Spent two hours at the rink this morning, skating for the first 3/4 hour with Husband and the last 3/4 hour (yes, I had a breather!) alone.

Edge Noises: (I wish!) After some warm-up exercises, we ran through our Free Dance once - no real problems, so we left it at that. Then we ran through the Swing Dance, and decided, having done so, that we needed to do some basic training, so we worked a couple of laps each of swing rolls and chasses in waltz hold. Then, because of beginning work on the Willow, I suggested we did a lap of alternating progressive runs in waltz hold. This worked surprisingly well - we were both quite pleased with ourselves. So we tried doing them round the hockey circle. Anti-clockwise was fine!

After that, we went through the Willow again, and decided we needed to take the part where he does his Mohawk apart, which we duly did, and went through it fairly slowly; this may improve matters - I think we need to go on doing that. After that, he had to go and catch his train, so I came off and chatted to folk for 30 minutes or so, then got back on and worked on loads of exercises.

Toe Scrapes: Our clockwise progressive runs in Waltz hold. Really just needs practice. My spin was only doing 2 revolutions and throwing up loads of ice ("That's because you aren't on an edge," said the coach). And I cannot, for the life of me, do a side of back chasses without starting to scrape 3/4 of the way down.... sigh....

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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!

Yesterday was a looong practice.

Toe Scrapes: I flutz I saw a clear S shape tracing on the lutzes that I landed. Gah! Sit spins were iffy, so I decided to leave them for another day and not get myself frustrated. Loops were also a little weak today. I wasn't getting big jumps out of them.

Edge noises: Flips felt really strong. I can finally actually "pop" into the air, it's such a cool feeling. I did A LOT of forward and back scratches. At first, my forward ones were travelling as usual, but I realized that I'm dropping my right side too much, so once I fixed that I was finally getting some good tracings! Yay! I also need to make my LFO entrance edge smoother. Sometimes I skid and that's no good... Then, I tried some back spins and oh my god I think I *got it*!!!!! I was getting 4-5 revs in scratch spin position AND pulling out!!

Btw, I noticed that some of my forward spin tracings were "double lines." I never noticed that before. Is that normal, or is it because I'm too far up on the toe pick or what?

Edge Noises:
Had quite a good skate day today. Started with my level 2 (UK) dance moves for upcoming test. These went OK. Pattern has improved and I'm finally beginning to get the inside to outside changes of edge as good as the outside to inside. I've worked very hard to get a correct pattern and to keep up the speed throughout and to be able to do the CW crossover as well as the CCW one. I've always had trouble with the CW crossovers as they never feel very safe and I'm trying to get a nice rollover of the ankle before lifting off the crossed under foot - and trying to remember to point the toe as well.

Variation dance - managed to do it properly in time and have corrected the pattern to give deeper edges.

Free Dance. Apart from getting mixed up between the short and long versions of this it's going OK despite my son's scathing comments last week.

Had about 10 mins after lesson to practice jumps and spins.
Managed to get the rotation on the loop at last but still can't quite get my free foot back and out in time to allow me to hold the landing. I do feel that I am getting it at last though (never thought I'd manage one; I've been working on it for 18 months now, though not continuosly)

toe scrapes.
sit spin - since I've been trying to get it properly low down it has gone completely to pot. I'll keep trying.

back spin - not good.

On the whole a good day - my skating problems are more off-ice at the moment.

Had fun this evening editing up an artistic track for my daughter - adding sound effects and voiceovers. Great fun!

__________________
'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Edge noises:
My spins- they were SOOO good!!! I also landed some awesome loops today with killer runout on the landing. On one of them I held the landing position for one revolution!!!

Toe scrapes:
It was EXTREMELY COLD in the rink and outside this afternoon. So cold that if it weren't for the New Year's event in two weeks, I would've skipped today. Plus they are calling for snow tomorrow, and possibly all weekend. Here snow = forced laziness!

On my program runthrough, the awesome loops I had landed didn't happen.
And well, it was so cold that I skipped the runthrough of my interp today.

__________________
Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Edge Noises: Spins were great!

Toe Scrapes: Side hops on toes picks??? Do I look like I have a death wish? This interp program is going to be the end of me for sure.

