Ok Fellow Skaters!!! Time tell me the Skating elemements you've learned in 2009, and how you feel you've improved in your Skating this year. Please include the one thing you've learned this year in your Skating that your the most proud of. For me I have taught myself to skate on my Outside Edges (I hope I'm doing it right). I'm very proud of myself for that!!! I have also DEFFENITELY improved on my gliding into the Boards to get off ice. My speed has really improved!!! I still fall. But not as much. I'd say I'm becoming a much better Skater!!! Anyone else?

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FSWer

Most exciting thing I have FINALLY learned so far was the back spin!!!

Like you, getting comfortable and being in control of the outside edge to accomplish this was a goal for my right foot. Every day that I skate, I spend the first 30 minutes working on edges, footwork that has been included in my program and patterns that I know I will be tested on soon (probably after sectionals to move up to Bronze). After that, I tackle spins, and then at the end of my session spend the last 30-40 minutes on jumps and technique. Getting height and speed.

Total elements learned so far for 2009:

• Camel Spin
• Scratch Spin
• Sit Spin
• Toe Loop, Loop, Flip, Waltz, Salchow jumps
• 3 Turns - Forward to Backward, Backward to Forward, Inside and Outside edges
• Cross Rolls - Forward and Backward
• Twizzles
• Swing Roll
• Counter, Rocker

COOL!!!! BTW. what is a Back Spin?

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FSWer

It's a spin that's done on the other foot. For instance, I'm a counter-clockwise spinner, so my regular scratch spin is done on my left foot, spinning to the left. If I spin on my right foot, still spinning to the left, it's called a back spin.

So it's basicly a Spin that would mirror the type of spin you would normally do because of the direction you normally spin in a a skater.

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FSWer

Not exactly. If I mirrored my regular spin direction, I'd change spin direction when I change feet. A back spin changes feet, but spins in your regular direction.

I learned twizzles at the adult camp in Hackensack, but since my rink closed when we got back wasnt able to practice them...so I've forgotten how to do them...and we learned rockers (or was it counters?) RFO to RBO edge? They were fun.

I basically had an overall improvement in my skating, which says a lot-since my injury/operation everything was bad and regressed. I had to re-learn a lot.

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

It depends on which way your turn if it's a rocker or a counter....are you turning like a 3 turn (into the first circle?) then it's a rocker...if you are turning like a bracket (counter to the first circle), then you are doing a counter

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

AHH!!!! I think I understand. A skater that can do a Backspin is a skater that basicly can spin in the dirrection that they spin on BOTH FEET...rather then just one. Right?

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FSWer

I think you've got it!

I landed the Flip and Lutz in 2009 and finally got a really good backspin and was well on my way to a decent sitspin. I learned and passed pre-bronze and bronze Moves, which did lovely things for my skating. sigh....

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It's all about the dress!

I learned to do a lift in couples dance and generally improved speed and posture on the ice.

Also several couples dance spins with different entries.

I got generally stronger overall, I'd say. Exercises that I'd been struggling with for years, now I can just go out & do easily, which is more a strength thing than anything else.

I worked endlessly on my BO three turns over the summer, and they have improved a LOT.

I also finally got a pretty good feel for FO brackets, and while I still don't like them at least now I do them with reasonable flow, and without feeling like I'm about to die.

Good going! You're making great progress!
One thing
you've mentioned alot before, that seems confusing
by "gliding into the Boards to get off ice": do you mean that you have not yet learned how to Stop?? (as you exit the ice)
Thanks for explaining. Keep up the good work!!
.

After a rocky start in early 2009, I have made great progress this fall when our rink opened back up and I picked up group lessons. During the time off when our rink was closed, I lost 40+ pounds and committed myself to working out religiously to get my body in better shape hoping that it would ultimately help me reach my skating goals (it worked!). I finally feel like my crossovers are progressing again, I've managed to get my 3 turns back (most of the time...ha), my forward outside edges (esp on my problematic left foot) are much better. I might just shred my "basic 4 for the rest of my life" membership card when this session of lessons concludes, and hope to be through all the basics by summer and back to a freestyle group class (which is where I left off when I quit 13+ years ago). It's been a looong, slow process going back after all these years...definitely was not like riding a bike. But I'm feeling good about where I am right now and am crazy enough to think I may get solid enough at some point to possibly try testing the adult track. Maybe.

Oh, and I also managed to push away my fear issues that plagued me when I returned to lessons in late 2008/early 2009. That was a huge thing obstacle to overcome.

I'm proud of -
* tho (job-related, plus) I was only able to skate like 4x this past year, I find that
when I return, I don't have to go back to square-one, but actually start where I left off.
*
(instead muttering to myself negative stuff like "STROKE NOW!! the right way", ),
being able to Accept how I start warming-up by swizzling around for a while, 'til ready.
*
Instead of expecting myself to own NOW my goals, I can Accept myself playing with different things, and still have fun...
and that if I'm patient enough , eventually I'll be able to skate them just like I want...

These challenges I've made progress in; now to muster the courage to posting my Skating-goals lol
.

I have learned:
Parallel spin
Combination Parallel/sit spin
Lutz
Jump combinations
New program


I could do but not a good quality and now it is consistent and good quality:
Sit spin
Flip
My back spin is better (the exit on the same leg)