Goodness knows where this week's thread title came from...

Plastic: It's now almost certain that we won't be competing at Solihull, which is perhaps just as well since I don't think my Festival Quickstep is quite up to it yet. And our "Waltzing Cat" (pairs interpretive), which my coach will call "The Laughing Cow" and has got me doing it too, isn't yet ready. Mind you, Solihull isn't for six weeks yet, and Bracknell, when we will be doing it, is only a few weeks after that with the Mountain Cup in the middle, so we need to get on with it. But coach is probably not there next Sunday, and we probably aren't the Sunday after, so..... We did a Swing Dance to the music, and, for some reason, Robert seemed to go far faster when he went backwards than he did when he went forwards, and I lost him. Oh well....

Real Leather: Relatively good lesson today; we worked on our exercises which we haven't done for some time. Our outside swing rolls were so good we weren't obliged to repeat them, which is just as well as I doubt we could have done them as well a second time! Inside swing rolls less good - I have trouble controlling my posture on them. We also worked on our Canadian Cha-Cha for the Mountain Cup, which is still awful - we can't get the pattern right, and take more than 4 pushes to get "together" on the slalom. It just needs work, is all.... just.....

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

Plastic: Axel. Okay I promised I wouldn't try some. But like the hypocrite I am I couldn't resist because I haven't done it in so long. I've been working on this jump for 2 years!!! And it's not even there... this is what I have to say to it if it was an actual person... @!&^#*@&!^%#@&$^&@!#%!*$. I took some very very nasty falls trying to get that last 1/2-1/4 of a rotation. MY body hurts ALL OVER.

Toe loop. I've actually forgotten how to do one.

Loop. Apparently I can't even do a loop by itself anymore.

Real Leather: Figures!! OMG! I can get 3/4 through the circle now, I remember when I could barely doing half. Now if I could just get the full circle and get those kind of results on my right outside one.

The flip made brief appearances but when it appeared, it was nice and big. I couldn't manage any flip-loops-loops (or flip-loops for that matter) like in the old days, but I mananged to pull off two barely there flip-toe-loop-loops combo.

And I have renewed hope for the lutz.

I think we need a graemlin for exhausted...

Well, anyway, my lesson today (with an extra 20 minutes) was mostly Real Leather. We did circles of 1 forward to 1 backward crossover. CW using a RFO3 turn and then a LBO edge to a step forward was pretty easy, but forget the other direction. Then we did the same thing with Mohawks to change direction. I surprised both my coach and myself by being able to do the CW direction again pretty well. That step from the right back inside edge to a left forward inside edge is hard for me, but it's coming along. CCW the step forward from a left back inside edge to a right forward inside edge is finally getting easier! Yay! Also my salchow is improving every so slowly.

Also my new interpretive program is pretty much done and I'm starting to feel like I have some hope of actually being able to skate it! It's fun.

Plastic Left forward outside 3's. They scare me to death now trying to do them from a forward crossover. Coach allowed me to stop before doing the 3-turn and that was still scary enough.

Afterwards, we did some off-ice work and now I'm so tired I can barely type......zzzzz.

Pat

Real Leather:

• My leg injury is pretty much healed enough where I can get back to doing power 3's again. No pain at all!!! (Still have to stretch afterwards though. The area feels tight...)
• Same with forward spins!!! WOO HOO!!! (Of course I was also careful to concentrate on pushing into the 3 with the ENTIRE side of the blade instead of just the sweet spot/toe pick.)
• Most of my Bronze moves are going well... and until the very end of the 45 minute session I had, I even started to get back my forward power 3's again!!! (Of course, I'm not gonna push my luck and put in a test date on me. Just taking things one at a time. But I do feel confident that this will be the year I'll probably test and move up to Bronze.)

Plastic or Vinyl:

• My feet were sore and tired after skating!!!
• Not pushing my luck on jumps!!! In fact, I probably won't do jumps for at least a couple of more weeks.
• Backspin still sucks (but at least now I could do them again!)

__________________
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!!!

Leather: Well, I managed to not zamboni the ice like I did last friday, so that's one good thing! Best part of the day...I actually managed a few respectable loops! (Not the jump.) Other good stuff....am loving the Argentine Tango. Worked out some timing issues today. Power pulls are improving, as are FI and O spirals.

Plastic: I have so much stuff to work on right now that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed! I'm working on all four gold dances, and my junior silver skills at the moment. I step on the ice some days and don't even know where to begin! I'm having some fear issues with the skills because those are what I fell on last week. And although I managed a couple of good loops, they were all LFO. My RFO ones improved by the end of practice, and the inside ones are close, but I haven't even begun to work on the backward ones...ack! Of the dances, the Westminster feels the most awkward, but in fairness, it is the newest.

