Mrs. Redboots you are shrinking!

Very very nice pairs spin. very nice

Grounded: Summer ice time schedule...ugh.

The only sessions I can do are 7 am weekday mornings and 6-8 pm Wednesdays (7-8 pm is just for adults). BUT much to my dismay/frustration, 7 am sessions are intermediate + competitive elite sessions. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the kiddos will want to sleep in and turnout will be low, in which event I've been told that I can get on them. If my plan B won't work, my coach will just let me on these sessions if they aren't full because that's the only time he can get my lesson in (and since he's the summer school director he can do that). Why the heck do these kids need to skate at 7 am? They can skate all day. Most of them are home schooled and skate all day all year, and NONE of them are ever on the ice before 8 am. They all roll in around 7, warm up off the ice, and get on sometime around 8 as the adults who skate in the morning are getting off.

I'm working on convincing the rink management to let us have the other ice surface from 7-8 as an open freestyle session not affiliated part of the summer skating school. I'm hoping this will fly as long as there isn't a hockey school or someone else using it at that time, so far my coach is fine with it. I know the head honcho's theory is that if the rink is open and no one is using one surface, he'd much rather open it up if someone wants to skate and make a few bucks, rather than just letting it sit there unused. Then the adults can have our usual pre-work skating like we do the rest of the year.

In the air: Worked on choreography of the new program with my coach. I had the first minute sort of laid out, he's just much better at making it look nice than I am. My 38 yr old straight male coach doing choreography, especially to girly music (like mine) is always amusing. Like what we have so far, EXCEPT he said I'm moving my flying camel from the beginning of my program to later and I'm putting a layback at the beginning instead. I agree that the music screams "DO LAYBACK HERE" much more than a flying camel (that was the first thing I thought when I heard the music)...but I reminded him that my layback is a pile of crap and that's why we took it out of last year's program, and that flying camel was my problem all year and I wanted to put it first and get it out of the way. To which I got "too bad, that was last year, we're going to fix your layback and you're going to do it." And he insists my flying camel won't be a problem this year. Ugh.

New adult skater at my rink today, too, who is working with my coach! Yay! A guy who wants to compete, has no tests right now but from what I saw he should have no problem getting his prelim or bronze free this year.

Jr moves weren't bad, just a tad sluggish because I wasn't quite awake yet, nor was I really in the mood to do them. Didn't even try the diagonal patterns though.

Grounded-ish: Axels are still yuck. I'm only "allowed" to do my coach's takeoff drills until he tells me otherwise (or isn't there to see what I'm dong...ha ha )...rotation/landing are not my problem, he insists that all we need to do is fix minor issues with the takeoff and I'll have it. At least I'm not beating myself up flinging myself into the air trying to land on one foot with crappy technique, because that was last year's approach and it didn't work. Feels like I made some progress today...even though all I'm "allowed" to do once I'm in the air right now are waltz or bell jumps.

And I tried to do dance today...one pattern of the blues was YUCK, 2 patterns each of the starlight and paso were so-so. Haven't worked on them in a while.

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

In the air FINALLY landed a good axel in a lesson. Yay! Also did a toe loop and salchow. A rare lesson trifecta. Charlie was shocked.

Grounded My spins are as bad as they've ever been. I'm at a loss as to what to do.

In the Air: Sit spin is coming together better, I am getting lower and my leg is being brought in closer than before. Still not touching the other leg like its supposed to.

Scratch spin is so much fun! I now can do that particularly well.

Camel spin!!!! I can now do a camel spin, BUT only 2 rotations max. I have hit 3 a few times, but still trying to find my footing and keep my circles small. BIG challenge. However, my body positioning is really great. Keeping my leg straight and not drooping at all.

I now am solid in my jumps, doing combination jumps. Loop, loop...flip jump, toe loop...flip jump, loop...etc.

Grounded: BACKSPIN!!!! Always on an inside edge now!!! AND TRAVELING!!!!

In the air: salchow was good today, as were toe-loops.

Grounded: pretty much everything else: spins, change-foot spins, waltz jumps were blech, and choreography for the "Enchanted" number was missing so many people I felt like a solo skater!

