Ah, the "One Last Axel" fall! I know that one waaay too well. I have now decided I am *never* allowed to do "one last axel."
I hope your wrist is OK!

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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

Grand finale: Dance coach said my Westminster Waltz is improving, which I find hard to believe because I only had two previous lessons with it. She also fixed a few minor problems on my Viennese (mainly extension and expression--the dreaded E's, LOL!)

Dud: Tired as anything with an extremely sore back from a poor night's sleep.

Oh, and because of my vacation dates falling on the dates of the first two test sessions that would actually have a Gold dance panel, I now have to wait to August to test, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing as I'll have more time to prepare. Go figure...

Dud

Had a informal judge's critique for my bronze moves. Yea pretty much everything my coach has been ragging on me about is still a problem. Hey at least I know my coach knows what she is talking about.

I have a problem with back crossovers. Coach told me I looked frumpy!!! I don't like to hold my weight on the one back foot and it shows. She said I was two footing the pushes on my 3 turn crossovers but she also said they would probably pass. Both her and my coach are amazed at how much speed and flow I get on those 3 turns when I apparantly don't push at all in the crossovers. Everything, I need to bend my knees more. And of course when I get nervous my knees don't bend.

What was funny was what she harped on for the mohawks (other than bending my knees more) the last extension in the slip. I can do a very nice extension but I was so busy trying to do everything else right that I didn't do it well...and that's what she noticed??

Grand finale - She said my timing on the mohawks was good. That's amazing.

She said I was close and it depends on the judges. I've got about a month. I'm going to go for it. But I need to work on back crossovers and BENDING MY KNEES!

j

CONGRATULATIONS!



Grand Finale:
Skated the Prelim power threes in my lesson today, and felt like I really skated it! Coach agreed enthusiastically, that I had flow and more speed than ever before. Still not good enough for Prelim - but definitely passing for Adult Bronze. I am now entering it with a LFO three after a few strokes (as opposed to from a standstill). As I get more and more control over those threes, I'm just automatically ramping up the speed, which I have no lack of on the B power XO's.

Dud:
Did this after my lesson - I simply can no longer get a good enough push on the BO figure eight to get all the way around. I've been off my prescription NSAID for a week (couldn't get to pharmacy to pick up refill), and that has affected my hips and consequently my push to BO edge. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it, at least until next week.

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Grand Finale:
Just decided that I had to dig in and really practice, no matter the circumstances of late. Had some good spins, and the jumps are all there- even got my loop back! Rink was empty to boot which can also lead to...


Duds:
With the rink being empty, if the rink management holds to their basing fall freestyle times on what I've been seeing, we won't have much time come fall. Whatever.. I'm over it!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Pretty lazy skating today. I pulled a muscle in my thigh doing a fan spiral and it hurt bad enough that I didn't stay after LTS to practice.

Duds "Feature" spirals all stink. I worked on fans -can't get close to getting my foot above my hip but the sitting on the back outside edge feels pretty secure on both sides. I'm working on a "diamond" catch foot spiral, on both sides, and I can't get my knee turned out enough to make it pretty. I'm really really trying to arch my back, but am so focused on keeping the weight on my heel, and have so little flexibility it's not going well.

I feel like an airplane on my inside edge forward spirals, but got complimented for having both legs nice and straight, and the instructor didn't say anything about airplane look- so hopefully it's just in my head.

Also worked on backspins. Apparently I'm spinning on the flat. But I feel like under the ball of my foot IS my toepick. It's toepick or tail- I don't have anything in between. Really. And my sharpener actually ground off some of my toepick because there was so little rocker left- so I'm thinking this is an equipment thing. But I got onto the edge for a revolution once or twice, but overall these stunk.

The rink STILL has not returned the blades that they got (for the 8.5 boot, rather than the 8.5" I ordered.) I wrote the general manager a note saying he needs to call Ultima and find out when the new ones would be in. If it's after the 12th I'm canceling, calling Rainbo Sports and getting anything they happen to have in stock. (Yep, that desperate- cross your fingers they have paramounts if it comes to this) If he ignores me and I don't hear from him at all, I'm canceling this weekend. I realize that there was a back order, that the wrong size came in, that there was flooding- it all compounded, but even still this is ridiculous. I ordered them May 20.

Then to make it even better there is absolutely NO way I'm going to be able to test my moves. If I even have new blades and can skate on them, I just don't have enough lessons left before the papers are due. I have to take a week off for a family vacation to the Jersey shore- so I only had 2 lessons in July. Well my coach (with a reasonable excuse) just canceled on me this weekend. So one lesson before the papers are due, and then 3 more before the test. It's just not going to happen. So I think I'm going to stop trying and DH and I are going to go canoeing on the test day.

