Skated at another rink last night. We normally skate for nearly 2 hours there, with a break when the ice is cut, but for various reasons we all got off after the "patch" (teaching ice) ended at 7.45 pm. Which was great, because we got home far earlier than usual. Even still, I slept the clock round - I was exhausted.

Spring Flowers: Husband and his Other Partner were able to get a lesson from one of the really good dance coaches in this country, which helped them no end (if they can remember what they were taught and actually do it when the time comes). I meanwhile, worked on my edges, and various steps of my artistic programme, plus stepping through a few dances on my own and working on my back cross-cuts & cross-rolls.

April Showers: I'm going to have to change my .sig very soon - it's the cross-rolls are proving more difficult than the cross-cuts! I can do them beautifully when someone holds my hands or in dance hold, and I rather think I could probably do them beautifully holding a Dyna-Band (must try, this evening - didn't like to do this on a rink whose policies I'm not too sure of), but without one, I didn't have the confidence to really swing my shoulders and open up as I needed to.

My forward outside edges are awful! I was doing sequences of run/chassé/swing on each foot, and then holding the swing roll - my right foot wasn't just so bad, but my left foot didn't get on nearly such a good edge. I suppose it's inevitable that one side is worse than the other..... great nuisance, though. But I was amused by how much more ice my run/chassé/swing combination covers than it did the last time I had that particular combination in a programme or free dance!

My knee "went" on me, so I didn't want to stay on the ice after the end of the session - it's fine today, although I'm still aware I have one, but I didn't want to skate on it much more that evening. Other Woman's husband also decided not to skate as it was very crowded, and their Zamboni broke down (I thought it was only ours did that!) so the ice had only been partially cut. And as it did get more and more crowded, and it was obviously about to be standing-room only, Husband and Other Woman decided to get off, too....

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

Spring Flowers:
I had another great practice yesterday. I worked so hard that I had to take my jacket off after the first half hour, and kept it off the rest of the time (an hour). This was in one of the coldest rinks I know of. I am really pushing to get the Prelim spiral pattern. The spirals are not in it yet, but the pattern itself, with back arched and free leg extended as high as it will go, is starting to improve. I am now getting through the FO alternating threes with just a tiny touch down before stepping forward. I'm actually getting the LFO three at the top of the lobe instead of early, which has been one of my big problems (aside for doing the turn at all). I also can finally just do a FO three whenever, a skill which deserted me when I broke my wrist at Lake Placid almost four years ago. F power pulls are not so scary anymore, and I'm starting to hear a rip on the outside edges also.

April Showers:
Spirals! I did them at home and saw that my free leg was at least hip height. I did them standing at the boards and saw in the glass that it was also hip height. Putting them into the Prelim spiral pattern is another matter altogether. Still have not nailed the FI alt three pattern, but I can always do the first one whether it is R or L, so there is hope for the rest of the pattern. I must remember to keep my free hip open after pushing, and imagine the blue line running through the top of each lobe instead of being the axis for the pattern.

I've devised a move to help my spins, but I'm sure my coach won't approve, so I'm not telling her. My biggest problem on a one foot spin is that I'm afraid of tipping to the left (CCW spin), so I always tip to the right instead of being directly on top of my blade. I tried my new idea yesterday and it did help. I skate backwards, hold my R foot in front and a little to the side as if I were spinning, and gently go up onto the spin point. The goal is to keep from tipping so far forward that I go onto the toe pick and stop moving. I'm also paying attention to my skating knee, and trying to rise up without tipping off the spin point in any direction.

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Spring Flowers: My axel has returned just in time for AN! I landed it in competition on Sunday and it was fairly consistant this morning. (BTW I placed 2nd at this competiton! Okay, there were only 3 of us, but who's counting ) Coach fixed my flying camel today and improved my sit spin. I hope this trend continues!

April Showers: Looked at my video tape from Sunday's comp. I still look like an Adult onset skater in many of my elements.

I'm doing a critique tomorrow night put on by my club for adults going to Nationals. I think it might be a little late for this, this close to AN, but I thought it would be a good experience anyway.

PattyP

April Showers
......all the way. We have no ice time this week due to skate camp and other rink commitments. This wouldn't normally be a great deal, only I'm competing at Streatham next week and it looks like I'll get just one skate on Monday and no lesson at all, all week. I'm going to be pretty useless without a good few skates beforehand and so I'm feeling pretty bummed right now.

Nicki

I bet you are - can you get up to Slough, or down to Basingstoke, to practice there? Or even come and get used to our ice - but your family commitments probably don't allow for that. Anyway, I'll be there for you on Tuesday & will put you on the ice, as promised.

