Noisy: Very tired today so didn't skate much, conserving what energy I had for my lesson.

Peaceful: Back crossovers (you see, jskater49, I'm trying!) were followed by back chassés and back runs. None of which were too tragic, but all of which were a great deal better when Coach1 was holding my hands - I can't balance in quite the right place over my skate without a helping hand, and tend to be rather flat and make ghastly toe-rake noises. But not as badly as I'd expected.

Showed him the various edge exercises I'd been doing and, needless to say, the one that didn't work in practice worked when I showed it to him, isn't it always the way. He did have some helpful tips, though.

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

Nuisance: Having given my coach free rein to "improve my basic skating" this summer she has, of course, gone straight for my weakness and I have been doing back edges for 3 weeks. They are improving but it's hardly "exciting" work (which is why I haven't been posting regular updates).

Three more weeks of back edges and it will be back to Freeskate program work I am sure.

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

Peaceful/Calm:
I actually did a few rounds of the Canasta Tango without screwing up the chasses and slide chasses. I keep mixing them up. Maybe I'll find the time to skate the dance with oen fo the guys at the rink.

Spins were good - layback actually resembled a layback, lol. Sit spin was low and long. Played with face-down laybacks; got really dizzy. Camels were decent and back camels were decent, but never the twain shall meet in a change-foot. Maybe next time. Backspins were really good - fast and centered - so I started working on the "spin and stop; spin 'til you drop" exercise. Got three pull ins before I almost fell over, ha ha.

MITF - decent; didn't fool with the threes-on-the-line because they're frustrating and I hate them. Practiced a back edge exercise; see if that helps the "stand up!" problem on the TOTL's. Spiral sequences were fun; started to try doing back spirals on a pattern, but got nervous about whacking another skater, so I stopped.

Noisy/Bothersome:
Jumps are still weak - my right knee and hip still hurt. Have to do the gym workouts and stop skipping them for other committments. (House, car, DH, kiddies)

I feel like my right blade runs under the outside of the ball to the inside of the heel; diagonal across the boot. Not sure if it's from not really 'skating' or if there's an alignment problem. Blade screws keep loosening, so I suspect there's an alignment problem AGAIN. There should be a better way to attach blades without ruining the leather sole with lots of holes.

__________________

This is for Tuesday

Peaceful and Calm:
Started Summer Skating School at a rink which is close enough to which I could ride my bike. Had all my skating gear loaded in my panniers on my bike carrier for the ride there and back.

Pamchenko:
There were only 3 of us skaters registered for the 11:40 AM to 1:10 PM session ice which meant I didn't have to worry about traffic on the ice at all. A bonus to that was that the two kids had already passed their prelim fs already, moved fast enough to stay out of the way, watched for everyone else and they were good at working on their own.

Peaceful and Calm:

Ran through my jumps up to flip before lesson.
Waltz was bigger than ever.
Salchow once I left the ice (had a few stuck to the ice with no take off) were good and solid.
Toe Loop is actually getting some air for a change. Just have to keep reminding myself to wait until the free leg swings all the way back before picking in to keep the height going.
Loop was higher than before and fully rotated with a bit extra rotation. (Just need to trust that I can land it on one foot to stop two footing but then it was the first day back.)
Flip had the same story as the loop.

Spins
Corkscrew is still not being entered properly and so I get lots of revs but I'm travelling all over the place. (need to start thing that I'm going into my sitspin but then rise up instead.)
Sitspin was lower and faster but a little off from what I'm use to doing. (Usually sit is very centred.)
Camel never came to feed. In other words, I never got to attempting one because I ran out of time.
Backspin had the same story as the Camel.

Freeskate program music: Coach wants me to ad some dead air in between the second last section and the last section of music so that the timing feels better.

Freeskate Choreograhing: Got 2 thirds of my program choreographed (that is the last section need to have the steps done in detail; we really just mapped it out.) In amongst the serpentine step section we've got 2 jump windows with a possiblity of 3 jump windows planned. The last jump window is a lutz just before what will be a spin (don't know which kind yet). Then after than I have the rest area until I do my final jump window and last spin (if Adult Bronze it will be an upright spin including corkscrew and if Adult Silver it will be my combination spin). Had to move the starting point of my freeskate so that I could make it to the beginning of my spiral sequence in time.