In the air: even tho spins were not happening, during lesson tonight I did manage to step out correctly...very helpful advice was to keep free leg out longer and keep it up far longer than I think I should (this coach is group lesson coach and it's refreshing that she repeats what my primary coach says instead of contradicting).

Grounded: did power 3's going across the rink, I can only manage 2 before I hit the wall...I wish we could do these going the looooong way!

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

Why can't you?

In the Air:
Felt great the minute I stepped on the ice, and warmed up with F stroking, FXO's, F power XO's, and F cross rolls. Finally got my dance music onto a tiny MP3 player DD gave me, and used it today to practice.

Grounded:
I just seem to be stalled on F threes yet again. Doing them, but still not checking enough. Only got one good spin because I just couldn't tighten up enough and hang on to it. There were just enough kids on the session to keep me from getting through even one complete pattern of any dance without interruption. Because the guard places the cones on the red dots and on the center line and blue lines, and the rink is a bit small, it's impossible to do F power threes and B power XO's comfortably. My #%*&! injury didn't bother me on the ice, but started acting up right afterwards, and is now almost as painful as last week.

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I havent seen you skate for at least 2 years so I can see the improvement, well done.

It's the way it's set up (for classes) each class is set up in sections ALTHOUGH some of the classes do go the long way (and cut into everyone else's section). If we do these next time, I will say something...because it's not effective going across, better going longways (unless the coach does it because the others in the class are just learning).

Did you stretch out & ice your injury after skating to see if that helped?

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

The last two freestyle sessions have been coach free zones since, all the coaches were out at PSA. It's amazing how good I am when no one's there to give me 'coach eye'.

The Big Guy was on the ice for the first time in two weeks. Afterwards at b'fast it was 'whine, whine, whine' about the hard ice. Then he laughed and said our skating quote for whiners "The ice doesn't care!"

On my figures there are minutes when I'm just perfect: Body position, edge, flow, balance, arm movements, strike. These are figures as meditation. I feel like time stops, and the universe is moving around me. Then my upper body gets too far forward on a strike and it's back to the mundane.

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Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

I think it's way too late for ice. I've had this injury for about 3 weeks now. A good hot soak might help, but I'm always too far from home with too much to do first. I have a rice bag that I can heat and apply, so maybe I'll try that. Had a horrible night last night, waking up in pain, but then when I got to the rink today, It was better on the ice. I think some obscure muscle might have been cramping up last night. The injury is in the crease between the top of the thigh and the hip, in front, in line with and maybe a little to the inside of the hip bone. I've got to find an anatomy site and see if I can figure out what it is. I'm planning on going to the doctor for it in about 2 weeks, which is the earliest I'll have the time.

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In the Air: Coaches back from holiday; got our regular lesson.

Grounded: Which was our last lesson (not counting the camp) before the Mountain Cup! Unless we can get a lesson in Germany.

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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!

Maybe you should try alternating heat & ice...or even ice right after skating to keep the inflammation down then heat later. At this point, I'd be up for trying anything that brings relief! It's been over a year for my back surgery and I still ice it (which helps) more than heat.

Ha-Ha-Ha, funny story: I was going to make a bag full of flax for heating and applying....when i got ready to stuff my bag with the flax, I opened the package and realized I had bought "pulverized" flax seeds ... which won't really work very well.

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

Air:
Spins are really getting better. Got about 4 rounds of backsit (which I'll have to video to see if it actually looks like a backsit), 3-4 of camel, and really fast sit.

Grounded:
Muscles are too tired to do jumps. And I'm freaking out about Axel.
The more I'm afraid to fall, the more I tense up, the more I fall, so I get more afraid, tenser, and fall more. It's really not fun. ugh.

Recreational skaters should know to stay out of my way when I attempt Axel because I fall all over the place! This two siblings kept chasing each other and imitating each other's waltz jumps (they are on figure skates), and getting into my way! Their mum was on ice, and didn't stop them and told the younger one to follow his sister!

dbny, I hear you. I pulled the muscle on the inside of the thigh, not quite abductor, not quite hamstrings. It's the one that makes me unable to do front split and straddle split. But when it gets worst, it feels like a hams injury. And I just injured my hip flexor. All aren't serious, but enough pain to get me off the ice. And it always comes back.

