Teehee! Well first of all, yesterday there wasn't just a competition, there was a test as well. Which I passed! You could get a maximum of 14 points, you needed 12 to pass, I got 13,5 points. I missed a half a point on my salchow, which is my worst jump even though it improved tons since I started practicing the axel, but nonetheless that jump is awful. The other jumps all went very well for the test. My spin wasn't centered, but it doesn't list in the test requirements that it should be centered yet. I skated very typical of the way I generally skate, not better nor worse than I skate in practice. Even though I had cramp in my foot.

Now as for my first competition... Mom filmed both the warming up and the competition, so video's will follow once I get the cd from her.

Well the warming up went very good. Except I couldn't land the flip clean in my warming up so I decided I'd try the flip if the loop would work in programme, otherwise just do a really BIG waltz jump. Generally, if the loop doesn't work for me, the flip won't either.

The BIG MOMENT however... Well. I got cramp in my bielman spiral, and because I was too stubborn to let go, I went and did a bellyflop over my toepicks, landing on my ribs and hipbones. Both my ribs and hipbones are now missing bits of skin from. They're also blue. They also hurt terribly yesterday and I couldn't really breathe.
So right after this spiral, I had powerpulls and a lunge and a loop and a scratch spin in a row. And I couldn't breathe. Well I did the powerpulls really well, the lunge didn't go as deep as it should, I couldn't set up properly for the loop because of pain in my ribs so I fell there too, and I did a pretty bad scratch spin, but at least, I didn't fall on that one.

From there I of course dropped the flip and did the waltz jump, which wasn't as good as I'm used to doing them but ok, I'll take it. I had to drop a lot of the footwork because I was running out of time, but I did do a few things very nicely which are difficult for me to do.

Overall, it didn't go too bad. I was worried I'd completely loose it mentally if I fell, but I didn't think about the fall at all anymore once I could just breathe again allright. I was afraid I wouldn't smile, but I smiled a lot actually on inbetween bits because it relaxed me. I was afraid I wouldn't know where to continue if I had a fall like did happen on dancing competitions (ballroom), but it went like it did on my piano performances from when I was 12 or so, where just the melody of the music piece that I know so well in my head was enough to pull me back on track.

And everybody said I had a really hard fall from the looks of it and that I did recover VERY well.

So overall, I'm not unhappy.


Also, after the competition we had about a half an hour of ice to just skate on for the fun of it, and I did. I've got this "karate kick" (kind of a 1-foot T-stop with a kick, in effect you spin around as you kick, kind of like a really bad salchow without a takeoff) and some kids asked if I could do that one jumping up. Answer is, I can. So for the artistique competition in Groningen I plan to attend coming season, I know I'll be doing some kicks and I also know I'll be doing my dagger trick. I didn't do it here, because I was worried small children might try to copy me and hurt themselves. I have some scars from the days that I did role-playing games and renaissance fairs myself, I've had a dagger all through my leg once. In Groningen, it's a competition for adults though (one of the 2 we have) so presumably, adults will be smarter than to try it, so I can do it there.

Oh and I skated on a song, "Der Spion" (the spy) by Schandmaul, a folk-metal band, and I don't think I'll ever loose the nickname "Spion" anymore! Everybody from our club calls me that now.

Also, the fact that I passed this test also means that as far as our club is concerned, I can do competitions. They'll make me a programme now and stuff (the programme for this was just one I'd thought up myself).

And I'm glad I felt relatively at ease to skate. I was shaking too much to open a water bottle on the bus to the rink, but once I had my skates on and went into the hall, I kind of left that behind me. And though it was reasonably full (I've seen selectional competitions for the nationals that had less audience), I could put it completely out of my head that there were people watching and that there were people grading it and everything, I just skated for myself really. So I'm glad about that.
I did have to go pee like 6 times before though, so I wasn't entirely at ease. LOL!

Look forward to seeing videos.

Sorry to hear you got a little hurt, hope you arent feeling too sore.

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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!

That's great - on your test and for your first competition - too bad about the fall - but now that you've got that over with, you've got nothing to fear for the next time!

j

Congratulations!

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Congratulations!

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Tidesong

CONGRATULATIONS!

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CONGRATULATIONS Sessy!!!! Good job!!!!

Congratulations! That is great news on the test and competition!! It sounds like you did very very well for your first time. Looking forward to the videos!

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The skating may not sparkle, but my dress sure does!

Just passed: Pre-Bronze MIF & Freeskate. Next goal: Bronze tests in July.

congratulations

especially for carrying on after such a nasty fall, well done!

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Level one Field Moves......PASSED 05.06.08
Level one Free dance.....PASSED 02.10.08

GOALS FOR 2009

• Level One Compulsary dances.......PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Elements.....................PASSED 10.07.09
• Level Two Free dance.................PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Free...........................
• Level Two compulsory dances.......

Loving it, Loving it, Loving it!!!!!

Way to Go Sessy, your story made me smile, thanks!
Lyle

WTG, 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!!!

Here's two video's of the practice AFTER the competition. Of the competition, mom made one file very strongly compressed so I asked her for a better one.

