Sounds good to me, doubletoe!!! (Yeah, I better read this one too...)

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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!!!

I, too, have had a breakthrough on this. Our side pattern always was pretty good, and Xavier Debernis helped us with it at the Mountain Cup camp, but we have both been struggling with the end pattern. Husband's solo is good (yours is better, but his is still good!), but mine is awful, and sometimes together we find it hard. On Wednesday night we were dancing at Alex. Palace, and a friend said I would find it easier to keep my feet together if I kept my thighs together. Which it does - and Husband pointed out where I was losing control of my free leg..... so all in all it is going much better, and much less scrapy - but I still wide-step on the step forward to the LFI edge, and it's driving me insane, especially as I don't do it when I solo the dance! Grrrrrrrrr.

Other than that, not a bad practice. I think I was making progress on my back cross-cuts, thinking all the time about getting the relevant hip under me. On the other hand, I may just have been counter-balancing myself.... not sure which.

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

Smooth Landing: No more crunch on the backwards crossovers! I love how all of the adult skaters come together to help each other out-- one of the other skaters at my rink just knew the right advice to give to get me moving... without the formerly inevitable toepick crunch! After two footing my way through class last week, and two public sessions of practicing them, I was able to do one footed three-turns to the left (yay!).... now the right is a different story.

And... the most BEAUTIFUL public session ever. The ice was pristine, for the first 10-15 minutes or so it was just me, the guard, and a guy and his kid in the center... as I warmed up, I could see my marks and only my marks on the ice. And when the birthday party showed up, most of them were so new and small enough not to be a problem at all... no little goons racing around the rink trying to see if they can make snowballs out of the ice they kick up! I got to do three turns and crossovers and stroking until I was blue in the face. It actually was painful when I had to leave early!

Face Plant:Landing on my elbow 3 times this week. Fall on it once, shame on me, fall on it twice... time to get some sort of padding! (can anyone suggest an unobtrusive elbow pad that I can wear only when I'm working on something new?) For some reason, I've learned how to avoid hitting my tailbone now, and my knees have been okay since I've started padding them, but still haven't worked out the elbow thing.

Spirals! I can't get my brain wrapped around the fact that you don't keep your back up as your leg goes up (I'm too used to staying upright in 90 degree arabesques and then leaning forward into penches... still keeping the back up. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the feel of leaning forward for such a low leg position in spirals!)

And a new pet peeve that doesn't directly affect me, but bothers me nonetheless: Why is it that these rinks rent skates to kids that are total cr*p, the wrong size, let the kid lace the skates up wrong, and then let them out onto the ice? I've seen so many kids and adults painfully mincing by with their ankles almost on the ice, loose skates, and the guards saying nothing. It's not even a good business practice, because if the new skater can't stay upright, why would they ever want to go ice skating again? Last night, I just had to tell one guy to go back and ask for a smaller pair of skates (and the ones that he was wearing were also so beat up that they didn't lace up all the way, giving him no support whatsoever)... meanwhile, the guard was totally oblivious to the poor kid clinging to the boards!

I use the slip-on elbow pads (from walmart, where else) plain white, for some sport like volleyball, come in small, med, large. Just slip them on over my stuff and when I didn't need them slipped right off. They are super-cheap and washable.

Lock, lift, lower---that's what my coach told me...lock (sort of, I still don't lock my leg all the way) your leg, Lift your torso and leg, lower your torso...I also push my skating leg a bit forward. If you make a mantra it helps!
If I see someone in a very obvious bad fit, or very loosely tied (or untied!!!) I just skate up to them and nicely recommend a lower size, or that they crank the laces down, etc. Not all the people working the counter know anything. The skate guards are in the same situation-sometimes they don't really know any better. If I'm getting my skates on and I see a clueless parent I help them out (don't tell anyone it will ruin my image ). I will help little kids, they really don't know any better, even the hockey kids (yeah, I'm a hockey mom too)

I'm glad you had a great day skating....don't days like that make it all worthwhile???

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

I did an off-ice workout....haven't skated in a while and have been sick with migraines this month (they suck). I finally made it to the gym (I feel lazy with all the heat) and have been cautioned by my trainer to take it easy until I feel better.

I did some treadmill (slower than I normally do) and then did 30 minutes of stretching for my hamstrings and legs. I had gotten a deep-tissue massage Wednesday evening and could really feel the difference. Also did some barre work (actually the railing behind the locker rooms....whatever it takes) got some good stretches going there then hit the aerobics room for some floor work on my spiral and attitude spiral. They are getting better on the left leg but I need to break out my Maxi-flex and really stretch it out.

