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Running smoothly or limping badly: 18-24 April 2004
Title this week because of the London Marathon. It was our first lesson for three weeks, and we have had precious little practice together during that time, too, and I'm afraid it showed, rather!
Running Smoothly: Once we settled down together, we did a really good Rhythm Blues and Dutch Waltz. I really felt I was doing good closed chasses at the end of the RB. It wasn't perfect - I still have trouble going into the inside swing rolls from any other steps, although we do them great consecutively. Two new exercises: We have to do run, swing roll, run, swing roll - which is basically the Preliminary or Novice Foxtrot when you do them on outside edges, but we also had to do them on inside edges, too, which was new. We need practice! Limping Badly: Robert suddenly announced that he didn't think he could take 2 days off for Bracknell, which means it is futile practicing our Waltzing Cat routine. Sigh.... he may yet change his mind (the closing date is not yet, thankfully), but we are doing so few competitions this year..... we shall see. Apart from that, our Swing Dance is - well, our Swing Dance! It is better than it was, but the end pattern is still appalling. I still cannot for the life of me do that Mohawk properly. And our Canadian Cha-cha was, to quote Robert: "Good in parts - but not the same parts!" That I am sanguine about, though - it will come. After our lesson, I was just doing back outside edges on my own when I realised that when I do them consecutively, I am facing out of the circle, but when I am doing them round the circle, I'm told to face into the circle. Hmmm.... it was time to stop, then, so didn't have a chance to work at it properly, but it's something to work on on Tuesday.
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#2
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Running Smoothly: I have a 1/2 flip!!! I jumped!! And it was right!!!
I had a EUREKA moment while practicing the 1/2 flip in my lesson Saturday morning. I had been practicing the mohawk and pick for so long that I was getting "stuck" at that point. So I asked for a demonstration of the jump in motion instead of broken completely down, and viola!! I have a jump. Officially!! I had all of the parts A-OK, but just couldn't put them together until I realized that my left foot keeps gliding through the take-off -- not stopping after the mohawk and pick. My RFI mohawk has never been better, BTW. YAY!!! And I was *thisclose* to the waltz jump. I think I'm finally going to pass out of ISI Freestyle 1 this session. Woo-Hoo! those are the two elements I'm stuck on and now it's only 1 element I stuck on... I think I can, I think I can... |
#3
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Quote:
Your post and the title of the thread fits right in with my skating weekend. Still limping a little on my left knee and waiting for the MRI results. Skated carefully during Saturday's lesson. Limping Badly: We were practicing the 1/2 flip. Since I'm not putting any extra pressure on the knee, I was just stepping through it. We added a 3-turn after the jump and I, dangling my left "free" leg a little too close to the ice, caught an edge which flipped my skating leg out from underneath me. I tripped myself, legs flying in the air. I came down on my wallet, so the hip is sore. I concentrated hard on keeping my chin in my chest when I hit so as not to crack my head. I didn't, but the whiplash has both of my shoulders aching. Running Smoothly: I skated. Even if I can't do much, I skated and loved it.
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Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau |
#4
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Running smoothly: Left foot 3 turns getting better, same with my spirals
Limping badly: We had a health fair at my work on Friday and a Chiropractor was there giving out free massages. So I got one. It lasted about 5 minutes. My back has hurt ever since. I now have to schedule an appointment with a massage therapist to undo my back. |
#5
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running smoothly.... hey i did skate 4 times last week faster, with more turns.havent fallen in awhile either.really love my new skates!!
limping badly... I had an adult skater tell me on friday, hey do you know you are using one leg more than another?duh.. yes i know duh!!! Im working on it, just seem to have an issue with my right leg. Also had someone steal my dd soakers on friday but we got them back.The girl was mad at me i think cause she wanted to go into the box where the music is and my kids know better.a lesson learned by my kids, friends dont steal.This was an open skate . |
#6
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April 19
Running Smoothly: Argentine and Viennese. I love these two dances, and I can't wait to test them on Wednesday. Coach thinks both of them are really strong, and my evaluator is a National-level judge so he thinks she'll really like my carriage. The Argentine is officially my favourite dance!
I'll put the Quickstep here too, because even though it is the weakest of the three dances, it has improved sooo much in the past week. It's strong enough that I'm not nervous about it; it's just not quite to polished as the other two. Now skills on the other hand....AARRGGHH!! Loops are somewhere between the spectrum of running smoothly and limping badly. They coming along very slowly. They have improved, but I'm not a very patient person! I have picked up on everything else I've learned in the past year very quickly, so I find loops particularly frustrating. But I am at least encouraged by the fact they are getting better, even if it is at a snail's pace! Limping Badly: My fear of the back-threes and brackets on the Jr. silver skills. I don't fall that often, and I've wiped out on these a few times so I've developed a fear of them. Reworked them a bit today with my coach, so hopefully I can just keep working at them until they are more comfortable.
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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~ |
#7
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Running Smoothly Tonight I did a bunch of perfectly silent CW back crossovers! No toepick scraping at all! We have been working on improving them and apparently my coach's idea yesterday really worked for me. I'm so excited! Also did many circles of one forward crossover - mohawk- one back crossover-mohawk and they're coming along too, especially finally the right back inside to left forward inside!
