Two sessions to report on, last night's practice and then this morning's lesson. Last night we had a very mixed time:

Silver: We worked on chasses and swing rolls in waltz hold, and were able to get them really flowy, fast and powerful - at least, they felt like that! Whether they actually were as good as they felt, I've no way of knowing! We also did a good run-through of our OD.

Tarnish: But when we came to do the Swing Dance, we tensed up again, and our chasses and swing rolls reverted to "normal" (i.e. terrible!). Grrr.... plus when we did a run-through of the Riverside Rhumba, we kept rushing the end pattern, and I have a horrid nasty feeling we'll go on doing so.....

Robert, whose back swing rolls tend to be "V"s rather than "C"s or even "U"s, was suddenly doing the most flowy, glorious powerful back skating that a wife could be jealous of. He was doing a solo Foxtrot, and I am deeply envious - but, as I pointed out to him, why can't all his back skating be as good as that? His run-through of the British Waltz, which he is doing solo at Oxford next month, was terrible - you could have driven a bus between his feet during his back chasses (which explains why we both kick each other when doing them in kilian hold, since you can through mine, too!).

This morning, I was too tired to get up early and practice with him, and really only arrived at the rink in time for my lesson:

Silver: Almost everything worked really well - runs/progressives (the clockwise ones were a bit dubious, but at least I knew they were and tried to correct them), forwards cross-rolls, back inside edges, back outside edges, back chasses ("The best I've seen you do!"), forwards chasses.... changes of edge were like the curate's egg - good in parts.

Tarnish: But I seem to have either power or flow, not both! Why can't I get both We didn't have time to work on my figures, and my coach hasn't yet cut my music for my "Creation" (artistic/interpretive), as he's been busy with a new son and end-of-business-year reports and accounts. Which he has now finished, so maybe next week?

Anyway, I went off to practice figures on my own after my lesson, and showed my friend what to do - she hasn't seen the circular that came round, yet - and of course once she'd got the idea she was much better than me, although she said that what she was producing was more like "bulgy potatoes" than circles..... all the same.....

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Tarnish: Woke up bright and early for 6am synchro practice, got on the ice, and then found out we had been double booked! Apparently the ice is booked for a group at 6:15 for the entire month of September. We were not impressed to see that the woman who books our ice has screwed up AGAIN this year. Plus, there were a few unaccounted for no-shows this morning. Grrrrr.

Silver: We were able to use the other sheet of ice at the rink (after the rink guy nicely flooded it for us), and did get a little more choreography done.

Annabel -- you'd think any loving husband would save his best skating for his one and only wife!

Practiced last night:
Silver: Well, I got my two foot spin from 2-4 revolutions to 5-6 revolutions consistently. Bent my knees more and delayed bringing my arms in a revolution or two on the advice of a friend. Then I taught said friend how to do the choctaw in alternating FO3s. This is somehwat hilarious as I can't really do the 3 well, but the choctaw is fine, LOL! Also, my BI edges are getting better. BO are OK but I don't have quite enough power to make a full lobe. They are smaller than my forward edges -- I do about four lobes forward and six lobes backwards.

Surprise silver: While working on the forward alternating 3's, I actually did two or three in a row correctly! Of course, as soon as I realized it I got excited and couldn't do them anymore, LOL! They actually felt weightless -- a feeling I know I will love.

Another Surprise Silver: One of my two-foot spins ewnt 8 revolutions and I felt totally weightless on that one -- much fun!


Tarnish: Waltz jump is only happening at the boards. I foud it a bit easier if I take a deeper outside edge going into the jump, but again -- only at the boards. Although I can do it at my full speed from the 4 step mohawk setup there, the minute I get away from them I balk into the jump. Same with the 1/2 flip -- I've finally started approaching it a bit faster, but I put my right toe pick in and step around instead of jumping. Grrr!!

Practice and Scynchro tonight!

Silver: Caught up with my coach and finished the choreography for my interpretive program. We love it, and I'm looking forward to putting it out there.
Also last night was our first "adults only" fs at the rink. It's not my primary rink, but the session was great.
Debbie and Mika - Will you be joining us tuesday nights? They have also added a "low fs" session on Wednesday nights, but have yet to define what "low" is.

