Toe-ing:

Click of death on back crosscuts. I made a nice swath across the ice, lots of zamboni jokes. I laugh and get up, but later my hand feels numb and my elbow is really sore. I never fall on my elbow, it's always my butt, so I hope I won't do this again.

I still can't spin, even after a sharpening. This is concerning me but I won't see freestyle coach for another week.

Flowing:

Not much.

How awful! Is it near your ankle, or farther up? Hope you can get off the vicoden soon and heal up quickly!

Flowing:
Yet another lesson with no practice for two weeks. Nevertheless, it was just one of those days when you step onto the ice, and everything feels right. I surprised myself with a decent one foot spin. We did power pulls, and the RF ones were actually ripping, but the LF did not want to cooperate. B were pretty good, as usual. We ended with alternating FO threes, which I could do beautifully with just a tiny spot, but still wimp out on alone.

Toe-ing:
I am just getting no time to practice! This morning I could have had an hour almost to myself, but was too tired and cold after teaching the tots, plus I had to get to the outdoor rink to teach in the afternoon, and then back to the first rink for a competition in the evening (coaching & judging, not skating in it).

Why won't my L foot learn from my R on the F power pulls? It's just plain obnoxious!

__________________

Flowing: Hydroblading! I finally found my balance point and I can get down really low...

Toe-ing: The way my body and knees feel the morning after!

Toe-ing Blech, the ice was pathetic yesterday. And for no good reason as the head coach simply decided not to cut the ice, even though there had been 20+ skaters on the session plus their coaches! : As a result, I had a miserable time and don't feel like I accomplished anything. Just what I needed with the New Year's competition coming up in 10 freakin' days.

Flowing My coach did a great job of being very soothing and HE says I accomplished some stuff. In an effort to calme me down, he also started listing all the free time he has to work with me this week and next, which I do appreciate. Hopefully today will be better. It can't be any worse!

Pat

It's near the ankle--probably within the boot. Not that the boot is anywhere near fitting on my foot right now.

Only one vicodin yesterday, and that after I went to hubby's hockey game and had to prop on hard rather that padded surface. It's getting better. Not nearly fast enough, though.

Only skated for 45 minutes this morning, and very nearly not at all!

Flowing: "played" with my friend - we did laps of edges, of all kinds, which is good for both of us, and good training for shadow skating, too.

Toe-ing: Not much. The ice was horrible, so what's new? Still can't do a good Fiesta end pattern, and my friend's is brilliant..... hers is nearly ready to test, and mine isn't! Sigh....

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

NCskater,
Hope you are better soon!

Flowing - I made it to the rink last night.
Toe - The more I try to do, the more the boots attack my feet. There's no way I can even get through the program now, so I'm hoping it will be fixed tomorrow or I'll have to withdraw. Grr.

Flowing: Starting to get that FO3 intro at a faster speed. Now to get it consistent. Best part... did that in FRONT of secondary coach, who was once GRIPING that I don't go in fast enough! Power 3's on that side is getting faster...

Toe-ing: Unfortunately, the power 3's on my GOOD side needs work! I got new skates and what was the stronger side is now the BAD side with this new pair of skates!!! GRRRRR!!! I can't seemed to turn that foot out enough to get a good FO push and am getting that bad habit with turning the foot to FO instead on this side!!! AUUUUGH!!!!

And alt. back crossovers? Not with that large (about 10) group of college (high school?) kids that was hangin' out afterwards... I would never know when they would fall right in front of my path! (Actually, to be honest, I did managed ONE round.)

__________________
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!!!

Oh, woe is us! I'm really sad to hear that.

I haven't been going down there recently--I use a great pro who was trained by Mike et al., but it's been nice to know that I could always go to JP in a pinch. When I was buying my current boots, he discovered problems about my old pair of boots/blades that no one had detected before!

Flowing - Nothing at the moment.....working on a new program, and for some reason my brain is not connecting with my feet.

