Honey Crisp apples are here! In the US, I don't know if you other folk have them but they are wonderful!

Unfortunately today was a pretty green day

Power class - all I could do was skate fast, if she asked us to do 3 turns, mohawks or jumps, it just wasn't happening...

Ran through my program and fell, but it was good practice for me to get up and finish the program. I supposed the loud "Oh crap!" as I fell would not be a good idea in a competition.

Honey Crisps - Great two foot spin, beatiful half lutz with my arm over my head...ran through the Swing Dance pretty much on time...

Still a little green - edge entry into a one foot spin is still rushed and so not there, 3 turns into my mazurka and half flips...I can do 3 turns at speed from power 3s and even in my program before my spin, but I just can't seem to do a decent 3 turn to set up for these jumps.

j

Fresh Honey Crisp, Juicy Sweet Apple

Doo doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo
Doo-doo-doo doo doo-doo-doo-doo...

ICE ICE BABY!!!

Yes, my home rink is FINALLY reopened just in time for Monday night skate and my very first lesson at this rink since Labor Day!!! And it's GOOD to be back at this rink again!!!

Had a decent enough lesson with primary coach trying to make some more changes to my technical program. Yes, folks!!! I will ATTEMPT (not necessarily get) a lutz jump this year!!! I will also attempt a flip-loop this year as well (if I don't end up chickening out and doing a flip-toe loop first... or maybe we'll do a lutz-toe loop instead... )

Still a little green:
Since they are still building up the ice and hardening it, we can't do ANY jumps 'til THURSDAY!!! (But hey, I'll take getting back my old home rink and schedule over sluffin' myself all the way to Oakland on BART at dark o'clock in the morning...)

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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!!!

Honey crisp: Took two days off to go to Boston for the PSA seminar, skated yesterday and I CAN STILL DO A LOOP!!! I'm sooo afraid it's going to just vanish.

Little green apples: What exactly were they thinking when they moved power pulls to the Adult Silver moves? "Hmmm, what will be most likely to give older skaters instant arthritis so we can get rid of the geezers? I know, let's put power pulls in there!" I can just about do all four sets one after the other but by the end my knees are going, "Crack...crack...crack" with every pull and they hurt so much I have to hang out by the boards pretending I desperately need a drink until they ache a little less!
Plus I have a mild groin pull from practicing the loop forty times a day. Ouch.

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Little Green Apples: We have a competition in ten days or so - enough said! You know what it's like, the run-up to a comp; you are always so convinced you aren't ready, you'll never be ready, you're going to make a total tit of yourself....

Honey Crisp (don't know these, can I have Russets instead?): Not sure....

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

I haven't skated yet this week, so I've got nothing on topic to say- but jazzpants you've got the bass-line all wrong. That's "Under Pressure"
Vanilla Ice's goes like this:

Doo doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo *ding*
Doo-doo-doo doo doo-doo-doo-doo...



Sorry- I had to add that, because one of my favorite memories of vanilla ice is the interview where he explained why he DIDN'T rip off Under Pressure, and that was the difference. So I was cracking up when I saw your post. I can't find the video on youtube right now, but I know it's there somewhere...

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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)

Oh, geez!!! They're the same song!!! Even he admits it!!! (Well, in 2008 he did...but he finally did...)

Doo doo-doo doo-doo-doo-doo *ding*
Doo-doo-doo doo doo-doo-doo-doo...

ICE ICE BABY.... Vanilla ICE ICE BABY!!!

(Let's get this on ISk8NYC's mind so she'll be humming that on her drive home today...MUHAHAHAHAHA....)

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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!!!

Still Green...around the gills

I caught something this past weekend, and it scuttled my Monday morning skating plans.

Still have it (cough, cough, sniffle!), and I'm deciding whether to skate this afternoon, or to rest instead.

Rest would be wise, but you know how it goes.

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Bill Schneider

You guys are cracking me up.

Nothing to add except that Honeycrisps ROCK!!!

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"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

Fresh Honey Crisp: Passed my adult silver free!

Free program was solid, passed way over by all 3 judges. I'm glad I can put my program back to the competition version and actually WORK on it now for Buckeye...haven't really worked on the siver competition version since Grand Rapids because I was testing my prelim free, had to compete bronze at Wyandotte, etc.

So now I'm officially moved up in freestyle, and hopefully next test session I can bang out my pre-juv free (should have just done it today...oh well) and maybe the pre-gold dance I need to qualify for gold solo dance at ANs.