Silver - Skated in my new boots for the first time today! They are very stiff and uncooperative with knee bends (as expected), but the ankle support is brilliant. I didn't do any jumps, other than one waltz jump and one toe loop. The landing was so SOLID! No longer do I wait for my boot and ankle to buckle under every landing, it was amazing. And the blades (coron. ace) are also brilliant (I was using a club 2000 before). I felt like they sailed across the ice a lot easier. And the edges! I've never felt anything like it, I felt like I could lean until my ankle touched the ice and it'd still be gripping.


Tarnish - Bit of a disaster, the coach who sharpens and mounts blades forgot all about me and didn't turn up. I missed 1hr worth of skating in the private session waiting for him to drop the skates off. And when my coach saw the way he mounted my left blade, she was less than impressed and is going to move it over once I break my boots in a little more.

Hi, flo! The adult-only session is so late, and it's on the same day that I have private MIF lessons at the 5:30 freestyle. So I don't know if I'll be going to any. Maybe on the days that my MIF lesson needs to be cancelled.

Silver:
Had my first private lesson and first time back on ice since I fell and bashed my knee in power stroking class. I learned so much and my learning style is really suited to my coach's teaching style. We only worked on forward perimeter stroking and alternating forward edges, but I learned a lot of good stuff and general principles to apply to all of my skating. We had a good laugh when she explained to me that one does alt. FO edges down the short axis of the rink and then alt. FI edges coming back down the same axis, because I asked, but don't you use the right foot down one axis and the left foot coming back? (That would have been power pulls, which are definitely NOT on the Adult Pre-Bronze moves test, thank goodness!)

Tarnish:
On freestyle ice after my lesson, I got in the way of one of the girls doing her program, prompting a polite "Excuse me" from her. Except when I went to get out of her way, I got in it again because I misunderstood where she was headed!!! I felt terrible and apologized to her afterward (flo, she's one of your coach's students) because even though we didn't collide, I'm sure I messed up her timing for the jump setup.

I find it very hard to skate on freestyle sessions with the really advanced skaters who are working on their doubles and triples. I don't mind skating on really busy freestyle ice with low FS skaters (such as all at pre-prelim and prelim levels) because I'm pretty much working on the same skills and their paths are very predictable to me. But I'm not too familiar with the more advanced skaters' programs and dances yet, so I'm always afraid of getting in their way, especially if I'm trying to do moves, which I find difficult on a FS session anyhow. (We have no MIF/dance ice at our rink).

Hi Mika,
I'm sure all would agree that there's going to be times when two paths cross, and re-cross. It sounds like you handled everything well and most of Jeff's advanced kids are use to skating with adults, and are pretty nice about things. It is hard to do moves on a fs session, and there should be designated moves sessions or restrictions on them for some of the busy fs sessions. If you would like moves only ice, we're offering some at the Ice Club of Baltimore on Saturday mornings at 9:30-10. There's also a lesson provided at no cost.
Can you go to the low fs sessions on Wednesday? I'm not sure what low is, but it may be a good session. The range of levels has been a problem at that rink for quite a long time. We have asked and asked again for split sessions. It's important that the high and the low groups are comfortable practicing.

Silver:

I actually did some "baby" power threes correctly on the first try on my lesson on Monday!

Totally Silver:
The ice time that we thought was in big trouble of being taken away we are not going to lose! !


TARNISH:
Out this week:
After work skating practices and gym workouts!

In this week:
Trips to the gas station, drugstore, grocery store, bank, and Home Depot!

Thanks, Isabel!

Flo and all you DC/ Baltimore folks, get ready!

Thanks Terri,
I grew up in Va. Beach and remember tying everything to trees and tape on the windows! I called my parents (also in Va. Beach), and they're ready.
I hope you're not in an evacuation area, and fortunately the rink in Va. Beach is inland. Our rink in Baltimore has been flooded before from a hurricane.
Take care everyone!

Silver: Been a great week of skating so far, I also met my new coach for the first time on Tuesday. I didn't know much about her, but I hadn't heard anything bad either. We did the preliminary things such as figuring out where I was at level wise, forward stroking, inside & outside edges, inside & outside three turns, mohawks, lunge, and, um, I think thats it.

