Gratifying: First freeskate lesson tonight! "Learned" a waltz, sal, toe-loop, and basic upright one-foot spin from back x-overs. I put "learned" parentheses, because I did actually learn all of these when I was much younger. But I haven't really practiced them in about 15 years or so, and this was the first time I had a private lesson where a coach could break down each element for me. My current struggle with the spin is getting my free-leg crossed over my skating leg. Sal feels good, but that was always my favourite jump. Toe-loop...used to be hideous; it wasn't really anything more than a turn on my toe and a hop to the other foot. But with the tips from my coach tonight, it actually pops in the air a bit. All this in the new boots as well, yay! I think we are going to work towards testing my Interpretives, so I can achieve triple gold.

Mortifying: Got bored pretty quick tonight!

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Uh, oh, jazzpants, sounds like you've got your work cut out for you! We'll keep our fingers crossed. But hey, at least you get to wear pads now.

Speaking of which...tonight I was working on my loop, with flo's help (thanks, flo!) and fell on my rear (this is what my coach had always wanted me to do more of - take risks and fall on that jump - and this is why I didn't, lol!). I had flashbacks to my last fall, after which I didn't skate for 6 weeks or so, but I'm hopeful the effects of this will be different. For one, I fell on the, um, padded area rather than the tailbone. Actually, I also fell on my hand - I think my palm hurts more than my rear!

This led one of the rink managers to bring out a crash pad thing that velcros around the hips. I guess I looked like I needed one, lol.

This was only my second time skating after 6 weeks off, so I'm still trying to get my comfort level (such as it was) back.

Gratifying: Skating as of late is going well. Coach brought up the Idea of taking my Bronze MIF test soon. He feels that I am ready to do it so now I have a little more than a month to really polish things up.


Mortifying! I got fitted for new boots and blades. "Do you want to pay for both the boots and blades now?" says the fitter."Sure", I say.......gulp! when the grand total comes up! I am over the initial sticker shock and figure these will be the boots to take me to the Adult Nats in Dallas and hopefully get me on the podium in the Men's Bronze III (I think that is my age class) I will be 39! Oh crap! That is even more MORTIFYING!!!!!!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Gratifying - Had a grest skate last night, the new boots are feeling better, I even tried a couple of doubles. Debbie was great, and did a loop then another and another..... I remember them from the last timem I saw her skate, and they have really come along! Actually the one she fell on was really high - probably fell from the shock of it! Debbie - hope your hand is better!

Mortifying - I put the crash pads on after Debbie. They barely fit!!

Thanks, flo! Yep, the hand is feeling better, although my butt/hip kind of hurts - lol. The good news is that my back and neck are not bothering me today. No heating pad needed (yet)!

You were brave to try those doubles in new skates! They were really close.

The crash pad was kind of tight on me too. Based on my experience with skating dresses, I'd say everything in skating is made for 10-year-olds!

Good luck with the Bronze moves, MusicSkateFan! I remember it wasn't too long ago that you wrote you passed Pre-Bronze - wow! Btw, where did you go for your skates?

Gratifying: i had a good skate this morning, my jumps are coming on, spins are a completely different story. My lesson went good, its nice having it on patch. My new skates arent bothering me as much anymore, they still hurt my feet after a while but i can cope with that. my coach thinks im improving a lot the last few months. i just cant wait to go skate on saturday morning and catch up with a few of my mates that i havent seen round the rink in ages.

Mortifying: My spins are just completely rubbish ever since i have got new skates my spins have just gone down hill so much. okay, maybe it would help if i out my skates in for sharpening as they need doing, i just kept slipping so badly today, which im kind off annoyed about as ive only had them like 2 weeks but i guess hopefully once i get them sharpened my spins will pick up again and get back to normal. i know im not great at spins, but ive spent so long working on them recently and its just kinda annoyed me really but thats how it goes.

Hannah xXx

Gratifying: just being able to get onto some ice!!!! Once I warmed up and found my legs, did some good waltz jumps and a really great scratch spin (the kind where you are in the zone and it feels great). Left it at that because it was the end of the session and I couldn't feel my toes!!

Mortifying: thank goodness my coach wasn't there to see me-looked like a basic skills student (at least I wasn't hugging the wall) wobbling around for the first 30 minutes until I found my "ice legs"

Gotta get my right blade re-mounted as it's still not right-it's still messing up my right 3-turns(it wasn't mounted correctly and now the pro-shop is closed for the summer so I have to go somewhere else to have it fixed )

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

Gratifying: had a good dance lesson

Mortifying: didnt do any good axels
~cutie

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Skating is suppose to be fun , no PRESSURE at all

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

Landed a lutz,half loop,flip combo today!!!!Took about three attempts and then it just happened! Now to master it for the Adult Nats in Dallas!!!