Grand Finale
Uh?

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Gina10179202 - Hope your wrist it OK. Something similar happened to me years ago with "one last" ski run. I think I'm finally old enough to quit before the "one last."

Can you get someone to video you? That might be all you need now that you are so close. Glad you're going for it! I've been thinking about testing Adult Pre-Bronze & Bronze just because I need something to test. I've been on Prelim way too long and I still don't have even a ballpark date.

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D-U-D-S

Aaaargh!!!!!
right knee isn't getting better. Thought it was, but last night I just got off the couch to go to bed and it was agony again. Time to visit the physio for a diagnosis & treatment.

Occupational overuse syndrome both hands/arms from work issues. Really frustrating.

And today, some sort of weird sickness, the room spinning all the time, no other symptoms. So had to miss skating tonight.

Grand Finale?
well, I guess the inability to jump due to the injured landing knee has meant I have focussed on spins, footwork and dance. Did some well-centred scratch spins on Sunday which even impressed me for a change. And yeah, gives me the opportunity to learn some dance.

Mind you, having to miss tonight's session probably means my spins will be back to duds again on the weekend.

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Katz

Saved by Synchro!
I was over it, now I'm into it again !

Congratulations!

Grand finale: Beautifully sharp blades (but not too sharp - I told him I just wanted the nicks removed, so that's all he did!); lovely smooth ice; very few people. What more could a skater's heart desire? We even managed to see some improvement in some of the Evil Exercises we were given yesterday, although not all of them.

Duds: I am now exhausted!

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

I really think there need to be more specific allocations for interp, such as a set number of points each for costume, originality, choice of music, etc. My ordinals at AN ranged from 4th to 13th (although I was so excited not to be dead last like I usually am that I SCREAMED anyway!!). Usually I figure somebody has to be last and if it's me I should be a role model and be nice about it (last time I came in last, at my club's competition, I gave a little bag of chocolate tied up with a pretty ribbon to the woman who beat me)--much as I hate to lose I feel as though that adult skating, at least at my level, should be more about the companionship of skating with other adults than about who wins or loses.

Grand Finale:

Did a camel-sit-backspin yesterday--first real combo spin yesterday, even though they were only one or two revolutions each!!

Dud:
Fell HARD doing back crossovers when my feet got tangled up. How dumb does THAT look?????

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

I suppose I could but I can feel that I'm not doing smooth crossovers. It's not like any of this was a surprise to me, although some of the criticisms I HAVE been working on and my coach said I've made improvement...it's just still a problem.

What I have to do is practice backward crossovers picking up my feet so I get comfortable shifting my weight...and I hate to do that. But it has to be done.

j

Even though you can feel what's wrong, or that something is wrong, just seeing it can make a difference. I often use my phone to do 15 sec videos of students and it really helps.

Something else that might help with the BXO's is to do a significant pause twice in each one: once when the foot pushing to the outside of the circle is fully extended so you are in that back "lunge" position and sitting deeply (you could also pick up the extended foot at this point and put it back down in place), and again after full extension of the under pushing leg. Then when you bring the under pushing foot out, do it slowly to feel the shift of weight from the BI edge to the BO edge on the other foot.

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For me strong back crossovers are really helped by going backward on the elliptical trainer. This really has improved my strength and stability. YMMV.

Well, yesterday I was complaining and moaning about how awful my skating was, and how I couldn't even spin, and feeling really frustrated. Today, things were much better. Spins were mostly good and centered. Got one rev out of a camel, which I haven't done in a few weeks. Jumps were there, but small, and I'm waltzing the toe--picking with the foot already turned (but at least I'm not turning my head and shoulders and its better than no jump at all I say). Got a itty bitty loop back.

Working on field moves, but I think I have to go back to the 3-turns on the line and work on really improving my 3s. I still sometimes have a little wobble after them, and of course the judges commented on that. Not sure that isn't related to my blade placement issue.

Dud: Well, not as bad as Monday but ...... Double lesson with coach, mostly on back outside edges (mine stink)!

Fizzle: Did hit a couple not-too-bad upright spins (not too bad for being rusty as heck!)