Elements in Freeskate run throughs:

Forward hydro blading into loop jump was on everytime.
Loop jump was fully rotated every time just landed on two feet or delayed second foot swipping by.
Change edge spiral in spiral sequence was giving me trouble as somehow I've lost the nack for changing the edge at speed. I can do it at slower speeds but when I go fast I'm just too slow to move my foot and hip to get the change edge and feel locked in the first position. Had to add a two foot lunge in between the two edges of my change edge spiral for temporary measure to get more of the program choreographed and to get to the next parts of the program on time. (planned spiral sequence includes RFI spiral ce RFO catchfoot to LBI catchfoot spiral). The LBI catchfoot spiral goes into a 3 quarters of a circle so that I can start my sit spin closer to the corner.
Sitspins were nice and fast (my glasses were flying off of my face so I had to hold them during my spin, LOL)
Footwork mixed with jumps section was not getting skated as planned serpentine.

After my lesson I had 5 minutes to fool around so I started working on my Fiesta Tango. I kept on working on getting the end pattern clean as that's the part that I need to fix to pass the test. I was making progress on remembering to cross my left foot over the right before stepping forward onto my RI edge. I was also trying to get the end pattern to be more rounded as well.

__________________
"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

Pamchenko: Started lessons with my new coach last week, who like one of my favorite old coaches, has been taught in the Russian system, so we work basics, basics, basics, which is wonderful. My goal is to get good basics, so I don't find this boring at all. Actually, I was thrilled. And he said I had good basics "for my level", and that most others doing the dances I do have far worse basics. However...

Toepick: Was so nervous during my first lesson with him (because I'm always nervous with new coaches, but this was worse because he's kind of a big name skater, so I had an "as seen on tv" moment) that I forgot how to do an edge. Or push. Or stroke. Or *breathe*. Tried to show him the Willow Waltz and he couldn't tell what steps I was doing on the long boards. Now, in my lesson with my primary coach just days before, I'd done it just fine, but with him, I was paralyzed.

Pamchenko: Thankfully, this most recent lesson, I had somewhat recovered and could at least kind of do an edge. Sometimes. Sort of.

peaceful and calm: I think I figured out the double toe today! my coach explained it to me in such a way that it SOMEHOW made sense in my head and I think I actually get it now !!! My layback was also pretty good today! I tried a couple camel-laybacks, which weren't great lol but at least my layback was good enough for me to try that combination spin

My dance lesson also went well! My coach is getting more confident in me! lol as long as I don't get a solo during my test on Friday...

Noisy: My jumps were't that great today...I wasn't feeling too springy...and my skills were pretty bad...I kept two footing everything I also am really mad about this new rule with skills...about taking away the music!!! I'm very concerned now..lol because the rink will be so quiet during skills tests that you will be able to hear a pin drop...meaning that I've really got to work on everything to get rid of the scratchy-ness

Drove to Omaha for a dance lesson and skated for an hour beside my lesson.

Dance coach was very excited to hear there was going to be solo dance at Adult Nationals. She has a dance team competing there so she will be there!

Worked on my backward crossovers..this time trying to hold each edge for a while, trying to stretch and push, trying to stay down - back straight...I don't know...it's just hard.

I think I was getting good pushes in my peremiter back crossovers, but I began to see the problem with my crossovers in the power 3s...not sure how to fix it but I think I will understand better what my coach was talking about when I have a lesson again....often I was a little fuzzy as to what she was talking about.

Worked on the Swing - that is the dance I am closest to passing and what I will probably try to pass to qualify for Nationals. Dance coach said I was not a lost cause when it comes to timing. I actually was on time with the side pattern but I get off when it comes to...guess what? Mohawks! But I did a couple of them with the right timing.

Then we worked on those blasted step behinds. She had me cross my leg in front, put my weight on that leg and just hold it, then slide my free foot closer, then pick up my right leg...and the first few times I did it it was terrifying but after a few times I realized it was not so bad and actually did it a couple of times not holding on to her.

j

Peaceful and calm: Rachel's "I WILL get the axel I had when I was 11 yrs old but haven't done since" mission was somewhat successful today. After almost panicking when my coach tried to get me to go up and all the way round during my lesson on Friday (after a zillion bell jumps)....today I did it! I wasn't counting, but it was at least 10 times!!! Now all I need to do is land on 1 foot. Also did my best sit-change-sit ever.