Still Silver: She said a lot of stuff was pretty good, yes some of it needs work (well most of it!) but she seemed to be pretty happy with what I was doing (I think!) I have another session on Thursday, and will be able to get more input from her then I hope.

More Silver: Wow, can you say backwards crossovers? Boy did I have a blast with them today! Of course one direction is not as good as the other, but wow, I was really moving (I think!) and I had a wicked lean to keep the edges bit in, plus, I didn't really have a lot of toepick like I used to do.

Now the Tarnish: My boots, oh my, what can I say? Their still new, still stiff, and still hurt! But there not as bad as my first set of boots, I can actually skate the next day with these! And while my feet are pretty sore afterwards, their really not all that bad. Both Zamboni's were broke the one day, so we didn't get an ice cut after hockey, didn't bother me much as I've been on rougher ice, but did miss the clean ice.

Steven

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

Silver:
Well, my coach is just the right coach for me. She knows just what to
tell me to get me to do something.

Today, she got me to centre my forward spin again and to get it to go
even faster on a clean edge. Oh, I rotated 6 revs even though I only
need 2 revs to pass this one. She said I hit her V position in the
spin and the exit.
Then, she fixed my left forward spiral got me to get my free foot
above my head. It was that I was not placing my back right and my
shoulders. She's preparing me for a camel spin.
Worked on the sitspin position at the boards. Found out how weak my
right leg is in the sitspin position. Got to work on getting more
strength in that leg.
Getting closer to a passing backspin. I only need another half
rotation. Her in Canada you only need 2 rotations to pass the
backspin in the preliminary level. My coach wants me to have at least
2 and half rotations on this spin. I'd like to try for 6 on this too
before testing.
I seem to be falling onto an inside edge on my jump landings and this
won't let me stay on my landing edge for more than 4 seconds and my
coach now wants me to practice getting a back edge flowing around the
hockey circle completely to fix this.
Waltz jump I got a few nice ones. (OK, I'm being picky here. I want
Axel quality waltz jumps to prep for my axel.)
Toe Loops, were OK but I'd like a little more height. (Coach is
already talking about doubles in the future.)
Salchows were decent from the mohawk entrance.
Loops, did have time for them.
Flips, keep forgetting to check hard enough on the mohawk and then
use my arms, so I end up doing either a half flip or sort of a split
jump.

May or may not skate next Wednesday because some high level judges
are coming to test a pairs team and a male skater during ticket ice.

Brigitte

__________________
"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

Silver: I did cheated double lutzs! On the VERY rare occasion when my coach had me try double lutz, they didn't even look like attempts, but something clicked today and they were pretty good! Double loop and double flip were better as well. Axel was closer, but still no cigar. Spins were well centered, and I improved flying sit a tiny but.

Tarnish: The synchro team I was hoping to join may not be having a Junior Classic line after all, they are leaning back towards Intermediate. I am bummed! Cross your fingers for me that they do decide to do Junior Classic so I can have a team this season!

Like Mika said, the session is so late, Plus, I don't get home from b-school on that day until about 7, which I guess would allow me to make a late session, except that I'm pretty much exhausted when I get home. For this semester anyway, I'm doing the 5:30 on Wed b/c that's when I have my lesson, and I'm going to try to practice on Mondays. This past Monday, I went to the Laurel rink (although I did not see Michael Weiss - I believe he trains in the mornings). Talk about being on the ice with advanced skaters! Just when I got used to the high levels at Ice World, whoa! I was surrounded by doubles and triples, plus the session was very crowded and the ice was very choppy b/c they have 3 sessions in a row before resurfacing and I was at the 3rd session. From now on, I go to the 4:05 (right after Zam) instead of the 3:10.

It was actually kind of cool to be there and see such high level skating, even if it was a little scary. Don Laws was on the ice giving a lesson and so was Denis Petrov. I almost didn't recognize Denis, b/c he's very unassuming. He was coaching an adorable young pair team in the session before mine and he worked with some singles skaters during my session. I was kind of surprised, b/c I thought he and Lu Chen (girlfriend) were opening up a skating school in Westchester County, NY.

What I've really been concentrating on are the pre-Bronze moves. My coach complimented my stroking and crossovers, but my 3-turns and BI edges need major work.