__________________
~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Only had an hour this morning to practice, but managed to get all my exercises done (isn't there a smiley with a halo on?), and run through my programme a time or two.

Real Leather: One of our elite skaters had been to worlds - as a spectator, not a performer (maybe next year?), and was very full of it; she had acquired - I dared not ask from where - a pass that enabled her to go anywhere and she had been to the skaters' party and watched various events with Big Names like Gwendal Pereizat and so on.... she had obviously had the time of her life, and it was good to hear her.

Most of my elements went well, I think. Even managed a spin whose tracing looked like a spin!

Plastic: Most, but not all - I was focussing on getting my free leg back, rather than out to the side, on my Russian stroking, and that made it feel very awkward and out of place - I must get my coach to check tomorrow. Still having trouble with BO edges, but they are improving, slowly. Can't get the step sequence right at the start of my programme!

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

This is actually from Saturday, but I haven't had the time to post until now.
This is my third 8-week session in ISI Freestyle 1 and I'm so ready to pass this time... I'm so close! If I can just get my jumps into the air, I'll be there.

Real leather: Spiral. Of course. Instructor used me as a demo because I can easily turn out either leg and can open and close my hips pertty easily, too. So I stood on one foot in several spiral positions for about three minutes while she explained. I was hanging on to the boards, of course, and demonstrated about 16 spiral positions from good to horrendous. The kids in the class laughed at the bad ones. It's OK, though -- didn't hurt my feelings... sniff.. (just kidding!!)

Then we moved to the mohawk setup for the 1/2 flip. My mohawk is getting much steadier and stronger. Instructor asked me where I gained so much confidence all of a sudden as I was finally reaching back to pick in instead of picking sort of beside my foot. I said it must be the fever I was running (nasty cold). I practiced this off ice for a while Saturday afternoon and I think I'm ready to jump this next lesson. The off-ice attempts were very springy!

Plastic: Two-foot spin + cold = quarkiki laughing at the worst spins she's ever done in her life. Every single one travelled! Thankfully, this really is the fault of the cold as my two-foot spin is generally pretty reliable.

No lesson next week as I'll be competing for Synchro. Yay team!!

Plastic: the axel is still not reliable, but I gotta attempt it at the competition this weekend. My right boot is way too tight and has caused a callous to form on the bottom of my foot under the big toe- ow!

Leather: Klingbeils should arrive any day now. Callous didn't hurt as much today. I bought some benzocaine (it's really gel for your gums, for people with braces) to try out on that area of my foot, to numb the pain. I think my coach has given up on her idea of having me skate in a tutu to some ballet music for a new program. Whew!

The real leather was a perfect freeskate program and a compulsory moves program skated in 57 seconds during lesson with Coach yesterday!

Plastic was today's practice session- there were really too many skaters on the ice and a few near collisions! And the rink management stops a freestyle with at least 20 skaters on it at 5:20 in the afternoon for a stroking class???

The contract issue still hasn't gone away- the rink will still owe me 30 minutes of time after this latest round of changes!!

Which rink is this? Having a contract can be a drag. I much prefer having a punchcard. When I was at Fairfax Ice Arena, we had to pay in advance for several month's worth of freestyle; I didn't like it b/c some days I wasn't able to make it, and that was $7-9 down the drain.

Good luck at the competition! I'll be there too!

Plastic Tripped over who-knows-what on husband's side of the bed this morning when I went to open the curtains, landed in the open door of his cupboard, banged my knee and tweaked something on the other side where the top of my leg meets my bottom. No real damage, I don't think, but all the sympathy I got was: "I'd have done that if you'd asked me!" Anyway was a bit stiff when I first came on to the ice, but it didn't hurt during my lesson or practice. Oddly, it's a bit sore again now - I hope I'm not going to have sciatica again!

Had almost no speed this morning, and my FO-I changes-of-edge were very iffy indeed at first, but got a bit better later. On I-Os, still had trouble controlling the free leg, which wants to fly out to the side.

Real Leather Russian stroking seemed okay this morning, so didn't bother to ask coach to have a look. I-O changes-of-edge were considered better than O-Is, for some reason. Back outside edges still fairly dire, but less than usual. Mohawks improving slowly, and for the first time was able to hold the step-down edge all the way around the hockey goal, on the line (and it wasn't flat all the way round, and that flat line was someone else, not me......). Coach helped me fit some more elements into my programme, which is beginning to come together now, but I'm still not sure where to put things on the ice. That's the next thing that needs looked at. But a good lesson, and a good practice, too.

