Since one hasn't been started yet, in honor of the time-change (let me know if I got the dates wrong, I'm tired):

On-Tempo: Skated twice today; this morning at Skate Club of Wilmington (Delaware) because I went to get my skates sharpened. It was nice to skate with adults but I didn't work on much as my skates were dull. 2nd time was at my home rink. Most of my elements were great.

Out-of-time: scratch spins stink!!!! Not sure what is going on with them......GRRRRR!!!!

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

On Tempo: My Paso!!! I did one pattern of bona fide on-time dancing, including that horrid quick swing/change/mohawk. Woo hoo, hope lives! I've been off for awhile, and lazy on top of that. Now I'm feeling more motivated & really ready to get back to work to try to get this thing ready to test!

Out of Time: My ankle! 3 weeks ago my skate started pressing too hard on my inner right ankle bone. Was off for 1.5 weeks for vacation, but when I came back last week it still hurt. I had my skate guy punch it out & it is definitely better, but I think the damage has been done & there's either a bruise on the bone or the tendon's inflamed, can't tell which. Now I can skate pain-free for 1/2 hour, another 15 minutes of increasing pain, and that's as long as I can stand it before limping off the ice. Not good! Any thoughts/suggestions? I've been padding it but not sure that's really doing anything.

Congratulations! That's a really hard one. I could actually see myself doing that dance someday - except for the swing.... The swing was optional when I was a roller skater, and I opted out.

How about a gel ankle sleeve? Bunga makes them, but the ones by Silipos are the same and about half the price.

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I actually already use those, on both feet; always have. I'm fearing the boot has broken down too far & has twisted a bit & I'll be doomed to getting new boots. Yikes!! $600 I don't need to spend......

Monday

Out-of-Time DH needed me to take him to work and then to the airport so only got a half-hour of practice in. Worked on Bronze Moves and that darn BW cross-over pattern is giving me fits.

On Tempo Rest of the patterns seemed okay. I am feeling so much more confident on that 1st left 3 on the Power 3 pattern. Only me and 2 others so plenty of room to work on patterns.

Tuesday

Out-of-Time Coach has the flu so no lesson tonight and no lesson on Friday and Saturday, because I will be out of town. BW power cross-overs still on the small side and a little off axis. Camel spin was 1.5 revs. My left arm is dropping, but if I concentrate on arms then the leg goes.

On Tempo Power 3's are improving. Loop jumps were good (according to DD). They are small which is an improvement from teeny tiny. Backspins were good. I find that when I think about standing up straight in the spin it really helps get my weight on that outside toe. Making progress on the flip - still 2 footing the landings, but the free foot is in front instead of on the side. I'm happy with that progress.

Don't you coach? If you wear Klingbeils, Don gives a $100 professional discount to coaches. You just need your PSA or ISI membership card. It's still a lot of money.

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I do coach. I'm currently in Klingbeils, but was wanting to try something different next time. Something lighter, that I can point my toes in. Not to mention, new Klingbeils would involved a trip to either Detroit or NY to the man himself. So by the time it's all done it would cost about the same anyway.

out of time
Normally have a lesson with dance partner today but he coudnt make it this week so was going to have the lesson anyway but coach forgot!

Still it was probably just as well as my skating was c**p yesterday and c**p today.

I think it's partly psychological as I've hurt my fingers (scraped top layers of skin off two fingers - not a skating injury) and having them bandaged up just makes me feel all off balance somehow.

Did manage one lovely scratch spin but that and trying jumps makes my fingers throb.

Timely: Posted my latest skate video....my spins are really in the hopper but my backspins are nice. I know I'm off-balanced with the scratch but I'm wondering if I still have some blade alignment issues.....I'll never know as I'm pretty done messing with it (actually thought about putting left blade onto old boot and messing around like that, just as an experiment....)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypiJX5wpVBs

ps-I wanted to put up my waltz jumps but for some reason that clip was really blurry....too bad as they were really nice. Oh well!

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

This can happen - one of our coaches allegedly once skated badly as she'd either forgotten to put nail varnish on, or had it on when she didn't normally, I forget which. Anyway, she said it put her off....

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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!

On Tempo: Getting more consistent with actually completing the elements in my FS. Which is good, as I have a competition on Saturday. . .
Fwd scratch spins getting more consistent and more often delightfully centered--YAY!!

