I can't skate right now .... I can't do much at all but I love to read about everyone else's exploits It's a bit like going on a diet .... you can't eat chocolate but you can still smell it



This young girl is inspirational, she has lessons with my coach, has been skating for about 18 months (I think, not long anyway), has only been doing Dance for 6 months but qualified for the Novice class at the British Solo Dance Championships this year. She got very nervous on her compulsory (14-step - who wouldn't?) and didn't skate to the best of her ability but skated a CRACKING Free Dance She didn't place but even QUALIFYING was a major achievement for someone skating for that little time A real little star for the future if she keeps it up. Oh, and she's a lovely, sweet kid too

Lx

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The best whisper is a click

I wasn't skating today but I did go and watch the Ayr Open (qualifier for the British Nationals in December).

Made up mainly of the Scottish, they put up a good fight, but hardly anybody skated clean. A few nice performances though.

I'm inspired to start axel again. :?

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MEL
Absolute Skating

I just returned from a two hour public session that started off OK, but grew very crowded as the three birthday parties took to the ice. I was lucky to get my warm ups in first, as patterns requiring any speed at all became out of the question.

Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised at how my skills and comfort on the ice have held out over the summer. I have skated about four times since the beginning of July, and everything still seems to be there each time.

Today I even managed to do the five step Mohawk pattern a few times, and forward power 3's also. Two moves I'm not too comfortable with due to a bit of fear. My work on the consecutive FO 3's is progressing, but I still have to put my free leg down before reaching the line for the next stroke. I'm going to review the MIF tape and hope that watching will give me the little bit of help I need. My F cross strokes seem to be stuck on a plateau, while the B ones are strangely improving. I'm now totally afraid to try BO 3's without a spot I had been doing them a few months ago, but got spooked and haven't felt comfy enough again.

Still haven't been able to schedule any lessons. My coach taught all through the session today, but I really don't want lessons on the public sessions, and she already has that time earmarked for people who can't make the freestyle sessions. I'm hoping for a lesson Thursday, but may have to wait for next week.

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Hey Lynne, what have you done? I'v been away for two weeks so am a bit out of it as far as keeping up with everything is concerned. I've not skated for over 3 weeks now myself and am starting to miss it. Hope you are OK.

Nicki

Hi Nicki, I'm fine Have pm'd you with the details so as not to bore everyone

Hope that you're okay, all the best.

L x

ps are you planning on doing AP Open? If you are I'll see you there

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The best whisper is a click

We've just spent the weekend in Bristol, where they have a big social dance event on the Saturday night, and then invite you to stay over and join them in their dance session on Sunday morning. We had a lovely time, and thoroughly enjoyed dancing. Robert and I are very aware that the World Challenge in Bordeaux is in a fortnight, so even at a social dance we were working hard, and I really do think our Dutch Waltz and Canasta Tango are the equal of anybody's now. I wish the same could be said for our Swing Dance, but alas.... Still, never mind. I also had fun dancing the 14-step with one of the very few men I trust to partner me with it!

The sad part was saying farewell to two people who have been part of the British ice-dancing scene for many years and are now returning to retire in the USA. Ah well, as he said, it is a very small community and who knows but that we shall not meet again....

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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!

Inspirational:

Lots of good stuff today.

* Upstairs rink (the 200x85 rink) so I could accurately practice placement for Peach Classic...

* dehumidifiers for that rink were working, so no fog... and no foggy glasses

* I had the rink to myself for the first 45 minutes today (I skated a total of 1 1/2 hours...the second session there were only 5 other people: 2 beginning dancers, an adult freestyler, and 2 kids)

* Foxtrot decided to cooperate today and show up. Felt quite comfortable. I worked my way through all 6 tracks of the ISU foxtrots I had with me. No "from a standstill" but I started doing bits and pieces that I wanted to focus on, and continued into doing full 2 and 3-pattern sequences from a running start.

* 14Step was very cooperative today also. Concentrated on neatening up the LFO after the 2nd back progressive/run sequence so that the end pattern was better shaped.

* Alternating back crossovers... worked on holding the edges during the back crossovers, so that I cover more ice and get a stronger more powerful execution. Which made holding the back outside edge easier.

* Forward power 3s: These took a partial vacation. Actually I focused on making sure that my FO stroke out of the choctaw is further forward on the blade, which makes the 3-turn easier. Plus I played around with the end pattern transitions, since I was on the narrower rink...

And for the heck of it, I did Rocker Foxtrot to the music. It wasn't a big pattern, and the mohawk was rushed and the rocker was more of a 3-turn/change edge than a pure rocker (time for the rockers in the field from Junior MIF.....)