Also need to work on my spinner; haven't done that because of the migraines-spinning makes me even more nauseous when my head hurts but I need to work on positioning for the backspin and camel...and sitspin....

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

Thank you! I'm on my way to WalMart today to get a pair. I was afraid that the only things available were those dreadful rollerblading things... I never would have thought of volleyball pads!

I still can't get into the lowering part-- I think years of drilling proper arabesques into my head are now fighting against proper spirals.... I try, get my leg up to 90 with my torso still upright... and glide for about a second because I promptly lose my balance! I'll try to remember lock, lift, lower!

And last night there were another two kids that I went up to because their skates were actually gaping around their ankles. I feel kind-of goofy doing so, only because I don't consider myself a great skating authority yet, but it just looks painful, and I don't think it's fair to the new skaters either. *sigh*

Thanks for all of the help, Skate@Delaware!

You are quite welcome!!!

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

Face Plant:
Couldn't center any spins at all today. not even a simple upright. Back spins are even worse. It is taking me forever to master a change foot spin Practiced with my program music for the first tme since spring. Ewww. it was bad! Also landed square on my a** and slid nearly across the whole rink on a salchow gone wrong. The good thing is, I managed to refrain from breaking the landing with my hands down. I guess I am getting better at falling. (should I have put that under "smooth landing"?)

Smooth Landing:
Landed a loop today!!! 3 times, Finally!!! Coach was there and saw it too! (like that never happens!). I'm actually having fun working w Bronze moves (except power 3s sorta suck). and now that Jazzpants passed hers, it is even more inspiring to work on them. Yes, you can eat an elephant one bite at a time.

Went over goals and competition plans with my coach over Starbucks. What could be better than special coach time off ice and coffee.

Smooth Landing: Only 3 other people at the first FS session this morning. Plenty o room to work on my FS program without dodging little kiddies.

Face Plant: Just got my blades sharpened and the ice wasn't cut this morning, so spinning felt wonky. Also felt tired in general.

Edited to add: Congrats to sk8pdx on landing her loop and to jazzpants on passing Bronze MIF!

__________________
Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
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Smooth landing - back on the ice! (Tentative but it's a start). I went around with my little daughter today to see how the dreaded toe would behave in a skating boot, and it was OK. Ached a bit in the boot (no surprise after a few weeks away), but didn't pain as such, and isn't hurting now, some hours later. Good.

Face plant - I've lost right FO3s - and for that matter anything which requires a RO edge, thanks to my brain telling my body that "that's your sore toe so stay away from it..." Mind you, the one thing which requires a RO edge and which has, if anything, improved is my RO to RI change of edge...might have something to do with the brain getting the body off the edge with the sore toe ASAP ... Also face plant - I was riding in my heels rather than the middle of the blade (again, my errant brain telling my foot to keep away from the toe - even though the toe didn't hurt! The things our brains do to us.)

Never mind, I'll just take things easy for a while, and won't jump into full-out (for me ) skating until the toe (or the brain) says I can. Ambling around the rink was pretty good anyway!

I cant imagine how you can have your feet together and not your thighs?? but it makes me laugh to imagine it I guess they mean to focus more on the thighs rather than the feet, I will try it myself as and whenever our rink re-opens, sigh.


Maybe I'm stating the obvious here, but if you do this better solo (which is much harder) then it must be something to do with your joint timing, maybe he is counting the beats too fast leaving you no choice but to wide step to keep up with him or you are counting them too slow, you probably already do so but try counting the beats out loud for now so that you both step at the same time and dont let him hurry you, I know how eager he gets, bless him!! Please dont take this as a criticism just a suggestion because I have much work to do before I can criticise anyone

Good luck
Samba

Face Plant
No rink. closed for refurbishment and I have already been told fees are going up once its finished.

Smooth landing
I wish.

I think you may well be right - we spent ages this morning doing the end pattern over and over and over and over again, trying to isolate what the problem is. Partly, sometimes, I'm just not getting any oomph on the RBI cross edge, so he's gone away from me before the step to forwards.....

Smooth Landings: What was seriously gratifying, though, was that we were able to do it all at speed - Husband occasionally felt like holding back (we do 3 pushes and then into the RFI edge for the Mohawk), but I just said "Push!" so we did them all pretty fast. Which was the whole point, as we can do it quite well, slowly!

Plus, tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, but I think I just might have had a breakthrough on the Dance Moves - they felt much more flowy and edgy this morning! Not 100% certain that (a) I can sustain this or (b) I'm doing the right thing yet or even (c) what, exactly, I'm doing differently, but you never know.....

