Oops! Almost posted in the old practice thread!

Went to my first skating class yesterday...

Rusty: not really much of this. Did find my feet cramp when I try to skate backward...I and the instructor are pretty sure I'm clenching my toes. We'll see if my new skates that actually fit me fix that, or if it's really something I'm doing to try to go backward.

Shiny: It was a nice class. The LTS coordinator had told me it's held at the same time as a freestyle session, so I was apprehensive, but there were maybe four or five other people on the ice total, a couple of whom looked like they were working with their private coaches, so there were actually only a couple of us working with the instructor. The rink was WARM! Like, to the point that the edges of the rink never dried. I loved it, though I was too lazy to take off my jacket so I did get a bit warm (and of course the fear of falling in a puddle! And my possibly-irrational fear that wet ice is more slippery).

The instructor was very nice--came up to me at the beginning and asked was I Kat (which was good because I was skating around trying to figure out which the instructor was!). She said she wasn't sure it was me at first because apparently my crossovers are "pretty good" (and that I'll be jumping in no time...erm...not so sure about that!) and I think she'd been under the impression that my blades have barely crossed the ice since I was a kid. I think I'd told the LTS coordinator that I was a n00b and she must've assumed absolute n00b if I wasn't clear I'd been skating on my own a bit.

She started out by saying "we can work on your crossovers and back crossovers if you want," and I said something like, "what back crossovers?" and explained that I can't skate backwards for crap. She said "oh, with crossovers like that I would've thought you'd be doing back crossovers as well." Nooooo.... So we started working on skating backward; I can do swizzles but backward stroking and gliding on one foot were killing me. So she had me working on that stuff for a while and I "got it"--I'm still awful at it but at least now I can sort move myself backward, which is a big step, lol. We also worked on two-foot turns and at the end I did a couple two-foot spins and got some pointers.

I think I'm going to like this class, and I think I will learn a lot more than if I'd gone with the class at the closer rink that would have me in with a bunch of six-year-olds.

And no...I didn't fall in any puddles.

Rusty Edges:
My coach is away for two weeks and when she gets back we will have to figure out where and when to meet as her rink cancels their Friday public sessions (on which I have my lessons) for the summer. Drove an hour to that rink Monday for the usual empty public session and found that one was canceled for the summer effective that day.

Shiny Blades:
Made the best of it and shopped at the nearby TJ Maxx and the fabulous Korean supermarket. Then drove to my rink, where I found

Rusty Edges again. The public session had throngs of crazy kids, and I found I was lacking the degree of core body strength I needed to push myself. I did manage some decent FI threes, but I really wanted to work on BO threes but didn't dare. I'm having a lazy day today, and hope to skate tomorrow and make some progress then.

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Kat - can you change your month to 6? I don't want to relive the last month, thanks!!!

^ Grr! Brain failed me! Accordingly changed.

It takes a moderator to change the thread title. Mods?

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Shiny Blades: Coach taught me partnering for Tango Romantica last lesson, which pretty much means I can die happy now. ALSO, he has a brand new pair of boots to sell, which fit me! They're Risport Royal Dance, and they're *feather* light. And, they're cut down so I'll actually be able to point my toes.

Also, Starlight Waltz is slowly improving.

Rusty Blades: The new skates are soooo much softer than what I'm currently in, I fear there will be a large adjustment before I'm comfortable in them. A little nervous about that.

And, I couldn't do Paso run-throughs because the music system at the rink wasn't turned on, so I don't know if that's improved or not.

And a little mixed....I've been on a very very healthy diet for 2 weeks now, eating much lower calories than before & drastically changed some habits (no soda or fruit juice, very few snacks or sweets). Also have been getting more exercise. The result is I feel better and more energetic. The bad part is I've only lost 3 stinkin' pounds, and that was in the first 5 days. Since then, no change, which makes absolutely no sense.

So I've decided I'm not speaking to my scale, and will just continue on without it. I *do* hope my summer clothes will fit again at some point--right now they don't.

Actually, it let me change it when I hit edit...

[Shiny Blades]
Axels are soooooo much closer....I need to work on driving my knee through more to make that transfer of weight better...

I landed a bunch of 2 sals on one foot I am way excited.....I am not crossing my legs in the air and they were about 1/3 of a rotation short, but hey, I am happy with 1 foot!

[Rusty Edges]
I need new skates

While it's good for me, I don't like it....coach had me do a double run through of my program

My rockers leave something to be desired, mainly, being perpendicular to the axis

And oh, the power pulls....my rocker/rocker drill has now been added to my warmup drills

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

It let you change the title within your post, but not the title as it appears in the list of threads in the forum.