Injured:

3-turns could have been better, and the choctaws on the power 3s.

--jsl

Inspirational:
2-foot and 1-foot spins. My 2-foot CCW spins weren't as good, but I got around 4 times on a CW 1-foot spin!!

RFI spirals were also good, and I didn't trip on my toe pick and take a digger this time (last time I bruised my hip and kneecap).

The public session was practically empty for the first 45 mins (just one person on basic lesson and a man practicing his spins and mohawks), so I didn't have to look out for traffic. The man had a great scratch spin, and he left such pretty tracings in the ice--absolutely no traveling at all!


Injured:
LFO3s -- still scratchy.
LBO and LBI edges (especially LBI edges! grrr.)
Forward crossovers took a slight vacation (I had 1 1/2 week off since my last skate, the basic skills test [passed]).
I tried teaching myself shoot the duck but mine was more like "missed the duck and it went off into the marsh to die a slow death..."

The ICE--somehow the zamboni left buldozer-like tread marks in the ice on one end of the rink! It was like going over highway rumble strips. I guess it's preparation for pond skating in the winter (I live 4 blocks from an outdoor rink). :?

I had a lesson.
Loop - ok.
Flip - ok.
Lutz 1 - oops....abort take off
Lutz 2 - oops...toe pick slid
Lutz 4 - double oops.....Fall alert!
I only managed the 2nd back crossover, clicked my front blade with my right blade, and UP I went. My legs went UP, I thought I was a goner - and heading towards the barrier! I came down on the best part - the fleshy buttocks. Thank ye gods for saving my coccyx, my wrists and my head.
Lutz 5 - Hip hip..... Got it, but not the best one.
Lutz 6 - That'll do!
Sit spin - good
Backspin - Coach took the 1st one (that's twice in a row now!)
Programme 1 - Not too much flow on the loop-loop, but scraped it out.
Sit spin was ok, but came out of it in wrong direction! 8)
Flip felt awful, but got it in.
Back spiral wasn't going in right direction either but got it in anyway.
Loop was crappy.
Steps were a bit scratchy.
End spin was good.

Programme 2
Got out the sit in the right direction.
Flip was ok-ish.
Spiral wasn't!
Loop was better.
Steps, erm, I made them up at the end as I forgot the pattern (I'm doing 2 steps at the moment and get confused easily!)


Practised a few backspins and camels, but they're still far from consistent.

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MEL
Absolute Skating

Injured: Left shoulder is still sore, but I can do elements by pre-setting my arm in the required position and holding it there. Just can't lift the arm at will.

Inspirational: Not really inspirational, but improving.

My mohawk sequence is really starting to look like something. My arms and free leg aren't flapping in the wind nearly as much.

3's were okay. I have my worst trouble accomplishing them with the slow speed I get from a single push.

Forward crossovers are in good order, but the backs were sluggish. I need more practice time.

Other: Got home from a trip to Des Moines, IA to deliver a college student on Sunday. 6-1/2 hours drive up on Saturday after skating, unloading gear up five flights of stairs (no elevator), spent a restless night in a hotel, and 6-1/2 hours drive back. I was exhausted when I got home. Went to the basement carrying a clothes basket and stepped in a plastic bucket someone had left on the steps.

Fortunately, (thank you figure skating for stronger leg muscles and better balance) I didn't fall, but jerked my body every which direction trying to stay vertical. Scared me to shivers.

Ended the day by mowing and trimming the lawn for 2-1/2 hours.

Now I feel like someone beat me with a stick.

Hope I can loosen up before skating tonight.

Monday morning practice:

Inspirational

* Foxtrot stayed in town for 2 consecutive days.... Still haven't done it to the music from a stand-still, but did a bunch of patterns from a rolling start.

* Forward Power 3's were okay, nothing spectacular. I'm focusing on making sure my weight is more forward on the blade as I do the LBI-RFO choctaw.

* Alternating Back Crossovers... trying to slow down the crossover and hold each edge. Some of them I do, then about 3/4 of the way through the pattern, body memory kicks in and the crossovers turn into lousy tiny crossovers.

Injured:

* 14Step went on hiatus today


Tomorrow's lesson should be interesting. Coach got a new video camera, so he's using it on all of us. I know I need the training aid from him pointing out "this is where ..." but I HATE being video'd or photographed.

2 more practices/lessons until I leave for Atlanta...

--jsl

Inspirational
Not much. Worked on my back edges most of the weekend. Also worked a bit on FO edges. It wasn't a lot of fun, but I seriously need the work. After having consistent trouble with my LFO edge my coach asked someone to check the blade and after declaring that it was perfectly sharpened they proceeded to move the blade towards the inside of the boot. Hopefully this will help.

