Yay, Synchroskater!!!

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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

Staying in: Well my coach decided to scrap all of the choreography for my bronze FS test and develope some new stuff. He said that since I cannot display my jumping ability because I can only do singles for this test, I will display my edge quality instead. He's throwing, rockers, counters, and brackets in the mix as transitions and entrances into these single jumps. Man I was struggling with all of the changes. I wasn't even thinking about the jumps because that was the easiest part for me. I even have a straight line footwork sequence all packed into 1.5 minute program. I have 30 days to get this thing together. I think it's overkill for a Bronze FS Test, but I kinda like the challenge. I know if I pull this off, there is no way I could fail this test.



Partying: Good news is my jumps and spins are good. Even my sit spin is improving. It's gradually starting to get lower. My thigh is now parallel to the ice. I'm working to get lower though.

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

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Partying: Had physio after work today. Therapist says I have tendinitis in the three ligaments that extend the forward portion of the foot (which explains why it happened on Waltz jumps and why I can't do them without considerable pain). She said it is easily treatable and I can continue skating.

Staying in: I guess that means I go back to working on two new programs for a competition in a month ...... IN A MONTH??!!! OMG!

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

Congratulations!

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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)

CONGRATULATIONS!

and:

CONGRATULATIONS!

Staying In:
Last week's lesson was so miserable I couldn't bring myself to write about it then. I was just too tired to do anything. My core was like jelly and I nearly fell on both FO and FI threes.

Partying:
I did actually manage a few decent one foot spins, and started to feel better as I skated more. Still have not had any practice time, but yesterday started teaching BO threes to older DD, who is now coaching a bit. She had no idea how scared I was to keep doing them for her, but do them I did, and they weren't so bad on the L. Only did two on the R because I'm a chicken and tired also. Also started her on B power pulls, and was told that I made them look so easy . Tomorrow is one of my longest days at work, starting at 9 AM. If I can get enough sleep tonight, I will have some practice time in between the lessons and office work.

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HUGE PARTY I did tons and tons of brackets today. I got up to FIVE in a row. I am so so so happy I just want to shout from the roof tops that I can do consecutive brackets- but no one would have any idea what I was talking about, so I thought I'd tell you all here. I've never been able to complete the backward one- after the forward one (so I've just done ONE) and today it just clicked. The first try I did two, then three, then I got up to FIVE! Just on my right foot, mind you, but still BRACKETS!!!

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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)

Were you doing those bracket-3-bracket patterns from Novice MITF? Those were so hard for me to learn, but once I finally did I was overjoyed.

I'll be praying for you D. Take care and don't forget the R.I.C.E. everytime you get off the ice.

Your skating bud, B.

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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

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

congratulations, synchrosk8ter!

Staying right in and hibernating!

Feeling very demoralised about it all really, I have been able to do all the skills for passport bronze silver and gold for a while now, so thought when I started private lessons I'd zoom through much as I did with the LTS levels.
No, instead what has happened is I'm having to do so much work on technique that I'm getting worse and worse and losing all the flow to my skating, and all my confidence in my abilities with it. Seemingly I can't even do two of the bronze reqiremants well enought to pass.
I know it's worth sticking with, but having only four things to work and nothing else for as long as it takes to get me through bronze is really going to drag me down. I'm also worried what's going to happen to my salcow, toe loop sit spin ect while I'm being held back here.

Worst is the three turns, I learnt three turns in my first month on the ice when I did LTS level 6 I think , and have loved them ever since. I have done them into crossovers, toe loops, salcows, so they do have a lot of omph in them, but now they're seemingly not good enough for two joined together to be acceptable.

OH NO! This was just consecutive brackets- in absolutely no fancy pattern. It's the first time I've been able to do more than one. Every other time I've tried them, I've done the forward to backward bracket, and then got stuck half way around when trying to turn back to forward.

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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)

Caris- That's really frustrating.

If you're in private lessons, why not ask your coach to supplement you with skills from other levels? I usually have one lesson on the moves I'm working on, and then the next lesson we just do "whatever" (which usually means jumps or spins, but is sometimes footwork). I haven't been able to do the backspin for Freeskate level 3, but I'm already working on things from Freeskate level 5- becaue I know I'll be stuck in 3 for pretty much ever.

Don't feel so bad- most of us have a bit of trouble when it comes down to "refining technique" after the excitment of "doing the move"

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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)

Congrats to all that are passing their tests!!!!!

This is for last night: I had a lesson. Had to tell coach that I haven't skated (not counting what I do for teaching) since last Wednesday. My back hurt so bad that even working on jumps was excruciating, spinning was tolerable. We reviewed the scratch spin and it was decently centered, I'm to concentrate on staying "tight" and keeping my free leg crossed. The backspin was actually better and I've graduated to the big-girl entry: LFI edge, RFI edge, spin....and managed several 2-3 rev spins. On to 3-turns where coach noticed my technique on each of them was different... So we worked on them for a while and they are now assigned as homework.

I could not work on spirals or any jumps, but we closed the lesson with my waltz jump...and now I'm to keep my arms out when I jump (instead of bringing them in).

That's it! Hopefully, this lower back thing will clear up-it's been a literal pain! But I'm lucky I can still skate so I can't complain too much about it.