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Hang in there. I did much the same thing sometime in January. If you can reduce the unhealthy fats (as in meat) and increase the green veggies, that will help. It's possible that you've gained some muscle mass that is making up for body fat loss. Don't weigh yourself; instead, take note of how your clothes fit.

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Alright I have to stop being afraid to start a week-long thread because this practice is from Monday.

{Shiny}
My skating wasn't bad. Loop is freaking flying. And flip is getting there, to be like loop (minus that I have to remember to point my toe, if not it goes is sideways and there's the painful crunch of my foot).

{Rusty}
Waltz is tiny.

I have like 15 or more rev in sit spins, but they travel all over the place. Sit spins have been travelling since I changed my skates. Good side is that they don't scrape ice anymore. Travelling is very annoying, especially when you travel 3/4 of the hockey circle.

{Rusty Shine or Shiny Rust}
For the first time, I taped my axel attempts. I thought I was close, but nope, the videos show that I'm not rotating fast enough. I'm going into it, but not rotating. I either have 3/4 or 1 rev. Air position is as open as can be. I haven't had lessons on axels for a longest time, but come on! I want my axel. Help on snapping? I've never been a jumper, and axel is quite the obstacle.

{Shine, shine, SHINE!!!}
I was going to leave at 9 plus at night when a friend who just came didn't let me go. She's clung onto me, saying, help check her Axel, there are only public skaters so please don't go! So I just stayed on the ice. I stared in total amazement and disbelief as she rotated her axel and then fell. I told her and she didn't believe. Told her to do an axel-loop and she landed her axel. Without glide, but she didn't fall, and it's rotated.

I SAW HER VERY FIRST AXEL!
She made me taped it and then we started jumping up and down on the ice. I was screaming like OMG YOU LANDED YOUR FREAKING AXEL!

Great day for a friend, so it had been a great day for me even though I didn't achieve much.

Shiny

My skating was not too bad either yesterday. Had my lesson after the ice was being resurfaced. Coach asked me to show her my scratch spin, as were not many people around. Held my leg not wide enough (coach said), after some advice from her, got better, can do 5 to 6 revolutions. Keep working on that. When I think too much, the spin would not happen; when I am not consciously thinking too much, the spin happened.

Nearly killed a young boy who went straight into where I was spinning, during my lesson. Coach immediately told me that kids can be cruel, as they do not care where they are going. These kids will not learn until one day that they get an accident lol.

Sit spin was there, just could not go lower than half sit. Tried coming up on upright spin.

Upright spin and 2 foot spin not too bad either.

Made a new teenager friend. She said that she taught herself.

My friend was there towards the end of my practice. She was there for practice too. Her scratch spin also getting better.

Rusty

The waltz jump is tiny too. Tried to remember the hand position. Everything else is fine, minus my hands, the coach said, arggghhhhhhh!!!!!

Re-learnt a half flip, it was fun to do. Coach wanted me to land on one foot (toe pick) instead of 2 foot. A bit tricky to land on one foot. Coach taught me how to practise on the one foot landing, said that will go over it with me again in Thursday's lesson.

londonicechamp

Shiny: The ISI competition this past weekend was awesome! I skated the best yet in competition, and had very good placing. In compulsories I won against a good friend who is 20 years younger, 20 pounds lighter, faster, stronger, and jumps higher.

Rusty: Pulled out my USFSA pre-bronze program yesterday, and coach said it's time to rechoreograph it. We worked on it yesterday, and the new choreography is very challenging. I skated the whole thing this morning, and it was the worst I have skated a program in a long time .

Shiny: Even though the program was bad, half of the elements were really good including my loop and flip.

Rusty: My coach was there teaching another student and saw the bad program. Oh boy, tomorrow's lesson is going to be rough .

Shiny: Ha ha ha, if the official dance music is too fast, pick something slower!! I had so much fun today, I tried the Tango Romantica with "Casi Un Bolero" by Enrique Iglesias, and I can do it! Of course, it's about 1/3 the speed of the real music, but I don't care!

AND--even better--I put on Paso music (which is the dance I'm actually supposed to be working on ), and I can get through one pattern very comfortably--I'm to that point where the music really doesn't feel all that fast anymore. That's such a wonderful thing, and it takes me soooo long to get to that point. I'm so happy. Of course, it then falls apart once I get a little ways into the 2nd pattern, but again, for today I don't care!

