HEY FELLOW SKATERS!!!!!!

Let's get a grip on things. Way too much injury and sickness going on.

Let's be careful out there!!! And get well, too.

You should see the things my physical therapist does to me.

I do a "3 times a day - 15 different stretching exercises each time" workout which makes my arm and shoulder very sore and I get weak in the knees from the pain.

When my PT actually gets hold of my arm/shoulder once a week, I can't move my arm for at least a day afterward from the soreness.

I swear she enjoys her work too much!!!

Keep working hard, Gary! You'll see it pay off soon.

Thanks for the info on mohawks, Mrs. Redboots and dbny. Coming up in Freestyle 6, we have a 5-step mohawk sequence. I better start working on my turnout now.

Thanks for the good wishes .

The Doctor at Urgent Care said as long as I had no symptoms within 24 hours it was ok for me to skate. I did not, so I did.

Didn't do any jumps or spins. Instead I worked on field moves and on checking the entries to my salchow & toe loop. I really like to swing my arms too soon into them when I double them , so I though it might help to drill the checks without actually jumping.

Tomorrow, if I feel ok, it will be back to the jumps and spins !

Depressing? Uplifting? Not sure yet. Coach wants me to take Rocker Foxtrot in just under six weeks. Ok, whatever. I think it'll be ready. Then this morning, he starts threatening me with the American Waltz. Rocker was horrid this morning (after having been really good yesterday, of course), so I asked if maybe we should focus on getting the American ready for next month. He said we probably should. I said, you mean instead of the Rocker. He said, no, we should think about doing them both I don't think I want to do two dances in one day- I have to solo them both, and it's possible- not at all likely, but possible- that I'd have to do them one right after the other. We have two test sessions coming up in March, so as long as coach isn't on call for both of them, I think I'll wait. But if he can't get either one off I'll probably risk it in February rather than wait until the end of April if he thinks I have a shot at passing.

Definitely depressing is my Silver Tango. It's much, much, better- up till the mohawk. Even the inside three after the mohawk is better, but I'd be shooting to test this one in August and probably not before.

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! You have put a new perspective on my recovery from a broken wrist. Do you take ibuprofen and hot soaks?

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Uplifting: Not sick and not injured. Just a bit tired from working and skating on the same day which I haven't done for months.

Eg: today I got up at 5:30 am to shower and get ready for work for 7 am and worked 8 and half hours on my feet. Then did half hour grocery shopping after work, drove home, cam online to check Canadian National Men's Results for qualifying rounds and then got to the rink for 5:30 pm, warmed up by skipping and then finally did my hour and half session. Didn't want a lesson today as I was so tired I couldn't keep track of where the other skaters were.

Yesterday, after helping teach CanSkate for the first time since last year, I found that it helped to loosen my muscles up and relax me. I was able to bend my knees deeper which make my footwork fly across the ice. I wasn't use to it. When I skated faster for my coach, I freaked out mid way on my footwork section because of the speed. I've never had so much speed before. Today, I did the same footwork again with the same speed but this time I didn't freak and was able to finish the footwork section. This is the footwork I did; RFI Op Mo, LBI swing change edge to LBO, LBO Choctaw to RFI, RFI Op Mo, LB crossover, RB closed Mo, LFO edge to RB toe pick, LBI, RBO, LFO, RFI double3, LFO, RFI Op Mo, back snowman into LBI double three, back snowman into LBI double three, LBI closed mohawk, RFI Op Mo, salchow/toe loop combination. This footwork in my US interpretive freeskate runs diagonally from one corner of the rink to the other.
Yesterday, I didn't have my salchow back yet. Today, I not only got it back but did it in combination. The salchow has been gone for a long time until today.

Even though I was extrememly tired, it was a good skate day. The only depressing part was that the more tired I got, the more out of control I got and I couldn't even do a waltz jump. But, hey, I am really tired.

Brigitte

__________________
"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

Well .... after an abortive attempt to start back in November .... I'M BACK!!!

Feel a bit lost now I'm coachless so didn't really practise anything effectively but things weren't TOO bad! I've put on weight and I'm not as strong or as stable but the jumps and spins were ok I even landed the Lutz first time out!!!!! Have still got loop-loop, loop-loop-loop and flip-loop combinations but didn't try the Lutz-loop as the Lutz was a bit ropey BEFORE I broke my wrist so I want to get that consistent again before I get brave!! Scratch spin was remarkably centred and long (not as in long jump but as in lots of rotations), sit spin wasn't low enough (due to expanded belly) and I only 'got' one camel out of five .... oh, oh, oh, and the BACKSPIN has miraculously improved even though I've been off the ice since August 13th! I got a few pretty ok ones yesterday and today ..... my only problem is getting out of it, I STILL flail around and panic (I was told by another skater that this was TOTALLY unneccessary as the spin had been fine until then). Oh, well, not bad for my second day back.