Silver:
Monday: landed two double salchows
Wednesday: landed two double salchows
(I just wonder whats going to happen on friday )

Tarnish:
My boots got soaked again because the rink was sooo wet and I forgot to air them last night! One side (left boot i think)that was at the bottom of the bag was still damp this morning... I'm so worried that the boot will die on me.

__________________
~
Tidesong

Silver: I survived my early-morning lesson with my coach yesterday inspite of beign sore from my practice session the previous afternoon! While I was warming up, he said, "You're looking really good this morning!", even though I was really hurting and didn't want to even be awake.

Tarnish: Buckeye '03 being cancelled. Hopefully, I'll get to go to the one in Utah in November....

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

Silver: I remembered the choreography for our Synchro routine! I actually did all of the footwork (except the mini-waltz jump) at speed. Yay!

My two foot spin is still working, pivots are getting more assertive. My back inside edges are ok, I think.

Tarnish: Wow, the team skates backwards with more power than I'm used to. I couldn't stop and change direction once, and felt that I was falling, so I dove out of the line so I didn't bring anyone with me -- I landed on hands and knees and managed not to skid too far. Then I popped right back up and into the next move.

My feet were killing me by the time we were done last night -- I'd skated the club ice before and was on the ice two hours Tues. night and four hours in two days is a lot of skating for me. I think I'm the only one on the team who skates club ice, but it's at a good time for me because I can't have play rehearsals on Wed. night (church night).

Silver: Wheeeeeeeeee what a week so far! Ny FO3s are actually looking good! I started FI3s today but lets just say that they need a little work. I learned power threes on Tuesday and can do them on both sides. Not terribly powerful yet but they're getting there. A friend taught me alternating threes and cross rolls yesterday and I'm having a lot of fun with those. And today, I started working on the Dutch waltz! Let me tell you I am having such a blast with all this! I'm actually starting to feel like a skater now.

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

Not a Silver day for me on Tuesday. Both of the alt. crossovers were okay to good. The flow is fine. Speed is okay. But coach is still not happy with the stiff "forward crossover" look. (He says "This is you" and demonstrated me doing my crossover in this stiff Frankstein-ish manner with his big ol' stinkin' smile on his face like "Ha ha!" The guy LOVES to pick on me!) On alt. back crossovers he's concerned about my getting more push on one of the sides while on both inside edges (before the next back crossovers.) Otherwise, he liked the speed and the flow.

I haven't even gotten to the rest of the moves, since the rest of them I have major problems with, particularly with the power 3's... WAAAAH!!!

Backspin is non-existent that morning too! EVIL EVIL!!!

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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!!!

Silver: OMG! Once again in the last 15 minutes of the session did I get something accomplished! Today was mohawks, I've been so silly with then in trying to do it right, and BAM! I'm doing them like crazy! I was going around so much I was getting dizzy! Just plain awsome!

Tarnish: Coach had to cancel lesson today due to something else coming up, and yes, my boots still hurt, but I did skate 4 1/2 hours today!

Steven

__________________
"A sure sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." - Albert Einstein
"A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular." - Adlai Stevenson
"Got Edge?" - Steven J. Arness - Coachless, two years and counting.
"He who carves himself to suit others will soon whittle himself away."
"Sometimes you get what you want but loose what you have."

Last night: patch session followed by Dance Club.

We managed to do some work on our dance, and the Club secretary asked if we'd like to run it through in the interval at Club - unusual, as normally we just put the next tape straight on. So we jumped at it, and then skated very badly. I'm hoping it's because it was the tape version, not the CD version, and that tape machine runs a little slow.... but we did seem to run right out of steps at one place and had to wait to catch up. Hmmm, maybe put a run or a chasse in there, I think....

Dance Club itself was fun, and we had some good dances, although a bad Riverside Rhumba. Well, most of it was good, it's just the change back from reverse Kilian to Kilian hold is too rushed. Swing Dance as good as it ever is; I think we're finally making progress. Now if only we can manage not to rush the edges - I will still rush the Mohawk, no matter how hard I try not to, but we don't have to rush all of it!

Ghastly Dance Club committee afterwards that went on far too long, and I was tired and cold and had to take a taxi home. Bleuch.