Edge Noises: A really good Tango 2 lessons in a row (and now I've jinxed it I'm sure)

Toe Scrapes: 1 bad intro-3 to the music and then I wasn't in the right place in part of the 2nd pattern of the Tango.

Toes: Lutz. Coach had me working on trying to get better flow and run-out from the jump. It worked during the lesson, but I haven't been able to keep the jump on my feet since.

Edges: Flying sit worked three times in a row! (Fourth one was a splat, but it's a new record)

I'm a litte confused on the title. Anyhow.

Edge noieses: I think I'm getting to point where I can land both of my toe jumps. Yay something to work on! Too bad I couldn't work on really cleaning them up. (MLK's birthday was the day of my lesson so the rink was flooded with kids)

Toe Scrapes: I lost my spins. The day before I had them, and now they're gone. Perhaps they will return. In addition, I hurt my left knee so my mohawks/3's took a hit, but they will bounce back.

Edge noises: I noticed today with some pleasure that I'm much better about keeping off the toepick - putting the weight farther back when skating backwards and so on so the chance of the toepick hitting is much lessened.

Toe scrapes: The blisters I got from wearing my skates barefoot are of course in the spots that the skates like to rub, particularly the raw spot on my calf wear the top of the boot hits. I keep a band-aid on it, but it still hurts a lot. I haven't been doing much lately while breaking in the new skates, and it's been kind of depressing. My interest is waning a bit and I find myself having to tell myself to get off my arse to the rink instead of the usual can't-wait-to-go state. A kid at the rink I made friends with has been ignoring me recently too, so it's been a bummer.

Edge noises Back on the ice Monday night after being at nationals all week, and I skated pretty well! Even heard that "rip" from my edges a few times. Did a couple of run throughs of each of my programs for the New Year's competition and they both feel pretty comfortable. Didn't do all the jumps in them, but that will come tonight. And another adult skater complimented me again on my spiral position! My coach called me last night, late , to say he'd be at the rink today for my lesson, which I definitely need!

Toe Scrapes Now have my customary post-nationals cold. Oh well, hopefully I won't get too sick.

Happy skating,
Pat

Don't use an ordinary band-aid, but get one of those colloid gel dressings - Scholl blister plasters are very good - from the pharmacy. This will help the blisters heal far quicker.

As for me, I had one of the best day's skating I've ever had.

Edge Noises: Spent all my practice with my husband and most of my lesson working on the Willow Waltz. Husband and I only had 20 minutes together - 14 by the time we'd warmed up - and spent almost all of it on the intro-3 turn (Hello, Jen!) followed by the progressive run (yes, we do know that the first step of the dance is the chasse, but we like to do a progressive run into it). We had finally got to the lady's RFO3 when himself had to go, so in my lesson, coach and I just carried on where we'd left off. Depressingly, many of the problems I had with my husband I still had when dancing with my coach, so it's me not Husband (but don't tell him that!!!), but coach showed me what I was doing wrong and helped me fix them, or at least know what to do to fix them. And when I danced the whole dance with him, he at least helped me do the Mohawk properly, which is more than Husband can do!

Then we moved on to "various edges", and this is where things really started to go well. I did the best back inside edges I've ever done - I didn't know I could go so fast backwards! "Don't speed up the tempo," coach said, and made me do another lap to prove it wasn't a fluke, which it wasn't. Then I had to do back progressive runs round the circle, which were okay anti-clockwise but not quite so good clockwise, but finally I got them "good enough" (I can see more of those in my future!). Coach said the judges would know what they were meant to be and not confuse them with chasses if I did them like that (main difference seems to be toe-point). Then I had to do slide chasses round the circle, and then a lap of continuous slide chasses, which were brilliant, even if I do say so myself! Much better than either my coach or I expected me to be able to do them - they were fast, edgy, and really felt great!

After my lesson I was able to do the Fiesta Tango solo on pattern!!!!! and even the Swing Dance solo with only a toe-scrape on the 2nd step of the Mohawk!

Toe scrapes: Back outside edges still weak. Have been told to practice them in any and every shape or form - by themselves, chasses, progressive runs, swing rolls, whatever.....