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

Plastic:
My weaker side is still weak, but getting better. My crossovers and getting stronger on that side. Now I have to master those hockey stops to the right!

Still struggling with those 3's on the line. Found that if I lean back, as though to set up a waltz jump or axel, it's easier to change feet without touching down.

Real Leather: (Kinky title, BTW)
Worked on MITF and I'm ready for the lower tests. Now to find a test session at a mutually convenient time. I waited four months for the last one at the Club, only to find it was sheduled for a time that I was away. Frustrating calendars!!!

__________________

You mean this?

Real Leather:
Coach had to correct my forward crossovers again to make sure I don't toe push on my strokes. I did managed that and thought "Whew!!!" WRONG!!! THEN she wants to hear that nice growling noises on the pushes. (It shows power on the stroke.) But at the end of the lesson, I did manage that.

Plastic:
But WAIT!!! There's more!!! My coach and this other coach was watching me do this and both of them comment how nice it was while I was doing it. Then I had to stop and I couldn't stop and had to wait to slow down! HOW DO YOU STOP THESE SKATES!?!?!?!

After getting a good laugh at my expense, secondary coach made me do them again and this time she wants a "professional finish!!!" I managed only a wimpy T-stop...

Back crossovers: Must work on looking BEHIND ME!!! Nuf said!

__________________
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!!!

plastic.
I got my new skates and have skated twice this week. I cant seem to push off with my right leg at all My dh went today with em and kept telling me push off with your right. now if I could sweetie I would . I feel so silly trying to do this and not getting this down better.My goodness, my 3yo can skate rings around me.I dont know why i can push fine with one leg and not the other.I have trouble remenber to bend my knees and everything at one time.
leather maybe? Im not falling down, i can turn and stop fine and My dd coaches thinks dh and I can do ice dances. I really like my skates alot and can flow and glide much better.I like the feel of being on the ice.

Real Leather
I can still do FI threes off the wall! Managed to do one iteration of Prelim FO alt three pattern today, for the first time in a couple of months. Not done well, but did do every turn on just one foot. B crossstrokes are feeling so good that I can do them with nice extension and lean-back, or jazz them up with a little bounce. I really enjoy them the best of any move I am capable of.

Plastic
After finally arranging a lesson for tomorrow, found out tonight that the other student cannot make it. It isn't worth it for our coach to make the trip to the rink (she has a tot and a baby) for just one lesson. I would gladly have taken an hour by myself, but I've been having miserable hip pain for the past week, and this AM it was so bad that I had to stop F cross strokes because L hip popped and hurt like the dickens every time I brought my free leg to the front. We agreed that I will sleep on it and call her in the morning with my decision. I'm hoping that 600 mg ibuprofen three times today and a good night's rest will see me in shape to take that hour lesson tomorrow.

__________________

Plastic: Keep smashing my knee on the same spot. OWIE!!!!!!

Leather: Too much to mention. Did well at CAN and earned a medal, didn't fall on my camel, made it through my program, could hold my head high at the end

Today was the first day of spring school. I am now preparing to test another freeskate. This means change foot spins. We worked on them today and though they weren't anything special, it was still nice to be trying harder stuff

I skated today for the first time in a week (since that baaad practice last week) - and am happy to say that today's was roughly 10 million times better!

__________________
"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

OUCH!!!! Keep an ice pack on it whenever possible to reduce any possible swelling.

PLASTIC: My knee is still injured from several weeks back. Although mostly no pain, I still can't bend it too much without it collapsing. Seeing the ortho next week.

LEATHER: I'm still skating regularly, though. I can do a few shallow F & B crossovers without problems.

__________________
Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau

Plastic:

I cant' find my OD music or the little notebook where I wrote down the newly choreographed steps - help!. Having been away last week at Worlds I certainly can't remember the steps.

Sit spin is terrible. I'm sure I used to be able to get lower. This needs a lot of work!

Leather:
My level 1 Blues variation seemed much more flowing today - when I remembered the steps - and should be testable soon.

Went through the elements for my Free programme and the 3 jump is looking better. My upright spin I managed one really good non-travelling one and the rest had plenty of rotations even if they werent' quite on one spot. At the end of the session I did one really good toe-loop at reasonable speed off the end of my step sequence. Just need to get it to be like that every time now!

Jumps class is tomorrow and also working on the group artistic some more - I am enjoying this!

__________________
'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Jumps class and the artisitc group were so much fun today weren't they? It's a shame we're going to miss the next three weeks.