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

I feel your pain!

I've got the same thing. Didn't skate yesterday, and won't be able to attend the roller session with the older folks tonight.

Some yard work over the weekend started it, skating on Monday made it worse (I felt the "chink" during a jump), and now I feel like a cripple. These episodes usually pass within a few days for me, although this one is hanging on a little longer for some reason.

Timing is good though -- (how'd that happen?). I've got a manuscript due to a magazine tomorrow, so I'll take advantage of the quiet time to work on that.

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Bill Schneider

CONGRATULATIONS SYNCHROSKATER!!!!

Staying In: My rink has a new owner, and the guys who opened this morning overslept, then the zamboni broke halfway through zamming. The skaters and coaches who were there decided to go ahead and skate on half-zammed ice, half wonderful ice, half not so great ice. So, instead of skating an hour this morning, I skated 25 minutes .

Partying: Okay, my skating for those 25 minutes was fabulous! Everything worked well, great change foot spins, great loop jump, even a decent rhythm blues end pattern! Also, one of my morning skating buddies is competing on the senior level, and her triple salchow and triple toe were incredibly huge and fabulous this morning, what a thrill to watch her!

Congratulations!!! That is great!

I think the Blues is the easiest one (at least it's the slowest!) so you should have no trouble -- I mean, if I could pass it, I'm sure YOU could!!! [of course, for me, no solo!]).

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Thanks! But, I'm curious...what did you mean by for you, no solo? Did you take the test as a solo or was this a long time ago when partnering didn't require a solo? I always hate solo-ing after partnering...I'm so beat by then from giving it my all during the partnering!

Wow! Respect, and

I think it is basically wear and tear and old age and, arguably, the change in the weather! It's got much colder over the last week, and today is mizzly, dank and NARSTY!

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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!

Party for je and SynchroSk8r114, and healing wishes for all of our injured skaters.

For me, it's a Sleepy Party. Finally ran through my interp. program (for the Halloween classic) yesterday morning on freestyle, and, while it's not as bad as I thought it would be, I'm still trying to figure out the timing (since I've only run it on public ice before and never knew I had so much time for everything when I'm not dodging little kids with sleds of death). And, somewhere in Philadelphia, the skirt is being worked on for my dress (I'm soooooo worried that I won't get it in time. The poor dressmaker is beside herself with all of my calls, and keeps reminding me that it's JUST A SKIRT).

Partytime: My salchow actually feels.. right, I think. I'm starting to realize that if I feel like the world stops for a second before I jump, all is good. If I don't, then I'm probably rotating on the ice.

Sleepytime: In taking a dive to avoid a kid on public ice (why do they always go towards us? WHY?), I definitely pulled my left hip flexor. Again.

It feels like I'll never have pain-free hips again, at the rate I'm going...

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

Can I send you some of our bone dry air and California wildfires to warm you up a bit? We won't miss them, I promise.

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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

I took the test as an Adult - no solo.

I think pre-Gold level dances always required a solo at UNLESS your partner was not so much higher-level than you. I remember I had to solo my Willow Waltz way back in the day (I was 12) because my partner was a Gold dancer - the rules on that have changed and altered all over the place over the years, that's for sure!!

I tried doing my dance tests Standard when coming back to skating as an Adult (after all, I was only 34) but didn't have the stamina to do a decent solo after doing the partner dance and flunked a few tests before coming around to testing Adult. yea - no solo!

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Is Portland the only city with it's own ice-dance website? http://www.pdxicedance.net/

Congrats to all who have passed tests!!

My only ice time at THIS moment is syncho. As Violet gets a little older, I'll return to assisting with LTS and taking my private lessons.

That being said, practice last night wasn't too bad. I hit all of the footwork except a tap and cross/mazurka in the footwork. OK when we weren't skating at lightspeed, not so good when we were. Same with the 1/2 flip at the end of the straight line footwork. After our coach humored my request to slow down a bit, I was hitting the back lunge (and the following footwork) in the straight line footwork again. It sounds crazy, but I actually consider that lunge a breather -- I'm sure the rest of the team would think I was nuts for admitting that, LOL! I swear I actually pick up speed lunging backwards -- or maybe others slow down enough that I just *feel* faster.

I was annoyed at my crossovers into the circle -- for some completely unknown reason, I was leaning totally out of the circle as we transition from line to circle. If we started IN the circle, I was fine. But from teh line I was a disaster. D'oh!

And I practiced the end of the program for a while. It's choreographed in such a way that I get to end in the splits, yay! I've teasingly suggested every season that we needed to do the splits in a program and everyone just groans. And I'm actually doing the splits on the ice 6.5 weeks post-partum and all fat and floppy, hehe...

Partying: Whatever the physiotherapist did in our session yesterday worked - I was able to jump again today with NO PAIN! (Well, for an hour at least...)

Hit a couple of Sit Spins - think I got 2 revolutions before body parts started flying off in every direction! Damn those things are fast! Waltz jumps and Toe Loops still need LOTS of work but at least I can do them again! I have 3 more physio sessions before skating again on Tuesday so things are looking up.

Staying In: Nope not today - I am too grateful for being able to skate to complain about anything. (Me without skating makes PMS look like a walk in the park!)

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