Rusty: Nothing! I'm happy!

Shiny
Love having an hour of private ice with new coach on Thursday mornings! Great way to start the day! Couldn't stop smiling all day, and even now I'm feeling really good.

Coach pleased with improvements to her corrections on my basic edges, FO3 turns & mohawks. Still work to do on turned out knee & toe, and getting open hips (which I used to have automatically but were coached out of me). But overall, much better.

Backspin. Required to do from a back pivot now and, with some further clarification today, is yielding results. Lots of practise needed now.

Rusty
Coach had her first check of my jumps today. With the Waltz she wants me to step fwd onto the circle (not step out of circle as I was doing) and jump out of the circle -which I was doing- but I have to bend my free leg behind me, then jump bent knee pointing to boards. Not allowed straight free leg with nice pointy toe. We're working towards an axel (one day - I dare to dream )

She also looked at my toe-loop. Instead of my curvy entry edges, I have to flatten the 3 turn entry & exit into a straight line. Also what the non-picking leg is meant to do after picking is new to me.

Shiny
It's all good. After 3 lessons with new coach, I can really tell the difference in my balance and control. Now, if only I could find those darned core abdominal muscles and teach them how to do their job again without having to be reminded all the time..

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Katz

Saved by Synchro!
I was over it, now I'm into it again !

(((RUSSSTTTTYYYY)))The rink was wet, and I arrived 15 min before lesson, unchanged, and un-warmed up.Coach pushed lesson back by 15 min. Gosh it was so embarrassing to run around in my skates rushing!

After lesson, I went to get a drink. And proceeded to not skate until 7. (lesson ends at 5.15pm)

Alright let me say what I'm bursting to say.
{[Shimmering Shine Shiny SHINE]}
I GOT FULL REVOLUTION IN AXEL(and I know because I fell facing the correct way)! Granted I did that only once and I fell and don't recall my blades meeting the ice after takeoff, I felt so happy. I just gotta stay on my feet. But not much consistent improvements though. I wanted to video, only to realise I didn't bring my camera.

Getting quite impatient with axel.

Congrats! That's awesome

Monday

Shiny: Lesson day. I skate sooo much better on lesson day. Worked with coach on 5 step mohawk and alternating back cross-overs/edges patterns. After a few corrections, I was getting the pattern big enough.

Also, landed a couple waltz-toes that coach was happy with. Loop is small, but is much improved from the teeny tiny one it was. Backspin has 2-3 revs that are centered consistently now.

Rusty: There is one itty bitty girl that skates the evening sessions that everyone has to avoid. Her coach had to physically stop me from running into her (she never looks where she is going). I seriously don't want to be the one to run this kid over.

Tuesday

A Rusty Disaster: I am taking a group ISI FS class, because there is so little evening ice. For the most part, it's not bad. I am with 2 kids (approx age 10-12). There is a 5 minute warm-up where they drill everyone to go round the rink forward and backward each way. Then instructor of my group wants to start with salchows. So, I did one that was okay.

Our space was mid-rink between the blue lines. The circle was grooved out from the LTS skating cross-overs. Also we are experiencing 90 degree weather which made the ice somewhat soft. I tripped skating around the circle. Was totally not expecting it. Fell on knees and went flying. Sat there for a minute stunned.

Got up. Felt a little shaken but okay. Skated to the boards felt okay. Started the set up for another salchow. Ouch. Free leg not wanting to go there. Talked to instructor. Say I won't be jumping. She is cool with that and has me work on spins. Try scratch spin. Nope. Free leg does not want to cross over spinning foot. Try backspin. That I can do. So work on that the rest of the session and get off 5 minutes early.

Go to take my skates off. I can get one off, but can't bend knee to get the left one off. I had to have a skate mom/fellow board member take it off for me. When I tried to get into my car to go home, that's when the pain started. I started crying partially from the pain and partially because I knew I wasn't going to get to skate the next day.

DH insisted on taking me to the urgent care. Had an x-ray done on left knee. Nothing broken or fractured. Doctor said it would be bruised and swollen for a few days. Yesterday, DH had to drive me to work. Spent all last night with it iced and elevated. Today, I have more range of motion, but stairs are brutal. I can't lift and bend the knee at the same time.

^OMG! Owowow! I hope it feels better soon. Banging joints is the worst, I think.

