I hope we do! We took TONS of notes in Chicago and already have some great ideas in the works to include in our bid

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I've got mad salchow disease!

I hear ya! I left my lutz & combo spin on the practice & warm up ice

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I've got mad salchow disease!

Sorry to hear about your malaise, MSF, but please don't let one competition dictate your whole year or season (look at what you have accomplished this year!!!!!).

I agree that it is best to chalk it up to experience. I was in a similar predicament as you: In 2005, I won my singles even. Then last year, I came in second to last. But this year, things turned around for the better ...

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

You had some great skates, NoVa! I saw your Champ Pairs and Silver events and they were both awesome!

My friend DD won the Silver Men III event and I can tell you, he is super anal about his spins! He'll have a very slight travel (barely even noticeable) and will have to redo the spin over and over until it is perfectly centered!

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I've got mad salchow disease!

Ugh. I'd so be throwing up!!!

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

That is SO true! (And by the way, Patty, that was an amazing performance!)

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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

Hey there, Myste! It was great meeting you, and congratulations on that double toe (apparently, I don't even have a single toe. Sigh).
Yeah, I figured this year was going to be my only chance to use the spiral sequence to my advantage, LOL! Now everyone is on to the trick!

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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

Does anyone know the results of the Men's Masters events (non-championship) the Ladies are up on the usfsa webpage, but I can't find any mens events.

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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)

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who took part in AN 2007. You did yourselves and your clubs and your friends and your families proud by taking part.

I never had any idea how hard it is to NOT be there and still be focusing on AN. Thank you to everyone who posted results, stories, comments, etc.

It was possible to read all the exciting chat leading up to AN. It was bearable reading all the posts last week. But I have to admit, I REALLLLLLY miss the post-AN exhaustion/inspiration/high after coming home from a week of exhiliration.

I can hardly wait until next year to see you all and go through it all again.

Congratulations to everyone.. ESPECIALLY the LOC!

Thin-Ice

There were very few men's master's events, just 2. M Novice 2,3 combined with Jr. 2,3 and then M Novice 4. They are still missing results from M Novice ladies 1, 2 and 3 but they will all be up eventually.

Such a nice time, by far one of the nicest AN's I've ever been to.

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

Chicago was a thrill, but it scares me a little because it was ran so well. If GGR gets the 09 bid, we have some big shoes to fill.

Hey Chicago LOC, I volunteered for yours, can you volunteers for ours? Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaase?

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Champagne in 2005, 2008, 2009 - who's next out of the pre-bronze club...?

Wang chung!

We can do it, Mel! I'm ready to start working on the bid NOW!

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I've got mad salchow disease!

You are welcome to help us with Mids!

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

I'll help, if you'll add Pro-Am dance. OK, out of your control. How about no ice or snow on the roads that weekend?

It was SO awesome seeing everyone again.

FrankR - awesome skate in Champ Gold Men - a little more and you'll make the medals next year!

NoVa and Loops - I was SO impressed with your ability to take the positive energy in the house and use it to your advantage in Champ Pairs (after the winners). What became of the question to the technical specialist?

doubletoe - congratulations on that medal in Championship Gold Ladies. Nice spiral sequence!

SaraS - glad you were able to turn some positives around from what you learned from the protocols!

Skater1964 - best I have ever seen you skate!!! Don't worry, no pressure to do it all over again next year!

flying~camel - HUGE improvements in your skating since even the last time I saw you in Wyandotte! Keep going, you're on the right track!!

Mel on Ice - WOW! I am so proud to know you!!!

And anyone else who I talked to and saw skate - YOU ALL ROCK!!!

Not necessarily. We haven't discussed the non-championship events. I can put that on the table, although I certainly cannot guarantee anything.

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Thanks. Heck, if they keep IJS all I will be doing is axels and lutzes anyways. Darn downgraded doubles. Have already started on those spirals -- ouch on the hamstrings and butt muscles!!! And the spins.........

I know you had a rough skate this year, but I've seen you rock the house. Your skate at Mids this year was awesome, and very underappreciated by the judges, IMO. Maybe we can both qualify next year and rock the house together in champ gold at AN!

