[On the beach]
Actually got to the rink today because I thought I was to literally be "in the snow!" We got a big storm today, but the roads were amazingly clear.

Program was really good and strong today. The only thing that I need to work on is doing my camel spin immediately after my flip/loop.

Moves felt good as well.

While I didn't have a lesson, coach saw a few axels I was doing at the end and commented that they looked okay even though they were about a 1/2 rotation cheated. She looked a little surprised which is always a good feeling. She was surprised that I was there though because I had e-mailed her saying that I didn't think I was going to be able to be there because of the weather and that we needed to meet up so that I could get my test form from her. Well, I was there, and got the test form...I'm retesting my intermediate moves on 3/16 and will test my pre-juv freestyle that same day.

I was asked to be on the board for my club. I'm happy that I will be able to provide a different perspective to things as a skater and particularly the only adult skater we have.

[In the Snow]
Sometimes people don't watch for folks in their programs, which means that I get really nervous doing my footwork down the center of the ice...especially because I go quite fast....

My camel after my flip/loop...don't know why the heck I'm having such issues with that....

Actually, i think i fell in a hole in the ice! The Sunshine was 2 weeks ago when i was on a cruise for my 25th anniversary~

Pulled a back muscle a few weeks ago, and it's still tender...

Doing 1 great camel for every 20 lousy ones (help!)

Klingbeils tweaked, but then right foot is STILL pronating (even when they tell me i should not move the blade!) - any tips ?

Asthma kicked in; got a chest cold. I have lost about 2-3 weeks so far, but am still trying at it!

Gaining weight but will look at the glass as 1/2 full; then i guess i'll have a cookie with that drink~ ha ha

I'm just on Cloud nine- it felt SO good to be back in lessons. Between group and private I skated an HOUR today. My knees hurt now, but they didn't then.

We picked my Freestyle program- I'll be doing ISI 3 to a song from Pocahontas. I didn't want to do disney, because it's so used, but it wasn't the "main" song- and it really was the best music for me of the choices we listened to. He had 5 to pick from, and 3 were okay for me, and 2 I didn't like, but this one was best. I'm just wearing a green dress (earthy?) but no "colors of the wind" flourishes, and no dressing like the character. I cannot wait- the best part, I have a pretty good back spiral on a right outside edge- I had the whole ice to myself and was able to do it for more than half the rink. I'm so excited that that is an element. My combo spin is going to be but the rest should be okay.

My coach said I should do okay at interp, since he just had me skate to each of the song choices. We worked on some footwork to have ready to use.

I set my compulsory routine- that's nothing really, go do a salchow, do a spin, do a toe loop- done.



I am so so happy to be back on the ice!

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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)

Way into the snow I was going to practice tonight despise of my slightly developing fever. The rain/traffic was so bad it forced us to make a u-turn back home. Now I have at least 2 freestyle sessions to do a program runthrough, before competing next week-Sunday.

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Tim David's Website

Are your blades new or just sharpened? I had the same issue with my new Klingbeils last summer, and it turned out to be the blade. The problem resolved as I skated and wore down the bit of shabby sharpening on my R blade.

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ON the beach: Things are going pretty well with the figures for Pacific Coasts. Coach is especially pleased with the FOI Serpentine and the FO-BI3 are looking pretty good too. She seemed actually more thrilled with my skating than she has in a LONG time. For me it just goes to show that if I work on one or two things very consistently, I can get them! I think that I'm going to take this knowledge into the rest of my skating and just work on one thing at a time instead of trying to do Dance, Moves, Figures - all together, although this is her style of teaching and I've been working with her for about 10 years... hmm...

I'm having a lot of fun with my blog http://www.pdxrinkreport.blogspot.com and have been learning how to add video and photos to the blog. I'm trying hard to find someone to be a co-author with me but people are reluctant to step forward - one person said he thought he would "get in trouble" with the rink management if they knew he was blogging about the rink - I was like, "What, like they're not going to take your $8?" Call me naive, but I don't think it's going to be a big problem.

Another friend came to the rink today and I asked her to be my photographer and videographer for the blog. She could take pictures with her phone and so she took one of me and a couple of the other skaters. She said that she couldn't deal with the video today but when I came home she had emailed me a video of me doing a Serpentine - we call her clandestine photography/videography "Spycam" after that disastrous piece of equipment they used at 2005 Nationals here in Portland (Skycam). I put it on the blog, but I also figured out how to put it on youtube so here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dww-c9s8EkA. She only video'd one full serpentine, but the actual figure has 3 sets of tracings (if that makes any sense - hello all of you figure-lovers!)


In the snow: No snow really in sight. The crocuses bloomed last week and this week we are seeing the daffodils. The sun is shining and the buds are out. Spring is coming to Portland, OR.