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

Spring Flowers: Now I've only just started ice skating so I'm going through all the badges/tests that little kids do but I passed my first badge/test last night (which means I can stop, start, fall over, skate forwards/backwards). My crossovers are getting alot better which is good as we will be doing a badge/test on it soon.

April Showers: I failed my second test/badge, who knew it would be hard to snow plough stop with my left foot rather than my right foot. Spent heaps of time practicing it last night, and I can retest it on Saturday. Oh well.

Spring Flowers : New skates, new skates, new skates! Which actually hold my ankles up so I can do BO/BI edges without fighting the skates! Whee!

April Showers: Showers overridden by new skates, new skates, new skates!

Thanks Annabel. You know what it's like for us adults. I need a few good skates before competing especially with this programme. Obviously it's my hardest yet. Lesley is coming from Bracknell too and at the moment we're thinking of a very early start in order to get onto your practice ice. I'm worried because as far as I understand, your rink is smaller than ours and I'm practically touching the barriers as it is!!! Oh well, all I can do is my best and if it all goes pear-shaped, so what?!!!

Nicki

Spring Flowers: Our synchro routine is really starting to rock! AND we are getting even more ice time after lessons end for the season for more rehearsals for the other numbers. And my waltz jump is improving. And my new skates/blades came in (but must be sharpened and I must now go through the break-in process so I don't think I can wear them for the show).

April Showers: My skates are dull, dull, dull and don't hold and edge and have been sent to my trusted sharpener; my spins don't spin, and the show is less than 2 weeks away and I've still got costumes to finish! And did I mention the break-in process on my new skates?

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

I was having similar issues when I first learned to spin (now I'm re-learning, but that's another story ) and my coach had me doing the same thing. Skating backwards on my right foot (I'm CW) and then pulling my left foot to the position is was supposed to be in and pulling my arms in, and still holding the correct position on my right foot. Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to try it again tomorrow.

Pat

Spring flowers:
Moves- had a lesson with Coach #2 today and she said that my moves have improved since last time- even the power threes! That Bronze MIF test may seem doable this spring or summer after all!

April Showers:
With all the work on moves, my freestyle elements are slowly but steadily going to pot. Therefore, I've asked Coach #1 to please work on freestyle on my lesson Thursday!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Well, you made my day, but I'm still not telling my coach!

Spring Flowers:
Had another good hour and a half practice today. B crossover to BO edge pattern is much better after checking it in the rule book. During my lesson last week, I heard my coach yelling something about the entry Mohawk, and the diagram confirmed what I had thought. I hadn't understood the pattern correctly, and was doing the entry Mohawk way too late. I'm also managing to get my free leg higher on this pattern and it's starting to feel faster and more flowy. I've been watching other people's lessons on power pulls, and noticed that some coaches teach bringing the free foot back to parallel for each F pull. I tried it and can do it, but feel keeping it forward is more elegant. Will keep playing with it. My big surprise in today's practice was that at the end, I just felt the need to do some RBO threes, and did them without fear. Need to work on the check, of course. I think the F power pulls are great practice for B threes, as they require the weight to be on the back of the blade, which is a bit scary.

April Showers:
Still Spirals! Some of little kids at the rink offered to lend me theirs . My FO and FI threes were not as good as yesterday, nor was the Prelim power three pattern, but I was still able to do them all. Lesson tomorrow, hope the good stuff shows up for it!

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Spring Flowers: Had skating last night... went through my program and landed most of my jumps except for the axel and double sow... i landed my double toe... in the program...

April Showers: Was doing skills and i was doing a cross cut and I put my foot so far under that the blade came off the ice and i was skating on the side of my boot.... you can probably picture what came after that...... SPLAT!

We're the same length as you, but a little narrower - 26 metres rather than 30. I'll put Lesley on the ice too, if she likes.... typical, isn't it - Husband went to the draw last night, and can he remember what order you are skating in? You guess! He can't even remember where his Other Partner is skating..... I should have gone down & made notes, but I had forgotten it was the draw & I was tired.

But I skated this morning, first of 2 skates for today. Arrived at the rink to find a very large van parked very awkwardly, and when we got in, there was a scaffolding tower & two workmen working on the spotlights. As my coach said, they would have been more to the point to have worked on the sound system.... One skater was yelling at her coach that "she had a competition in six days....." I thought it more tactful not to tell her about NickiT's complete loss of ice! And anyway, the scaffolding tower was not too awkward - one had to look out for it, but it didn't really impact on one's programme. I felt sorry for the workmen, though - they kept having to get on and off the ice, and it must have been like crossing the M25 (or your local Interstate) in the rush hour!

Spring Flowers: Coach was actually complimentary about my edges. He agreed that my LFO edge wasn't as steep as my RFO one, but said it was perfectly respectable, and only caused by the fact that I have trouble staying over my left hip. Said to practice the run-chassé-swing combination, and to remember to extend properly! And to watch my hands.... and....