And a third plus - we did a Swing Dance when the music was playing, and I got the timing right on the Mohawk BOTH PATTERNS, which is unheard-of! Yaay me. Maybe one day the coach will let us test our L4 compulsories... then again, maybe he won't!

Face Plant: Husband doesn't want to compete it at Bristol, though, so we're only doing the qualifying classes, plus he's doing the Intermediate solo compulsories. Must get the applications sent off, now we've filled them in!

His L4 Dance Moves aren't so good - he could not understand his coach's correction, it was so funny! He just looked totally blank - I knew what she thought he needed to correct, and agreed with her, but he couldn't understand what she was asking at all, to their mutual frustration! I explained it to him very slowly and clearly afterwards.....

His solos are lovely once he gets going, you can't fault them except for the occasional bobble on timing, but oh dear, his starts look terrible! If only he could get a good start, it would really help his presentation.

There's a problem in our step sequence in our free dance - I've developed a mental block about my first 3-turn, and I think I'm going to have to ask the coach to help us rechoreograph that bit, as it's ruining the whole thing. Sigh......

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

Smooth landing

Sadly little. I had one of those bad skate days. Everything was not right. I'm struggling to think of one thing.... oh back inside double threes felt good and fast. And the bracket/three double turn in my step sequence feels better. I don't feel like I'm coming to a stop now that I'm thinking of travelling forwards. And the dance club organiser said he liked the choreography of my free dance. Well that's at least something.

I demonstrated an axel for a kid in a lesson and I hadn't warmed it up or done any jumps and i did it to backwards and without a thud on landing. I think it may be coming back..... Sadly due to my new disciplined self I did not explore this further as I needed so desparately to practise dance.

And one of the older ladies said I did a lovely Argentine Tango in the interval with my teacher - I asked her if she could please tell my teacher that! I know I can't do it but its nice to hear that someone thinks it looks good.

Face plant
Inside edges. I have an awful swing on left forward inside edges. I spent 30mins doing forward inside edges from standstill and I couldn't quite get it. I'm fine when I can swing my free leg through but if I have to just hold the edge (as in the willow waltz) it gets really swinging. Inside edges are my nemesis. And I do practise them. I guess I've got into bad habits.

Really struggled on the outside outside inside inside mohawk section of the willow waltz. All very very swingy. And my teacher made me look at the tracings - some (most) are suspiciously diagonal flats. Why do I find it so hard.

Fiesta tango was better but was still not doing the crossroll correctly. Teacher said he thought I had more in me.

That stupid spin at the end of my free dance. I was so cross with myself. I CAN do a camel sit change foot upright so why don't I do it. I only managed one that was 3 revs, 3 revs, 3 revs. The others were 2 revs, 2 revs, 2 revs - if that. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Blade was making a weird noise on left back inside edges. Great. Another basic thing I can't do right.

Backward inside spiral in my free dance just wants to go in a completely different direction to where it should. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I think teacher was despairing more than usual today. He is usually super perfectionist wants everything done correctly to way above the standard (I do prefer that he is like that) but sometimes it just makes me think I can't do anything. I honestly feel like a beginner a lot of thetime.

I have so many bad habits a lot of which I have ironed out but a lot are still there. Years with a different coach messed up a lot of my dance. I really wish I'd had my current coach from the beginning. But its too late now. I did so much wrong before and just didn't know it. So at least now I know what I'm doing wrong and what is the right way. Its tough though on days like today when I feel I can't do anything at all and he must think I'm completely hopeless. I am trying though. One lesson I got so cross with myself that even he said 'Don't worry, its not your fault - you just have to relearn it and thats hard' so at least he knows that I am trying - I think.

I stayed on the ice for 3 hours after my lesson and practised hard. I did so many edges I thought I would go crazy. I hope it worked and I'm on the way to doing it right.

That was a bit of a rant....

We were given a superb drill for this in France - Xavier made us do a LFO outside edge round one of the corner hockey circles, then cross to the RFO as we hit the blue line at the end of the rink. That way, he pointed out, you have to get on a decent outside edge, or you'll hit the barrier! So we did, and haven't really had trouble with that step since. First of all we did it solo, then together, and then added the LFI edge afterwards in.....

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

Thank you I'll have to try tomorrow. Will have to modify it slilghtly as we don't have hockey circles. But I get what you mean.

My new free program is about half way done and seriously hard, but that's okay. Actually, in my lesson today my coach was very pleased at some tries I made at one section of it, where I'm supposed to spin and then exit directly into back crossovers as opposed to gliding out on an edge. But it wasn't all that bad. The other today was doing a waltz jump out of some forward skating, but that actually happened for the first time today so it was . The final is doing jumps out of a backward spiral without first putting my free leg down. Can't say that made any progress today, except in it becoming very clear to me that it's going to be hard!