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

Duds: my skills were kinda bad today...I can't seem to get the back 3 turn business and the back 3 turn-bracket thing that I have to do in them...my double loop was also pretty bad today...I just wasn't rotating quickly enough...and my flying camel was a disasterrrrr

Grand finale: my flying choctaws were decent, and my axels were not too bad today! my double sal was a lot better than it was last week, as well...not as good as it used to be, but I'm getting it back slowly! and my camel spin was really good today! I was spinning really quickly and my position was better than usuual

Duds: I seem to be in a bit of a jumping slump, especially when it comes to lutzes. I know I just learned how to do one properly in March (my old coach I had as a kid didn't teach me properly so I just never did them because I hated them), but around May they were actually getting quite good. They've been blah for about two weeks now. Kind of a lousy spin day too, but I attribute that to it being the last day of the quarter at work and I was completely exhausted. I HATE skating after work.

Grand finale: My inability to do axels is mostly in my head. But today I got past taking off and only doing a waltz jump to taking off and getting around once and landing forward on two feet (and actually using good takeoff technique, not flinging myself). Small step in the right direction! I WILL get over this by the end of summer!!! And did an ok run-thru of my jr MIF test.

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2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

DUDS: So I was working on my program and I was trying out this semi hard move which is more of a dance move than ice skater move. So anyways, it requires me to almost do a skip like thing, but stay on the same foot. So I was trying it and I guess I had alittle too much momentum because before I knew it both feet came out from under me and I landed oh so loverly on my butt making a loud SPLAT noise.

Also I was learning 'the way of the axel' and I fell far too many times. One of them actually caused a small cut on my wrist.

My blades are rather dull and thus I was afraid to do a full spiral. Though I have been stretching and Im pretty sure it's alot higher than it was. I really need to get my blades sharpened.


Grand Finale: I actually tried my 'modernesque' choreography on ice and it actually worked very well. I ran through it nearly five times. Next week Im bringing the music, so hopefully it will work out.

I had some nice spins which I nod in approval to. I had a cool combo in which I did an attitude/sit. I actually made up a spin, however I wasn't able to nail it yet.

For the second time on ice after 6 months being off ice, I must say everything is coming back rather quickly and smoothly. So overall I was proud of my practice last Sunday. My jumps were fine, just not fanominal and I realized that I really like doing brackets and twizzles.

HOORAY FOR BEING BACK ON THE ICE!!!!:-)

Grand Finale - coach said it's time to ramp up my progress, now that I have decent blades and boots. Nailed lunges yesterday and managed an itty-bitty spiral. Back to the stretching band - I want the best spiral in the rink. We also fiddled around with Bauer positioning at the boards - just to keep me interested. Coach says I have great positioning and need to work on building the strength to hold it on an edge. You have no idea (well, you all probably, in all fairness, DO) how good that made me feel...finally some progress on my turnout!

Can finally do a backward one foot glide on both feet without losing it. Now I just need to start doing them on a circle. Coach commended me for my RFO and LFO (and my RFI/LFI) edges on a circle, which are beautifully clean, if I do say so myself. He said many adults are nervous about outside edges since there's nothing between you and the ice. I love outside edges; they make me feel like I'm flying. I can't wait to do spirals on outside edges!

Duds - don't know where in the world my two-foot spin has gone. Searched the whole rink for it yesterday - and took the spills to prove it. Grrr. Will continue looking tomorrow, I guess.

Another dud - the fact that my legs have been killing me all day...but I'll take the pain; I see it as evidence of progress!

Grand Finale: (Ooops!!! I have AN on the brain already. I almost wrote "Grand Rapids!" Hi, there, Mel on Ice, f~c and techskater!!! )

Choreography for my new interp is essentially done today!!! And the choreography is just gorgeous... My choreographer is a ROCK STAR!!!

Duds:
... if only I can get it right!!! And apparently, I have two things to practice. You know one of them, which is the back power 3's to a loop. Now I have a new one... a jump sequence!!! Yes, I'm getting pushed now to do a waltz-half loop-salchow!!! He thinks that once I get the flow of things, it would look nice with the program. (I admit that until today I have NEVER EVER done a half loop. Never tried it even!!! Choreographer was quite shocked!!!)

And okay, I have one more element that my coaches currently don't like... my back pivot!!! I have that in my old EWF program and it's definitely the finale for this program as well. However, my choreography switched slightly in couch mode by adjusting my body so that I'm facing OUT more, making it easier for me to get that back pivot. Lots to work on now.

And oh, I have to work on the gesture and where to pose my head, where to look, etc. etc. etc... oh, dear!!!

Funny note:
So my choreographer tells my secondary coach before she starts my lesson (right after a session with him) that he wants me to work on a waltz-half loop-salchow. So my secondary coach gives this look and says "it's easy! Just do the loop like you always do but land on your right leg instead of your left." So I went and after a couple of tries, I got a lucky shot at it. Secondary coach says "You little.... you KNOW how to do a half loop!!!" Then yells for the choreographer and says "Look at this! She KNOWS how to do a half loop!!!" like she's half pissed off at me. Of course, I botch up the next two attempts afterwards!