Where I'm noticing my lack of practise most is in dance. When I go off to do a dance I realise that I've lost a lot of speed, a lot of power and am still a bit wobbly ("it's only your second day back, you stupid tart" was the reply when I whinged about this to another skater). I wouldn't even ATTEMPT a 22-step with the music at the moment (done to the Kilian) whereas I was doing it solo before my accident

GOOD NEWS

My Dance coach has being trying to ring me about booking lessons but, as I've moved he didn't have my new number! At least I'll get SOME lessons in ...... and maybe he'll teach me Free as well! I would have still liked to have Madame for lessons as she is technically very strict and turns out some amazing dancers BUT it's not to be so ...... shut up Lynne!

I hope that everyone who is suffering is getting better quickly.

L x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Lynne, I'm so glad you're back. Incidentally, if you can get across town, my coach was at the rink at 7.30 this morning with no lesson until mine at 9.30, and would have loved a pupil or six! So would I have loved him to have had one - I got the brunt of it all... Free, dance or pairs - he's great at all of them, but pairs is his real love.

Rachel, this virus that's going round is horrible - I would be surprised if you hadn't caught it! Get well soon - but be warned, you feel better some days before your strength comes back!

Uplifting: Got through my lesson without coughing! The ice was wonderful - which had its downside, as it meant the coach could, and did, look at every single tracing I produced, and was rude about them! Worked on changes of edge, back outside edges, forward cross-rolls, forwards outside and inside edges (spiralling in), and some speed-work. Also a bit on 3-turns, and where my shoulders should be. Had a brilliant snowball fight afterwards with the ice dancers!

Depressing: It snowed all morning and I'm not sure if we'll be able to go to dance club at Lynne's rink this evening. The ice was so clean the coach could see all my tracings and was rude about them. I cannot balance on a BO edge, especially not on my left foot.

But it was fun.

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

Lynne
I'm glad you've gone back, and great news about other coach. Maybe your love for it will return!

Uplifting......depressing Wednesday

Not many on the ice.
Started, as usual with field moves. I only got part way through and coach arrived for my lesson. The field moves were better yesterday!
On the back cross rolls, I was stretching my free foot back right away to meet the new curve. Coach tells me to hold the free foot more to the front and step back right at the end.
I didn't know this.
I've been practicing it wrong for months.

Spins
Sit spin was ok except for the flower tracing. It's like little double-edged loops on a small circle about 18 inches in diameter.
Can anyone ((Kay))tell me what do to to make it stay on the spot. Around 50% are on the spot, but I don't know what I'm doing differently on each? One travels in a circle the other doesn't - weird.
The camel-sit didn't have enough camel, then when it did, I didn't have the change of position fast enough.
The backspin from LFI 3 turn was depressing.
Back of blade.....inside edge......back of blade.....inside edge......
Coach told me to forget my feet and concentrate on my arms which apparently one of them swings upwards (might have a lot to do with why I go backwards). I didn't know this.
I can't wait to see my backspin on video. It might throw some light on the matter.

End of lesson.
I practiced with one of my young skate buddies, even having a go at laybacks which I don't do because the rink isn't ready for such sights. Surprisingly, she didn't laugh.

At the end we practiced teapots or shoot the ducks, the length of the rink - and not one of us could get back up. Only 2 months ago I could get up.
Truly mortified.
Also have to face up to the fact that I haven't been to gym or skating as regularly since before xmas, so I'm really not as fit as I could be.
Lots of work to do and hate doing it in the cold winter!

__________________
MEL
Absolute Skating

Hi, I'm back from Ireland. It was a great trip, and we saw amazing beauty in the countryside. We arrived back Saturday night, and our bags followed on Sunday night.
We arrived back to some sad news that a friend and neighbor had died. It's quite a shock. Her service was well attended by our neighborhood family.
I picked up a nasty bug from the plane (did it have a passport?) and have been out for o couple of days, and am finally back at work.
I'm looking forward to getting back to skating this weekend (it's been two weeks!) and getting ready for the competition at the end of the month. eeeks!
Things happen so fast, and we always hear someone saying they wished they made that call to catch up with someone before it's too late. Well, I thought that we also need to hear the other. I did make that call. I phoned my friend before we left on vacation and we chatted. As we said goodbye, another friend was dropping by to see her to do the same. I'll remember this the next time I'm thinking about that call I want to make, and make it out of friendship.

Naproxen twice a day.
I was on hydrocodone (codeine) 6 times a day, but they just switched me to Darvocet 3 times a day.

Also ice packs after every stretch.

The stretches are also helping my wrist from where I fractured it in 2001 while skating. That particular orthopaedist (and I use the term loosely) didn't set up any type of PT for me, hence my wrist was still stiff.

Combining a couple of weeks of skating here since we were on a weird schedule last week and are just now getting back to "normal".

Uplifting

New blades. My old Pattern 99's had the life sharpened right out of them and I bought new ones right before the holidays. After having the left one repositioned slightly they feel GREAT. I am way less scratchy on these since the toe is a little higher from the ice. Jumps feel huge, and spins center themselves again.