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!

__________________
-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Green! Thunderstorms started at midnight and kept going ALL NIGHT! Every few minutes I was awakened by a tremendous KABOOM!!! When I got to the rink, the humid weather had left the ice full of condensation mountains and a couple of holes nearly through to the concrete!

Cripsy! Still working on "down in the knees" skating and my quads (and knees) are getting better - EVERYTHING is hugely better with down-in-the-knees and back edges are getting scary fast! (Dang but that feels good!)

Green: Need to put together a preliminary cut for a new Interpretive tonight - coach wants to hear what I have in mind - and I would rather SLEEP! (if there are no more @$#%$# thunderstorms!)

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Why are you testing both reg. stream and the adult stream? And yeah, you could have probably tested the Adult Gold and passed too. I knew I was way out classed at Wyandotte. It was a pleasure to watch you skate while I was waiting for my turn to compete!

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"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

Crisp apples - I had an epiphany today! Last week my coach told me that I was stepping too wide on my loop entry, and I need to keep the step close. Also, judges on my last moves test said the same thing, stepping too wide from my 3 turn on the power threes. So I've been trying to correct that, and keep my weight over the skating foot, and it is really helping with a lot of things. But today, I realized that for years I've taken the spin advice "step into the middle of the circle" much too literally. Not supposed to really step into the middle of the circle, are you? Supposed to step inside the circle, as opposed to outside the circle. What a difference. I've had this little hip hitch in my spin entry for oh-so-long. But now I realize its because I'm taking a wide step into the spin and getting off balance.
Yahoo - funny thing the English language - how just a little misinterpretation can cause so much frustration.

What you discribe here is what my ice was like leading up to my Wyandotte, MI, USA competition. When I got to Wyandotte, I wasn't use to getting speed so I didn't push like I should have pushed.

What I want to know is why do the arenas turn off the humidity machines to controll the conditions in the arena. We'd have much better ice if they would take care of the ice better.

It's no fun going over a mountain of ice or a deep crator left from above dripping pipes. It's down right dangerous. Those conditions really played with my head and I didn't get over it until two weeks after competing.

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"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

You're so bad.

Still, it's better than the song that WAS stuck there on the way home -- the muzak song I subconsciously heard at the supermarket! lol

I skated TWICE today.

This morning, I (finally) made it to Coffee Club, only to find that the zam was broken. So I just goofed around doing very bad MITF and spins. A buddy came on to skate and we did a Canasta Tango together. His part was good (as always), my part was bad (as always.) lol

I taught this afternoon and realized that the very nice, and very empty, public session was starting right after the ice cut. (Sure, NOW the zamboni's working.) Did figures for a while - my circles were lopsided, but at least I could see that; I'm getting better. Have to make the serpentines smaller I think, but instead just reused my existing tracings.

MITF were good except the FI spiral patterns.
Spins were meh - I'm still trying to get used to the 1/2" ROH.
Skidded through everything, and fell doing stupid little 3-turns and brackets.
Couple of jumps then I did off-ice, which went well.

Oh, and my inside spreadeagles are good for some reason. Still can't get to the outside edges, but it's getting more and more straight-line, so that's progress.

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CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I don't know why Rachel tests both standard and adult track... but I do it because I can use all the experience I can get in front of the judges. (Besides, then I can collect more of those cute little pins for each test from USFS!)

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Congratulations! That is awesome.

As for me:

Crispy: Working on Skating Moves today and Coach1 picked out a couple of the Level 1 Moves he didn't think I'd be able to do - and I did them. Including the figure 8 of forward and back crossovers which he said were a lot better than he'd expected - I had to admit they were a lot better than I'd expected, too! So on to Level 2 Moves, which I can't really do... well, one of them I can, and half of another, but.... I want to get them to test standard, not that I need to test them, but for my own satisfaction.

Green: Found out what was wrong with our Variation, or rather, where we slow down on it, and Husband, trying to step it through for himself, appears to have absolutely no idea what the steps are! I think his feet bypass his brain when he skates... And when we did the Prelim Waltz, he over-rotates to the point that I can no longer do my 3-turn.... sheesh....

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

Thanks.

I do both for free because up until this year we had to have the adult tests for nationals, they would not take the standard equivalent. I decided to throw out adult silver just so I don't have anything to worry about in terms of qualifying for silver at nationals (I finished 2nd last year in bronze so no excuse not to move up). With competitions so few and far between, testing both also gives me just another opportunity to perform in front of judges (in what I find to be a MUCH more stressful situation that competing). Competing free is a VERY different mindset from years of synchro that I am still working to develop. For dance I only do standard.