That was grattifying!!!

Mortifying solo loop today...yikes! need to remember to jump first!!!

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Why are you skating so slowly? Get out of my way!

If you skate faster, it makes everything look better!

Gratifying Good run through yesterday; my primary coach was very pleased at my progress. He hadn't seen me skate in nearly a week, but my other coaches have been working very hard. The new dress is very comfy and looks good! My coach suggested one small alteration, so I'll call my dressmaker today and see what she says.

Mortifying (but also Gratifying, I suppose). The entries are posted for the ISU Adult Competition in Oberstdorf. At this link:

http://www.sport-oberstdorf.de/index.shtml?Adult

you will find the list of competitors and the schedule, and also a poster advertising the event. They're charging admission! But it's cool to see my name listed along with USA.

Happy skating,
Pat

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August 22, back on the ice!

hey I have never se en a lutz half loop flip combo, it sounds different,.

Mortifying--
Right now I just CANNOT do an FI mohawk when I'm going full speed. I had hoped to use this as my transition from forward to backward crossovers in an upcoming test, but it's too chancy. Too often my free foot sets down in the wrong direction and I wind up doing this Riverdancey thing on the ice!

Also, I was at a wedding in Charlottesville over the weekend and didn't even know until I arrived that our hotel was RIGHT NEXT TO AN ICE RINK!!! Had I known or thought to ask before the trip, I would've brought my old skates and stroked around on the public session. Grrr.

Gratifying--
Coach let me take out the mohawk transition as it was making my crossovers slow to a crawl for me to be able to manage it!

I've been having great practices lately--working hard enough that I've needed to peel off all but my bottom layer of practice clothing.

MusicSkateFan--congrats on your combo! I think combos are really neat to watch, and they're fun to do (though I find them very hard to do properly--usually my brain says "Uh-oh, combo now, and then I mess up the first jump!)

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Okay, that explains why my primary coach is not gonna have a lesson with me next Thursday!!! (No, he did NOT tell me that he's competing!!! GRRRR!!!)

Glad to see he has come out of retirement to compete again, if not for just this one competition (but didn't tell me!!!) Have fun with him starskate6.0 and Live To Skate!

Annabel... I thought you were skating... where's your name? (I see Robert's...)

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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!!!

What are you doing for a transition instead?

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Oh, I'm sorry Jazzpants, but I had to laugh at this. And I thought MY coach was bad about communicating, but this takes the cake.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing him skate!
Pat

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August 22, back on the ice!

Well, he's gone blond on me (poking fun at him dyeing his hair platinum blond one year...) a few times so I'm not surprised! (He's probably been too busy working on my Bronze Moves and the backspin to think about telling me stuff like that...)

But I think I know which program he's gonna do... I'll keep it as a surprise...

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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!!!

LOL, jazzpants! I was wondering why you hadn't said anything about your coach competing. You can go to the rink tomorrow and tell him he's been found out! Just tell him that you have your spies.

Went to a "new-ish" freestyle session my rink has added this [Saturday] afternoon. Yes, the rink is finally realizing that figure skating can be profitable.

Mortifying: I was the OLDEST person on the ice and it's been at least 4.5 years (if not 5) since I was last on an open free session. Felt a little out of my element, plus I did not skate well. The only thing that kept me going was that 12 pack of Molson Ice I had in the fridge -- my reward for exercising.

Saw coach at rink as this freestyle is right after the public session. I have to miss my two next Wednesday lessons because of business events and she said she would take me on the free next Saturday even though she doesn't usually stay for it.

Gratifying: my threes in the field are actually shaping up to be something. I've only been back in skates since Febuary and now I can do all 8 threes without killing myself. Wow. Now I just have lay them out properly in the adult silver pattern. 8-step mohawk is working too, although now I need to speed it up.

More Mortifying; fell on a loop jump and two VERY young coaches were all like, "Are You Okay?" like I broke my hip or something because I'm so old and I said, "Please, I have enough padding on my behind." Geez, not even one of my good bruising falls.

Still loving the click of death. Although I didn't click to death today.

A two-foot turn toward the inside of the circle. It feels much more reliable and I can do it quickly enough and without losing speed during the transition. (I could also probably skate the elements separately, but I like doing the forward crossovers and then the backward crossovers.)

I'm excited about this test because I luuuurve doing spirals (last element I'm doing) but I usually don't let myself practice them, lest I neglect other elements. It's been nice to have a reason to practice them.

__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org