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Thanks, Techskater! I'm sorry we didn't get more time to catch up at AN, and I'm also sorry I wasn't able to see your Gold II skate, but I wanted to tell you how impressed I was by your interpretive program, which I did see! Powerful and beautiful at the same time!

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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

First off, thanks to you and your crew for keeping me entertained pretty much every day. And our sassing deserves a gold medal in and of itself!

To paraphrase Loops, talking about the the Championship Pairs event: "If we come in last with that performance, I could so live with that!"
That was very likely our last performance/competition together, so we were glad to end on a positive note. Before the music started, I gulped, and she rasied her eyebrow. Then I (and maybe she, too) laughed a little and let the audience carry us through.

OK, back to the nitty gritty.
For the record, you are not allowed to talk to the technical specialist, only the technical controller. I sort of felt like a pain, but after each competition, I like to seek out the judges and get feedback. Here, I felt awkward, because I've never dealt with a technical panel before. I spoke with someone at the registration desk, and she was very accommodating. She set up an appointment with the technical controller upstairs outside the hospitality room. The controller had the crib sheet from the technical specialist, the one that he/she uses to determine the levels of the elements.

So, for example, I wanted to know why my pair combo spin only got a level 2 instead of the intended level 3 (to be sure, I was doubly thrilled that I even got a pair *combo* spin, and that it was awarded level 2, which equals a hefty 3.5 points!). I sort of ahd a few ideas where the error might be. The controller explained, on the basis of the note sheet, why a level 3 was not achieved. While she could not say exactly where the failure of a feature occurred, she was able to tell me that a spin position failed to reach 2 revs, as opposed to a spin position not being counted as a real position. (So now I knew exactly where/how the failure had occurred.)

Similarly, she explained why certain elements were not called at all--and then I got in an argument with her over why one of my elements was not called, and she said that it was not reviewed and then mentioned possible "human error," and I stopped talking before I got myself in further trouble!)
She seemed to be a bit of a panjandrum, but I appreciated her frankness.

The woman at the registration desk said that the ref/judges had no problem with skaters setting up review appointments, because they really wanted the system to be transparent. Of course, the panel was pretty much busy the whole day--except when there were the official 20-minute warmups going on (hey another reason to keep these warmups!), so that is when I met with the controller.
Loops and I had studied the system and protocol rules, and I think the controller was a bit surprised at that.

Anyway, it was highly informative having an intelligent and detailed discussion on IJS with the controller.

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

The win was a nice topper to the week, but I was so exhausted (physically and mentally) from those 2 pairs performances, that I really did not get invested in that performance. And I must thank dcden indirectly, because he asked about putting me out on the ice, and then I saw him helping out MSF, and that sort of helped me to maintain my focus (so thanks!)

I didn't see any of the bronze men events (I had my 20-minute warmup earlier, and then i had to get my skates off, stretch, get changed, get focused, etc.). But I guess you are referring to Thomas C. I saw him in the stands and walking around. He looks to be about 7' tall, but maybe that was a warped perception, since I almost always saw him next to your coach!

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.

Thanks NoVa! (what, no flap this year?) I was able to sneak a peek at my pairs friends (Lane & Brown) from Seattle.

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"Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Thanks!

I have to thank my coach for the improvements in my skating. She's really encouraged me to do a lot of off-ice work and she's really taken the time to help fix some of my bad habits (like not stretching on the pick for the flip).

I am planning to increase my off-ice work and pass my Silver moves in the next year, so hopefully, I'll be even better!

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I've got mad salchow disease!

Nova, it's great that you did that. I know there were a lot of people who were baffled by some things they saw on their scoresheets, but didn't really know what to do about it. So what is the correct procedure for setting up a review appointment with the controller?

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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

Yes, Tom C is VERY VERY tall!!! I think about 6' 2". And my coach is only an inch taller than me. I once told Jay that if he fits into ANY of my skating dresses that I would DIE!!! (And the worst part is... he just might, since, except for the arms and chest, we have also very similar proportion... )

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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!!!

Be a big PITA and ask ask ask!

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Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
"Do what you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."
-Haha, I've *arrived*! I am listed as a reference on Wikipedia.