I'll do pre-juv free eventually but there is a forward-back scratch on pre-juv free and I struggle with that (back scratch-forward scratch is really easy for me though so that's what I do), and a picky judging panel may have issues with my lutz (also required on pre-juv free)...although truthfully with yesterday's panel I would have been fine. But I'm not putting that out until I have either a pre-gold dance or two or my junior moves ready to go, too, because I end up taking a day off of work to test regardless and would rather do more than one test and save my vacation time, and since I'm running low on days I may not be able to test until December or January. I don't want to risk not testing at all until January, not passing my free, and having to do bronze again at ANs. And now I get to spend the next few months focusing on getting at least 1 pre-gold dance that I need to qualify for gold solo dance at ANs without having to worry about having to pass a free test. (I work full time and go to law school at night so my life is hectic and skating time very limited.)

I actually would not pass the adult gold test, an axel is a required element and I do not have an axel. Actually an axel is usually needed to be competitive in Silver I at nationals too, although people have done very well without one if everything else is strong. (Hopefully I'll have that soon.) I think a spin with a change of foot and position is also required and I don't have one of those to a passing standard, either. Nor do I have the doubles that are required to actually be competitive at the adult gold level so I'll probably spend the next two years at silver (unless I pull off a miracle and medal at nationals). I just started freestyle this past February, no reason to rush things.

Rembember...I'm in my 20s...so I compete age class I. What you see in therms of a competition program in age class I is, on average, harder than what you'll see in the same level at a higher age class. (And the test stream in Canada is a little different, too. I think skills are a little easier than moves and I guess in dance they only ask for a solo if the partnering is questionable? I wish that were the case with standard track here, the solo is usually what gets me!)

__________________
2010-2011 goals:
Pass Junior MIF test
Don't break anything

Honey Crisp I asked my coach for an extra lesson this week, because Saturday was a rough practice- and that extra lesson was FABOULOUS. With the exception of dodging kids throwing off patterns, it was really really great. If I can skate like that I will pass without a problem.

Still green Group lesson coach pointed out that my weight was shifting wrong on the crossovers for the power 3 turn, so on that last push I wasn't really on an inside edge. So he worked with me on keeping that weight over my leg, but then I couldn't put my foot down to step into the 3 turn. So to work on that step we did the alternating 3-turns on the line- and thank the Lord that got removed from the adult tests because OMG it's hard. But during my lesson I was able to do the step, and while I'm still not really over that edge, I'm getting better.

Also annoying was the number of kids who I had to dodge while on pattern. I skate on a public session, so I absolutely do not mind dodging public skaters. They have no clue, and I don't expect them to. But some of the kids who were getting in my way were figure skaters- who SHOULD know to stay out of a pattern. Figure skaters who I previously yielded to in the earlier half hour when they had lessons, but had no inkling of providing the same courtesy to others in their lessons during the later half hour. I also nearly took out a little girl on double runner blades, but thankfully have a reliable back snowplow and a coach with a loud yell. That was entirely my fault- but it's hard to see tiny people when you are focusing on the "looking up" part of the ending. I don't think the little girl knew how close I got to hitting her, so all was good.


Also green The honey crisp apples we bought last week We are going to give them another week or so to get the real good ones in the store. Because man are those apples heaven when they are ripe. (Are they a new thing, or a midwest thing? I had never heard of them before I lived in Iowa. But then again I only heard of Rainer cherries about 4 years ago and those are amazing)

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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)

I just bought some of these yesterday, lol! Before I understood the thread title. Maybe I should leave them out to ripen a bit?

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I'd give one a try and then decide. Last weeks might have just been a bit early- they were the first we'd seen in the store.

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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)

Fresh & Crisp: Well my coach was skeptical when I first mentioned it and I thought she was going to disown me when I suggested the music for my new Interpretive .... but I played the music for her in lesson this morning, we talked about the overall theme and approach, discussed elements of choreography and how I would "play it" and now she's on line with the new program. She even suggested I compete it at the end of November

Brown and rotten! (Way beyond "green"!) My knees are still bothering me and if things don't improve I might not have a Freeskate in the future

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Dianne
(A.O.S.S.? Got it BAD! )

Yep, Class I can be pretty competitive! Congratulations on your medal last season and a big congratulations on your Silver test!

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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