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

YAY!!!!! Keep us posted on the progress!

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

bothersome - heel is still too painful for skating. Getting close though

seriously unfair - I'm going to KC on business in a few weeks, staying in a hotel that actually has an ice rink as part of the complex. But it is closed for the summer.

__________________
It's all about the dress!

Peaceful and Calm:

• Loop is intact!
• Managed to get ONE loop-loop.
• Salchow was very good, according to my secondary coach
• Scratch spin was okay.
• Sit spin was better after the third try. I think I got down low enough.

Noisy:

• Waltz wasn't as good...
• Camel sucked.
• Waltz-half loop-salchow: Meh.. lost the flow after the waltz jump landing.
• Need to do some changes to my choreography from almost the beginning in order to get more rink coverage. Necessary evil though...

__________________
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!!!

For the last few weeks because I've been lazy and I have not had the mental capacity to write up anything...

[Peaceful]
Axels are much closer than they have been...

Coach and I are starting to work on the specifics of the juv test program...I now need to finalize music...we want something dramatic and that isn't overdone...if anyone has any ideas, please let me know!!

My layback has been feeling very good lately...in some ways I wish I had a video camera so that I could make sure...

[Noisy]
I still need to stay in on my axels a split second longer...I am getting majorly frustrated with these...

Double sals, while not horrible because I haven't been working on them long, I need to work on not kicking through with my heel...

Spins have decided to travel to China...I can't even center a scratch spin

[Some Peace/Some Noise]
Some of my moves are coming along better than others...
Forward 3s/Back 3s: getting much better and quieter if I remember to do the back 3s more towards my heel...
Quick Rocker/Choctaw: yuck...I can't seem to get a push off the Choctaw...
Outside Counters: pretty good, although on the back ones, I pull the edge right before I turn
Inside Counters: really good, I can get the edges right and they just feel secure
Rocker/Choctaw: some good, some bad, depending on the day. But over all a lot better.
Spirals: my best move
Bracket-3-Bracket: getting better, I just need some more speed

__________________
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

Novice moves...ick...I feel for you.

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

I find that if I am picking up my outside foot, I often can't control when it goes back down again and the crossovers get very rushed. Which means, of course, I need to practice more.

I don't do power 3s - they're not part of our system - but I can see the kind of trouble you would have - it's presumably getting the BO edge accurate so you can actually cross on to the other BI edge? My coach says one really ought to push hard with the other foot to get that edge, which may or may not be why I struggle when doing similar moves!

Well done on the step behinds - I hate them!

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

Noisy and Bothersome: No skating for me today depsite this morning's earlier plans to practice during the time I normally coach since my 12:30 p.m. student canceled; however, my 10:45 a.m. lesson also canceled, so I ended up just heading home...to swim.

Peaceful and Calm: Missed my freestyle lesson this past Monday due to vacation, but my coach had a cancellation tomorrow afternoon and will give me a lesson then. And, hopefully we start putting my Novice freeskate together!

Peaceful and calm
-Landed more 2lutzes. Well 2lutz+1toe combo (we were working on combos at camp, so my coach just said to tack a toe loop on the end).
-2flip2loop was kinda working. I barely two-footed a few of them, but I had the full rotation and everything.
-We were working on spins in camp and as I went to go do a camel I heard my coach go "Everyone watch--She has one of the best camels in the rink"
-I think I finally fully get the change of edge back camel.
-Made progress on my moves, especially the power 3s in preliminary. I could always do the left 3 side well, but not so much the right. My coach explained it in a way that totally clicked.
-I think I actually like laybacks now! I asked my coach if we could work on them. I did one, and she made a "hey that was pretty good!" face. Then she made a couple of points which I immediately understood and I did even better ones!

Noisy and bothersome
Oy, this is going to be a long list.
-My lesson was rough. I'm retesting preliminary moves in two weeks, so my coach was really nitpicking them. It was really frustrating. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and it was just hard to take so much criticism at once I guess.
-Hate those alternating 3s. I'm fine with the pre-juv, juv and even intermediate 3s, but not the preliminary. I honestly almost cried I was so frustrated. The backwards to forwards choctaw on the outside 3s is just really, really difficult for me.
-2axel. Need I say more? I can't get myself to freakin commit!

