What is lent?

Canadian Adult Nationals. Rusty is in the Great White North.

It's a church season in preparation for Easter. In some tradtions, one "gives up" something (like chocolate)...as a discipline.

j

Yea, and also makes useless rocks (Reminiscent of my practice this morning!)

Winter Frost: We did the same pattern as Wednesday - as much off-ice as I want, 6 minutes on-ice warm-up, but this time straight into my program. I tried limiting my off-ice to stretching thoroughly and going through my program with my iPod and the three brain cells that were awake (it was 6:30 a.m. after all!) For on-ice, I concentrated on forward cross-overs, getting deep in the knees, backwards edges, and turns - all the things that were poorest on Wednesday.

Signs of Spring First program run-through went pretty well - way better than Wednesday, though I had to cut the turn sequence a little shorter (I was getting dizzy!). Coach seemed happy, said I was getting good animation and was in sync with the music though my one foot stops were a bit wobbly (dull blades, hard ice).

WINTER FROST! Second run-through about 10 minutes later was an absolute disaster! My knees were about to fold at the half way point! If I had carried on, my butt would have been on the ice NOT GOOD!

I don't know if this relates to my current B12 deficiency or if I am finally starting to see the limitations of the knees I injured 36 years ago. I will have to figure out what I can do to have my flexibility for the program and still have "enough knees" to get one good run-through every time on a 6-minute warm-up.

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

Spring - Took the day off yesterday and ordered new boots. I dragged down both pairs that don't fit and also skated (in an empty public session) prior to fitting to be able to show where the current boots are causing problems. After measurements/try-ons/discussions, I ordered a Jackson Dance boot, in a smaller size customized for me. It's not as stiff as my current ones, but stiffer than a synchro boot and enough for the doubles I do. It has the scallops which I usually order, and it's cut down in the back with an insert allowing more toe point and less resistance so my heel won't come up.

He also put in some inserts and new foot beds into my current skates to take up the extra room, and hopefully get me through nats.

Anyone free skate in dance boots?

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

No, but husband free skates in dance blades.....



He could not, however, do so this morning - both his jumps and his spins were "off". I shall tease him that he's given them up for Lent - but this might be disastrous as he's supposed to compete his programme in a couple of weeks, and, as far as I know, he hasn't run it through once to the music yet. Sigh... oh well, if he won't be told, he won't be told!


Most of our dances are coming now. I am really pleased that in the Willow Waltz I am now sufficiently confident to focus on extension and free leg position! This is new, and only started happening this week, so I'm pleased. Fiesta maintains improvements from last lesson, but a bit scratchy on the end pattern. Swing Dance still not what it could be, I think. Not quite sure why not, you'd think that of the three dances it would be our best, but it isn't. Didn't practice the Canasta, though.

Solo, I looked at the new Level 3 skating moves, and they really aren't quite such bears as I imagined. I can definitely do two of them. The spirals will be a problem as I'm not flexible enough to get my free leg high enough, but that can be worked on. The deal-breaker, though, is the 3-turns; however, they are done from a standstill, and I am beginning to be able to get at least the BO3s. I think I shall try them 2-footed, to get the feeling, and then try lifting one foot.

Interesting to note that the focus for all the moves is edge quality - perhaps they reckon level 3 skaters should be working on their forward edge quality! I know I should, so.....

But oh, the bliss of not having to do back crossovers round the ends!

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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!

Don't be too impressed. I used to do flying-sit-jump-sit and Illusion spins. Don't EVER stop skating, people. You only have a few years' grace period before you start losing skills. (In my case, I NEVER had footwork or dance skills. Just freestyle and power.)


Winter Frosts:
Feel generally tired and a bit dizzy. I moved my Sunday students to Friday this week, so I have a day off! (To escort my twins in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Some day off. LOL)

Signs of Spring:
Started making up footwork for my Show groups. Lots of fun. Now, I just need the music...
My own mohawk sequences are getting stronger.
Can actually do choctaws on the "weak" side again.
Toe loop was a bit stronger last night; got the arm motion in control, at least.

