jump, which helps - he does forward spiral, 3-turn, loop jump, and rushes it dreadfully.

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

Rusty - congrats!

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Remember This!
I actually skated at a rink yesterday, with people I like. Empty session. Priceless. (Well, only $6)

Forget That!
All I worked on was a program for one of my show groups. I had to revise the beginning because it was too complicated for them to remember. Now, I just need something interesting near the end - I think the pinwheel might be coming back. Bwahahaha!

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Remember this:

I found some new ice. And it's only $2.00 with a fresh flood!

Forget it:

Apparently I have two types of loop jumps. The loop and the floop. That's my flip that slides. I can't seem to dig my toe deep enough into the ice to get a good grip. Thus I slip off onto the outside edge and the jump really finishes as a loop. The ice cannot lie and the tracing is quite clear, there's the toepick mark and then a lovely little comma which is the loop edge.

Remember this: So if you go here you will be able to see me and the Husband doing a Canadian cha-cha, and a rather poor quality video of us doing a Dutch Waltz.

Oh, by the way, I'm wearing leggings despite all that I've said here as the Husband needed the car this morning, and it's easier to skate in leggings and minimise what I have to carry!

Forget it: And our coach spent ages and ages this morning videoing us doing all sorts of things - all 4 compulsories, and our free dance, and his free programme (which I would not have posted, let's be fair) and my dance moves (and him doing them to show me how they should be done, for comparison), and my artistic, and none of it's come out except what you see. Wail.....

And just after I'd told him he was dogmeat if he dropped me, the Husband proceeded to make a nonsense of the new entry into our lift, and dropped me, flat on my back on the ice. Whereupon my T-shirt and sweatshirt rode up so that my naked back was caressing the ice, which was cold! He's dogmeat.... he is sooooooo dogmeat!

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

Cool videos, Annabel! The Dutch Waltz was too spotty, but the cha-cha I could see. Didn't look bad at all--too low quality video to see if you're on time though. Thanks, post more when you can!

Remember: Today was twizzle day! I've only ever done FI twizzles, can do up to triples pretty consistently. So today he taught me FO (hard!!!), Back outside (easy), and back inside (thought would be very hard, actually pretty easy). Then an exercise: FO swing roll, change edge/swing the foot back & drop to a FI lunge, come up & double twizzle. Then step onto the other foot & repeat. I like it, but I don't think I've *ever* done lunges on my right side--I don't think I'll be able to walk tomorrow!

Forget: Then more choctaws, which are still disgustingly dismal, then one more new exercise: start on BO edge, 2 choctaws, then 4 brackets, repeat. He had me doing this on the diagonal, all the way across. I lose speed & can only do about 1 full set before I have to get myself going again.

So, so far to go! Friday we'll start choreographing our OD, which I hope will be great fun (probably more for me than him, but hey, at least he's getting paid!) Of course, I'll need all that footwork & more, so I've got my work cut out for me.

Remember This:
I PASSED IN DANCE. THE DUTCH WALTZ AND CANASTA TANGO!! YAAAY
and i got to miss school TEE HEE


~Cutie

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Skating is suppose to be fun , no PRESSURE at all

~*Courage*~*Confidence*~*Consistance*~

Between my foot/boot problems, losing several months to illness this winter, the insane freestyle that is available, and my lack of coaching, I have been so discouraged that I've been thinking of quitting altogether. On my way to the rink, Monday, I called my best friend, who does not skate, and poured out my woes. She was so helpful and encouraging that I actually got the rink feeling much, much better.

Remember This:
At the freestyle, I first teach a 7 yr old who has been with me for one and a half seasons after coming out of the Mommy & Me class. She's doing so well, that her lesson warmed me up for my own practice! I didn't fuss with my boots at all. I could feel that they were loose, but by ignoring it, I was able to continue to skate without having my toes go completely numb in the first 15 minutes. The session was so crazy that I was unable to finish any of the patterns I worked on, but it was still good to do the F & B XO's and the F power perimeter XO's as if I had some intention of testing. Just being able to do the FO alt threes again is a plus for me. I made myself do two iterations of the spiral stretches and didn't feel totally exhausted or in pain afterwards.

Forget it:
I am still soooo out of shape that I had to stop after every pattern attempt even though I was unable to complete any of them. Basically, one time around is it right now. Blades are in desperate need of sharpening, which is making working on power pulls a bit scary. An adequate check is still missing on my alt FO threes! This is one of the things that discourages me the most. I don't see the point in any further coaching on these, as I've heard it all already, and know what is wrong, but just can't fix it .

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Actually I've seen these taught several different ways....maybe it would help to have a lesson or 2 from a different coach, just might work if you find a different technique.

Thanks, I would like to do that, but the coach I finally decided I would like to try, is way too expensive for me.