Limping Stupid right forward inside to left back inside mohawk. And stupid toe loop. Ah well, it will get better. Happy skating, Pat |
#8
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Practice this morning went well - loads of friends there, so some good chat, too!
Went through all my exercises, and through my programme. Am still frustrated with my back edges, but I think they went a bit better than usual today.
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#9
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Wot, nobody skated since yesterday?Had my lesson this morning, and am delighted to report that everything was running smoothly on well-oiled wheels! My back edges have improved beyond belief, although they aren't very good yet! I even managed a lap of back chasses, and even the chasse edge flowed!!!!!
Coach explained conflict with looking into or out of the circle - when you are holding a long edge, you start looking into the circle, and, ideally, end looking out of it. "But there isn't time in dance!" I found, though, that if I tried to do that too much my posture went, so I had to settle for keeping my shoulders fairly parallel to the tracing for now. It will come, though. I had to do a lap of forward chasses, too, and these were fine, except for the transitions between the outside edges - I was exaggerating the whole thing, and occasionally didn't get my hip forward in time. I sometimes have trouble with that - it's probably one of the reasons that my FO swing rolls are better than my FI ones when partnered, but less good solo. Programme run-through okay, except I forgot the steps at one point! Limping Badly: My inside 3s are still pretty lame, and my Mohawks are still not what I need them to be. They are better than they were, but if anybody can teach me how to hold on to the entry edge for that extra fraction of a beat, I would be more than grateful! But it was a good lesson, one of the best!
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#10
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Everything was Limping Badly today.
We tried to work on Paso and never made it past the intro-3. My permanent nemesis. And the more I try, the more I freeze. It's got to be mental, but how to break the mental barrier? Hypnosis? A good stiff shot of whiskey? I am about to just say "f- it" and admit I've bitten off more than I could chew, except that I can do the blamed dances once I get turned around. I know my coach was frustrated at me today also... I called him a while ago and apologized because I basically threw a temper tantrum on the ice, doing everything but kicking it or walking off. And right now I feel dang close to walking off for a while. |
#11
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Oh Jen, don't! Intro-3s are the pits, I've decided - I ended up 2-footing one today and I wasn't even (a) dancing or (b) going very fast! And half the time, even with Robert, I chicken out and turn two-footed.
But as that introduction isn't part of the dance proper - the judging doesn't start until the first step of the dance, and that 3-turn isn't it - why don't you do a Mohawk instead? There's no rules that say it has to be a 3-turn. You could even do some clever entry where you start backwards, or do a twirl round your partner in a frightfully Spanish sort of way, so you end up going backwards without having to do a formal 3-turn?
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Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#12
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Coach won't let me. Because he's trying to make me work through my problems. But the more we work, the worse it gets.
Quote:
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#13
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April 21
Running Smoothly: Passed the Quickstep, Viennese, and Argentine today.
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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~ |
#14
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Running smoothly this week
Working on Bronze MIF, I'm comfortable with everything BUT the power 3's. Coach and I will get around to working on them though! Managed to keep all of my elements even after a week off the ice! Limping badly: Our figure skating program! The May schedule is out and the rink wants to charge the following rates : $130.00/ for 10 1 hour punchcard $230.00 for 20 1 hour punchcard (punchcards are only good for the month of May) Wallk on rate: $14.00/ hour This is a rink that does not cut ice when scheduled and cancels freestyle sessions on a moment's notice. We were given a good contract rate through mid March through the 30th of this month for $9.00/ hour but several sessions were cancelled and the schedule changed three times. It's been impossible to get refunds or credit! Needless to say, parents as well as adult skaters like myself are INCENSED!! My coach and another coach will be meeting with the rink office manager tommorow to discuss the problem and show the numerous e-mails they are getting from parents regarding their child either quitting, or skating elsewhere! |
#15
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Seem to ge going around. Rink owners double dipping, cancel FS ice time and say that we never bought it and replace it with hockey at a drop's notice. We too had angry parents of skaters in the Junior, CanSkate and PowerSkate sessions. I made sure to direct them to my coach who made up the schedule that the rink owners (Town of Tecumseh) cancelled on us. We had the original schedule posted in in the hall of the arena since mid February but the rink owners tried to say we didn't ask for the ice. Yeah, right. They just went into their computers and deleted the original schedule and put hockey in it's place. The coaches were angry too. Lost revenue to hockey.
