Bent knees: I was watching Physics on Ice last night, so of course, had to go and skate this morning! Husband was still fast asleep when I left the house, and tells me he didn't wake up for hours (mind you, I had a nap this afternoon). Had great fun trying things, and improved my twizzles 100%! Wasn't really working, just playing - too many people on the ice to do anything very serious - but did some laps of continuous forwards cross-rolls, and some of plain vanilla basic inside and outside edges. Also worked on Mohawk sequences, inside 3s, and an "easy" footwork sequence from Physics on Ice - bracket-3-bracket into choctaw. Easy? I don't think so!!!!! Ended up gossiping outside the rink with several of our club, one of whom is also a Hockey Mother who had brought her son to catch the coach to an away match..... So a very pleasant morning.

Stiff Legs: Can't do continuous brackets, or rather, bracket-3-brackets. Can't do cross-roll twizzles. Can't do clockwise back crossovers. Sigh..... But had fun trying! I've been working too hard lately, I really needed to just play!

Patty, so sorry to hear about your lace bite. I have it slightly - maybe you should take the laces out of your boots and start all over again, that often fixes things, I find, if it's developed suddenly. Or, better yet, try a new pair of laces - sometimes the old pair has died, and you don't realise it, and it makes 100% difference, almost like having new boots but without the break-in.

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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!

Oh, Patty! I'm sorry! I hope you heal fast so you could make your Gold FS debut at Skate SF...

Bent Knee: Looks like my footwork is coming along, though it's far from perfect... but I'm definitely skating faster this year. Now I'm aiming for "cleaner." And on the Bronze Moves front, my forward power 3's on my weaker side are definitely faster, but I think my secondary coach wants it faster still... but so far if I concentrate, they're definitely cleaner edges... Same w/the 5 step mohawks

Stiff Leg: Some of the footwork is still kinda sloppy or inconsistent. Still hae to work on 5 step mohawks, since they are more than just on the Bronze Moves element list -- they are PART of my footwork sequence... you'll have to watch for it, Patty (and especially ask8ngcat too! I think you'll be surprised...)

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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!!!

Bent Knees: Clean run-through of our Free Dance. Coach reckons we can enter the first minute for Level 1 test, but thinks we need to "dumb it down" a bit to ensure clean steps. Know what he means.... but won't start thinking about that until after the Scottish. Good work on Rhythm Blues.

Stiff Legs: But in the Canasta Tango, we don't know what happened, but our blades clicked and all of a sudden I was sitting on the ice, rather hard! Owwwww..... major bruise on my bottom, and slight wrench of my back (no real damage, thankfully), but, worst of all, it's started my sciatica going and my leg feels like it won't support me. An excellent excuse not to go to the RIDL match this afternoon, mind.... but I hope it clears by tomorrow. It should do - I've applied arnica, taken a painkiller and had a hot bath, so should be all right, but was shocked, which I hate. That bit is over, thankfully. Of course got straight back up and did the dance again, but was thankful to get off the ice at the end of my lesson. Coach stopped the music and let me take my time getting up - I ought to have got straight up and carried on with the dance, which I'd have to do if it happened in competition. Oh well.... it doesn't happen often, I just hope it doesn't put me off. Shouldn't.

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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!

Owy! I so hope you are feeling better now Annabel! Sciatic pain and leg weakness is so distressing! I've struggled with it for decades.

Just a personal note to all - I had my 4 week X-rays after I fractured my kneecap and it has healed enough that I have been let out of prison (knee immobilizer 24/7) and can start PT. Finally a night of real sleep! No skating for a minimum of 6 weeks pending my progress with PT. Called coach with the good news! I may just use December to get my skills back and start lessons after January 1st.

Thanks, yes, feeling lots better now. Mega-bruise on my bottom, which doesn't show yet (it's quite a deep bruise), but nerve shock over, and I'll be able to skate, if stiffly, tonight! I hope - if it gets worse, and I have to take another Ibuprofen, I won't go, but, 8 hours away from having to make that decision, I do plan to!

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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!

Sorry to hear of your bruised bottom, Annabel. May I join the club since I took one almighty thud onto the ice on my right buttock on Friday and I've been pretty sore ever since. Can't see the bruise but there's a definite bump where I hit it!!!! Thank goodness for all the excess padding, that's all I can say!!!

Anyway, been back on the ice today and it was all

Bent Knees
My coach asked me to try a lutz-loop on Friday and I did one out of two attempts. In practice today I did several - at least 10, and just missed the one. It doesn't feel as bad as I thought it would, so I can see this combination making an appearance in my next programme. Also worked on improving my camel spin and did a few camel/sit/change sit combinations while I was at it. I was also a very good girl today and I practised all my bronze field move exercises. I figured they are never going to feel vaguely comfortable if I never get used to doing them. I still hate the back inside three turn on the right foot and the back outside three on the left.

Nicki

Glad your feeling a bit better Annebel. That can really hurt!

Stiff legs: I know this is last weeks, but it's so appropriate! Still not skating, marathon recovery. I can hardly walk. I plan to be back on the ice Thurs or Friday.

Bent Knees: My marathon went better than planned and I had a personal best by more than 10 minutes. My time was 3:54, if there are any other running geeks here that might be interested.

Back to skating stories next week...I hope.

Patty

Wow, Patty, you are amazing!!
A marathon is MUCH harder than a double anything! You go girl!

Indeed, many, many congratulations!

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

Thanks! I guess I need to tell myself that if I can run a marathon in under 4 hours, I can land my double sal. To me the double seems harder. The marathon is just a matter of training and enduring a lot of pain, the doubles actually require talent

I'll let you know if that strategy works!

Patty, you are such an inspiration! If you are who I think you are, then I have seen you skate and know that you attack your skating with the same determination as your running! You are awesome!

But I'm going to have to disagree with you on the doubles requiring talent! I'm starting to realize that it's not talent, but (1) lots of repetition and (2) focus. Once I started figuring out how to focus right before takeoff and stay focused during the jump, I started landing my axel and double sal consistently and finally started landing the double toe. I have completely dissected the double sal and double toe, so if you ever want to compare notes on them and share tips, feel free to PM me!

Thanks Doubletoe! I hope it's me. I skate in So. Cal and have been Silver II for several years. Just moved up to Gold.

Repetition and Focus...okay, I'm going for it next week! I will PM you as I need all the help I can get.

Thanks for your inspiration, I needed it!

Bent knees:

I skated this weekend for the first time in months!

Landed my first axel attempt (microscopic but it was an axel).

Tried a few of my dances. Had a good laugh.

Stiff legs:

That about described me.

My cardio is almost non-existant.

Couldn't remember big sections of dances I"d been working on.

Got a bursitis starting off in my left ankle.