__________________
Youtube Videos

It's hard for me to explain...I have very nice 3 turns, the judge critique said so, but then I have to step onto an back inside edge and really push out ...and what I tend to do is coast and then I don't get a very big circle and I end up off pattern. The other day I got so I could do really good pushes on the back perimeter crossovers and it's the same crossover with the power 3, I just wasn't able to make the connection. Hopefully now that I understand the problem I can get a fix in my next lesson.

j

Peaceful and Calm:

No "peaceful and calm" lessons with primary coach!!! (Since when is "peaceful and calm" ever my primary coach's motto???)

Noisy and Bothersome:


We started with this little exercise where I'm supposed to do this on a line:

1. RFI3
2. Wide step over line then push to a LBI edge for a left double-3 back to the line
3. Wide tep over line then push to a BO edge for a LBO3, mohawk back to the line
4. Repeat Step 2 and 3 down the line.
5. Repeat 1-4 on other foot going back.

Wasn't as easy as it sounds for me. I barely have the BI3's, but I don't have enough push yet. I know what I need to do, but I'm kinda nervous about it.

WAIT!!! It gets BETTER!!! (Well for primary coach!!! )

Next exercise:
Stroke a 1/2 lap around the rink, going around the ends of the rink, skate a 1/2 length of the rink and do a RFI mohawk! And yes, AS FAST AS I CAN too!!! For those who set up their jumps doing RFI mohawks all the time, this is easier for you... but for lefties like me... it's SCARY for me!!! (The LFI mohawk is less scary for me.) I managed the mohawk... barely. (I feel like I was doing a fake mohawk really.)

The only "peace and calm" I got was after the lesson, when primary coach came up to me to tell me that I did a good job this morning. Weird...

Note: I think the first exercise was prompted by primary coach spotting me trying to practice my BO3's at speed and doing back power 3's in the CW direction before my lesson. (Which I think is way too curvy, BTW...)

__________________
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!!!

Jazzpants, I totally agree with you about right foot mohawks!!! lol I skate lefty too and I get so thrown off when I have to do a right foot mohawk instead of left!

Peaceful: I got a little tighter on my axel today! I fell the first time I actually pulled in because i was like WOW I'M ROTATING QUICKLY lol but then I got more used to it and stopped falling...so my axel is getting better I think My loops (for skills) were also pretty good in my lesson today...I can't do the LFO or the RBO ones for my life, but the rest of them were pretty good! My coach is going to teach me the pattern for that skill on Monday, hopefully!

Noisyyyyyyyyyyyy: I didn't jump much today because I didn't want to kill myself for my dance test...but then I was wokring on skills and took a realllllly bad fall on a back three turn and smashed my knee into the ice...

I also discovered that I am terrible with expression in dance!!!!! Pathetically terrible..lol my coach had to choreograph some um...expressiveness into my dance, since I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing when it comes to smiling/ looking confident/ looking "poised" and tango-y! So hopefully I will at least pass the expression aspect in my test since my poor coach took the time to make specific head movements up for me

Peaceful Pamchenko

Well I didn't get my dance lesson yesterday due to the hordes of kids who turned up on what is a usually very quiet public session and with part of the rink cordoned off for broomball it was pointless. Asked coach if she had any space the next day and she said - "but your test is tomorrow"!

Well I knew I had put in a for a test but had not had the usual card or any phone call or anything so had not expected to be testing. "Well you are on the list", she said so I decided to go for it despite not having had a lesson on it since before the Bracknell Adult Opens two weeks ago.

Luckily I had run through it a couple of times on the earlier patch although not with music.

Probably did not have the best test preparation that day either though as hubby and I were out late at a company leaving do for a friend and it was such a great do I was not going to miss it - an 8 course meal at one of the best restaurants in the country!!!!

Got home after midnight and was woken up by hubby leaving at 5am to fly to Manchester. Luckily friend had persuaded hubby that it was not a great idea to ask me to drive him to the airport at that time in the morning and had rung a taxi firm on his behalf!!

Got to rink in good time but still nearly missed my warm up as coach had kept saying there was loads of skaters to go and I had gone to the loo. When I came out coach was waving frantically that I should be on for my warm up and I didn't have my skates on yet! Did boots up really fast and went on in time to have at least a go with the music. Came off realising one boot was really loose and had to make judge wait while I redid it. The test was double panelled which I hadnt' been expecting either but it went OK ( it was a Canasta Tango variation - a particularly daft and UK specific form of dance torture) and my second sequence was really pretty good.