Programme run-through went well. Again, coach was complimentary about my twizzles - why is it, though, that I can do really nice FI twizzles, but only one revolution, and my BI ones, which I am using in this programme, don't look so nice but I can get a reliable 1.5 revolution on my right foot? And I managed my 3-turn sequence, but I'm going to work up some "alternative choreography" just in case..... I'm still not 100% sure it will work. That's the trouble with doing what, for me, are rather showing-off steps - most skaters wouldn't find them hard, but you know me..... so I'm doing steps at the limit of my ability to do well. Oh, and on the way home I've bought most of the costume!

April Showers: Back cross rolls mutter mutter mutter, back cross cuts, mutter mutter mutter, back outside edges..... Actually, they are all coming along nicely now, and they are all suffering from the same affliction - my shoulders! If I concentrate on where my shoulders should be (which is hard, for the back cross-rolls - I tend to bottle out on getting enough oomph in them), then I forget everything else, like hands, and extension, and.... and when I think of those things, I forget about my shoulders. Sigh.... Coach says I may & should practice with my Dyna-Band, as it works for me!

Now to rest up before tonight's skating at Tashakat's old rink!

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

Thankfully synchro aren't using our late club patch at 9.15 tonight so it means that Lesley and I can get up there and have a bit of a practice. With a bit of luck I'll be able to run through my programme a couple of times.

It's a shame your hubby can't remember the skate order. I hate being first or last but don't mind any other order. Do you have any idea how many are in our class? I expect I'll come last anyway!

Nicki

Oh good! That'll make you feel better about it, I know.

He thinks about 7.... needless to say he's not sure of that, either.... I have never NOT come last at my home rink. One of these days..... but I'm not skating this time as my artistic programme wouldn't have been ready in time.

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

Showers -- not enough practice. Never enough practice. Why did I think I should start skating again in the SPRING? Back inside and outside threes BITE.

Flowers -- I am liking the coach. There was hardly anyone at the rink today. My forward scratch spin made a guest appearance after new coach corrected a few things. Why had I never been told those things before??? Landed a couple decent loops. Found out crosscut thingies aren't so terrible. Fell. It's not a good practice if I don't fall at least once.

Showers again -- I hate three turns I have to two foot -- I hate more when I two foot it and I still can't do it!

Spring Flowers:
Had my lesson today and only worked on the Prelim spiral pattern and a little on the BO crossovers to BO edges. I'm finally on pattern, and even getting my L leg almost high enough. I also now have enough power to get through the FO side of the pattern, which is always slower for me.

The BO XO's to BO edges are passing standard! Now I am to refine the pattern by making sure my free leg is fully extended, knee locked. That gives me a confident pass on three out of the six moves in this test.

I've decided that since I do not have the turnout for spread eagles or Ina Bauers, I am going to develop knock out spirals. It may take me several years, but at least I know it is doable, and I'm not afraid of spirals at all.

April Showers:
I have not slept well for the past two nights, and I felt it today. I just did not have the energy I needed to warm up properly before my lesson, which comes a half hour after I've finished an hour's teaching. Moves that were their best ever on Friday and Monday started to decline a bit yesterday, and today I did not have the strength to fight with them much. Three turns were the primary victim. I'm supposed to skate an hour and a half freestyle tomorrow afternoon, but I may not go if I'm still so tired. I'm skating Friday, and I might be better off with a little rest first.

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Showers: Ugh. I've worked on practically nothing but my one dance for 5 1/2 months---you'd think I'd be able to pull it together by now, right?? No, skated pretty crappy today, wild & sloppy & not into my knees enough. I'm testing it again in May, and I WANT to pass it this time! I'm very tired of it. I am paying my coach a fortune to tell me the same things over & over, & I can't seem to get my body to put it all together in the right sequence--if one thing is fixed, then something else falls apart.

Flowers: Nothing. Nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing.

Showers: main coach got stuck in traffic because of an early rush hour accident, so I only had 10 minutes with him.

Flowers: Made a breakthrough (if I can remember it) on how to track into the closed mohawk in the Starlight. Think I know what to do to not rush the end 3-turn quite so much, but need to try it out.

In my other lesson, we worked back cross-rolls, back chasses (ala Starlight) and back crossovers. My knees and what-not definitely know they got worked today.

__________________
American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

Spring flowers:

• LFO3 are better. We'll see what my secondary coach has to say on Wed. morning...
• 5 step mohawks are better in the middle of the session.
• Flips are crappy but not as bad as loops.