Sounds like hip flexor. I pulled that trying layback spins a couple years ago, finally had to get off the ice for 3 MONTHS for it to heal!! Don't ignore this like I did--get some treatment & stop skating for a few weeks to give it a chance to get better. I went to physical therapy, who did very painful deep tissue massage work on it which definitely helped.

grounded - spins were not optimal today, on the upside though even off spins are better than they used to be.

in the air - I landed a whole bunch of flips with even a little ride-out. They aren't pretty but I'm starting to feel confident about the balance and timing so I'll practice them a lot more now. Loop is sloooowly progressing.

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It's all about the dress!

Aaak!!! I can't do that. At the very least, I have to keep working; can't afford not to. But, thank you for the scare. I think I'll make that doctor's appointment now, even though I can't go for almost another two weeks.

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Good luck, and have a great trip (and great skate!) Say hello to the Aussie contingent for me.

Got this link from another site (dance) maybe it will have some helpful info:
http://www.med.nyu.edu/hjd/harkness/patients/injuries/

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

Thank you! I have to confess that unless I'm scared stiff or in considerable pain, I'm lousy at following thru with things like hot soaks and icing. The problem on that site that most fits my symptoms (and it fits pretty well) is Iliacus tendinitis, for which rest and anti-inflamatories are recommended. Those I'm pretty good at .

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I know you don't (or won't) want to lay off of skating for the weeks to heal (I wouldn't either ) but maybe just lighten up on the things that cause considerable pain/agony. I've not done any sit-spins because of my back (still hurts, still weak; I'm hoping maybe if I hold out long enough either the rules will change or my coach will let me slide by?)

Tendons take longer to heal than muscles. Be sure to take twice as long to warm up as normal, stretch afterwards (I try to do this but sometimes I forget-my bad).

Get better soon!!!!

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

Which is almost everything! Anything that employs turn out does it. That means plain old vanilla F stroking. LFI mohwaks seem to be the worst, and I've stopped doing them entirely, along with most RFI mohawks. Unfortunately, RFI threes are also not very good for it. I haven't practiced since Friday and would love to keep that up, but I have a lesson this Fri for the first time in two weeks and an ice dance lesson on Thurs. The following week will be better since I'm devoting it to my 40th college reunion and cancelling all my own lessons and some of the ones I give.

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airborne - jump sequences are starting to exhibit flow. I've been working hard on the 9-step per coach's instructions, it isn't beautiful but I'm getting rid of that flat edge I had on the step.

grounded - I can either cover the ice in a minute and a half, or I can jump nicely, but not both. I'm still scared to jump with any real speed.

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It's all about the dress!

In the air: Went skating today at public session. I had thought it would be crowded...it was not! It was fairly empty and I had a lot of fun just skating around not doing anything in particular. After public it was LTS time and we worked on show routines and got through 2 of them-good thing as we have 2 1/2 weeks to the show! Worked with some of the girls on back & arabesque spirals and some other things-it was fun (i miss teaching).

Grounded: started feeling sick towards the end (stomach churning, head spinning etc). It's either the virus that's going around of I was just really tired. Not sure if it was connected, but my hips and knees were aching earlier today which is unusual for me (altho that could also be a symptom of my boots breaking down, which they are doing).

In the air: spins were good, managed some passable centered spins; waltz jumps were also good, I'm trying hard to kick through instead of kneeing the jump.

Grounded: having a harder time following thru on my waltz jump-still find myself looking behind me for little kids. As much as I joke with my coach about running over the little kids to get in my way (LOL) I know I can't really do it.

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

Will it really make sense to take lessons when this injury makes "almost everything" painful? Why not postpone the lessons until you've given it some rest and rehabilitation and you can actually do the things your coach is showing you?

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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

Except for the LFI mohawks, it isn't painful until later, so I can do most things.

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