Crabgrass Scratch spin stinks. My shoulders just won't lean the right way. Also- coach and I have a different view of what "point" and "flex" the foot means (I point downward, and flex upwards- which I guess is dance terms, but not skating terms?) so I had an incredibly confusing lesson where I WAS flexing and he kept yelling at me- turns out he flexes down and points up. I had never heard it that way.

Waltz 8 also stinks. I can't quite get that last glide to start again and have to put my foot down to get enough speed, but if I have enough speed, my edge is too deep and I end up in the wrong place.

Also, the pick up my foot back crossovers are horrible. If I have to do these on my test, I'm failing. I much prefered the kind where I left my foot on the ice. I've never seen the other kind except ISI- so I'm not sure why I'm doing them this way now, but oh well, trust the coach- right?

Daffodils PB 3 turn pattern is looking good!

I did like 4 revolutions of a backspin! (well of a crappy one, but the actual spinning was good) Once again, I have shoulder problems on this one, so I lifted my one hand above my head and put the other in front of me and was able to completely stay on my sweet spot. I was so excited! Now I need to work on leg position- right now I'm just doing "knee up" to prevent the flying behind me leg- I'll have to get to "foot crossed" soon.

Oh and my worst jump- loop- was sorta done about four times while I was doing backspins, because to keep from falling I was hopping. My coach pointed out that that's essentially a loop

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

Daffy-dills: Continued improvement on the backwards - growing strength, speed, and comfort.

In lesson today we did a little with spins, a LOT with 3 Turns, and I was introduced to two-footed jumps and shown a toe-pick practice to get used to transferring to the pick for jumps.

Poison Ivy! Continued frustration on the 3-Turns! For whatever reason, I am just not keeping that free foot out of the way. Is having the free foot in a position to "catch me" my psychological "safety net"? Is it my closed hips? Whatever it is, I need to figure it out and FIX IT - this is getting old in a hurry - I have turned good 3-Turns before - it just isn't happening now - GRRRR!

Orchids: When the ice was nearly deserted, I went back to backward edges, pushing for more speed and power - it's coming back, little by little and it feels OH SO GOOD!

[Taking liberties with the headings ]

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

All Crabgrass

I was tired and nauseous and skated about 20 minutes then told my daughter she should take my lesson and went upstairs and slept in the lobby.

One Daffodil I did one pattern of power 3s and every single one of them was spot on top of the arch.

j

Hey, great job on the backspin and loop! But just because your coach knows skating doesn't necessarily mean he knows English, LOL! I've always heard "point" used to refer to extending the toes down to continue the leg line and "flex" as lifting the front of the foot upward to create a 90 degree angle between the leg and foot. Since freestyle figure skating is based on ballet, I can't imagine why it would be different, KWIM?

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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

Definately feeling flowery here.

Bielman is coming along ni-i-icely!!! I've got my bad-side bielman on rollers about as high as my good-side bielman was 3 months ago. My good side bielman is only an inch away from being over my head now, I grab the holding arm's wrist with the free arm now.
And for the first time in months, this week I've felt like my anckle might actually heal sometime indeed.

Crabgrass:

• Forward crossovers still needs work! Need more underpush and need more "progressive"-ness.
• My flip and loop towards the end of the session. I was just plain tired and didn't have any more to give during the lesson. (I did a A LOT of jumping today!!!)
• Toe loop is being de-"toe-waltzed" at the moment...

Daffodils:

• But for a while the toe loop was so frustrating and secondary coach looked so bored telling me the same thing that I did a nice clean flip just to see if secondary coach is paying attention. (Yup! She did and called me on it, saying that it was a very nice flip but I want a TOE LOOP!!! )
• Did some really nice loops today!!! Some of them were very effortless...

More Weeds:

• ... but got progressively worse as I got more and more tired. I just didn't want to jump after about the 4 attempt at the loop.

More Daffodills:

• Waltz jump was crappy at the beginning but got much better towards the end. I got back my nice big effortless kick-thru... and when secondary coach asked me to do a salchow, the kick-thru carried over to that jump too!!! (She said the salchow improved from the last time she saw them... ummm... she only saw ONE salchow... and we didn't have much of a lesson on those. Oh, well! She claimed it was better than the last time I did salchows, so who am I to complain? )

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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!!!

