Well, I wait about a minute between each move. The last runthru this morning during my lesson was a bit longer than a minute b/c my coach is taking her time writing "her judges' notes." (She's playing "nit-picky" judge this morning during our lesson.)

AWWWWW!!! Thanks, Julie!!! Yes, definitely something else I don't always do!!! (Or at least, my primary coach (and now my NYC coach as well) have said all along... BREATHE!!! (Or in primary coach's case, it's "BREATHE, WOMAN!!! EXHALE ALREADY!!!" )

I'll definitely try that (and jenlyon's last suggestion) to see what happens!

Thanks for the input! Keep 'em coming!!!

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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!!!

Just to echo what others have said. It really is alright to take time between each move. Apparently, they've even changed the rules and you can speak to your coach between moves.

I skated my power stroking patterns (2) and then spoke to my coach before each subsequent move. I'd skate over while they were writing, sip my Vitamin Water and receive reassurance. It really did help.

Also, take deep breaths before beginning each move. I skated to my start position, then I stood there, adjusted my posture and arm position and made myself take three deep breaths. Rushing makes bad things happen.

Definitely true. The first time I tested Bronze moves, I was in the mindset of doing everything as quickly as possible b/c 1) I knew the judges were looking for power and speed, and 2) I wanted to get the test over with (this was also true when I tested Pre-Bronze MIF, although that test I passed the first time). But speed and power aren't necessarily the same thing - I ended up not always stepping to the correct edges and I rushed the 3-turns. I also got really scratchy on the back crossovers. Take your time to really bend and push and step on the edges, and then the speed will come...the right way.

The second time I tested, I wobbled a bit at one point in the back perimeter stroking and had to step on the BI edge prior to the axis line. I thought, Oh no, here we go again....and I got flustered during the power 3's and did not do a good job (I'm still amazed one judge passed me). It turned out, when I got the papers, that 2 of the 3 judges passed me on the back perim stroking and the one who didn't didn't even mention the wobble or early step in her comments. Moral of the story: don't let an early bobble get to you, b/c you never know what the judges are thinking.

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Terri C is a Bronze lady!
Gold Moves, here I come!

My coach watched the judges while the other skaters in my group were testing. She pointed out to me that the judges aren't even watching the entire time. They are taking notes, or looking away momentarily.

For any moves test, you can (and should) take a short break between patterns. Get a sip of water, take a couple of deep breaths, whatever you need to do. Remember, the judges need to finish writing their comments about each move before you start the next pattern.

At my club, the judge-in-charge checks with the panel to make sure they're all ready to see the next pattern, then announces it and says "you may begin." When I tested at another nearby club, the judges told me to look over at them before starting each move, and they would nod when they were ready for me to go.

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Where are those knives when I need them?
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I need a detachable left foot!

I will be watching the skater except momentarily when I look down to scribble a comment.

Because the test chair of the club to which I belong keeps the MIF/FS test schedule moving briskly along (as much as possible), I don't always get enough time to write clean comments between each MIF element.

So if there is something I want to comment about, I will jot down the gist of it, then come back and write my comments more clearly/cleanly.

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

One more thing from a stamina perspective....

remember, anaerobic stamina is different than aerobic stamina. And skating (such as doing the MIF tests) is heavily anaerobic.

Improving your anaerobic stamina will help your aerobic stamina, but the converse is not necessarily true, at least according to what my off-ice conditioning coach told me.

There's also (IMO) mental stamina involved in skate tests.

__________________
American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

2 More really Good drills

1. The dreaded circle drill (again, either timed or "do x repeats". Basically, you do crossovers around each of the end hockey circles, alternating direction (CCW and CW), then skate to the center hockey circle and go around it doing crossovers, then skate to the other end hockey circles, do crossovers around each of them (CCW and CW), then skate back to the center, do crossovers around the center hockey circle again (I usually would do the OTHER direction from the 1st time). Then back to the beginning end hockey circles and another round of the CCW and CW crossovers.

Not only does it help with stamina it works the crossovers/progressives.

2. And of course, the "Evil Eights" which is a diabolical version of the Intermediate power circles. Instead of spiraling out like in the MIF power circles, get some speed and do 1 crossover/progressive, holding each stroke for 8 counts. Then do 2 crossovers/progressives, holding each stroke for 4 counts. Then do 4 crossovers/progressives, holding each stroke for 2 counts. Then 8 crossovers/progressives, holding each for a single count (running basically). Finish. Get started in the other direction. Repeat in other direction and finish. Then get started and turn around backwards... do the same thing in 1 direction doing backwards crossovers. Finish. Do the same thing in other direction using backwards crossovers.

Then have your lesson.


And a good leg/control strenghtening exercise: pick up some speed along the short axis of the rink and come around the corner. Do a good strong stroke and stay on the skating leg with good extension. Rise, bring the extended leg through to the front and raise it a bit in front and re-bend the knee. Rise, bring the leg through to the back with nice extension, rebend. Repeat until end of rink... you should get about 3 repeats and with starting with some speed/flow you should not need to re-stroke in the middle. Do some crossovers around the end, repeat down the other side on the other leg.

An easier version of this is to just rise so that both legs are together, then rebend with the rear extension (i.e. skip the "swing through").

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

OOoooooh, yeah! And I definitely didn't have that this morning at my lesson with my primary coach! It was worse when my primary coach was snapping at me about things and he realizes that "something was wrong." At the time I didn't know what. I just didn't have the concentration or the focus to work on the moves today. I was just simply too busy trying to dodge other skaters who were taking lessons or practicing their programs. At times, even that (dodging the other skaters) wasn't happening either! (The worst part was that it wasn't even that crowded and all I wanted was just to get thru the moves.)

__________________
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!!!