Working hard:
Yesterday I had a great time just going around the rink at high speeds when no one was around and launching into my jumps incl axel and double salchow... that was soooo fun (even if double salchow was around 50%.... but heh better than 10% and my falls weren't the completely out of control kind, it felt great overall)

Hardly working:
I didn't feel like going through my program because its so packed with things I dont have a chance to telegraph my jump entries haha

Also, I'm still sick.....

p.s. any tips for flying sit spin? I don't know how I manage to crank out one or two really nice ones every lesson but never seen to be able to do them well after that.

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Tidesong

"slangenboog" are "power pulls" but I think I like your Dutch word better! It's fun!

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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

"slangenboog" Tee hee hee... LOVE that word! Rolls off the tougue better!!! (Too bad my "slangenboog" doesn't roll as well... )

Good luck on your test, Sessy!!!

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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!!!

Working Hard

The new manager at the rink is maintaining the ice really well and it is now a pleasure to skate on rather than a bumpy mess.

Finally managed some crossovers unaided. Still close to the barrier, but considering I have only been working on them for about 6 sessions this is a real breakthrough for me. After my lesson yesterday, I actually felt like I was playing on the ice and it felt so good.

Going to have a video session with my private coach soon, at her suggestion, to look at elements which I am really looking forward to.


Hardly Working

Really not getting on with my new group coach and considering not going back to lessons. I won't lose any money, provided I still go along and practise, and I think this may be the way forward. I am sick of dreading the lessons and feeling sick before they start.

My backwards is way better than forwards, for some stupid reason. So much so, that my private coach said we might have to do a programme entirely going backwards! However I am going to keep going, and if I have many more sessions like yesterdays, there soon won't be that large difference.

It means snake curve, cuz if you do it right it looks like the marks a snake leaves in the sand.

Oh btw swizzles or whatever is called "eieren leggen" - laying eggs OR visjes - fishies... Cuz your bum looks like that of a chicken doing it and you leave fish-shaped marks on the ice (in Russian, they're called fonariki - lanterns). And a waltz jump is a cadet, a toe-loop is a cherryflip (like your very very very first "flip") or a spot as some call it, a loop is a riet (reed.. lol! named after mr. Rittberger who invented the thing), a spin is a pirouette, a spiral is a zweefstand (floating pose), a shoot the duck is a "zitje" (seat), a lunge is a sleepje (draw), a falling leaf is a "spreid-rittberger" (spread loop), a half loop is an euler (no idea where that came from, pronounce: oi-lehr) and short changes of edge (powerpulls?) are called kantenwissels (changing of edges! )

A layback spin is a himmelpirouette (sky spin), a camel spin is a zweefpirouette (floating spin), a scratch spin is a standpirouette (standing spin), a sitspin is a zitpirouette (sit spin hahah )

Oh yeah and riding on 1 foot lifting the other to your knee is an ooievaar, named after a type of bird that stands around like that often when fishing for frogs. And crossovers are overstappen - stepping over. Which is strange, cuz you're not supposed to be stepping.


BTW, in America everybody asks if you can do the axel right? In Russia everybody asks about the double toeloop for some reason.

Working Hard - First time back on the ice since my competition last Saturday and I kept my word and started working on my Bronze moves.

Forward Perimeter crossovers - I actually took this test more just for giggles about 4 years ago and passed over on these. I just needed to be reminded to hold my crossovers to finish the edge so I start the inside edge on a new lobe. And straighten up my shoulders!

Backward Perimeter crossovers - I'm actually putting my foot down on the inside edge! I've struggled with my tendency to start on an outside and switch over, a definite no-no. Coach wants to see more power, but I was dodging free skaters which slowed me down, pretty sure I'm capable of more power.

crossover back edges - I used to hook these but coach saw no signs of that today.

Yea easy start on the moves, did all the stuff I'm already pretty good at - wait till we get to the 3 turns and mohawks!

Hardly Working

SHowed my coach my fake step behind version of the cha cha and she looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock "You didn't put my name on anything for that did you?" But she did like the personality I put into it!

j

Hardly Working: Did my first ever competition yesterday, the Canadian Adult Championships, and finished 4th in "Pre-Introductory Women's Interpretive". Also passed my Pre-Intro test. Considering I have only been skating 14 months, I am pleased.

Working Hard: Nope, not today! Having too much fun at (Canadian) Nationals

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

Working? I went to the preview of Blades last night - Dorothy Hamill invited a bunch to the Baltimore preview. It was great to be there with a theater full of skaters and see people I haven't seen in quite a while. It was a hoot! The costumes were great and the "skaters" were lots of fun - complete with a psychopairs.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Working Hard:
I am so psyched! I worked hard all week, skating three two hour sessions and focussing like I haven't in at least a year and a half. In my lesson today, the Prelim power threes finally came together on both feet. I actually did them so well that my coach had no real comments except that I should be careful not to let the three turns get swingy. I'm hoping that in a few more weeks the threes will feel good enough for me to start allowing some speed and power into the move. We worked a bit on the flip of the blade when pushing into the next three in the alternating FO threes, and I am making some progress with it, but the best thing was that I'm able to do all the threes (compare that to no LFO threes possible just a few weeks ago). We also worked on my one foot spin from a T push, and I did one good one in the lesson and got a new exercise to help. Finally, I started working on a backspin today . I love my coach's approach, which is to do something of a B pivot into a two foot spin, then pick up one foot when I'm stable. We talked about the edge flipping problem that's so common, since that's what made me want to tackle the backspin, and she had me spin on the Fi edge, which I hadn't thought I could do. I must say that I felt the difference immediately. Maybe I just have very sensitive feet.