Daffodils: Passed my American Waltz and Killian today. Thank God - I don't think I could take another pattern of the American! I was contingent for the Killian, and when I found out I was eligible to test it, I was enthralled. Enthralled and almost shocked. I mean, I knew there was a good chance that I would pass the American meaning that I could take the Killian, but it still seemed unreal. I've only been working on the Killian for a few weeks! Oh well, if the judges thought it was strong enough to pass, I'm happy. And boy, did they think it was good - I passed by all 3 judges and one even gave me an 8.2 out of 8.0 (8.0 was passing average). So, yes...I'm quite proud and can now get back to seriously working on the Paso, learn the Blues, and the Starlight Waltz. On to Pre-Gold dances!

Daffodils: Today was a really, really fine day! My jumps were all landed *effortlessly* and higher than usual; I even did a couple of flip-loop-loops with actual flow on the landing. Axel preparation improved a lot, and when I thought I was ready to try an axel, I've attempted it five times. Three of them totally off, and two rather close. I hope to get it soon (maybe land a good one by June-ish!)! Spins were great today, my backspin also improved by a lot.

Crabgrass: A girl from my school kept picking on me. haha!

By the way, for those of you who go on Sashafans, a full review of today is posted in the thread.

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Congratulations! My daughter hates the American - she's not really a waltz lover but that one makes her dizzy. It makes me dizzy to watch!

j

Congrats to you SynchroSk8r114!!! Paso Doble? I swear I'm hearing the music in my head already. LOL!!! (There was this one year where we had not one but TWO skaters taking Pre-Gold Dances and learning the Paso Doble at the same time! And of course, since it's a fast dance, I have to always keep an eye on where the dancer is when she's doing the Paso Doble... so I don't get RUN OVER!!! The piece was also played a lot too during my FS session, so the piece is now STUCK in my head! LOL!!!

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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!!!

It's a dreaded dance (a fast waltz?) I totally feel for her - I'm no great waltzer either. I'm much more a foxtrot girl.

That's how the Killian's music was for me! My mom kept referring to it as "circus music."

Congratulations!! Killian has been the bane of my existance for longer than I care to think about....hopefully will test it (for the second time) in July or so...once I'm back on the ice full time. I can't wait for Paso & Starlight! Killian is just not my dance.

I know what you mean. Judges think it is so easy because the steps are relatively simple, but with the speed and the quickness of edges, it makes it pretty darn difficult, especially those outside edges - yikes!

Yep, that's what got me on the first test try. Now I try to take the first LO edge past 'center', if you know what I mean, but I can't do that up to speed yet.

Synchroskater...Congratulations!

Daffodils: I have been really working on spins as late. Scratch spin is definitely improved. Camel and sit are improved but still unrecognizable.

Crabgrass: Toe loop is still very much a toe-waltz. I didn't feel like jumping today and stopped after two toeloop attempts.
I was looking at my blades today and not only is there no rocker left but I have no sharpening surface left. Looks like it is time for new blades which I am thoroughly not pleased about.

__________________
Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

daffodils:
hit my 5 axels and 5 double salchows despite missing ballet due to tummy ache and tuesday's practise coz the rink closed early. The landings are slowly getting to be a better quality, definetly less ubrupt than last week.

worked on change edge sit spins, understanding more about them now!

Had one landed suspect for double toe loop, and alot of good rotated but fall attempts...

Rotated double loop (and fell) during lesson

I sort of almost succesfully attempted an ina bauer with the weight on the leading leg!!! I've never been able to get that weight off the free leg (meaning i've always been doing inside edge ones and they always go out of control too ....) but it seemed to work ... have to try that again

crabgrass:
I really really really want to land that double toe alot more than I'm doing

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~
Tidesong

Congratulations! This has me puzzled. Back when I was a roller dancer, the Killian was a higher level dance than the Paso, and the Blues was lower. I guess it's possible that it makes sense given the different skates and surfaces.