Oh and the ice was very good today at my old hockey rink!!

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

On The Beach: literally. I live within walking distance of the beach. I had a pretty good session tonight. I've been practicing the loop at high speed to get the proper "feel" for my body position. Then when I try the double loop (much slower) it is much better. My rotational mojo seems to be back. Although I'm not landing them, my reconstructed axel is getting more consistent.

In The Snow: My scratch spin seems to have taken a vacation. I can't center one to save my life. My camel spin comes and goes and is currently on vacation.

Those two could be correlated. I always reaallly feel my back muscles on the camel when the coach says I just did a really good one. Even though the coach claims the strength comes from the belly, I only feel the back muscles really.

Thanks L.L.!

OH YEA! I look forward to retirement and skating when everyone else is in school or at work!

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

We left for the rink this morning in broad daylight! Yay.... only a few more weeks until we are getting up in daylight, whereupon they will put the clocks forward so we'll be getting up in the dark again!

But I couldn't skate - I was just too tired and it wouldn't have been safe, so after some desultory crossovers I got off again, and the Husband had to have my lesson.

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

In the snow still on day 4 or 5 of breaking in new boots. A bit of beach starting to shine through - MIF are not too bad except slow and I'm skidding my 3s, which I have never done before. Can't spin at all - did one spin today out of 10 that was centered enough that I could even get my feet crossed. Did some little jumps and I was so excited that when I get it right (which is not often) the stiffness in the new boots gives me a spring I never felt before! yeah! these are going to be great once I get more used to them. Unfortunately I came away from the session with bad rubbing on my ankles from the top of the boot. Even though I left the last hook untied. So bad it broke the skin in one area. Guess I need to wear bunga pads next time.

First of all, YAY!!! So glad you're back on the ice!

Secondly -- WHAT???? You know the choices for Interp????

No, no no no no. I don't. He wouldn't do that. He had me just go skate a "program" to each of the five freeskate songs he had picked for me, to decide which one fit me best. Since I had to "make up" programs on the spot to see if I related to the music, it was good practice for interp.

No cheating going on! Just a poorly worded post.

__________________
-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

On the beach Coach thought my entry edge for my scratch spin was good enough that now we are working on swinging my leg, arm and hips around to snap into the spin. I'm still working on that at the wall though

Snow- worked on grapevine swizzles and I can't seem to get my left toe to point in which is a problem. And forget about backward, I get stuck! We worked on crossrolls and once I got the idea I need to swing my hip around like in a swing roll, it was a little better. but it's going to be a long time before I get those right.

One the Beach: Another OK practice session this afternoon. While the ice was rock hard because of the unseasonably cold weather outside, I still did OK. I attempted some spins from what they call in aviation 'unusual attitudes', and managed to get my left foot under me to rotate just fine.

I'm feeling fairly competent at entering spins from just about any way possible - I just wish they'd stayed centered a bit more.


Snow: Jumps were inadequate. They just didn't work well, with lots of slop.

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Bill Schneider

Tuesday afternoon, both DD's decided to skate outdoors, so we all went. It had been raining and the ice hadn't been cut, so it felt like glue, but it was still fun, and I got some good one foot spins. That evening, while teaching, I did a demo one foot from a F pivot that was slow and controlled like my coach does . While browsing skating videos on YouTube, I came across one that shows a 3 turn exercise which my coach had shown me already, but I had never really worked at. Today, I stood in front of the glass and did the exercise several times, and later did some of the best FO threes ever. Hoping to get some real practice in tomorrow.

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On The Beach: This was my last lesson for the season....so coach let me work on what I wanted to. I don't really have anything to gripe about.

We started with backspins, since I did a good one just before she came over to get me. I'm doing them from a one-foot right inside edge entry into a left inside edge entry now (aka the "big girl backspin"). Despite not really opening up my free leg enough, and still tapping down my free leg on the exit, I'm psyched that these are sooo good now! What a great way to end!

Then we did forward crossovers. I haven't really done these since September because of my leg issues (pain, numbness, etc). I'm still tentative and too far on the back part of my blade (I'm afraid of toepicking and going down). Other than that, I'm glad that I did them. I'd be disappointed and it would be even harder to do them in May if I didn't do them now.

Waltz jump-Doing them from a back crossover entry, I'm able to hit it with squared-off shoulders. I didn't even think about it. She was really pleased! This made me happy as well!

Then we did some jump set-ups and run throughs. First was the lutz...and the darn back glide. I'm uncomfortable going backward; I tend to end up on a flat on this one. She had me roll my arm more to the side and have my hand facing up. this helped tremendously!

The salchow exercise (3-turn, hold the back edge then extend the free leg) has been working, although I need to bend more in the knee before I jump it. I tend to not be square in hips on this one and doing the exercise has helped a lot.