Hardly Working:
Nada

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CONGRATULATIONS!! I suppose you could say you've had a "baptism of ice?"

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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

So what's the difference between the slangenboog and the kantenwissels?

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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

with the kantenwissels if you can't do 'em, you just whistle...

groan

Working Hard:

Went to a freestyle session tonight and managed to actually complete my program on time with the music. The loop was cheated but was on one foot, and I hit all the "important" elements..my coach has a second 1/2 flip in their that I kind of just ignored.
Backspins were on today.
Hickory hoedown was actually on pattern if not on time.

Hardly working:
The willow waltz is going to be the death of me.
How can I possibly be this abysmal of a spinner. I'm actually thinking of driving up to Jersey and seeing the spin doctor.

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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

CONGRATULATIONS on both competing and on passing the test!

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Wonderful comeback!

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Yes, it's true, I am no longer a competitive virgin!

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

Working VERY HARD

I skated a session with a half hour freestyle lesson, then had my Artistry in Motion LTS class, then taught Basic 3!!!!

Oh I wish I wish I could afford a regular half hour lesson every week. I bought someone's missed lesson today. First I learned how to grab my skate on the boards. Coach thinks half the challenge is knowing how to find your skate for a catch foot spiral.

Next worked on the entry for the scratch spin...she had me work on holding the edge and then when I got that right she pushed my hip so I could feel what it was like and boy did I spin with that push. She also showed me how to do it on the boards so I could push myself.

On to the salchow. This jump confuses me so much, but when she drew it on the ice for me, it made more sense. She promised me that she would draw it for me during the session anytime - she always has a marker in her pocket.

And then there was even time for the toe loop - since I like to do LO 3 turn rather than RI 3 turn, she taught me that entry. We mostly worked on getting used to drawing back my foot in front of my left foot - again against the boards.

Now if I could just remember everything.

But there's more...

During LTS warm up we were talking and I mentioned "You know I never could do a hockey stop" and she tells me "Okay imagine you have your groceries in one arm, a screaming kid in the other and you use your hip to slam the car door shut." Would you believe I did a perfect hockey stop with those instructions?

Have I mentioned I just love my AIM class? Worked a little on doing a headless (two foot for now) spin, reviewed the rules for the second mark in a program..tried some different arm positions with lunges and did a jump sequence with my half lutz and mazurkas.

Hardly working - nope it was all work today!

Working hard:
Had a great ice time today. Program run through still not perfect, but honestly way better than anything I've done before. Coach wants more though, so I'm definetly going to aim for that. Its all in the mind now (And I really have to try and get those three seconds on my spirals ...)

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Tidesong

Slangenboog are really long changes of edge, first you take a short sprint coming on the long side of the rink, then you turn 90 degrees to your right and on the short side of an olympic change rink, you do one outside edge and one inside edge on the right foot (without extra push), change feet (here it's important to add an extra push or else you're not going to have enough speed) and one outside edge and one inside edge on the left foot and then you have just enough room for one extra outside edge on the right foot to get off the line you've been skating and make room for others.

Kantenwissels are short, powerful changes of edge where, if you work the edge right, you don't actually loose speed and don't need additional pushes inbetween.

That's why I'm reluctant to call the slangenboog power pulls, because I think your powerpulls are probably our kantenwissels...

Helps to point the toes in the shoe a little up to get the weight on the ball of your foot and also to relax you. I always panicked on the spirals, tensed my toes, dug them into the skate as if holding on not to fall and this kept my muscles so tense that I couldn't re-adjust my balance quickly if I lost it.

Working Hard:
I actually put together a footwork sequence today that was decent and discovered one of my students doesn't know how to do a FI bracket. Not sure if she's doing the FO ones right, either. She was taught to do them with the "quick-quick" doubles and she can't do them standalone.

I choreographed three-and-a-half programs. My head hurts from all the students complaining. "No, no, let's do ..." I wanted to yell "Shaddap!" LOL

Practiced loop jumps - yay! They're really babyish with the RFI3 entrance, but they're clean and they flow.

Hardly Working:
Practiced my Pre-Bronze and Prel MITF - yuck.
Managed to do the threes on the line without touching down, though.

Spins were dicey - I know it's not checking the arms/shoulders properly.

Waltz jumps and toe loops were good by themselves.
Together, they're ugly. LOL

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Working Hard: Worked my butt off yesterday & today! Program is going well, and today for the first time I got through my footwork section without grinding to a complete stop after the bracket/3/brackets. *Almost* a complete stop, but not quite---just barely enough momentum left to continue on without an ugly toe tap push. Still probably doesn't look great, but I was thrilled--it's progress! I did it 3 times too, so I know it wasn't just a lucky fluke.

My legs were tired today & felt heavy, and at first I was very unmotivated to work very hard......but as I warmed up I noticed I was so soft/deep into my knees & so balanced today (several planets must have aligned.....), the ice felt like velvet! It was one of those magical times when you feel so connected to the ice. Lovely, lovely.

Hardly Working: well, I had been feeling really down this morning re. the whole job/earning a living fiasco that is my life, but I felt much better after my practice---I love that about skating!