Daffodils:
I spent about 10 minutes in front of a full length mirror on Mon night just doing RFO and LFO threes in my shoes, and it seems to be paying off on ice. Still not properly checked, but closer than ever. All of a sudden, I've got the RBI Choctaw in the L side of Prelim power threes! I could hear my coach's voice saying "hold it, wait for it", and this time, I was able to. It actually seemed effortless.

Crabgrass:
Spins were off, and I think I'm giving up on the backspin until I get my new boots and blades, since the spin spot on the R blade has been shaved just a bit. I wanted to skate for myself this morning, but woke up with a very painful R hip and decided to rest instead. I can't even take ibuprofen now, so I have to make do with a long hot shower and rest. I'm skating tomorrow morning, and will have to try to take it easy with the R hip. B power pulls really do it in, as do CW B XO's.

Daisies (because they're fun):
I was chatting with some of the teens on the freestyle following the groups I teach, and one was saying that she spins and jumps the wrong way, since it is CW and she is a righty. I told her it's not wrong and that I know others who also do not follow the rule. Then I told the girls that I have my beginners face the wall and turn to me on command. The way they turn is usually the right way for them to spin and jump. I got "that's smart!" and "you're smart" from them, whereupon I had to confess that a friend told me about the trick: thank you very much, Isk8NYC!

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Three words: Epsom Salt Baths!!! But the rest is definitely better...

Like ME!!!

Well, my skating coaches both follow other rules (like which eye is more dominant and when I do a BO edge, which side is stronger.) Both still think I should have skated CCW!!! Even my previous secondary coach, Mistress Coach, thought that I should have skated CCW and have often threatened to make me do my jumps and spins CCW unless I do what she tells me in my direction!

__________________
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!!!

My coach simply had me do spins and jump entrances both ways and asked me which feels better (CW), said CW looked stronger so for now it's CW. No "rules" at all.

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

Wouldn't work for me. I turn clockwise better - 3 turns and mohawks and pivots - but I spin and jump counterclockwise. Totally confused my coach when she realized it wasn't my foot that I favored when it came to 3 turns and mohawks but direction - then she was sure I should be spinning that way until I showed her how well I can spin cc. Shrug.

j

I also struggled with the CW/CCW thing. When I first started (actually I posed the question to this board), I was really having problems deciding. I am right footed on some elements when skating but my turns are so much stronger clockwise. I am a lefty though.

__________________
Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

I discovered by chance I don't have a direction of preference. It's completely random, that is, if it takes strength to do I'll rather do it on my right leg, if it takes precision I'll rather do it on my left leg. But I can just turn things around in my head easily and do them right straight away even though I didn't do them in the cw direction before. Just takes a second for me to focus on doing things in the other direction. I can do most my jumps cw too, except not very clean because I don't practice them a lot. It's easyer to practice ccw because on public skating sessions and in group lessons everybody's skating ccw, save 1 or 2 girls.
But then I was going to school already (so like, 6 or 7) when I figured out the difference between left or right. Everybody would say to use the hand which you wanted to grab a spoon or pencil with, but with me it was just completely random which hand I'd use. LOL.
I think I have a *slight* preference for ccw, but only slight.

I'm a CW righty too! The only place it's caused a problem is my loop because my left leg is not my stronger leg- so taking off and landing on it is really hard. I've done a CCW loop before, but haven't tried the other jumps that way- because I'm happy going CW, since I just cannot spin CCW without feeling ill.

Our test was "swing a baseball bat" (but that put me the other way), hit a tennis racket (uh- I always favored my backhand swing), and of course turn around at the wall "hey Jessi"- I went CW there.

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

The American Waltz is a silver dance. I was contingent with this dance to test my Killian.

The Killian, Blues, Paso, and Starlight are all Pre-Golds. You can test whichever of these you want to first - there's no rule that states you have to pass them in any order, so long as you pass the levels listed below in the following orders. So you can't test any Pre-Golds until you've passed all your Silvers...

With ice dance, the levels go:
Prelimiary
Pre-Bronze
Bronze
Pre-Silver
Silver
Pre-Gold
Gold
International