My next door neighbour had a fire in her house at 6am this morning.
All I heard was the door being booted in by the firemen (and there were some hunky ones).
My neighbour and her children got out safely, the fire was contained in the one room, but the shock was awful for her.
They came to our house for refuge. All I could do was hug her when she cried.

My skate - 3.5 hours after neighbours, firemen and police had departed from my home - was slightly off-putting because of the number of deep and deadly HOLES made by MALE figure skaters' picks!

I ran through prog 3 times and it's going well, so far!

Flip 3 turn seems better better today. The lutz was there too, once!
Backspin, as ever, nemesis.

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Not much happening on my end. My coach had a death in the family this week and my husband's coach (my "semi-synchro" coach, a sweetiebear if there ever was one) offered me a lesson instead, but as I told her, at this time, I'm just "treading water" (ice? ) until my new boots come in. Even Paula and I are just working on jumps and things that will have the same technique with the new boots and curvier blades (I'm going from Coronation Comets to Aces). For once, I'm actually out on the ice more for the exercise than the actual practice!!!

Worked on finessing waltz jump and half flip. Waltz is pretty yummy these days--coach has pronounced it "perfectly fine." Half flip still goes a little sideways sometimes--I have to continue to work on a longer entrance edge and picking directly back. I'm coordinating arms with it better, so it looks better. Its always been in existance, now I'm trying to take it to the next level and make it look good. Otherwise, some edges, some mohawk-5's down the line and back extensions down the line. Major calories burned which is good as I ate seafood till I was stuffed in Baltimore last week (combined conference then long weekend with hubby).

If I don't hear from Klingbeil by the end of the week, I plan to call since its been almost four weeks. My Aces are in at my skate shop, oh, I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't WAIT!!!! Now it seems to be taking so LOOOONNNNGGG! (Patience was never my virtue).


Skate with joy, everyone.

Beth 8)

BETH
Not that I have much of a clue about blades - I have Aces and always have done. I thought Comets were slightly more upgrade.

The Comet has a bigger radius is that right? 8ft as opposed to the Ace's 7ft, so a flatter, faster blade?
I'm not sure.
Anyway, did I miss the strategic plan for you changing to Aces?
What if anything, don't you like about the Comet?

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

I was supposed to go to the clinic last Sunday, and had responded that I would. But I got sick Tuesday night/ Weds and was still feeling miserable over the weekend, so I didn't drive up.

Thanks Wannask8! I figured I could fall on the doubles just as well there as at home! And actually the only icky one was the first. After I fell on that one I didn't worry about crashing on the others, and they went well.

It was really nice to see the other skaters from the area, and also meet some new ones.

Mel: When I got my used (and present) boots I was recommended to get either the Ace of Comet by the people I skated with, now very, very good friends and fellow skaters. I was in group lessons at the time, no private coach and frankly didn't know enough to ask more questions. I went to a famous local pro shop that was recommended, they looked at my boots, had Comets in stock, and put those on my skates. (You may remember this from my Klingbeil thread--they didn't check the blades on me, I didn't know enough to ask for them to be checked, and Mr. Klingbeil pointed out they were misaligned...for the past 3 years, oh well, live and learn...grrrrr....).

Since my blade size has now gone down for my eagerly awaited Klingbeils, I asked my private coach of almost 3 years for her recommendation. She was quite insistent that I switch to an Ace--more curve for easier spinning and turning (both of which can be a nemesis for me) and less toepick. I still scrape my toepick on back crossovers and other moves. Paula much prefers the Ace for someone at my level (ISI Freestyle 2, hopefully soon to test USFSA Adult Pre-Bronze moves and freestyle). Most of my skating buddies who are not up yet into the Pattern 99/Gold Seal category also use the Ace and love it, so hopefully it, plus properly fitting boots, will work better for me. I know it looks like a step "down", but both my coach and sharpener feel this may work better for me.

Hubby and I skated a 12 - 3PM public session today, and it was absolutely empty! He showed me an exercise he devised for FI Mohawks: FI edge and hold free leg in front as if about to turn, but don't turn. For some reason, while doing this, I flexed my (free) ankle and voila, increased my turnout! I spent a good deal of time practicing this, and got some of my smoothest FI Mohawks ever. Of course, this was after a lesson on Mohawks that covered a lot of other ground first.