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Remember this: Got my Interp music put together and have about 90% of it done. Did my program (fs) and it is getting better.

Forget it: Footwork in my artistic pulled most muscles my left and right shoulder, and pulled that cranky muscle in the back of my knee.

Ouch!

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Remember This:

• Coffee Club was good... I felt more comfortable that my knee was getting better, but I still didnt do crossovers (forward or back) in the class.
• T-stops are getting better.
• I was practising 3-turns at speed afterwards, because I need to get more comfortable with them... this led to me realising that Im not on my LFO edge properly, so I spent pretty much the rest of the lesson trying to correct my posture, roll my ankle slightly more, anything that would get me onto that edge... I think that my blade alignment is slightly out, but I know for a fact that when skating on my left leg, my right hip drops, and I have to work on my whole body posture to bring it up and core strength to stop my body twisting... Im not putting it under forget this, cos I really need to work on it! BUT, I did manage to do a few good 3turns at speed, which Im happy with.
• The ice is getting softer and less brittle, which means less massive chunks being taken out of it.
• I did the Canasta Tango and the Dutch Waltz.. again problems with edges, but its posture related - I remembered all of both of them which was good
• I did both forward and backwards crossovers in the session afterwards... yay! ... if I dont think about them, its fine

Forget This:

• My left boot is sore... or correction, my left foot is sore... the instep aches and the knuckle of my big toe is threatening to form into a large lump or bunion if Im not careful... Im off to find some leather softener today.
• My posture... skating on my right leg is no problem, left leg sucks..
• There came a large group of children to the session after coffee club... they didnt even give us an hour of public They were erratic, rude and dangerous... one boy (about 15) ran into the barrier and also the little old 60yo who was standing there... it was more of a body slam... he did apologise, but he was skating so dangerously Im suprised they didnt injure themselves more... they were dodging into the centre, cutting across peoples program lines, and one boy almost got his head impaled by a spinning blade I just wish that the management were actually watching them so to tell them to be more responsible.. but no, they were outside having a smoke

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-Erinna-
aka cassarilda

My Progress Report!
"Did I mention there is only ONE rink in Melbourne?!"
"If you're not flying, you're obviously not trying!!!" - courtsey of the guy who helped me up off the ice after my last spectacular and sore fall

I think anyone will remember skating a clean freeskate program!! I did today on lesson!!

Forget it:
Trying to get my artistic program on- this one parent insisted that her daughter skate her program, never mind the fact that I very clearly stated that I was in lesson!!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

A morning to forget!!!

Secondary coach and I worked on forward crossovers and insisting on extensions the entire time... (And yup, Thin-Ice! She wants every time you pick up the foot, she wants to see extension!!! Even the push under... ) The lesson almost killed me.

Tried to do the forward power 3's too. First set was crap. Second set it got better after some fixes... but she still wasn't happy afterwards!!! Yup! The dreaded choctaw again! "You have to fix this... NOW!!!" she says. (Yup! The pressure is on...)

Remember this!!!

Stay away from the pairs practicing death spirals, unless you want to be part of the death spirals!!! (I didn't get in their way, but I was told to remember that after coming a bit too close to them for secondary coach's comfort while practicing power 3 patterns!!!)

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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!!!

Remember this: I can do RFO three turns! More than once! Enough times to say "I got it!" I finally figured out why I was doing the backwards snowplow stop wrong- I was lifting my foot as if it was T-stop, putting it down and pushing. Now that I am "flexing" through and actually plowing the stop works. AND we got our progress reports for Basic 3 and 4 and I didn't get one. She said if we didn't get one we are checked off for the level and passed!!!!!

Forget this My ankle is acting up. I think I laced my right boot too tight over the very top of my foot/bottom of ankle and might have aggrevated my tendonitis. But if they aren't tight my ankles feel wobbly. My knee also hurts. Doing those snowplow stops incorrectly really screwed it around badly. Glad I finally figured out what I was doing. My edges were slipping like crazy today and I almost fell on easy things (forward swizzles on a circle?) a few times. Not cool.

A detailed entry of my class can be found here:
http://community.livejournal.com/ski...ates/3580.html

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Forget it! Long hard day at work, arrived at the rink exhausted, didn't even get time to warm up! Coach grabbed me coming onto the ice and put me straight to work on forward stroking working on my (weaker) left leg and getting my hips square (I tend to lead with the right hip) . . . . COM'ON, I am OLD, I need time to get my "ice legs" back each time and to warm up! LOL!

Worth remembering Backward one-foot glides getting steadily better, so-so tentative backward stroking. (Must remember to wear my butt pad Saturday so I can really dig in on the backward stuff - I WANT MY BACKWARD EDGES BACK NOW! )

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Forget about it!