Brigitte
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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 |
#16
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CONGRATS to Quarkiki2 also on her new Half Flip Running Smoothly Worked an hour and a half on a Monday freestyle session ($21 with a punch card, BTW!) and did not seem to make any progress, but I think it showed up later in the week. Although none of my private students skated Tues afternoon, I used the time for myself and the ice was so good that I was able to see the tracings from both my F and B power pulls. I'm not getting a lot of power on the F, but I am getting very nice, deep edges! The B are really cooking now, but still not up to test standards. In spite of almost no sleep Tues night, I was able to skate a little Wed after the Mommy & Me. Before skating for myself, I gave the first ever lesson to one of my neighbors whom I coaxed into trying ice skating for her doctor ordered exercise. She expected to be hanging onto the wall the whole time. Instead, she was swizzling and actually stroking across the rink after an hour and a half. Once again, the old demo warm up worked for me, and much to my surprise, I was able to hold my FO threes after rotating, and actually turn when I was supposed to instead of rushing the turn immediately after the rotation F & B power crossover patterns were smooth like a knife through butter. Limping Badly Why can I never get a good night's rest on Tuesdays? I skate on dead ice for free on Wed, but I'm almost always too tired to take advantage of it
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"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers." Barak Obama, 44th President of the United States of America
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#17
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Congrats to Quarkiki2 (for her half-flip) and luna_skater (for passing her dance tests!) YAAAAAAY!!!!
For both Running Smoothly and Limping Badly: FORWARD CROSSOVERS!!! Yeap! It's that time again!!! This week she wants me to push under and HOLD (keeping the push under foot on the ice and ALL the way across.) She wants the legs to be so crossed over that "a kid has room to go thru the space between my legs while I'm in the crossed over position." Actually there's more to the drill but... EGADS!!! SCARY, SCARY!!! The running smoothly part... I did managed it, but only after MUCH effort!!! And did I say that it was SCARY!!!! She also said that compared to when I first came to her to take lessons, it's a signficant improvement over my old crossovers. It would be interesting to see what my primary coach thinks of this when I actually "get it." The limping badly part... She asked me if it was scary. I shooked my head "Hell, yeah!!!" She laughs and then says "If you think that's scary! Wait 'til I show you the CORRECT way to do them!!!" (I wasn't learning it the CORRECT way??? Then what's the point of showing it to me this way then?!?!?!)
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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!!! |
#18
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*sigh* everything was limping badly yesterday. I mean everything
It started with a staff meeting that went so long that I missed the bus but luckily a co worker drove me to the rink. The meeting was frustrating and I was upset. Got on the ice and tripped on my toe picks numerous times Couldn't do a lutz to save my life. Grrrr. SPins were nasty. Nothing was particularily good Running Smoothly: Tioming on the flip has stayed and they are huge. Worked on sit change sit and managed to get a couple that looked like they were that element. Laughed at all my mistakes and bad luck. Hopefully Friday will be much better |
#19
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Quote:
Can you do them if you dance solo? Quote:
__________________
Mrs Redboots ~~~~~~~~ I love my computer because my friends live in it! Ice dancers have lovely big curves! |
#20
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Quote:
__________________
Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. - Henry David Thoreau |
#21
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Running and running...got back from nationals late Sunday, and am still unpacking and doing laundry. Also, I forgot that our show is this weekend!
DebbieS, Mika - want to skate? I skated last night, and started working on choreography for next year's program - something different and should be fun! I'm looking forward to hear about the proposed ISU international event, and am starting to save pennies! |
#22
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I tried. He said No (probably rightly so, because he's trying to shake my mind out of it's failure mindset).
Often I can do them when skating the dance solo. I think the failure syndrome has migrated from my mind to becoming muscle memory for intro-3's and I haven't figured out how to kick out of it. And the more I try, the more I stress myself out and the worse it gets. Quote:
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#23
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Running Smoothly - Did not 1 but several scratch spins. centered and everything, for the first time in 16 years!!!! I was also felling a bit bored with practicing my 3 turns (see the Limping section), that out of the blue I popped off a Waltz jump. I didn't know I could one of those. There was no real hight in it, but both feet were definately off the ice at the same time . What a fantastic feeling. I've been putting off jumping because 1) my skates aren't good enough - very little toe pick & So So Ankel support) 2) really wanted to focus on edge work and stroking to build up my muscles again (I['m fat, I'm fat you know it!). But that jump last night made me think that it's time to move forward at get a coach and start working it more. I'm going try and go out skate shopping this weekend. I hope I can find a plac with layaway!
Limping Badly - 3 turns Yuck!! Right foot is really good inside and so so outside - form is a little squirrely but coming along. Then there's the left foot. I worked for 1/2 straight on my left foot 3's. The outside 3 is better but Inside is just a mess. I don't get why I can't do it. Just awful! My shoot the duck is more like a lame duck!! I can't get any depth in my knee bend. I'm working very hard on it - withiut hurting myself of course. I just don't feel I've made any progress. |
#24
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Cid (right?)
I have never been able to do a shoot the duck, even when I was a kid and I was in delta at about 7 or 8 so I should have been able to do one. Instead I passed with a lunge which I think are so much more important and pleasing anyways. BTW- I think you are progressing quite well from the sounds of it. And I have to tell you, my last two sets of boots were bought on Ebay for less than 100 and they were brand new and excellent quality. So you might want to check that out after you have your foot properly measured. |
#25
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Are you by any chance dropping your right shoulder (and leaning shoulders down to the right), instead of keeping the shoulders level? I had that problem with intro-3s for ages, but thinking "hips forward" and "shoulders level" fixed it. It was always worst when I was nervous or embarrassed and adopted an automatic defensive position, left shoulder up, right shoulder down .... |
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