Anyway I passed and was thrilled when one of the parents afterwards said I looked like one of the kids on the ice (I have worked so hard to not have the 'adult skater' look!). Unfortunately the other girl ( a friend of my daughters) had had one of those blank moments and forgotten the steps on the second sequence and so she didn't pass which was a shame.

The best thing is I never have to do that daft variation ever again! Now I can do an OD to test. Also means I now have level 2 (UK) or over, in all the disciplines of ice dance (CD, Variation, Free dance), skating moves and free skating, (elements and free)

Noisy Toepick

Well I can't really complain about anything since I passed!

Noisy Toepick:
Back Crosscuts were scratchy and noisy to do not on my bad side but what is suppose to be my good side. I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that I just bought a pair of Hammer Toe bracing which changings the way my feet fit in my boots and I probably had my skates tied too tight. I need to break in my boots more too because the more I was bending my knees the more scraping was happening with my left skate's toe pick.

In my lesson I was having trouble getting to my spiral sequence on time the first few run throughs. I was also having trouble breathing (took my inhaler before skating started and then again midway because the air was so thick in the rink and outside it was so humid) so I was getting tired easily when running through my freeskate program.

I am still not hitting the change edge in my spiril sequence consistantly. I only got the change edge about 40% of the time but at least it has improved a bit.

Back spin didn't even get one rotation except for one time.

Pamchenko:

The one time I did get at least one rotation on my backspin, it came when I started with a forward upright doing about 3 to 4 revs and then stepped onto my right toepick but then I automatically went back to my left foot for another 4 revs. At least I know that I'm not going to have a problem changing feet in the upright position. LOL

Waltz is still decent.
Salchow was on from word go today.
Toe Loops were popping up nicely with good run outs.
Loop still has good rotation and actually was landing on one foot but then I kept stupidly letting my free hip down causing my freeleg to hit the ice. Dah!!!!!!! Soon I will stick this jump.
Flip was only 80% of the time rotating fully. I think this was do to the fact that I was slopping on picking it and waiting to pop off of the toe pick until I started to turn on it. When the rotation was on, I did the same as the loop on the landing.
Lutz didn't get to take-off because the Zamboni made it's warning sound and it was time to leave the ice.

Sitspin was centered and almost low enough (skates were too tight).
Corkscrew is getting cleaned up.
Camel almost made 2 rotations today. Yeay!!! It's almost here.

Did first Camel/sit combo almost have enough rotation to count on the camel and the sit is getting at least 3 revs.

Camel/upright is not a problem at all except I want more rotation on the camel. Have done this one many times when I've been not able to hold onto even one rotation on the camel position. Today I was hitting near 2 revs.

Did about 4 of my very first ever Camel/sit/corkscrew combination spins. Now the camel was a quarter turn short of 2 revs but I was able to snap into the sit for 3 revs and the corkscrew for another 3 revs. I'm planning on skating up once I pass my Prelim Freeskate at the end of summer skating school at the Wyandotte competition in Adult Silver. Plus this spin so fits the last part of my music.

__________________
"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!!! And that is certainly one way to not get nervous and overwrought before a test... (by not even remembering you HAVE a test!)

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

Thanks and yes it was the same one, so it was nice to be able to do it for the competition and test close together and now never have to do it again!

Congrats Batikat!!

Peaceful:
-Jumps were good. I'm working on doing a lutz out of a back spiral, which is difficult, but I'm getting the hang of it. Loops have been 10x better lately.
-Sit-backsit was good today. Backspins have been better in general lately.
-LBO 3s have been giving me fits. I keep kicking my left hip out so that I'm off balance after I turn. I think I finally got them working better this morning. I guess I'll see for sure when I skate tomorrow.
-Moves were fine.
-Spirals felt extended and solid today.

Noisy:
-Couldn't seem to get a good pattern of the Swing dance in this morning.
-Camels were being finicky. Finally did a couple decent ones, so I left them alone after that.
-Felt hesitant on flying camels and axels this morning. I think I need to warm those up off-ice before trying them on-ice. Will try to do that tomorrow and see how it works.