Also have to say that the alternating back crossovers with the extensions in between (from the bronze moves test) is coming along nicely.

Happy skating everyone!
Pat

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August 22, back on the ice!

Smooth Landing:
Arrived at the rink early enough to see people still in lessons (always a nice treat; saw Pat and Lisa). Had enough time to change and relax from the drive (we made really good time today, only took an hour and fifteen).

Public session was very EMPTY!!! No parties or anything!!! So, got a good warmup going: deep slaloms, edges, progressives, then some back crossovers. Did a few waltz jumps and salchows too. (eta: was showing Lisa the front/3-turn/back spiral my coach wants me to do this year...and I can almost do it! it's slow, but hey, it 's a start!) Started working with hubby on some moves: mohawks (not that mine are any better...), 3-turns; and 2-foot spins. He manages a 2-rev one foot spin!

Face Plant: Here's where Murphy's Law of Skating kicks in...right when we were getting ready to work on pair back crossovers, I said "I smell ammonia"...no sooner were the words out of my mouth when we were hurredly herded off the ice, to grab our gear and get out of the building!!!!

So much for the session! The rink was officially closed for the remainder of the day! We only skated for 30 minutes.... I mean, it was a good 30 but still...never did get to work on our routine or my sit spins or camels.....

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

S@D, oooo, is there going to be a new pairs team blossoming?

Sorry to hear that your session was cut so short. bummer.

Well, we got about 30 solid minutes of good practice in, so that's something!!! Since my throat was getting irritated by the ammonia, I really didn't mind leaving for fresh air!!!

I'm trying to get a pair partner!!! Since I can play evil wife (easy part for me)....he doesn't have much choice but to do what I tell him.....Actually, he does think it's fun and we did manage some coordinated skating a few weeks ago that psyched him for it!!!

I'm not going to talk about our matching outfits....except to say that the man is going crazy with the sequins...

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

Ammonia??? YIKES!!! I constantly have to be aware given the politics at my weekend rink and the setup that I may sometimes have to "run for our lives" b/c of the ammonia fumes. So far to date, I haven't had to go thru the trouble and I've been there for years!!!

Okay, with that point...

Smooth Landing:
I did warm up on the ice with the Bronze Moves elements and it's smooth and comfortable again! (Or should this go under "Face Plant?") But in any case, I will keep doing these moves to warm up! They look pretty (when done right...) Plus I have a feeling one of these moons I'll be needing them again! I was able to get thru most of the elements for my Bronze FS program, including the footwork. Well, every element except for...

Face Plant:
.... THE STINKIN' #$&*@ LOOP!!! I can't seemed to land those cleanly. And I can't help but think that maybe I'm slightly under rotated too.

__________________
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!!!

Congratulations on the loop!! That is a very exciting jump to land for the first time because it's really the first one where you have to stay backwards and rotate over the landing hip (so it really feels like a full revolution). It's a major accomplishment!
As for the change foot spin, you are not alone. I had had a lutz for 2 years before I actually did one of those, and I still have trouble on it sometimes. Here's what I think as I step onto my right foot: "ball of foot, back pivot" Both of those thoughts really help! I also try to remember to think of my body as a single unit so that I don't drop a shoulder or twist my body in any way.

Smooth Landing:
- Skated 3-1/2 hours today! Ahh, I love Sundays, when I don't have to rush off to the office after just one hour on hard, early morning ice!
- Landed 4 double toes, after not even trying them for months. And I figured out something about my takeoff position that I think is going to make them better from now on.
- Skated my program 3 times! I can't remember the last time I did that many run-throughs. This is good for building stamina.
- My spiral sequence pattern is now looking like that of the hotshot triple-lutz landing kid who was on my session today, woo hoo! Not the positions, mind you, just the ice tracings, LOL!
- Back perimeter power 3's (Intermediate MIF) are starting to get stronger and faster. . .at least today.

Face Plant:
- Wasn't able to land even one clean double salchow today, and it's been that way all week. I think it's probably all mental, but still. . .

Glad you were okay! I heard about it later in the afternoon from someone who was there. She said the fire department was there, and it was on the news this morning. Here's a link:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...608070339/1006

Guess I'll have to call later to see if they're open! What a bummer... hoping the employee is okay.

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August 22, back on the ice!

Congrats! I know how much you were wanting that...wish I could have been there to see the look on your face at that moment...I guess that's a privilege reserved for coaches. ;-) Keep up the good work.

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Casey Allen Shobe | http://casey.shobe.info
"What matters is not experience per se but 'effortful study'."
"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable" ~ Christopher Reeve