Step to forward in the Fiesta Tango lets it down every time - I always wide-step. And I am apt to make horrible scraping noises on any step to forwards. The coach says it's because I don't extend properly on that back edge (but you can't in the Fiesta - it's a cross-step!) and get my weight right over my blade before bringing my free foot in. Sigh..... worked on clockwise waltz 3s for a bit, which do help, but not totally....

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

edge noises: absolutely nothing, since i haven't been able to skate

toe scrapes: i have an awful stomach virus that was thought to be appendicitis, so i had a lovely trip to the ER where it was so crowded, there were gurneys lined up in the hallways with no room to walk through. i was going to skate yesterday, but after waking up and learning some very interesting details about the toilet bowl, i figured me going skating wouldn't be such a good idea.

I definitely cursed my Tango by posting that it had been good. Because today it was not. First the intro-3 sort of disappeared, then I caught my toe-pick on the forward cross-back chasse before the 4-beat LFO, and then my coach and I nearly tangled free legs coming out of the swing mohawk.

BUT... the RFI3 consistently worked. (And now I've cursed it I'm sure....)

Edge noises - had a lesson with my primary coach last night to get the program in silver shape. It would help if I could remember it, but...
I did a run through and was a bit early at the ending, and standing there holding my end pose I finally realized I'd left out a jump sequence.
I also had a chance to take my costume parts to a friend of mine who will attach the fabric to the leotard. I really love the colors, and have enjoyed the painting.

Toe pick - it's freezing here and starting to snow. Hopefully it won't be bad tonight as I have private ice and I want to work on the program!

It's snowing harder now.

Edge noises - It's snowing here (NC) so maybe we'll soon be 'released' from work!:] Am back on the ice after a week of severe back pain and can do all my elements pain-free except for sit spins.

Toe scrapes - It's snowing, so my lesson may be cancelled tomorrow

Here, too, in DC. And we now have liberal leave. Too bad I can't escape, though.

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Same here, I'm waiting for the "we will be closing at 1pm announcement(((crosses fingers))).

Ours started at noon, but I've got a magazine to produce. Hopefully, the snow will abate soon. Don't want to miss skating tonight!

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Our "liberal leave" policy is that we follow what the federal government does; I have a drs appointment in a while and I'm hoping that I don't have to go back to work afterward!

NoVa, call me this afternoon if you won't make it to the rink tonight.

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

Will do. I plan on being at the rink, as the snow is supposed to stop by late this afternoon. I'm hoping it didn't snow as bad where I live in VA as it did here in downtown DC (?)
Perhaps the snow will keep the public away from "our" session tonight?

__________________
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Yep, still snowing. Now it's coming down sideways. I'm worried about the snow being forecast for Saturday night, as I have the last class of a four-class winter-term course on Sunday and it's in downtown DC - about an hour drive for me.

Edge noise: Had a lesson last night (sorry I missed you, flo, I left at 7:30) and despite extremely crowded conditions, I was able to get in a run-through and worked a bit on the power 3's and the spirals (for Bronze MIF at New Year's). My coach said my power 3's on my bad side are improving (meaning I can do the turn w/o stumbling and putting my foot down for dear life!). I did a good camel-sit and some good loop-toes during practice, but they weren't as good in the run-through. I'm looking forward to skating tomorrow afternoon on a near-empty FS session at another rink. Except then, I will have no excuses.

Toe scrapes: I've given up on putting the single flip in my program for now. It slows me down too much, plus last night, it seemed that both my feet were glued to the ice when I tried to take off for it.

Hi Debbie,
If I can't make it to the rink tonight I'll try to find ice tomorrow - where's the fs session? Need practice now!!!
We're waiting for our pizza delivery.

It's at Mt. Pleasant - there are sessions at noon, 1, and 2. They also have one at 5:25 (after hockey), but that may be more crowded, since it's right before BFSC club ice. Of course, crowded at Mt. P is a relative term.

Enjoy your pizza. I tried to heat up some leftover pizza for lunch and burned it - I forgot it was in the oven. Fortunately, there were no fires.

I've just discovered that the photos of our Waltzing Cat routine from the Winter Festival are on-line here.

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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!