Injured
My incipient two foot spin, as gary says, has gone to another dimension where I don't exist. I think this may have something to do with the fact that my BOSS showed up at the rink. The rink where I skate is in the middle of a mall and he dropped by to have some coffee with one of his daughters and sat down at one of the tables around the rink to watch the skating. He waved at me so I went over to say hi. He asked if I was taking a lesson and then said "just pretend I'm not here". Yeah, right. I was so embarrassed and stiff I could barely move.

Shocked
After my lesson I sat down to wait for my daughter and started talking to a couple who was watching their daughter's lesson. They were complaining about an edge class her coach had her do and which she refused to do ever again. The father explained to me that his daughter had advanced very quickly and "missed some of the beginner lessons".Then he went on to say that she really didn't need the edges thing since the kid always won first place at all the national competitions. However, the coach told them that she "might need them for international competitions". At first I just thought the parents didn't know much about the sport, but then I was shocked to see the mother put on a pair of boots and take a class with the same coach. You could tell that she has been doing this for a while, and I was just shocked at the idea that even with private lessons these people had no idea about the importance of edges. True, their kid can jump and spin, but you can tell she is severly lacking in the technical aspect. How can someone coach like that?

Inspirational - I have a scarily big waltz jump!! I am quite impressed with myself. I also am proud that I practiced spinning for 20 whole minutes, didn't cry or kick the ice. :-) I played with spinning on my right foot not my left (I have burisitis in my left hip and as a result have a variety of problems with the left leg) and actually got the hook!! It felt totally bizarre but I could actually get the hook and get around. So tonight I have a private lesson and will work with my coach on that for like 10 minutes. Did the mohawk sequence, I guess it's the 3 step?, I never know names, but you do a mohawk and then crossover the leg and repeat the pattern so you could side to side.

Injured - I still can't control my spins but I am trying. My boots still fit wrong even with the heel thingy, that's just pushing my foot up and causing bruising on a different spot. My flip jump was just off totally so after a few tries I gave a it a rest.

Injured: still, but getting better
Inspirational: Skated in the all-adult show this weekend. It was a good time, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Before intermission they needed to stretch a bit, so my former partner and I did a couple of pair moves, so that was fun -a surprise but fun. My program, the loon interpretive from Nationals, went very well. I took out the cammel-flying cammel and replaced it with running threes, and it was fine.
It was a good display of adults, everything from the very beginning to doubles, our death spiral and a free dance.
ta,

Injured:

* 14Step is still on hiatus.

Inspirational:

* Coach was pleased with both MIF exercises for Peach today. So we focused on the "whole" picture, starting from skating onto the ice, through the exit presentation.

* Foxtrot: Warmed up to it without the music, then at end of lesson, did lots of Fox to the music and it actually felt pretty comfortable. Each pattern got better. Now to remember to check the cross-3 and keep the first 2 strokes of teh back progressive more parallel to the barrier.


One more lesson/practice until I leave for Atlanta... tomorrow I want to do a minimal run through of everything, and then "play" the rest of the lesson, like do EW and RF and maybe Blues or AW or Tango.

And... I signed up for my next series of ballroom/off-ice dance. Intermediate East Coast Swing, and International Latin--Beginner (Rhumba and Cha-Cha).

--jsl

FINALLY had a freestyle lesson last night; my coach was gone for three weeks!

Injured:
* Wasn't snapping my left leg around enough on flying camels.
* Axel, double sal and double loop all severely cheated.
* I seem to have forgotten how to do a deathdrop (not that it was any good, but still...)

Inspirational:
* Fixed my air position on the flip; coach says we'll start double flip soon. Woo-hoo! I haven't landed any doubles yet but they're fun to try!
* MITF coach says I *should* pass my test (juvenile MITF on Saturday) with room to spare.

My Monday coach is on vacation, so had a 1-1/2 hour adult only public session for practice.

Injured: Not much. It was great having time to warm up and get my ice muscles loose.

Inspirational: Suddenly I feel like I'm becoming part of the ice rather than skating on it. I don't know why or how long it will last, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Just wish my old body could stretch and move like it did 20 (or more) years ago. I'd be terrific if it was.

Inspirational - I did a waltz-toe loop combo!! woo hoo. My toe loop is actually decent, I rush sometimes but if I take my time it's not bad. Worked on spinning, breaking down all the steps into the scratch spin, realized that my left leg really is significanly weaker than my right (and there fore my LFO 3 edge is weaker) and therefore it cannot be "forced". So I would will on a LFO 3 and then I put the leg in front and arms in front and hold that position and hopefully spin. :-)

Injured - salchow. :-) boy do I feel uncoordinated. Anyhoo, we walked through it to get the timing so that's what I will do wed and sat then on Sunday I'll see if I can actually jump!!