Toe-ing - Trying to not look like an elephant clomping across the ice doing this mohawk/toe hoppy thing. It's not working at the moment.

Flowing:
With the exception of the sitspin in my freeskate program , the program was clean!!

Toe-ing:
Got to get used to "presenting" in my Interp event- totally rushed through the elements and while they were okay, need to hold and stretch more!

__________________
Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

I haven't posted in this thread for a while, because I've been kind of frustrated...but now.....

Flowing: Finally had a GREAT session today! I'm working on my gold skills, and everything in general is just starting to get easier...which is making me braver, in general, which is helping my skating, in general! Double threes are really coming along now, and counters are alot stronger. The helicopter turns are even improving! Just had one of those days where I came off exhausted, but feeling awesome!

Toeing: Not much to complain about! One of my bigger obstacles right now is the little hop in the second exercise. It's only a quarter rotation, but I don't like to leave the ice! I chicken out every time I go at it with speed.

__________________
~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

The mohawk/toe hoppy thing! I am not sure what you mean, but my coach put something like that in my program as well (something like a toe-hoppy mohawk thing to a slide chasse??), and I totally understand the "elephant" feeling. (We have since taken the step out of the program...after much begging on my part). Jenny Kirk does the move extremely well in her exhibition program...I noticed it right away, and I thought--ohhh...THAT'S what it's supposed to look like...

Flowing:

• One of my runthroughs on the alt back crossovers until the very end. It was very powerful, very fast and very smooth! I was like WHOA!!!
• Speaking of the mohawk-hoppy thing... 5 step mohawks were cleaner today, but it's still kinda "klunk"-ish.
• My forward power 3's are slightly faster. I wonder if either of my coaches noticed it.
• Alt forward crossovers weren't so bad! It's actually pretty good this afternoon, though definitely NOT my best ones.

Toe-ing:

• WAAAAY too many people on the FS session. Then again, I *should* know better than to be on the afternoon freestyle session! (Then again, I'd rather skate on a crowded FS session than to stay home and going stir crazy waiting for a job offer!)
• My forward power 3's are still too slow.
• Still on the forward power 3's -- for the most part, my RFO3 -- my good side -- is definitely my new bad side now!!! I have been stepping onto a RFI edge and then turning the foot to a RFO edge instead. The one good thing for today though is that there were some cases where I was able to step to a RFO edge, but it's kinda clunky too. (But yeap, the big secret ingredient -- BENT YOUR KNEES and ANKLES DEEPLY!!!)
• Back crossover to BO edge: a bit funky... on the BO edge extension part of the move, the extension is to the side rather than straight behind me and my primary coach wants it straight behind me. It's not as bad, but I could feel that it could be better...

__________________
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!!!

Flowing:

• One of my runthroughs on the alt back crossovers until the very end. It was very powerful, very fast and very smooth! I was like WHOA!!!
• Speaking of the mohawk-hoppy thing... 5 step mohawks were cleaner today, but it's still kinda "klunk"-ish.
• My forward power 3's are slightly faster. I wonder if either of my coaches noticed it.
• Alt forward crossovers weren't so bad!

Toe-ing:

• WAAAAY too many people on the FS session. Then again, I *should* know better than to be on the afternoon freestyle session! (Then again, better than staying home and going stir crazy!)
• My forward power 3's are still too slow.
• Still on the forward power 3's -- for the most part, my RFO3 -- my good side -- is definitely my new bad side now!!! I have been stepping onto a RFI edge and then turning the foot to a RFO edge instead. The one good thing for today though is that there were some cases where I was able to step to a RFO edge, but it's kinda clunky too. (But yeap, the big secret ingredient -- BENT YOUR KNEES and ANKLES DEEPLY!!!)
• Back crossover to BO edge: a bit funky... on the BO edge extension part of the move, the extension is to the side rather than straight behind me and my primary coach wants it straight behind me. It's not as bad, but I could feel that it could be better...

