Not for those of us in Daylight Savings Time countries! One night a year, in November, the clocks get set back one hour at 2:00am so we get one extra hour of nighttime! And now it's weird because suddenly it's light outside when I leave for the rink at 6:00a.m. . . .

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Oh... But... We have had the winter time for weeks already on this side of the pond! How confusing.
Ours goes back I think on the third saturday in october.

Yes, ours has traditionally changed a week earlier, but I guess they figured it would conserve energy if they gave us more daylight in the evenings for another week.

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Nah...it was changed for the candy makers so the trick or treaters could be out later on Halloween.

j

spins travel all over the rink...... I'm drawing clouds on the ice (pretty but not what I should be doing...) unless I really really concentrate, then I might get an OK ish tracing.

i'm soo getting my blades sharpened ASAP...


what is the test for seeing if your blades are sharp or not? something about fignernails??

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Try doing a change edge spiral. If you're sliding sideways during your spiral, it's time. If you see skid marks during 3 turns when you normally don't see skid marks, it's time. If you're flying off of you jump landings while being in proper check position during the landing, then it's time to sharpen your blades.

If you're blades are still sharp and the above is happening, either your too high in the knees or you need a deeper sharpening.

Brigitte

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"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

Turning Leaves:

Had a fantastic skate today. My crazy traveling spins finally centered themselves, and I only botched one axel out of 9 or 10 attempted because someone was in my way. My coach and I also filled in some pretty sizeable gaps in my program, so now all we have to finish is the ending. I really like my choreography and I'm excited to practice it. American Waltz coming along and I'm testing in December.

Raking Piles:

It's FREEZING at the rink. There was the first snow in the region today, but thankfully not at my house. Dance coach was less than pleased with the Tango. Didn't work on axel-loop at all.

Turning Leaves:

Getting more comfortable in my new blades. Did two sitpins that were total beauties as well as two awesome scratch spins. Jumps are really starting to fly!

Raking Piles:

Did not pull off sitspin during program runthrough.
Will I ever clearly hear my music over our sound system?

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Raking Piles:
Went to the rink this morning, late because I went the wrong way (I hate beltways), to find that the rink had a problem and there was no skating. Went home.

Raking More Piles:
Went to a different rink this afternoon. While there was skating, it was a private Club session.
Went home.

Turning Leaves:
Decided to go to the fitness center nearby and work out. Nice, clean and empty, ahhh.
(But I've gained back a lot of the weight I lost this summer. Grrr.)

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raking:

heel hurts in a wierd way when i bend in some ways in the new boots. Its wierd that bending some ways doesn't hurt, and other ways hurt... its a very curious

turning:
landed first double salchow since the boot change (a really low quality one but rotated and on one leg... so i'll take it hehehe)

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~
Tidesong

Oh, isn't that the worst?! I've gained back 12 of the 50 lbs I lost since last year. I have a legitimate excuse with medication, but I haven't been eating the best, either. And yet I'm skating better than ever!

My excuse is working from home in the living room next to the kitchen. (I WAS four pounds lighter this morning! yay) I finally decided that, if I can't get in a skate one day, I'll go to the Club. They're open until 6am-11pm and I have an electronic access card. No more excuses.

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Turning leaves and then raking them - which means it was a challenging lesson but I enjoyed it...

So my freestyle coach passed her PSA Senior moves rating test and will be a Master rated moves coach by the Spring so I'm thinking it's time to have her look at my Bronze moves and give me some feedback on how far they are from being test ready.

Started with my forward peremiter. She was very happy with the speed and power but we had some pattern issues. We worked on spotting where the top of the circle needs to be and making sure I pay attention to my long axis. She didn't like that I only use 6 intro steps because she believes in using whatever they will give you. But using 7 would require me starting on my right foot and I don't like that.

Backward perimeter crossovers. We didn't get past the intro - and that always has been a challenge for me. I start with a 3 turn since I am just too chicken to do that from much speed. SHe turned the 3 turn around for me so I'm in a better position to get going. And we worked on me stretching out the crossovers because if I'm not careful I'll go over my intro steps on this move.

We also worked on backward grapevine swizzles to get me ready for back cross strokes

j

Start the intro strokes on your right foot, or start the pattern on your right foot? (Except if it's the pattern, then you could start the intro strokes on the other foot, couldn't you, to get to the pattern on your preferred foot?) What makes it that much of a difference for you which foot you start your intro strokes on? Or have I missed something?