• Perimeter back crossovers are crappy. Primary coach says snidely "What do you need to do when you're doing a back crossovers????" Me: "Crossover the foot?" Coach: "YES!!!" Back I go and finally I get mad enough of not doing it that I forced it out of me and THEN he says it was better!!!
• 5 step mohawks: Primary coach ran me so ragged that I barely had enough in me to do them... and I mean BARELY!!! He said that I need to curve more on the 4th step again...

Remember this!

• Have to remember to take 30 minutes to warm up!
• Forward crossovers are REALLY pretty good... except I need EXTENSION! Once I was reminded of it, it was better...
• Back crossovers to back outside edge was better, to the point where primary coach says "Now why can't do you back crossovers like that on the perimeter back crossovers???"
• Power 3's... well, not much said about it other than to make sure to turn my torso so I would step FORWARD and not resort to turning the foot to make the choctaw. He's definitely happier with the LFO3. (Funny, secondary coach is NOT happy with the LFO3 side either.)
• 5 step mohawk: Primary coach mentioned one section that needs fixing and it was fixed right away (see above for the one section fixed.) My fellow skate buddy, WeirFan06 was also watching me during the lesson and said that she thought my 5 step looked nice, though she also added "but my opinion of it doesn't matter since I'm nowhere near being a JUDGE!!!"

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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!!!

Yes, I did think your 5-step mohawk looked nice... hmm... probably better than mine.

But considering that poor, innocent "primary coach" is not here to reply... I feel compelled to report to the masses that he was ONLY trying to get jazzpants to cross the foot all the way over. You see jazzpants gets all stiff in the hips and CHEATS the move! And apparently she has to get MAD in order to do it! You see... it was all in his plan. Yes, his evil crossover plan!

Thanks for the compliment!!!

"Poor, innocent primary coach" Yeah, right!!! (He's EVIL, I tell 'ya!!! EVILLE!!! LOL!!!)

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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!!!

Nice Smilie-from-Hell!

Remember this:
We started rehearsals for the pro number tonight. Awesome practice, even though it started at 10pm. Enjoyed every minute of it, and I wrote down all the steps so I can practice by myself. Now to get a copy of the music...

Forget It:
So far, my boots are holding up. I talked to our pro shop about getting a pair of freestyle boots - silly me! They don't keep adult freestyle boots in stock, so there will be a four week wait - by that time, the show will be done. Probably just go visit Klingbeil and see if Don can stiffen them without crushing my feet again.

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Remember this: Our new lift entry actually worked today, and I actually felt dizzy when he put me down again! Which wouldn't have mattered, except that we have to go straight into the step sequence, and I'm usually dizzy right after our spin, which is at the beginning. Ah well.

Managed to remember to fill in Husband's PPC form, only I gather one is supposed to use the recognised abbreviations. Well, tough, I don't know them! I hope Barbara doesn't mind (she won't have to!).

Did a couple of run-throughs of Canadian Cha-cha (I'm sure I stuck my bum out when trying to knee-bend more into the slalom) and Dutch Waltz (okay, I think). Plus one run-through of the free dance. Plus one run-through of my programme and several of my dance moves.

Forget it: Ice much more crowded today as the elites back from their camp, so for once it didn't look like a sport for the over-50s! Which is good in a lot of ways. But they were tired, so a bit fraught.

My cross-cuts stunk, there is no other word for it. If I got them on edges, like I need to, everything else went to pieces. And even when I tried my hardest to get them on edges, they didn't go very well. We all agreed that one coach we know all too well would have failed me, although the one who was Dance Technical Specialist at Oberstdorf last year would have passed me!

Forgot to say that on Wednesday the coach introduced an appallingly awful variation on his worst exercise, which was to do it with my eyes shut (if safe). Impossible! Desperate. I don't care how many elite coaches make their elite skaters do it..... No!!!!!

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

Remember this:

Had my first private lesson. Nice to get some constructive feedback.
Fell over at least five times in the space of the 15 minute lesson. Coach initially looked horrified, but then started finding it amusing - apparently I bounce, and this is funny. I knew I had a well-padded backside for a reason.

CCW F xovers are starting to feel easy, and have worked out how to improve my posture on B xovers, which should keep my group lesson coach happy.

Edges feel more solid now that I have orthotics in my skates.

Didn't toepick myself on the novice foxtrot - YAY!

Forget it:

New coach is trying to get me to do F xovers into a FI mohawk into B xovers. And I'm trying reeeeally hard to do it, but it's not happening yet. Easier CW than CCW, as my LFI mohawk is better.

Still having RO edge issues, which isn't making CW xovers any easier. Strange how LO edge is fine, despite my left foot being flat, but the RO isn't, despite having developed a lovely arch. Grr.

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"Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases:
(1) It's completely impossible.
(2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing.
(3) I said it was a good idea all along."
- Arthur C Clarke