However, today, although I haven't been skating (Robert cheerfully assumed we were, but if I'd known he wanted to, I'd have got up 30 minutes earlier than I actually did), I have been sorting out my wardrobe, which I have been meaning to do for weeks. Got a good half of it done, and the nicest thing of all is that I've found a pair of jogging bottoms that not only had I forgot I had, but they really, really suit me! Guess what I'm going to wear to the rink in the morning!!!

__________________
Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

SILVER: Another lesson yesterday where my coach couldn't stop raving about how well I skated! Twice in ten days, hmm, that's probably my quota of those kind of lessons for the next, oh, year. Oh well, I guess I needed it. Coach insisted on doing Silver (Harris) Tango, because "we haven't worked on that in quite awhile." Well I've been working on it on my own and apparently it's paying off. First he had me do one length of the rink doing just the backward lobes: down, up, cross behind, cross in front, same thing other direction. Apparently I'm doing it with extension now, and the change of direction is much smoother. He said the forward lobes looked even better. We worked on the transition section, which is alos much smoother, and then the mohawk into the repeat, which is still kind of iffy at times but tons better than even three months ago. Coach's comment: "This is incredible- your technique is so different than it was. It's actually...good." (I know he didn't mean that quite the way it sounded). American Waltz is better too, and apparently Blues is almost testable. Only problem, I have to pass the American and the Tango first

TARNISH: There's been some changes at the rink, my sessions are getting a bit more crowded, but if I put in some extra time in the mornings and make afternoon my short practice, it shouldn't affect me too much. I can't do two full sessions in the morning without being late for school, but no one seems to mind if I make up what I miss of my second morning session in the afternoon.

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Shae-Lynn and Victor: We knew you were champions, and on 3/28/03 the whole WORLD found out! Thank you for twelve wonderful years!

Skated today aswell as yesterday Now I'm at uni, it takes me about half an hour to get to the rink (20 mins bus, 10-15 min walk), nice compared to the 1hr or 1.5hrs it used to take me! Plan to continue to skate more often now. Also plan to start up lessons again. Yesterday was the first time I'd skated in over a month, so I was decidedly rusty.

Silver:

Yesterday - field moves were mostly relatively good. Spirals were fine. Managed my personal record of 1 rev on a backspin lol

Today - felt a bit more comfortable once I got into it (not quite so rusty). Practiced spins - some were a bit better. Anti-clockwise ones were about 5 revs sometimes. Learnt a choctaw sequence that was a bit better after practicing it today. My spirals were good - I had been talking to a couple of skaters (there were only 4 of us on the ice) and after I did a LF flat spiral (first one), they clapped and said it was good I can consistently (I think) keep my leg above hip level now (was told it's about 100 degrees), so that's great.

Tarnish:

Yesterday - didn't feel particularly comfortable. My blades felt "off". Although I could spin, I couldn't centre them to save my life. Incredibly frustrating.

Today - most spins either travelled or didn't work. Clockwise ones were rubbish. I think I've completely lost the spin entry I practiced so long to master . Blades still didn't feel right. I spoke to someone in the shop afterwards, and she confirmed that the inside edge of my right blade got chips in it all the way down (nicks in the metal). I have to talk to the sharpener about it. She also checked if my blades were level (they don't look level to me - the plates aren't completely against the sole or heel properly), and said I should ask a coach to look at them when I get one.

__________________
"It’s never too late to skate at any age." - Alexei Mishin.

Silver
I finally did a one foot spin with my free foot crossed for three revolutions!!!!!

Tarnish
Nothing I am floating on cloud nine about my spin.

Silver: Keats and Rocker both feel really good! I'm getting better at the outside mohawk, as well as the rocker swing. Didn't spend much time on the American today, but I don't have a lot of difficulty with it. Also started prelim skills. The waltzing threes seem a bit challenging, what with the slow timing, but I find the mohawk exercise is a breeze. Will have to work on the expanding exercises a bit for more control.

Tarnish: Timing on the outside mohawks. I just can't wrap my head around the lift. I know it will come, but I'm impatient sometimes. Also, HATE skating dance and skills on freeskate sessions. When I start my session, it's pretty quiet, but the longer I'm on the ice, the more people there are. So I often leave lessons feeling frustrated just from dodging people. I think I will try to get in some public time at the Oval before next week's lesson.