Other interesting note:
In addition to my ballet tutor, I will be taking weekly group classes to get back my ballet arms, legs, etc. And for my technical program, I'm starting a tango classes. Got a partner already for the class too, so I don't have to learn the male part of the dance!!! (No, it's not DH. He falls under the "white men can't dance" category. I'm trying to avoid a VERY EMBARRASSING situation from happening AGAIN. Besides that, he doesn't seemed to have any interest in dance at all.)

I will be VERY BUSY, but as the secondary coach and skating personal trainer says, it's a NECESSARY EVIL!!! Given how I looked in previous skating videos... I think I better try this.

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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!!!

I'm supposed to too, and I don't, because also I hate doing it. All right - let's make a pact that we will both do them, picking up our feet and not picking them up, every practice in BOTH DIRECTIONS (clockwise back crossovers - yurk!) until we are smooth and comfortable.

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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!

It's a deal. I've worked so hard on things that were really challenging like 3 turns and mohawks, I'd hate to get held back by crossovers!

Grand Finale: Well, after a week and a half off dues to scheduleing issues (sister's wedding), I was back to a very small synchro practice. We tried several new and fun things -- really -- stars in a circle (technically STAR in a circle). Those were fun! It's pretty rare that I get something the first time we try it, so I was thrilled about that. Pair moves -- someone in a forward lunge pushing a backwards spiral. I got the be the backwards spiral, which was fun as I'm generally too afraid to practice these on my own. Being dragged in the splits (see my other post, LOL!).

Did crossovers and I clearly need to practice my "bad" sides. The ones where the right foot is the skating foot (FW CW and BW CCW). Other sides were ok and I'm loving my BW CW crossovers -- nary a scratch, yippee!

Duds: Three turns. All of them. Blech. Managed a few week FO3s in both directions, but FI just didn't happen on one foot. Didn't try back threes as we were practicing the PB 3 turn pattern. Mohawks LFI-RBI stink. I did, however, force myself to pick up my left foot after the turn so that I could sit on the RBI edge. Other side feels fine. Guess my "retarded right foot syndrome" was flaring up last night...

Grand Finale:
Went to the other rink across the bay this am and it was so worth it! Left my house at 6am and was there in 25-30 minutes or so! I'm really looking forward to skating at this rink for the majority of my vacation week!
Got my sal/toe combo, and my loop, spins were for the most part, okay.

Duds:
Could not do my secret combo spin to save my life today.
Still cannot get the flip mojo back at all!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Grand Finale: FO and FI edges were--I hesitate to say "good," but they were definitely improved. I've worn my new-to-me Harlicks exclusively now for the last five sessions, and I've adjusted to the point where it no longer feels like I'm skating with someone else's feet.

Dud: Eh, I used to sort of manage a miniscule two-foot spin, but it seems to have gone on holiday. I am still adjusting to the Coronation Ace's bigger bottom toepick, so next project is eradicating that scrapey sound when I'm doing my (still lame) back XOs. Also, I did a nice little toepick death-dance toward the end of my last session; I was tired and getting sloppy, caught the right toepick, did a little hop to catch my balance, then caught the left toepick and repeated the maneuver. Heh. At least no one was watching--I think!

Extra-Bonus Dud: Somehow I have managed to acquire THREE mosquito bites AND a blister on my right ankle, so my virtuous plans to get in another practice this weekend might be thwarted. Ouch, and itch!

~~taijiya

Grand finale: Had a good quick skate yesterday (30 minutes). My husband even came to the rink! He NEVER goes. And thank god he is physics minded. He watched my one foot spin and said I lean forward and drop my hip, which is why I can't get off my toepick and my spins aren't centered. He told me to lean back a little and keep my hip up. I thought he was nuts!!! I told him I'd fall off my blade and end up on my behind. I tried it anyways and holy cow....I had a centered one foot spin without scratching my toepick! HOW DOES HE DO THAT???!!! He knows next to nothing about skating, yet can fix the things that have been frustrating me for months in a matter of seconds. Too bad I can't get him to go to the rink more often.

He also fixed some of my jumps, but it was more words of encouragement. He told me I look like I'm hold back (yep...don't want to break my bones by falling). So he encouraged me to just go for it, forget about falling. And I did my highest waltz jump ever and a nearly effortless toeloop.

Duds: Ice at the rink was REALLY bad. Rumor was there was a hockey game the night before and the ice was not cut afterwards....And I skated at 3 PM!!!! Hopefully there will be better conditions today.

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My Blog - FINALLY updated!
Living out my childhood dream