__________________
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!!!

Flowing: Learned how to spin correctly, and my Instructor says we'll go over all the elements next seesion. To see what level I'm really at.

Toeing: The backs of the tiny little hooks have cut up my hands. It even hurts to type. I hope this is something unique to cheap skates.

On a side note, there's a girl who frequents my rink that started figure skating at the exact same time I did. She used to do ballet, and thus has a lot more natural grace than I did. It's odd though, how I compare myself to her, But it is interesting. A lot of people say we're at different ends of the spectrum. One being some who is Crazy and spontaneous vs One who is very controlled and graceful. Anyway people say they like my style, even though I do envy her, so apparently there is nothing wrong with it. We're both learning at exceptional rates. Me, because of my lack of fear and sheer willpower, and her due to her previous training and skill.

Anyway, I guess I've never thought of a Woman this way (before you think so, no I'm not attracted to her, she's a huge guy magnet and I'd rather not waste my time), but I kinda like it. Makes me more determined, both to improve and to be more individual (because I have no intentions of emulating her).

Anyway just something that's been on my mind. Also a lot of people have actually begun refering to me as a figure skater, which also is interesting. Makes not feel some fool that's attempting to figure skate, and more like someone who is actually learning. I do feel guilty around hockey players, because I've turned to the dark side, in a manner of speaking. I guess that will never go away, seeing as I sometimes miss hockey.

All the same, Shinn, I bet if you looked at her feet, she would have very little there - but the grace and positions of her upper body hide that. There was a girl who started skating at the same time as I did, and I used to refer to her, before I knew her name, as "The little girl with the arms" as she had wonderful upper body positions, very, very elegant - and it wasn't until you looked closely that you realised that (at the time) she actually could barely skate! Now, of course, she's skating in shows, while I'm still clunking round the ice, but an age gap of over 30 years is going to do that to people!

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

Flowing
I had a good lesson today. I ran through all my Bronze field moves and they were the best I've done yet in front of my coach. It's amazing what a bit of practice does. I'm feeling more confident on them now too which makes a difference.

Having just finished choreographing my new programme, I did two clean run-throughs today. Of course there are a few bits that need tidying up, such as remembering to look up on my step sequence, but again it feels like it is falling into place right now.

My lutz-loop from the new take off is becoming more consistent and I'm landing it with a running edge.

My camel/sit that departed last week is back thank goodness.

Did some more work on the axel. My coach said I'm doing everything right, I just need to put more into it.

Oh and one more positive thing. My daughter won silver medal at our club's artistic competition this week!

Toe-ing
Nothing much really. Only the fact that I had to get off early because I was so worn out from such an intense skate. Oh, and my ankle hurt from all the combination jumps.

Nicki

And I know of judges who, when they see a skater testing the solo part of their dances (USFS Silver and higher), and the skater is emoting madly with the arms, they look more carefully at what the feet are doing.

Not talking solo dance competition here, but test.

It's one thing to be expressive to get a bit more on the presentation, but then some skaters go overboard. I've seen coaches have their skaters emote wildly with the arms to try and provide a distractor....

Flowing: I didn't have to take any pain meds yesterday. Just naprosyn for the sore shoulders and arms.

Toe-ing: I am bored out of my mind. I hate unplanned vacation time. I miss being on the ice.

I had an in-(ski)boot fracture like that many moons ago. Did they set you up with a walking cast?

At the time I worked in a ski shop on a ski mountain. The handicap ski instructor set me up with outrigger ski-poles and had me out on the slopes again the next week. I would wrap the cast with foam to keep my foot warm. I don't remember being in much pain after the first few days, so at least you have that to look forward to. I think I had to have the cast on for 6 weeks.

I was such a brat (about 25 years old) and I so abused my walking cast, that the doctor had to cut it off with only two weeks to go and put on a new one. I had actually opened up the bottom of the cast so that I could wash the bottom of my foot (it was P.U.), then duct taped it back together!