Out of Time: Program still kind of rocky. . . oh well. Never enough time to practice!! Toe loops wonky.

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"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

Skate@Delaware - I thought that next to last toe loop was really a good one! It looks to me like you are on the FI edge on those backspins. I could be wrong, because it's video and harder to tell, but what does your coach say? Once you start doing them on the wrong edge, it's h*ll to fix.

Out of Time:
Had to cancel my ice dance lesson today due to my sinus infection. But, I'm going in for an hour to give a few private lessons, and if I feel OK after that, I'll go to my regular lesson tomorrow.

Timely:
Lately, when I get on the ice, I just feel really good. F power pulls are actually generating some power and not feeling too scary anymore.

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On Tempo - My spins are so much better this week. My forward camel was 8 revolutions this week. That's an automatic Level 2 spin!!!! Yay! Gotta get that consistent now. Sit spin is becoming more centered and looks a little lower. Camel-Sit Combination is very centered now. I can now do a Camel-sit-back sit-back pancake-upright front catchfoot-forward inside edge change-back scratch. (Whew that's a lot to type for a move that only takes 8 seconds) My silver Program is coming along great! I really like where it's going. Axel is getting higher and I'm experimenting with delaying rotation. Talk about scary.


Off Time - My back sit is not consistent unless it's in combination. I have no idea why! My double sal is gone!!!! Double loop, double flip, double toe are all a quarter turn short. Still can't do a double lutz or double axel. Straight line footwork is horrible. Still working on those dreaded rockers. Why on earth are counters easier than rockers anyway? Got about 35-40 pounds to lose.


All in all I am really happy with my skating so far. I can't wait to rip up the ice later today!!!



BlackManSkating

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

Today was my main practice day even though I'm going tomorrow with a friend. Overall it went pretty well..better than I thought actually. Thursdays during lunch skate, the college peeps get to skate for free. So I expected it to be very crowded and borderline dangerous...but it wasn't. Okay onto notes:

Timely:
-Moves as usual...double threes were very good
-I'm getting so comfortable with brackets
-All of my single jumps..every one of them worked out well today
-Axel attempts were honestly...very good. I have the rotation, I'm getting more height, my entrance is so improved..now it's just landing on the correct foot.
-Scatch spins were controlled..yet fast.
-MOVE OF THE DAY goes to my sit spin!! I had some really good ones. I was low enough, I was holding the pos. for a while...well done
-Had a fatabulous layback spin
-My shoot the duck to a catch foot spiral/thing went well
-Artistic programme run through
-Spirals..yeah they were just better than usual
-My falling leaf/split/ looploop sequence went so much better this time


Out of Time:
-Camels as usual....I didn't even really bother with this spin today
-2sals were off and I know why...I was rushing the entrance
-Got a bit winded after practice
-Took a few hard falls on my 2sal attempts

Overall, it was a good practice!! I'm not sure how much I will get done tomorrow since I'll have my non skating friend with me..but we'll see.

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[i]Beauty May Be in the Eye of the Beholder
But passion is in the heart of a skater.[/I]

Sometimes I'm on an inside edge (and I know when I am). I try not to but eh, you know how it is sometimes! More often than not I am on the outside edge tho.

I do hope you get over your sinus infection...they can be a real bear! I think I'm coming down with a virus of some sorts...Canceled my flute lesson today, spent most of it in bed totally wiped out, exhausted! Keeping hydrated. I did receive a flu shot but maybe it's either the virus going around or that "other" flu . Hope not as I want to skate Friday/Sunday and it's Youth Hunt Day on Saturday and I want to take my son out.

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

[Out of Time]
Supposedly testing on the 14th - Juvenile Free and Junior Moves...surprisingly, I have not started to freak out yet (just a little today with my axel, but nothing horrible) which makes me wonder a little...

[On Tempo]
We are working to fix my axel take off...it's still cheated (about a 1/4 turn on all but very few), but the "good" thing is that unless you look at the ice or are watching in slo-mo, you can't tell and this is not IJS so no instant replay!!

Double sals are landed on 1 foot, however, I now need to work on the rotation, they are about a 1/2 turn underrotated...

Double toes are getting much closer...still 2 footed, but the rotation is there...

Coach wants to work on some layback variations once I pass my tests....

Moves are getting better. I need to work a little on the outside rockers and getting the turn perpendicular and not angled on the axis and my power pulls need a better (aka quicker) tempo with the turns...all this in about a week hopefully I can pull this off...