Gary - do you stretch? I have been stretching alot and I am slowly but surely getting more flexible and am as flexible or more flexible than I was as a kid. The one HUGE difference to me is that as a kid I had SO MUCH more endurance but even that's slowly being re-built.

Until recent months, I've never used a harness in learning to jump. I could never get used to it--until today.

My coach put me in a pulley-rope harness to work on my axel. For the first time ever, I landed real ones with crossed feet! My coach was so proud. At one point, he was hardly pulling me at all--I was doing them practically on my own!

Next time, I going to take everything I've learned today and try it on my own for real. Yes, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel....

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This space has been put on hiatus for retuning....

from Gary "Inspirational: Suddenly I feel like I'm becoming part of the ice rather than skating on it."

Congrats. This is a major step forward. I remember when I first felt it, and my skating hasn't been the same since!

I do stretch some. Unfortunately, past injuries (like a groin pull that never healed completely) keep me from pushing too hard. After being sedate (read: sitting on my butt) for 8 years, these old muscles are going to take some time (years) to really flex again.

Thanks! I'm just hoping that it's not like some of my elements that move to some other dimension where I don't exist.

I know it's a thing that will come and go, but at least it's happened for the first time. That means it will happen again and hopefully more often. Then I will know I am truly making progress in my skating.

It's not the number of elements that shows progress, it's the feel of those elements that you do know.

WOW!!! Philosophy on a Tuesday.

This is for today and yesterday:

Inspirational: My spins are back! Last week, that villian all females know as PMS stole all my spins, especially my beloved backscratch! They all returned yesterday, and today a camel mysteriously showed up as well!

I also ran the beginning of my program through with a full flip attempt and camel attempt!


Injured:
Some of the kids have already started school- this means a sad farewell to those nice, quiet, afternoon freestyles! It was good to see some of the kids that I haven't seen all summer.

Inspirational:

Most of the Bronze moves. I have a very good handle on the forward power crossover stroking, mohawk sequence, back crossovers to back edges. Power 3's and my normally good backward power stroking need more work.

Although the day seemingly started out injured, as I could not get into my knees at all, it ended up well. Toe loops were fantastic. Coach said they were high. Sals good too, loops good. Spins--scratch, camel, attitude, backspin, all there. I even managed a catch-foot camel for two revolutions! So proud--can't wait to work on this more. Backspins are really coming along. I want to keep improving those so I can have a flying camel. I even managed a few revs of a back camel today.

All in all, happy.

However...

Wanted to show coach my new catch-foot camel and for the life of me I could not do one. I fizzled on each attempt. Boo! (When she wasn't looking it came back, of course.) Hee hee.

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All that glitters has a high refractive index.

Injured:

• My spins! All of them! (Well, the sitspin was the only one that was remotely good...) For some reason, my right shoulder kept on dropping today! I couldn't fix it no matter how hard I tried! Grrrr.....What's so frustrating is that I'm leaving for college tomorrow and there's no telling when I might get back on the ice again. I want to end on a good note, dang it! Maybe I'll try again tomorrow morning and see where that takes me...
• Scraped my elbow slightly falling on a camel spin. LOL I didn't fall toward inside the circle - I totally flopped over on my left side! Don't know how that happened...
• Tried power 3's today. I have problems stepping for the the BI edge to the other foot's BI edge. The choctaw and the 3 are okay - well not the best, obviously, but I just sort of stop when changing feet. Maybe I ought to hold my 3turn exit longer...

Inspirational

• I found the secret for straightening the 3turn on the flip! I thought about doing a flat rocker instead of a 3 to get me more to the outside, but my right hip/shoulder was still wandering forward when it should have been checking back. So I tried to do the turn with my freefoot tucked beside my skating leg (not extended behind like I was doing before..)and lo and behold, the exit edge was straight! After doing the turn, I'd simply extend the free leg back and pick! I had some really good flips today! Woohoo! And some were so high I had to no idea how to land them! Oh well... Of course, I'd like to extend the free leg eventually, but I figure I have to be able to do the jump before I go about fixing it...
• Just cause I was on such a high with the flip, I tried doing loop/loop today. Haaaaaaa.... Something tells me I'm not ready for that yet...
• Landed two lutzes today. Still short, (and flutzed cause I'm waiting so long on the pick..) and I'm clunking the landing, but that's something to go on...

Anita