I thought I'd break all up when I left but I really was ok. Until I drove home. But I'm jazzed about that backspin! I even showed one of ther other students. Finally! only took 2 years!!!! What a way to end the season!

I will be back in the fall stronger and ready to jump!!!!! Yay!

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

On the Beach: Worked a little on dances today on the big ice after doing about an hour of figures. I'm getting more and more comfortable doing bigger patterns of the Blues and Silver Tango. Still just working on the mohawks for the 10-Fox, Foxtrot and Rocker - not wanting to do them solo at speed but the turns are getting better every time. Happy to not feel so hesitant doing that lovely Blues Choctaw!!

In the snow: Figures were a little clumsy today - not as good as yesterday on my lesson. I got a chance to work on them a LOT during a very sparse public and during a more crowded Coffee Club on the ice where Pacific Coasts is going to be held, which was nice.

Stopped by my old hockey rink after work to check to see if my coach could work with me again at the end of the week and she said she could. That should help.

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

Snow: Had a bit of a breakdown during synchro. The program is SO fast. I really wish I had had the last 2 months to work on it. Felt terrible because the coach changed one mohawk from R-L to L-R and i'm the only person on the team who likes that mohawk better, but for me it's one less thing to worry that I can't do. Now my challenge is just going to be the turn from fwd chasse to back chasse, we'll see. We didn't work on the program I know but there are still 2 elements in that I can't do- the back lunge and the R-L mohawk. I really like synchro but I feel so badly that I can't do these elements, it just results in bringing the team down. Even the theoretically "weaker" skaters can eek through them- I'm strong on some things and non-existant on the couple things that are my challenges. Even if I could get a two foot turn to go that fast I'd be happy, but as much as I've worked on that and the mohawk this year, I just cannot seem to do it. (But my mohawk has gotten a lot better, just not faster)

Beach: Knee didn't hurt during practice, just iced it when I got home because it was sore.

__________________
-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

In the snow - I've been almost entirely off ice the last three weeks. I had a bad cold and just needed to cut back on everything except work and truly necessary chores. I also needed a break, probably how I got sick in the first place. Then when I got better I had jury duty, which interfered with my scheduled lesson, followed by a snowstorm which made me wimp out of driving to practice. We were going to schedule my FS3 test for Feb, but at this point I'll be lucky to do it in March. I really wanted it done, but I'm more relaxed about it now.

on the beach - Finally had a lesson yesterday. After skipping three weeks of lessons and almost no practice we mostly focused on edges. Coach admired my powerpulls (nutcase that I am I do them a lot because I like them) and my salchow, set me to the next stage of improvement on the waltz jump. After so long off, skating felt good. I smiled all day.

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It's all about the dress!

Today's public wasn't crowded but incredibly chaotic so I didn't practice anything.
I just did five programme run-throughs in the first 20 minutes while all the people were standing in line to rent skates. I did no warming up, cuz there's none planned as such in the competition time schedule either and there probably won't be one.

If I skate at competition the way I did today, I'll be fine (well apart from coming last lol) but I'll probably freak out and make a fool of myself. Which is fine too, everybody looks like a gorilla out there the first few times so I'm entitled to my two minutes of gorilla!

DEEP Snow: Whether from a couple of nights of poor sleep, a virus, or reaching "burnout" from the time the alarm went off at 3:45 the day was headed downhill fast. I actually didn't WANT to skate - that's rare - and not much was working, even stuff that is normally good.

Within sight of the beach: On the positive side, I remembered the footwork sequence I worked out Tuesday (though I didn't skate it well).

Stuck up to the axle: I was just so physically and mentally brain-dead that I cut lesson short today. We will see where things stand Tuesday and decide whether or not to continue with 2 programs for Nationals or abandon one of them.

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

Snort!

(oh, tea just went everywhere!) You couldn't be THAT brain dead to come up with that clever header!

Hey S@D - hope everything goes well, and we'll look forward to more skating reports from you starting next fall!

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Bill Schneider

Snow:
One foot spins had me at my wits end...I'd do one or two really, really nice ones...3 revs., pulled in, exited properly. But 9 times out of ten I'd either fall over, or just have to step out of it. Spirals felt shaky for some reason, although I didn't pancake again today.

Beach [although I hate the beach] :
Only had to go into school for 10 minutes today, so I got a full 2hrs skating. Crossovers felt really steady today. Spent a while talking with a girl about my age. She really put me to shame though - she's been skating for 2 months and she can do stuff I can't even attempt after two years. Not much else really.

You know that really disapointing feeling? The one where you get on the ice hoping it'll make you feel better, only to get off feeling worse than you did in the first place? That was me today.

Even when it's nearly dead, it's still warped!

Turned out to be the flu - bailed from work this afternoon and going to bed.

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