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Signs of Spring: After a rough week I finally was back on the ice this morning. Due to feeling a little hesitant about skating while my mouth heals from a tooth I had pulled on Wednesday, it seemd like a good day to ask my coach to bring out a scribe and do some figures (no rapid head movements expected ), so that's what we did. After enough of that to have something to practice, we went back to the Fiesta Tango, which didn't seem too impossible this morning. Of course, after a week off, anything short of a serious fall was going to look good...

Frost: No practice for seven days, and next week is looking rough too.

Rob

It's okay, Dianne, one bad run-through does not a bad skater make! The important thing is that your better run-through was the first one, because in competition, you only get a first one.

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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

Here's something that might help: Try doing a loop jump takeoff with absolutely no rotation. In other words, practice just getting into the correct takeoff position and springing up like you're doing a loop jump, keeping the free foot in front of the right shin in the air, then landing in the same spot on the same foot and checking the free foot out. That should help give you confidence in your ability to balance in that position.

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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

But when you stick them into living people, aren't they supposed to scream?

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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, I gave up meat. I'm not catholic either though, but our easter corresponds with the catholic one this year. I do the same thing before christmas too for a few weeks.

As for the axel, definately putting that one in the freezer (mind you, NOT giving up!) till next season in favour of a nice looking programme:
a. my sprained anckle will only get worse from the axel - it hurts sharply in the anckle to try to land it.
b. after a bladder infection, angina and the flu I'm not feeling fit enough to really jump a lot
c. with court practice, I can only make a few ice hours every week, at least a programme I could practice off-ice for a large part

Frost: Pulled the inside of my... groin? in ballet class today (we practiced 5th position and my hips are NOT flexible - they never were)... Auwwie. Let's hope it heals fast! Flutzed or two-footed about half of my lutzes today. As long as I see myself in the reflection in the plexiglass boarding, I can do it, without a reflection I seem to think my arms to be somewhere completely different from where they really are.

Spring: Finally got about 80% of the power back in the sprained landing leg anckle, it still lacks some precision but I'll take it!
Oh yeah!!!! I've got the green light to participate in a contest! My first one!!!
I've got 6 weeks to make my programme myself. They say it'll be judged on artistry, not technical merit, but I wanna see if I can perform under pressure so at the very least I'm putting the flip-loop in, might even try the lutz.

For the rest, I'm just putting in everything that I can do more or less consistently - minding of course that you're only allowed 1 jump and 1 combination jump. Probably I'm going to mess the entire thing up, get really nervous, start thinking about all the mistakes I made and then make even more mistakes... but hey, I'm entitled, it's my first skating competition! Besides I did dancing competitions and there I always got an extra edge from the nerves, so maybe I'll do fine.

Oh yeah did I mention this is to take place on FRIDAY the 13th of april?

Winter Frosts: Back Crossovers seem to have reverted to the way they were when I first started them...they range from non-existent to awful!

Signs of Spring: Actual signs of spring this week- it's light when I get to the rink at 6.45 am now

The spring in my skating comes from just having 5 good skates this week, which is huge compared to last week!! I am finally seeing some (minor) improvments in my FI3s in that a LFI3 now actually exists even though it's more of a skid than a turn

To my own amazement, I'm actually enjoying moving FO3s (admittedly, to most people, it probably looks as though I'm not moving but to me it feels fast!) more than going at them from a standstill.

I've enjoyed working on edges so much this week too- outsides are still much stronger but the insides are not horrible anymore

Clare

Hang in there, they actually get easyer once you're comfortable on your edges.

Thanks! I'm hanging on to that hope

Clare

Hmmmmmm.... it may start from a standstill but from the video it looks like 3 repetitions of each with flow between so the second and third ones will have some speed! Exercise 1 and 3 are eminently doable, no. 2 would take a bit of work (even though I now have level 4!) but number 4 (those spirals) is horrible. Might have been Ok without back problems but not so easy now!