Way Uplifting

AXEL LESSON. I haven't had one of these in, like, forever. Not since summer - I was too busy focusing on the competition I had at the end of the summer, and after that, my recent Silver MITF floppola. All considered it went very well. We have spent most of our axel-esque time on weight shift exercises, and we went back and reviewed every one of those. Then she let me try the whole thing, not even on the harness (tried that once, didn't really like it). I am nowhere near jumping high enough, nor rotated. But it does want to land on the right foot pretty naturally. All that backspin work does pay off down the road.

Up Up and Away Uplifting

Kiddies were all out of school last week and skating during the mornings and early afternoons. I arrived at the rink after work last Thursday to find that I was the ONLY ONE ON THE LATE PM FREESTYLE. Oh the joy and bliss of running my program and not worrying about decapitating a clueless child on my back spiral. Made myself immensely popular with Taz Jr. that night as I went home and told her that I was hereby outlawing school.

Depressing

Kiddies are back in school now and the evening freestyles are a zoo. Junior had to bail on her program last night because of a COACH cluelessly standing in her way, for Pete's sake.

Ouch

Taz Jr. was working on her Juv. cross strokes in preparation for tomorrow's retry of her Juv. MITF. Another girl was standing on the ice directly in her path, yakking away to a friend, Junior was doing the backward ones and did not see her, and had her legs taken out from under her. She went airborne backwards and made that horrifying THUD of head hitting ice. Nothing she could do to save it. Mother Taz was not on the ice at the time but saw it coming and was running to her before she even hit. We are feeling very lucky that she only ended up with a small bump on the back of the head, and not a concussion.

I sympathize. Hope she's ok.

Nobody else is allowed to do that. Between Taz Jr and myself, we've had quite enough this year already.

Singerskates--
what's a "snowman"? I'm in basic skills lessons so I haven't gotten to Moves yet and I've never heard of this before.

Congrats on your new blades! I'm saving to buy myself a new (to me) pair of new or used blades eventually. I have rec blades (Wilson Excel, eyuk) right now.

It's nothing in moves in the field, unless it's a Canadian term for something we have another name for in the States. I'm curious too- I've been skating for over ten years and have never heard of this before. What is it?

A snowman is really a simple move you learn in CanSkate/Learn To Skate. Going forwards you start with your heels together and your toes apart gliding on your inside edges with your needs bent until you reach the point where your legs are far apart and not bent anymore still on your inside edges. At that point you bring in your legs to touch your toes and increase how much you bend your knees. To do them backwards you start with the toes touching and the heels apart and then end with the heels together and the toes apart. In the US it may be called sculling. Same difference. LOL

Brigitte

Today is a day off of the ice for me. Finally get to rest today after putting in a 7 hour and 45 min day at work. Husband woke me up at 5:30 am again today with his alarm that wakes the dead. Can't wait until he goes on Midnights next week. Then I can go to sleep when I want and get up to a quieter alarm set to when I want to get up. Just two more days of his waking up the dead.

__________________
"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

This is my week so far:
On Monday, had lesson with coach as well as plyometric class!
Set loop up in program- I come to a complete stop, do a RFI3 then jump! It's very awkward for now, we'll see what happens!
Tuesday:
Had a God- awful run-through of above mentioned program! It seemed like everytime and everywhere I had a element planned, a coach was teaching a skater! UGH! Has anyone experienced this on freestyle?

Oh, so snowmen are what we call sculling or swizzles. I thought that might be it.

Almost the same thing happened to my daughter on that move during her test warm-up. Another skater moved behind her right after she had looked. This kid just stood there when my daughter hit the ice like a ton of bricks. Fortunately, she fell onto her hip and not her head, and went on the pass the test. My husband had a camcorder and actually caught the whole thing on tape. I used to be scared of tripping myself on this move, but it seems other people are a worse menace.

May Taz Jr. follow up her spill with a pass

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We call them either swizzles or footballs. Some kids relate to the shape of an American football better.

Do one forward than back and it's a rocking horse. What is that in Canada? UK?

__________________

LOL and in the UK we call them 'lemons' (cos that's what I looked like when I was learning them!)

L x

__________________

The best whisper is a click

Pretty crowded ice but not too bad an evening. Still getting my skating legs after more than a week off.

Uplifting - My waltz jump felt very nice and like I might have been getting some air. In general I felt more "in" the ice than I had on Monday.

Depressing - still having problems with the scratch spin, I rush the 3 turns after the back cross overs so I am "whipping" into the spin, that's one reason I am going too fast.

__________________
Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
Maurice Setter

Ahh, I sit here at work, trying to recover my energy level after my lesson, where we did:

Spirals--corrected the lousy free leg position seen in my exhibition, toe pointed properly and leg parallel to ice
Toeloop-several times, worked on coordinating arms better and getting jump fully around, with some definite success
Toeloop out of stroking Oh, my!
Salchows, several times, again worked on getting fully around and getting arms correct, with improvement.
Salchow out of back crossvers Oh, my, my!!!!
Waltz/Toeloop Combination: This went pretty well!! There was less to it than I thought!
and to end the morning: SALCHOW/TOELOOP!!!! Oh me, oh my!!!! Very scratchy, but looking promising.

I think I will have my secretary lash me to my chair so I look alert instead of "jumped out" and lifeless...

Grins,

Beth