April Showers:

• RFO3, losing the step to FO edge thing. I'm really having trouble now. GRRRR!!!
• 5 step mohawks bad at the end of the session. I was fearful of doing a RFI mohawk at the end. I know then NOT to push for it... and leave it on the ice!
• Loops are crappy.
• Primary coach not landing his double sal and then watching him grab his knees for some reason. (Turns out he took a spill at home and feel on his tush badly and for a while he could even sit w/o his butt hurting. i.e he's injuried but it's NOT his knees...)

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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!!!

Spring flowers:

• Secondary coach is very happy with the LFO3's now! Now she wants to see if I could go faster! Sure enough, I can and it wasn't as scary! WOO HOO!!!

April Showers:

• Back crossovers on one side and spiral (mostly FI edge ones) are sucky! My secondary coach says that I really to take Yoga and get my flexibility up. AUGH!!! Where the h*** am I gonna find the time?

__________________
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!!!

Spring flowers:

• LFO3 are better. We'll see what my secondary coach has to say on Wed. morning...
• 5 step mohawks are better in the middle of the session...well, when I'm not getting cut off.
• Sit spins are coming alone
• Camels are getting better.

April Showers:

• Secondary coach not there to watch "dog and pony" show. And I'll probably won't see her next week b/c she'll be at a competition. (I heard something like she's gonna be in Florida...)
• RFO3, losing the step to FO edge thing. STILL having trouble now. GRRRR!!! Where were the ones I did last week???
• Fell on my knees! Having a hard time bending left knee at times... but ironically, I can still skate on them. (Probably gonna be just a nasty bruise by tomorrow night.)

__________________
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!!!

Spring Flowers: The monthly - actually, they're weekly, but we only go monthly - class at Alexandra Palace was fantastic! They have decided to re-work the forwards dances, largely for the benefit of beginners, but also to work the edges of those of us with a little more experience. So the introductory moves were pretty easy, except for FO swing rolls done counter-body - I usually find them easier than with-body, but last night I kept doing them counter-body on one side and with-body on the other - in other words, wasn't moving my shoulders properly.

The coach asked us to show her the dance, which we did, and she said it was quite good - and then proceeded to tear bits out of Husband about his FI edges, saying he was using his free hip too much and making it more difficult for me. Well, I could have told her that, and have told him that, frequently and loudly - not so much about his FI edges (I appear to have adjusted to those!) but his BO ones, where he tends to get the edge by drawing it with his bottom, and it is so-o-o-o difficult to track! I plan to have Words with his coaches before our lessons on Sunday!

The social dancing was fun, as social dance always is - danced with a couple of other men, including Other Woman's Husband, which is always nice, especially if it means I don't have to do the Prelim waltz with Husband, because he always over-rotates his 3s and it's a bear to partner him. Only my 3-turns were a bit skiddy, so I must have been awful to partner, too!

Oh, and I discovered that if I do the chassé properly in the Canasta (bending into it, not just picking the free foot up!), I get a decent FO edge on the first swing. I said this to Other Woman, and she was like, well, duh, so you may laugh if you choose! But I also think I may have had a breakthrough on the step to forwards on the Fiesta - I have a feeling that if one lifts one's foot up, it then makes it easier to step down again. Need to try this if I go to dance club tonight....

Cor, thunder! I am not going if it is thundering, that's for certain!

April Showers: Going on outside my window right this minute! Nothing much - didn't do the Swing Dance as well as I'd like, and Husband had totally forgotten what we were working on in the Willow, at least, in the first pattern (the 2nd time, I did the 3-turn too early, which didn't help either of us). Wish we could keep the speed up in the Fiesta - we do the first pattern really quite respectably fast, but grind to a halt because we do the step to forwards so badly! So the next pattern is slower, and the 3rd slower still.... I'm looking forward to seeing how the pre-Bronze dancers manage at Adult Nationals - and the Willow Waltz....

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

Spring Flowers
We were alerted to a free bit of patch ice late last night so I managed to get an extra bit of practice before next week's competition, but.............

April Showers
I did something pretty stupid. My piriformis syndrome has flared up a little of late, I guess from doing more jumps than usual in anticipation of competing next week. Anyway I decided to do a trial of the two and a half minute on-ice warm-up but in my haste I forgot to warm-up off the ice first. Big mistake. I got to the first jump in my programme and felt a "ping" in my right hip/groin area. I guess with the flared up piriformis problem caused by my twisted pelvis, I have quite a weakness in that area. I tried to do the jump again but it hurt so I rushed off for some ibuprofen. No matter what, I had to get some practice in. I did manage to run through my programme twice though I was very wary of jumping because of the strain I'd obviously done, and the crossovers into a spin and any spin really hurt. I probably won't get to skate now till Monday anyway, so hopefully the few days off will be enough to help it to heal. I just don't believe my luck on this.

Nicki