I wasn't immediatley able to use a ski boot on that foot right after the cast came off. I did a lot of walking and did stretching before it felt rehabilitated. You'll certainly have to take it slow at first.

Good Luck!

I see, but there are a couple of things that she's good at. When she jumps (which aren't very high), she holds incredible landing positions. And her positure during spins are near perfect.

Plus she's kinda like me, in that she doesn't neccesarily look/dress like a figure skater.

I've actually got a removable velcro-ed splint. However, my foot has remained firmly in place, except to bathe and ice it. I will open it out, just to cool my foot, because it is very warm. I'm expecting to wear it 6-8 loooong weeks.

The pain is lessening already. I didn't take any vicodin yesterday, only Aleve for the shoulder/arm soreness.

I plan to start back slowly. Since my timing is poor, I'll miss this competitive season, so I have nothing to rush back for.

Oh, there's at least one judge here who marks you down in competition if your feet don't match your arms, even at the most basic level. And at least one other who hates madly fancy starts if the basic dance doesn't match!

I did go to the teatime session yesterday, don't often go to Friday's as it's so short, but wanted the exercise (and to speak to someone out loud - "chatting" on Yahoo messenger is great, but it's not the same thing as face-to-face!).

Flowing: Ran through just about every Field Move and Dance Move I'm capable of, and a few I'm not. Spent most of the session skating aerobically - forward outside edges, forward inside edges, changes-of-edge, forward cross-rolls, back cross-rolls, back outside edges, back inside edges, back swing rolls.... all improving by the second!

Spoke to my coach at the end of the session and suggested I work on the first two levels of Field Moves, as he wants me to work on posture and extension and stuff. I don't know whether I would especially want to test them (moot, anyway, until I can get my back cross-cuts); it depends on whether I would be credited with a higher level if I passed Prelim Field Moves, or if I passed level 3 Dance Moves.... hmmm.... Mind you, I'd have to pass Novice Field Moves first (here, Novice comes before Prelim in the old system, which still applies to Field Moves), and that involves a spiral on both legs, so I might not be able - didn't try that one!

Toe-ing: Catching a bus towards the rink on a wet Friday afternoon is THE PITS. Traffic was very slow so I missed the first half-hour of the session. Grrrr - it's only 90 minutes as it is!

I still cannot do back cross-cuts! Driving me utterly insane. I've tried just about everything I can think of to improve them, and I still run out of steam half-way down the rink. My coach says they will come suddenly, like my back inside edges did (these are now improving by the day), but they can't come suddenly enough for me!

Plus the back cross-cuts - it's not so much the crossing, it's the "Schaffer push" you need. I still find that very hard - I can sort-of do it. Need to practice it on back progressive runs, too.

Decided not to skate this morning, even though I was awake in time - I was very tempted, but the thought of early morning buses (yuck - full of people going home from a night out and they ALWAYS smell of beer!) and Saturday patch (crowded!) made me decide to be sensible and have a rest-day. I suppose I ought to do my off-ice training, since I was too tired to do it last night, but....

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

edge noises: Managed to do a few shoot-the-ducks on the left foot in my new skates finally. No attempts at the right foot yet. Something really cool happened today...I have always like doing this bit where I cross my legs and skate around in a hard circle until I finally slow down. Well a couple days ago I leaned forward and touched the ice with my inside fingers, raising the outside arm higher in the air, just for fun. Then I realized I could lift the back crossed foot off the ice, and skate along on a hard inside edge pivoting around my fingers, though I didn't always do it that hard. So today I was just messing around for a bit, and did something close to that, and a good skater that I talk to a lot suddenly asked, "Hey, where did you learn to hydroblade?". So, I guess I know how to hydroblade now.

toe scrapes: Didn't eat enough today, so my energy waned after 2 hours on the ice. I played a couple games of pac-man in their arcade and went home early for the first time in ages.