Poor you! ((((PinkLaces))))

From your description of your knee, you might want to consider getting to a sports medico and possibly getting an MRI - your knee symptoms sound *exactly* like mine did when I fell and partially tore the ACL and the meniscus. (The whole episode took me off the ice for 4 months. The ACL eventually reattached; meniscus is still floating around in there and occasionally giving me curry .) It's the inability to bend the knee that is alerting me to the fact that you might have more than a fierce bruise.

Thanks, guys!

DH wanted them to do an MRI, but they don't have one at the Urgent Care office. I definately will get it checked out by a sports medicine person. I don't want to be off ice any longer than necessary.

This was of my lesson and practice yesterday.

Arrived more than 15 mins later than usual, as when I was leaving the house, found that most of my tracksuit pants do not have a pocket/pocket with zipper. Picked out one tracksuit pants, realised that the pocket is too shallow, no way to fit in a locker key, thus had to change to another pants. Why do makers of tracksuit pants these days never put pockets in them anymore? Arrrggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!

[B]Shiny[B]

My coach asked me to do the forward crossovers. I have been practising on them loads, especially on Monday mornings. Coach said that they are very good now.

Backward crossovers: very good on the left cross to right side.

Mohawk sequence (5 step): very good on the right side.

Half flip: almost there with the landing on one foot. A bit weird to start with, but seemed to get out of the fear, with more practice.

Scratch spin: better. Coach needs me to hold my right leg higher. During my own practice, when not subconsciously thinking about it, can do between 6 to 8 revolutions.

Coach agreed that I can add one more Tuesday evening lesson with her next week, as school reopens, and not that many people will be in the rink.

Rusty

Backward crossovers: need to work on right crossed over to left, to get rid of the one extra step. Coach said that if want to break that habit, must be subconsciously aware that I am doing that side with the extra step.

Mohawk sequence (5 steps)- always started on the wrong foot, thus a bit weird to count the steps. Eventually got it after doing it together with coach.

A young boy (about 7 or 8) with skating frame came into my lesson area, does not know how to stop, and fell right in front of me. On this Tuesday's lesson, when I was doing the scratch spin, another 5 or 6 year old boy with skating frame not looking at where he was going, and fell right in front of me, when I was going to do the scratch spin. (I nearly killed that boy!!!! ) Coach made jokes to me yesterday, that "boys really like you"!

Scratch spin: not as many revolutions as during my practice.

londonicechamp

(((pinklaces))) I did something very similar today, but not as bad.


Rusty Blades
Got to the rink and realized public session was on the small ice because of hockey camp. It's hard for me to jump on undersized ice normally, but the fact the it was really crowded didn't help. Session started terribly--I was falling all over the place.

When we moved over to the big ice, I decided to work on moves. In case you guys somehow forgot, I'm just going to mention again how much I hate power circles. I got to the fast part of CW forward crossover, caught a toepick and went right down on my right hip/pelvic bone, right elbow and left kneecap. I promptly got off and iced. I am very bruised, very stiff, and my knee is VERY swollen, bit I'm really glad I didn't hurt myself worse. I'm a little afraid I might have messed with the articulat cartilage since I went down right on my kneecap and my knee is now extra crunchy sounding, but again, it could have been MUCH worse.

Shiny Blades
-Once I found my grove, jumps were great. They all felt like they were re biggest they've ever been. 2lutzes were big for me. 2loops were nice and secure, but I could tell they were wrappy.

Flying sits were GREAT. The take off had awesome snap and height, and the spin was fast and centered.

Talked to my moves coach and came up with a plan for moves. I'm going for Int again on July 22. I'm then either going to throw my Novice moves out July 28 as a pretest, or try to find a judge to evaluate them. I'll attempt to actually pass them late August.

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Youtube Videos

((((pinklaces)))) I hope your knee gets better quickly!

Rusty: Horrible lightning, thunder and rainstorm on the way to work this morning, which turned the bridge I drive across into a nightmare of stop and go traffic. The bridge is named the Howard Frankland, but this morning it's other name, the Frankenstein, was much more appropriate. The 10 minutes it usually takes to drive across took 40 minutes .

Shiny: The ice was fabulous and one of the coaches just raved about how huge my toe loop and stag falling leaf have gotten. It wasn't my coach, but I'm friends with all the coaches, so it was really nice to hear.

Rusty: Stupid zam driver put the hockey nets out on the ice, guess he wasn't going to zam between freestyles and hockey - poor hockey players! One of the hockey nets was right where I do my back spiral in my program, but once they are out there we are not allowed to take them off the ice.

Shiny: Skated my program well in spite of the hockey net, just adjusted the pattern. Added some extra footwork in the middle and it worked out great!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!