Anyway how the judges on the test thought my toeloop is better than my sal is beyond me, but here's also some attempts at a sit spin and at a camel spin and stuff.

I must say it greatly helps to see myself skate. I guess I'll have to find some way to get more video's next season! I totally understand now why the more careful I am about the flip the less likely it is to succeed (and also, whaaaaaaaat the freak am I doing with that right shoulder? That needs to change! Why didn't anybody point this out to me before? Oh yeah, group lessons. Figures. No wonder I half "lost" the flip & lutz, DUH!!!)
And I think my sal would be better if I'd swing the leg less around. Right? Also the approach to the spins needs to change completely, no wonder they're uncetentered.


So, check it out, I'm the big girl in all black & pants, doing 2 bad flips, a loop, a bad loop-loop, uncentered scratch with fall, a very bad attempt at a sitspin, a half-centered attempt at a sitspin, a very bad attempt at a camel, and some steps from a jive, in desperate need of MORE FREAKING SPEED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlxI1B2gsVw

Here's one with bad waltz jumps and my trademark "Shht, I'm a spy, don't tell anyone!" spiral that was my undoing at competition and about which I was very careful in this after-competition practice:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiNxqYMgWlQ

BTW do feel free to give me all the pointers you can!


OH AND HERE'S THE COMPETITION!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XhagP9zKkg



well.

Oh yeah here's the warming up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_NwC2UerBo

Wow, Sessy, you have come such a long way! Congratulations!

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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

Ouch nasty fall! Well done for getting up and carrying on so well!

You have good speed and ice coverage

well, have my uneducated opinion, but the second jump you did looked really nice!. don't know what it's called. but it looks like my waltz jump feels. which is good.

only thing I thought was on your back xo's, you seem a little slow. anyone else agree?
but otherwise it was very good what level are you (or what are you working on now?)

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I'm in the Netherlands, so we have a different testing system all together. Right now, I'm not working on anything because of a 5-month summer break. Which, considering my anckle, is really good for me.
All I'm doing right now are all kinds of crossovers and edges on quad rollers, since this doesn't seem to be straining my anckle. So I'm hoping my speed & flow will be better by the end of the summer.

Our Dutch tests are named like moves in the field and vrijrijden (which means freeriding literally) but they do have different names and vary slightly and we do not have a separate track for adults. So here's the two tests I wanna pass:

Moves in the field - Interbrons

Skating forwards (both ways)
Curves along the long side of the track - forward and backward, both inside and outside edges.
Change-foot spirals along the long side of the rink, changing leg on the red line.
Waltz eight - 3-turns in an 8-shaped pattern.

Vrijrijden - Interbrons:
Waltz
Toeloop
Salchow
Loop
Flip
Lutz
Combination of 2 jumps, of which at least 1 must be a flip, lutz or loop.
Changefoot spin with at least 3 rotations per leg, centered.
Sit spin with at least 4 rotations in sitting position, centered
Camel spin with at least 4 rotations in position, centered.


The test I passed on friday 13th with 13,5 out of 14 points required me to do waltz, toeloop and salchow. Before the anckle problem I could do them with a loop behind them too, and before the anckle problem I also had the flip and lutz and seeing the video's I know exactly what I started doing wrong in the time I couldn't pick without pain in my right leg. So I'm going to take a guess here and say that probably the jumps aren't going to be the problem.
The spins are.
The only spin I actually have centered is the sit spin, but then my sit spin isn't actually sitting... My scratch usually travels for several yards and I do not have a backspin at all (although strangely, on socks or on a spin trainer, my backspin is far better than the scratch is and once, I did loop-loop-loop-loop-loop-loop-loop-loop on the floor while I was drunk and it worked well - so I'm guessing the problem is the entry, not so much my ability to balance or hold position).

LOL! Uhmmm Dissenting opinions! Yummie!

Well if you're looking at the video's where I'm inbetween all those kids, the reason I'm slow there is that I don't wanna skate into them and I'm also slowing my crossovers for all my spins and jumps except the waltz jump. I guess the set-up for the waltz jumps at the very beginning in the second video is about the way I normally do my xo's.

And I know those could be faster too. Which is why I'm practicing them on rollers now!

I thought your speed was ok. Sometimes the crossovers looked a little (only a little) laboured. But excellent ice coverage and speed for only 8mths skating.

laboured? what is that

Laboured - like it was a lot of effort for you to move. Which can make you look slower than you are.

But only a little and only if I'm being ultra critical.

Did you choreograph the programme by youself btw?

Yeah but they'll make one for me now that I passed F-test.

Haven't seen you before so can't comment on improvement, but seems pretty decent and you've pointed out all the main things you can improve on, so no need to elaborate on that.

Just a note that I notice that you tend to drop your arms between moves you hold them better when you are entering or finishing an element, then you drop them before the next move. But I think with choreography maybe that will be handled, but just in case you ever choreo for yourself again, you might want to plan what to do for inbetweens.

I would say it would be nicer if you seemed more confident about your elements but it appears the fall did take quite a bit out of you... still a very good job coming back from the fall and also looking forward to a better program next time!

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Tidesong