Plastic
Not much plastic today as I had a great skate, but my coach did nearly kill me by overworking me!!!!!

Real Leather
Ran through my new programme three times. Each time it got a little bit better with a good lutz, loop-loop combination and a fast camel spin.

Did jumps class as Batikat has mentioned and worked on all my jumps to lutz but the latter was a bit hard to do since there were a fair few kids on the ice at this stage.

Our artistic group was hilarious as per usual!!!

Nicki

Plastic
The return of the dreaded backspin! I haven't touched this move since testing Bronze almost two years ago. Sadly, I am still terrified of spinning on a BO edge, so the resulting "spin" in one good proper rotation followed by a quick shift to the inside edge.

More Plastic
There was an unexpected downpour in SoCal last night, and whenever it rains there are awful ugly bumps on the ice the following morning. They were mostly in one area, which was easily avoidable, but there were a random couple bumps at other spots as well. One of the bumps decided to meet my toepick in the rudest way possible, which resulted in my butt meeting the ice for the first time since I restarted lessons.

Real Leather
I did a great forward scratch spin that didn't travel. All the circles were nice and even and right on top of each other. And then I did another one! Those two spins on the sweet spot made up for all the subsequent yucky ones. We also worked on spirals this morning and my coach taught me how to do the change-edge ones, FI to FO and BI to BO. I had my coach hanging on to me so I could really get the feeling of the move with some speed. It was so much fun!

Forgot to mention my best piece of real leather of today!!! I did several good backspins!!! First got 6 revs, then 7, then 8!!! Funny cos I was really stressing about this before my test in November when I needed to do a 2 rev backspin!

Nicki

Cheap Plastic: All it was was one good sneeze and I threw my back out early this morning. Just stroked around the ice for an hour just to see if it would loosen up a bit. It did but it still is sore. Am off the ice for a few days anyway between nightshifts tonight and Saturday night and going to see COI on Sunday. Hopefully will be back to my old self again by Monday's practice and Tuesday's lesson.

Leather: Going to Lake Placid 4/11 for a week to attend AN (volunteer, not competitor!!) since my club is host.

__________________
Keeping School Figures Alive!!

Real Leather : I found my precious notebook with the steps and the music CD with my OD music - yay!!

And the reason I coudlnt' find them before - well I'd put them away tidy hadn't I - neatly laid on top of my skate gear in my drawer. Anyone that knows me well knows I am a very untidy person and it's always when I put things away properly that I lose them! I hadn't been to my drawer as all my skate tops were still in the airing cupboard where I'd put them before going off to Germany to watch Worlds!

Plastic: too many people and kids on the ice to bother trying to put the OD music on and run through it.

Sit spin - oh where oh where did this go?????

Real leather: More fun doing our artistic number
Plastic: Not sure my back is going to stand up to it though - I'm not used to being pulled through and then flung backwards over some poor guys leg's!!!

__________________
'skating is not just a sport - it is an obsession'

Real Leather
My coach called last night to tell me she had a cancellation for 1/2 hour at today's public session, so I decided that hubby & I would take it. Since my hip was so bad yesterday AM that I could hardly walk, I figured hubby could take the entire 1/2 hr if necessary. Fortunately, I woke up today feeling much better and was able to take my 15 min lesson, the first I have had in at least three months!

My coach was very pleased to see me doing FI threes off the wall, and even my FO threes had improved. Same with F and B power pulls - much improved. I would hope so, since it had been three months! Still, one isn't always sure that things are not going straight downhill without regular lessons. As usual, I felt wonderful after my lesson.

I had so much confidence that I decided I had better get going on the rest of the Prelim moves that I've been neglecting, and did a passing (I think) round of the B XO to BO edge pattern, and a quite miserable round of power threes, which was the first time I have gotten through them at all in probably six months. My F & B crossover patterns have been passing for at least a year, but I've been held back by those darned alt three patterns, and really have not worked on the other moves, preferring to do things more fun. I'm definitely challenged by the spirals also, but I think that is more a matter of flexibility and strength than skill and fear.

I did quite a bit of just playing around, something I rarely have the confidence to do. Played with FO 3 and FI 3 trying to get into either B cross strokes or devil rolls with a power pull after (not successful). Don't know where it came from, but I did RFO three, LBO XF to LBO Mohawk and round again and again. Not only was it great fun, but hubby could not get it! Yes, I'm a bit gleeful about that, because he is so talented and does FO and FI threes at whatever speed and anywhere he pleases.

Altogether the best skate I've had in the last six months!

Plastic
One foot spin still missing.

__________________