You've reminded me of the reverse -- when I was taking private lessons learning pre-bronze moves, my coach made me start the perimeter stroking (just the plain round-the-rink, not the bronze russian stroking you're doing) from a standstill! I don't know if she would have eventually let me have intro strokes for the actual test, though. (I took a hiatus from skating before ever getting near the test, *cough*waltz eight*cough**grr**bah**ugh*).

I HATE Time Zones and time changes We should ALL be on GMT (or "Coordinated Universal Time" as it is now called) and just work whatever hours are best - who cares what the actual numbers on the clock are!

As one who used to work in an international environment, local time just leads to HUGE amounts of confusion! If everybody is on GMT all you have to know is their office hours, not their office hours plus what time zone they are in plus whether they are on Standard or Daylight time, what date they switch from one to the other, and then use a @$#% calculator and HOPE you calculated correctly!

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Got my blades sharpened yesterday - yay!! Nice deep edges this morning. I have been working on doing faster continuous double inside 3turns and with sharper blades they were snapping round.

When do continuous double 3turns become twizzles? Is it speed/no of rotations, direction of travel or the part of the blade in contact with the ice?


On a side note; does anybody know the name of the backing music to this montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNCQJ9uz_a8

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Skate Free

Coach wants two crossvers in the intro - that's 4 steps plus 3 for 7. To do that and end up on the correct foot for the crossvoer, I'd have to start on my right foot and it's just a thing, I prefer to start things on my left foot if I can. So for now it's either 4 strokes and one crossover or two strokes and two crossvers. I'm leaning toward one crossover.

j

Raking leaves: Husband and I woke up to the awful knowledge that we have started colds! Not too surprising, there are an awful lot going round at the moment. We skated this morning, but are supposed to be going to Alexandra Palace this evening for their dance club - I'm going to have to dope up if I'm to go!

Discovered that our problems in waltz hold are me, not Husband. Sigh.... I can't skate forwards without pushing - with my arms! So I now have the worst exercise to try to cure it.

Husband has just come in and he's feeling rotten, too. But we both want to go to AP, oh dear oh dear...

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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!

From Monday's group lesson:

Turning leaves: Whew! I worked on FOOTWORK this lesson instead of having to jump for 1/2 hour. (I did, however, do a lot of jumping during the public session afterwards). While warming up, I was doing some backward stroking so I could chat with instructor & other "group" student (working on forward stroking technique). So the instructor decided since I was doing 1/2 of the power 3's already, we might as well work on those. Those actually went pretty well, I have been taught those already so had the basic concept - just had to have a few reminders about what EDGE to be on at each point . . . they went pretty well. So then, I asked if she could show me the waltz 8 pattern and we worked on that for a good bit as well. Other than a tendency to go wild on the last 1/3 and not make it back to center, that went pretty well too.

Public session - worked some more on footwork/edges & still ISO a non-traveling spin, waltz jump with "height" and a more consistent salchow. Actually salchows were feeling pretty good but then . . .

Raking Piles: my 9 y.o. DS (who came with me for the public session skate) said he needed to get home early because DH had specified that he needed to go to bed early because of standardized testing the next day. So I had to end my salchow-fest early. And to add insult to injury, DH later clarified that this discussion was BEFORE DS decided to go skating with me . . . we didn't NEED to be home early. Grrrrrrr . . . note to self: in the future, verify all info conveyed by DS!!

"Dope up" - that is an hilarious expression! I hope you two are feeling better soon... bummer to be sick.

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Annabel: Make sure your cold medication is approved by your skating feds! We don't want you and Robert to be disqualified for illegal substances!

Both Raking and Turning Leaves:

Well, folks! I should have remember the laws of dealing with all coaches (particular the case with secondary coach...) -- when your coach says that you did a great job at a competition, you better believe that the next lesson s/he gives you is gonna be .

We first started on just stroking around the rink two laps. I did about three of those. Two going CCW direction and one CW direction. Obviously going CCW was faster than the CW direction, but not by much. (About 5 seconds. I was expecting to go like over a minute, so I'm glad I stayed under 55 seconds.) Of course my goal is to go under 45 seconds now. (Though she didn't say which direction, I assume it's both!)

Not bad for someone that's half asleep, I think though.

Raking Piles:
Well, I have to relearn my forward crossovers again. I really need to get that underpush... especially since secondary coach threatened to put hockey skates on me in order to get me to not go on my toe pick. Given what I've read on the "Hockey Skate" thread... ummm... I made darn sure that I don't push on my toe picks on my crossovers after that!!!

Secondary coach then says: "I love your technical program! Okay so you didn't land the loop clean in the program but I know you usually have a good loop...)

(Here it comes now....)