Some of the new level 4 exercises look easier to me than the old level 4 . the alternating forward outside 3's now have a crossover between each rather than being simply alternating. But why is this one level 4 while the back insides and outsides are now on level 3? - this looks much easier than that one is. The mohawk one I've never tried so can't tell but doesn't look too bad. The back 3/forward mohawk is the same as the old number 4 was, but the last exercise at that level just looks weird - back crossovers at speed around the ends with a double 3 turn ( ) in the middle and then sticking your leg out behind to the middle of rink and then other leg to other end and then go round again (huh! - why!!!!!). It goes in a figure 8 pattern but who devised this one and what they were on at the time is anybody's guess - I'm just thankful I dont' have to do it!!!!!

That's one reason why I don't mind dead bodies. They don't complain . Much.

I must say, I've been tempted to slip some instruments into my purse when I'm going into the sketchy part of a city alone. You can do some major damage with those things!

Springy: no complaints from the body . And got my MRI results back from my hip-- no damage, so a cortisone shot to deal with some fluid and I'll be a happy little skater again

Frosty: Unfortunately, the radiologist who read my MRI saw some unusual results on one of my other internal organs that managed to get captured in the images, and ortho told me that the MRIs are being sent to my general practitioner so that he could get me on a new round of tests for newly identified problem. Threw me off all day, and when I wasn't dealing with a dead body or grumpy surgeon, I was thinking about that, until...

Spring, Spring!: Finally skated at Rockefeller Center. In my business suit (seriously, OINY-- only in NY). There were two lovely skaters on the ice who were fun to watch, the ice wasn't crowded at all, and the weather was amazing. There were moments when I just glided and looked at the city around me and forgot everything else-- no frosts or icicles in sight! This is the 1 year anniversary of my starting LTS (and 1 yr, 0.5 months of me finally getting enough courage to strap on a pair of skates!), and it was a nice little anniversary present. Did a few sad little waltz jumps, some really off spins, and a few spirals, and didn't care about technique much today-- just had fun!

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

So jealous!!! I've never been at NYC and Rockefeller when the ice is empty. It's usually too crowded and the ice too hard. But hubby INSISTS that the only time he can take off on vacation is pretty much Christmas. *sigh*

Is this an omen? I'm having a McD's snack wrap with my diet Coke. (Yeah, I know. I'm cheating on my diet.... but I'm HUNGRY!!! ) Anyway, I have a figure skater on my cup with the words "Perfect routine, I nailed it... I'm lovin' it!" KEWL!!! (And no, I have no idea who the female skater is on the cup...)

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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!!!

Signs of Spring:
Got put in the harness and landed a couple of clean flips. When I went to do them out of the harness they were stronger but still not clean but I'm getting closer.
Waltz-salchow is looking better. I wouldn't say good but I will say better.
It was a beautiful 64 degrees in Washington yesterday. This is after the bitter cold and ice/snow storm all last week and the beginning of this week.
I am actually doing the mohawk on the willow waltz instead of chickening out on it.

Winter Frosts:
Toe loops continue to be toe-waltz(es). I do hate that jump. It is so easy to learn incorrectly and so hard to fix it. To add insult to injury, that is one of the compulsory moves in my first competition (as a solo skater) next month. Aaarrgghhh
I can't remember the dance steps to save my life. Maybe because I never practice them and only work on dances doing my half hour group lesson

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

Signs of Spring:
Strong edges, crossover and turns this morning. Several parents watching remarked about how nice my skating looked and how much better their DD's are skating. (Several of them just joined my group lessons, so that was very flattering!)

My main change is that I now DEMAND pointed toes from the skaters, and I'm making a conscious effort to do it myself at all times. LOL Guess it really does make a difference.

Lunges were fine on both feet, but I FORGOT TO WEAR BOOTCOVERS. My poor new Klingbeil's!!!

Amazing what happens when you try to demonstrate for students.
I can do waltz jumps and one-foot spins in both directions now!

Winter Frost:
Nothing to report.

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Our rink held its annual competition today and I did the usual photo duties.

At the request of my coach (can you say "beg"?), I entered the adult team compulsory competition because there were few entries. I had to perform a scratch spin and a waltz jump, the others on my team did the 1/2 flip, loop, and sit spin.