[Out of Time]
I'm still getting uber frustrated because I cannot seem to get my feet crossed in the air and I don't know how to fix this...my jumps, while big, just look "wrong" when I do them and I am ----->

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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

Out of Time
lesson before work yesterday morning. Balance all over the place. Coach said to tighten my core, but I think it was still sound asleep in bed, didn't come with me to my lesson.

Scratch spin went away last weekend, so we worked on that. Some technique tips from coach led to some improvement, which hopefully I can build on tomorrow.

Toe-loop technique. I always thought I had a reasonable toe-loop, but apparently it is just a toe-waltz. Now re-learning the pick & takeoff technique and it's going to take a while before I can do this properly.


On Tempo
Backspins ! Yes, that's right, backspins ! After 4 years of work, they've finally come together and have been good for over a week now.

Edges & 3 turns weren't too bad, though lots more work on BO3s to go.

Tomorrow is another day

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Katz

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

Congratulations!!!! Doesn't it feel great?? Doing my first real backspin made me feel like I was on top of the world!!! Things are really going to take off for you now!!!



BlackManSkating

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

OnTempo My edges have finally come back. My ankle is healed enough that I'm finally up to doing crossovers. Three turns both ways (even on the bad ankle). Some backward stroking. Stood around with the other adult regulars watching 'mystery guy skater' give some waltz jump tips to one of the other adult women skaters. All of us know MGS name but none of us know what discipline he's in. I once asked if he was doing gold moves as he was working on counters, and he laughed, but never volunteered anything. There's something stylish about him. He must be an ice dancer but we never see him with a partner.

Out of Time I approached a coach who I've seen working with another adult who is also low level. He was polite but gave me a 'too busy' refusal. He wanted to know if I'd tested and I said I was just about to take my First Test in figures when I broke my ankle and I hadn't skated in 6 months. It wasn't until I had finished talking to him that I realized that in the last year (since Nov 2008) I've had cancer surgery, radiation, and a broken ankle. In the last year I've probably only skated for about 3 months.

OnTempo I may be crap on ice, but man do I have the excuses lined up!

Out of Time The Ice Doesn't Care!

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Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

On tempo: Skated a rare freestyle session friday night with the kids. Landed a killer axel and toe loop.

Out-of-Time: Skated the next day and was totally wiped out. Couldn't react fast enough to do jumps. Couldn't do anything but spin.

Hey, kander!

Where are you? I thought you were gonna come watch Skate SF?

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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!!!

I should have gone to Skate SF! At least I could have seen some good skating.

Kevin

On Tempo
Hot day here, everyone must've gone to the beach. Only me & 2 other AOSS ladies there. Rink manager put on Glenn Miller music instead of the usual noise pollution, and we had fun doing our own thing.
We hope to put together an adult synchro team next year, so we tried doing chasses in a line. It's challenging & fun doing basic steps in time with others.

Backspin were still great, and most jumps were acceptable (never as fast/high/far as I want them). Footwork exercises were fine, so no real complaints about my skating. I feeli like I'm making progress and some things are really coming together for me now.

Out of Time

Scratch spin still not great, but that has to come back, right? Right ???!!!!

I am struggling with fitness. After a couple of months of getting through swine flu, and a sciatic nerve problem, I really couldn't get through a 2 minute program. I am really going to have to push myself to build up fitness again.

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Katz

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

On Tempo - ventured onto the ice for the first time today. Went to a public session since I wasn't going to jump anyway and I could see dbny. Took two tries to get my skates laced tight enough and I was pretty skittish to start, but I warmed up and got my confidence back after tootling around for a while.
I did a couple of forward and backspins (I did *not* cross my free foot!) and a few sitspins (what they heck, it's halfway down to the ice anyway) and they came pretty good! I didn't even attempt a jump, too soon for that kind of jarring.

Out of Time - got the "no freestyle on public ice" lecture. Ptthh. I wasn't even jumping and hadn't tried spinning yet. Just some moves in the field. Pttthhhhhh

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It's all about the dress!

[On Tempo]
Got into the test session this weekend...

[Out of Time]
I'm testing this weekend...and I have entered full freak out mode...couldn't land an axel last night to save my life...I was fine when I remembered to relax and calm down, but I was so over thinking everything...one of the coaches remarked how I seemed to be over thinking things... I just need to relax....because I can do this...

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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