One of the Russian coaches that we know showed up later to give a lesson to a tot, and bemoaned the fact that so few of his students could get to this "golden" ice because of the time. Sooo....hubby and I are having our first dance lesson with him next Wed! He is a former Ukrainian national jr. dance champ, so he is delighted to coach dance. All of his students so far are freestyle.

__________________

Drizzling (actually, steady rain): While taking a walk last week after those hurricane-force winds in the northeast on 9/11 had knocked a lot of debris down, I tripped on some loose tree bits along the side of the road and – boom! – fell and banged up my knees, which were already way sub-par (and of course, my orthopedist is booked until next Monday). My first day on the ice since then was today (my usual one skating day per week). Wore my extra-cushy elastic/strap braces and took it sloooow for just a half hour, but afterward – ouchie.

Dazzling: At least while I was out there, after a few minutes’ warm-up, things felt pretty good. (Plus I can still walk . . .!)

-- wannask8

Dazzling: Had one centered spin. One decent waltz jump and that is it.

Drizzling:Worked from 7 am to 3 pm, picked up pizza and dropped it off at home by 3:30 pm, drove across town to pick up 17 yr. old in Les Misrebles(sp) musical play (goes to special arts school for drama and animation in OAC) for 4 pm and have to wait until 4:40 pm for rehersal to let out at the arts school, drive home (5 pm), slither pizza down throat, rush back in car to drop off 17 yr. old back at arts school for 6:30 pm (I was to be in ice dance at that time.), finally make it to the rink for my session and half an hour went without me being there. Got there and the parent of the Novice skater I do music for, said that I looked really tired. Gee, I wonder why? I got up at 5 am to get ready for work and was counting on getting a nap before skating. NOpe!

Practice: Could barely stand up. I ran through my program almost twice. Major mistakes throughout my program. I could only do a waltz jump and a very bad upright spin. Botched easy foot work, never mind the RFI op MO to LFI3 footwork. Salchows never got up off of the ice. Made nice turns on the ice though. Toe loops, ha! What a joke!

Lesson:It took have my lesson just to get a decent waltz jump going. I was soooooo tired. Spinning was an experience. Every time I came out of a spin, I didn't know where I was. I was just about seeing double I was so tired. I just plain refused to do the salchow since I coudln't get it to work in my program.

Thing I need to do? Get more sleep, somehow, somewhere.

Anyone else have the problem of everyone getting a piece of you and running you ragged.

Anyway, next week my 17 yr. old will stay at the school between rehersal and the animation class and will take home the bus. It's just too dangerous to skate that tired.

Let's say, my coach was not impressed with me being overtired not being able to do anything right and almost dropping onto the ice to sleep.

__________________
"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

Drizzling: Had a day from hell in the OR and had to hurry to drive to rink. Putting a classical radio station on during drive helped calm me down only to find 4 pm session overloaded. But just kept telling myself that all I wanted to accomplish was getting my knees to bend and muscles to warm up.

Dazzling: Oh my, this had to be one of the best days of skating I have ever had! This was week four and time to review all the new/old material that we had covered in the preceeding 3 weeks. There were 11 elements. I had made a sheet for coach with all items with space for coach to write comments. I had my own copy that I had filled in the key corrections/directions from my notebook that coach had been writing in during each lesson. Then I did each element twice as 5 pm session crowded (but less than previous) and it gave me a second chance to make small corrections on my own. It took 25 mminutes to complete all elements and then we reviewed what she had written.

I felt I had done an exceptional job and coach was equally impressed! "Wow! Wow!---Yeah!--good strokes!---Great posture - who are you?!--" peppered her form. Coach said the biggest improvement effected most all the elements and that was my posture! I was finally really sitting back, shoulders over hips, head up.

I also credit this huge improvement with having her write the key points for each element we covered during our lesson (I always made us stop 5-7 minutes so she could write in my book) and then using the book during every practice I did between lessons. This new specific structure has really worked for me!

I was so focused that at times I just went into the zone and did not wait for people 15 feet away to move before I took off, like I used to do - common adult peripheral vision fear factor.....

This morning my quads are screaming but my mind is in an all positive mood....Ah, the highs of skating when all goes well.

Hubby and I practiced last night.