Despite that fact that I shivered (brrrr!) all morning in the hockey box taking pictures, I pulled myself together for the team challenge. There was lots of loud support from the stands when we took the ice. (Home team advantage!!)

I did a nice scratch spin - centered and held for many revolutions. The waltz jump was high, but I didn't have the speed I usually try for. It didn't cover as much ice as I'd hoped for.

Still it was fun, and our team won silver.

Now to edit all those photos from today....

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Bill Schneider

That's what I told my coach - only the first one matters. She still didn't cut me any slack

Signs of Spring: Well whatever was wrong with my knees yesterday WASN’T today - everything was fine! I even seem to be getting some of my stamina back and shortened recovery times. Maybe the B12 is working!

Winter Frosts:

Signs of Spring: Other than making myself dizzy too often, I worked on backward stroking, back edges, slow-motion DEEP forward cross-overs all of which went well - damn I have nice forward edges (and I’m modest to!)

After skating, I got my skates (and my backup pair) sharpened for competition, my right boot bumped half way to Kingdom Come (to accommodate my growing bunion)

BIG relief about the knees!

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

Signs of Spring:
The weather where I live- we were pushing 70 degrees today!
Forward crosstrokes and backward power pulls on lesson- I'm finally figuring out how to get power on those- uh yeah, kneebend! Eight step mohawk was good too.
Jumps were good- Coach insists I need PT all the time- little does she know I'm only going once a week if that sometimes!

Winter Frosts:
I felt a little off today and had no stamina. Reason- that thing us ladies are talking about in a currently active thread here showed up on lesson today.
My Bronze test program is a mess, period.
Will only skate once next week and at another rink. The next two weekends, I'll be doing what skating I can because of hockey tournaments at my rink.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Winter Frost:
Need to point free foot toe on jumps. Grrr. Thought I was already.
Did a bit of choreography for Show groups. Two down, four to go. Whew!

Pro Shop guy was out sick, so I missed my chance to get a sharpening, but I think the blade on my right boot does need an adjustment. It would explain the clunky RFI mohawks (but EXCELLENT RFO ones) and the wimpy RFI and RBO threes on that foot. Have to make a date next week and get the sharpening out of the way at least.

Signs of Spring:
Spins - dead on great. One sit spin I actually "spun out" with my ski pants touching the ice.

PPM - Just ducky, although Waltz-8 was sloppy.

I can do four lobes of back outside and inside edges at this rink, but I need six on Wed AM's at the other rink. Either I'm not a morning person (definitely true) or the rinks are different sizes.

One group is skating to Chinese music. The SD handed me a CD today. Not one word of english on the case or CD. I just picked two songs I liked and let the group decide. "Track 12" was the big winner. Won't that look cute in the program? Now I need to watch Chinese dancing to put together some movements. YouTube, here I come! (I think this is going to be my favorite routine this year. It's challenging and fun for both the coach and the skaters!)




Anyone interested in a March 30th SF meetup, check out this thread:
http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?p=311824#post311824
No skating required. BYOP (Buy Your Own Popcorn)!

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Winter Frost:

• LOTS of kids!!!! I opted for skating at my home rink. It was weird. I lucked on the BEST 2 hour free street parking near my home rink... then I put on the skates and saw an old skating buddy I haven't seen in ages!!!
• Not that much energy after about an hour! Did footwork stuff instead!

Signs of Spring:

• Landed both loops and flips... and right in front of the skating buddy too!!!
• Did some camel spin. It was slow spinning and the position could be better, but it's a legit 3-rev camel spin!
• Ummm... I guess this will eventually come up but... despite the fact that my secondary coach will eventually work on loop-loop, I felt good about my loop today to try it for grins. I landed it clean!!! My skating buddy saw it too, b/c I saw him doing afterwards!!!
• I was also putzing with the lutz jump. I was setting up the entrance on the blue line instead of a diagonal and landed 2 out of 3 CLEAN!!! (The 3rd one was a two foot landing...and all from a combination of not enough flow and almost getting run over by a BIG hockey guy! )

OMG!!! How am I gonna explain this to my coaches!?!?!?!

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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!!!