BUT... (BINGO!!!) I don't love your flip at the end! (Geez, it IS my last jump in the program!!! ) So we spent the rest of the lesson with me hooked up to the dreaded and EVILLE harness! Of course, we ALL know how much I hate that thing. However, secondary coach said "Too bad! You're gonna have to get used to being on the harness a LOT! How are you going to learn the axel w/o a harness?" Of course, I'm going like "No! Axel!?!?" She said "Yes, axel! You didn't think you're gonna get up to the point where you're gonna eventually learn an axel." (Ummm... I was still dreading the harness at that point and I'm still trying to get a decent flip? Not even thinking lutz or axels here!!! )

Of course, that got the attention of pretty much all the adult skaters that already have an axel. They all heard it and chime in about getting used to being on that harness and just learn to pull in and up. Oooohkay!!! To add to the stress, my secondary coach is griping about her back and my not being dead weight to her. Needless to say, I was dropped quite a few times b/c she needs to protect her lower back. (I'm okay! Just banged up my left hand a bit and my pants are soaking wet.)

Turning Leaves:
But towards the end, I got some instructions that at least helped me to not be as much of a dead weight to her, I managed to land some flips that were up to snuff for her. I did some of those and though most were still two footed landing, the takeoff is much less "toe turned" (that's what she didn't like about it and we were fixing that) and I'm actually getting some height out of it. I also did some loops and they were good for the most part. (Why weren't you there for me at the competition though? )

Raking Piles again:
I survived the harness, but I'm not sure secondary coach did. Given that both my coaches are kinda shorter and/or about my height, if I have to keep going up on that harness, I better consider getting a third coach who is tall, stronger and bigger than me, very detail and analytical and has great jumping/technique and no back problems and is local to me. (My NYC coach is tall enough but since he's like skinny mini, I'm not sure he's strong enough to hoist up 125lbs on the harness there...) I want a really BIG, TALL and STRONG guy for this job! And if he happens to be "easy on the eyes"... that's bonus!!! (I'm joking on that "easy on the eyes" part, but if he has that along with my other requirements, I'm not gonna turn him down! )

Thin-Ice, kander: You think 'ol Charlie can handle it? Is he still strong and fit enough to hoist 125 lbs on a harness? I know he has hoisted kander on a harness before and kander is definitely bigger and heavier than me. I wouldn't mind having him as a coach again, even if it's just for this one thing. I know primary coach wouldn't object to my taking from Charlie either, since he had him as a coach before.

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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!!!

Tell me about it. Somebody at work introduced an utc bug and I'm trying to fix it for him. (*cry*) I HATE time zones and daylight saving too!

Raking Piles:
Actually managed to stop on my newly sharpened skates.
I have to get them sharpened more regularly. Definitely feel a difference in the edges now.

Spins were traveling, but the ice was rather hard and "wavy."

Turning Leaves:
Managed a decent camel-sit and sit-change-sit.
Threes were much easier with sharp blades.
Still two-footing the jump landings, but at least I can jump off the edges now.

Spirals were outstanding, including the change-edge spirals - I think my free foot was the highest ever, even in my ski pants! lol

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Thanks. I hope we are, too. We had to miss out last night, and I haven't gone to work today, although Husband has. He managed to eat some breakfast - I didn't!

I was chatting to a "sleb" who is training for Dancing on Ice at our rink - he's a former athlete, and he was saying how blissy it is to be able to take cold meds now, and that he'd discovered Contac, I think, which was, for him, totally magic.

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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!

Raking Piles Group Lesson was very frustrating this week. Salchows and Toe-loops the whole time. And I'm basically having to start over on both of them. My Salchow was better than my toe-loop, which I am totally toe-waltzing.

At Syncrho last night I fell in a traveling circle, and thankfully didn't knock into anyone else. But I have a 3 inch bruise my back below my ribs. It's HUGE. I really didn't think I fell that hard- it really didn't even phase me.

Turning Leaves Learned the 5 step mohawk, wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. I'd say I'm "ready" to take the test- EXCEPT all the patterns that go one way start on my bad side. So I don't have an entry for the back crossover patterns yet (because turning CCW going that fast is really hard!) and the first mohawk scares the crap out of me (once I get going I'm fine. But I freak out and abort the pattern everytime). It seems a bit unfair that I have to do the pattern MORE on the hard side (5 lobes- 3 hard, 2 easy). Why isn't it done equally on both legs. (I guess this is raking leaves again.)

Also got complimented on synchro that I "look like I know what I'm doing". Guess that's good, since I can't do any of it! At least it's obvious I know what I SHOULD be doing.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)