Dazzling: Believe it or not, I am getting more comfortable with my backwards stroking. I'm finally not slowing down when I shift my weight to my other foot. I was skating down the long side of the rink and was about to hit the curve in in the wall, so I just started crossing my right foot over and voila! Back crossovers! Crazy thing was, I didn't really think "Cross your stinkin' foot over!" it was more of a "Oops! There's the boards, better move over -- wait! I just did a crossover!" Color me shocked! I wasn't able to string more than three or four together, but that's three or four more than I'd ever done before.

Also worked on backwards one foot glides, which I can only hold for about 2 seconds. Alternating crossovers for fun. 3 turns at the boards. Outside edges. A couple of toe loops at the boards.

Didn't really have a Drizzling kids of skate -- hubby and I were relaxed and it was club ice so there were a ton of talented kids out there to watch. He's able to glide backwards a little longer than I am on the left, but his right glides are non-existent. He can also do more back crossovers in a row, but for some reason, I cover twice as much ice as he does with each crossover. Oh, yeah, I'm not allergic to bending my knees!!!!

It was kind of funny -- he made the comment that it's a little frustrating for him to not pick stuff up as quickly as he did in pre-Alpha (he passed pre-Alpha and Alpha in one session, I had to take them separately). I laughed and said, "Yep! Now you're progressing at MY speed!"

If that's the coach we met this time last year (goodness, was it already a year ago?), then I'm sure he's more than delighted to have two keen dance pupils.

I do hope you enjoy the discipline - it's very different to free skating; easier in some ways, much harder in others. But it's the most fun you can have with your husband with your clothes on, although it's INCREDIBLY frustrating. You have to remember the first rule of ice dancing: The woman is always right!

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

Dazzling - did some edge work and it went reasonably well.

Drizzling - yucky spin night but I am still getting the hook if at times not much else. :-)

Had an epiphany, I was wondering why I feel tighter and don't skate as well on Wed night and I realized it's later than I normally skate! My body is all tight from the day and I didn't warm up by like jogging or anything. So I've now decided that Wed night is only edge work night, nothing else!! Jumping will be for Mon, Sat & Sun.

Yes, he's the one you met last year, and is inded delighted. My husband wasn't too sure he is ready, but the coach said "You have ages (edges), if you have ages (edges) you can dance!" I had to translate for hubby, who is Cuban and accent deaf to boot.

Having been a roller dancer as a kid, dance is what I have been aiming for all along. Our coach, however is strictly moves and freestyle. Of course we will stick with her, as she is a wonderful technical teacher. There hasn't been a coach available for dance previously, and we haven't had the time and resources before. I'll be sure and tell my hubby the first rule of ice dancing

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Dazzling:
Waltz jumps in succession.
Toe loop worked one time only.
Salchow still have it.
Loop, officially started working on loop jump. Got the right inside three turn with left foot infront going. And because of the loop jump, I can feel the back spin coming now as I can now get at least one clean revolution on the back spin. NO more half revs and falling out.

Drizzling:
Toe loop only worked once. I am having a drout on the toe loop for no reason at all. Ok, it was only today. Can't count Tuesday because nothing worked at all and I was way over tired.

Still, need to get that spiraling edge to get to my forward part of my rocker so that I can hook the spin. Once I hook the spin, I can spin and spin but getting it to hook proper is taking some work. I want to be able to get a forward scratch for my prelim test that I'd like to take before January. I'd like to be competing at the prelim Canadian version [same as kids] (in US adult bronze level) for the 2002-2003 season. So, I'm learning or fixing at least two elements a week.

Brigitte a.k.a. singerskates

Brigitte

__________________
"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

Dazzling
I did a dazzling fall - first ever fall during my programme - on the loop after the back spiral. I went right down backwards. I got right up, got back into the step sequence and finished on time to the music.
Coach said she hadn't seen me fall in my programme before and was more shocked than I was, I think!

Drizzling
The flip was playing up big style - but when I got my lesson, it behaved itself. Weird. That usually happens the other way about!
The backspin continues to be at odds. Bad odds.
I felt way off-balance today, but even got a lutz first time in the lesson! I COULD not even JUMP IT in warm up/practise.

Got a bit of bad news from a friend today. Please send me positive vibes to forward on to her. She's a fellow adult skater and needs a big group hug.

Dazzling
Coach said my programme, even with the fall, would pass a test.
I don't skate so well in tests.

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

So did I, although I am not sure whether it was the same person! So lots of good vibes to the UK adult skating community, please!

I haven't skated yet today; I don't know if I shall - there's just time to skate the teatime session if I go within the next ten minutes. My husband rang me up from the top of a Scottish mountain, would you believe, "To test the signal strength", and his first words were "Why aren't you skating?" to which my reply was "Why did you ring up if you thought I would be?"

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

Dazzling
After deciding to "quit" skating in February and having only skated a few times this summer, I went on the ice yesterday and landed axels, 2sal, 2toes, 2loops, and 2flips.

Drizzling
Spins still suck. I couldn't do a decent sit spin to save my life. I was on the ice for 90 minutes yesterday, and my body is really paying for it now

Well done..oh so jealous.
How did it feel, mentally? Did it feel good?
Sounds like you enjoyed doing it.

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Thanks melanieuk.

Yes, it did feel good to be on the ice and still be able to do some of the tricks. I will still skate occasionally on my own schedule to at least maintain what I already have. I expect to still be able to whip out an axel when I'm 90+ years old

I wills always love skating and still day dream about it. However, at this time in my life, I think it's just better for me stop skating regularly. I felt like I had hit a plateau and was extremely frustrated with skating, regardless of how much money I was dolling out for lessons and ice time. Now, I just let my body decide when it wants to skate instead of feeling like I had to be on the ice because a coach is waiting.

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea - you definitely want to make sure that you're skating for you and not for anyone else...

Dazzling

• Went to the bigger rink near my college today, since it has earlier hours so I won't have to wait for the bus in the dark as the fall comes. Compared to the one I went to before, it's like Cupertino Ice Center vs. Logitech Ice in San Jose. It's sooo much bigger and even though the ice felt hard, my edges still held very nicely. It was like Logitech ice, and it's something that I'll have to get used to, LOL. The different rink environment will lead in to my next thing:
• Watching some really talented kids today. Usually I feel like I have to compete with them, but I didn't feel like that at all today. There was an Irina Slutskaya look-alike (well perhaps when Irina was 9 or 10 ) who was doing nice double jumps, and had some very nice centered spins. She even jumped like Irina, LOL, delaying the rotation then neatly tucking her ankles together. She was so cute - after landing a 2lutz/2loop, she went up to her mom (coach? Hmm..) and waved her arms around excitedly.
  There was another girl who had some really good fast footwork, and there was a little boy who was trying to have a footwork contest with her. He said, "Look! Alexei-style!" and proceeded down the ice, his feet going lickedy-split. It was just so fun to watch them.
• A hockey team was warming up for a game later in the area above the ice. The guys were cute. Nuff said.
• They had a little area coned off and the announcer said that if guests wanted to have a free lesson, they could come over to the coned off area. I really didn't know what to make of it, but thought, "Hey, what the heck.." and skated over. A coach helped me out with my backspin, and it was probably the first time that I actually got a good backspin in 3 tries, LOL....I wanted some help on my scratch spins as well, but then some beginners came over and she went to teach them swizzles and stuff. Ah well.
• My edges "ran" more smoothly over the ice than ever before, which was great fun. Maybe this hard-ish ice is actually ideal, LOL...
• Sit spin was pretty good....(at least one of the forward spins were good! Sigh..)
• I finally got the bunny hop so that I'm actually kicking forward with a straight free leg, LOL (on consecutive ones too). And to think that two weeks ago I was too scared to do that!
• Loop just flew! Of course it helped that I was watching all the other kids doing 2loops and copied the way they snapped up into it. But I think the loop is becoming my favorite jump.
• Flip was so much better today! Yayayay! Now all I need to do is pick back more and jump higher..

Drizzling

• Forward scratch spin. I get the entrance now (somewhat) but I start leaning in some random direction when I continue spinning, especially when I try to pull in. Maybe I'll work on that on my floor spinner and see what happens...sigh...
• Camel spin. I lean forward too much and start spinning on the pick. I fell so much on that today, LOL....
• Salchow. What's new..
• Lutz. I landed a couple, but I really want to pick right behind my skating leg though when I get up to it my mind says, "Nooooo!" and I chicken out. Well, I still do the jump but end up underrotating it and falling. Just gotta get past that phase...

Anita