[QUOTE=Emberchyld;320016Of course, I coooooould just change my spinning direction for good, but I get so many more revs CW (even though my jumps are CCW)![/QUOTE]

You might want to consider changing your spinning direction to match your jumping direction. It will make things so much easier in the long run especially when you start doing loops and above where you are backspinning in the air. The fact that you can spin in both directions is then just an added plus.

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

Scratchy:
Me when coach asked for me to do my five minute program warmup for my test in two weeks!
Backscratch did not have enough revolutions.
Am quite frustrated over the sit, as I have busted my butt, left thigh and then some to get it to recognizable position and today as I'm closing in on test day, it decides to misbehave!

Smooth:
Jumps, including the loop!

Any ideas on how to handle the test nerves the next two weeks???

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Don't worry, it's good that you are nervous and messing up now. If you get "pre-stressed" then your body will be sick and tired of being stressed by the time you step on the ice for your test and then you won't be nervous when you take your test. Also, everyone skates terribly in the week leading up to the test or competition, but then it all comes together when you need it. It's just your mind's way of getting all of the mistakes out of your system. I know it sounds hokey, but both of these rules of skating have turned out to be true for me just about every time!

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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

You might also try calling up your boot mfr. (Harlick? I forget) and asking what modifications they have made to boots to solve lacebite problems. . . then just have Willie's do it.

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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

Scratchy:
Brackets! Can do FO brackets but still have a heck of a time doing BI brackets. Hmmmm? Could it be b/c I can't even get to the back of my heel to make the turn??? (And of course, I can't do a BI3 for the same reason???)

Smooth:
Finally made secondary coach take a look at my camel spin. In one lesson, she's already making some progress on the spin part of the camel and got me to get more consistent spins. (I wasn't even consistent with the spins before that!!! Lost the spinning part last month and was trying to get it back...) Now to get INTO a nice spiral position and I'll have a camel 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!!!

After an exasperating day at work, I decided to spend most of tonight’s session on left 3-turns and all CCW turns (including Mohawks), which I did. In lesson, coach and I worked on troubleshooting my right 3-turns as well, trying to get my free foot to behave and stay out of it! She also suggested I work on two-foot alternate turns (CW & CCW) to get used to the hip twist.

Smooth Everything is coming along slowly....

Scratchy everything except inside 3's!

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

I should... it drives my coaches nuts that I jump one way and spin the other (I only jump CCW thanks to the fact that I can't land on my left leg... I don't want to think what will happen when I get to a CCW jump that has a left foot landing!)... but I'm such an instant gratification kind-of gal and love the fact that I can get sooooo many revs CW.

Buuuuut, I definitely have to consider this change, especially with the whole crossover entry thing...

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

Got stuck late at work, but I forced myself to scoot over to a rink and put in 45 minutes of practice. Haven't skated at this rink in years - the ice was very nice and there were only three skaters. I was (of course) the only adult. Better than wasting two people's time tomorrow morning since I lost out on my Sunday morning skate.

Scratchy: Pretty much everything: MITF, loop jumps, camel spins.

Worst of all, I appear to be "double tracking" all of my right outside edges. (B&F) When I look at the tracings, I see a faint second line from my inside edge. Sharpening? Alignment? Who knows?

Smooth: Surprised myself by centering most of the spins, even a (pi$$ poor) layback. The ones I blew were technique errors.

Jumps other than the Loop were okay and seemed higher than usual. Dunno why - maybe the ice.

Emberchyld - keep your current spin direction AND learn the other way, too. It's a cool trick that one of my students is able to do -- instead of a change-foot, she does a change-foot-AND-direction! She starts on her "weaker" side, which is CW for her, then switches to a forward CCW spin. Since you're comfy with the jumping and landing CCW, start practicing spins that way, too.

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I agree - keep both spins!

I used to be able do some spins both ways and do some basic jumps both ways to (many moons ago!). When I started re-learning spins just recently, my coach had me start with a CCW 2-foot spin (which she assumed was my "normal" direction). When I turned around and did it opposite foot and opposite direction, her face lit up and she said "We'll keep them BOTH!" There are benefits to being ambidextrous (ambi-foot-rous?) LOL!

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

Tuesday lesson was just all scratchy. I'm not sure anything went well. During LTS teaching I was fine in my skates, but afterwards I got this incredble pain on the side of my left calf/shin (it's not really either, but both) there is no bruise, but I feel a bump (husband doesn't) and it still hurts this morning- occasionally I can't even put weight on it. That definetly bothered me during my lesson.

My spinning stinks! And it frustrates me so badly. I just cannot fan kick and for some reason now I can't even center a spin. It's like I'm regressing.
My backspin is going nowhere.

I learned the last pre-bronze mitf pattern- the mohawk to get back facing the right way to do the 3 turns is incredibly confusing. I learned it on the short axis, and have no idea how I'll get it to fill the long axis, I could barely do it on the short one.

My waltz eight is getting better. For some reason my coach has decided during the crossover figure eights I have to pick up my foot on the backward crossovers- I've never done that before, and it's really thrown me off. I thought that was an ISI thing? USFSA basic skills (at two different rinks) both taught it with the foot pulling across. Here's hoping it will pass- but he's had lots of students pass standard track tests, and that's what he teaches all of them.

Only good thing- my jumps might be improving. And the show this Saturday (although my skating stunk) was lots of fun and I got tons of compliments on my smile.

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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)

Funny you should mention that - my coach is going over some basic stroking and crossovers with me today and she was lamenting that in LTS you start with the foot pulling - what that does is make you too dependent on putting your weight on both feet and you need to be comfortable putting most of your weight on the back edge. She told me mine weren't bad, but she'd like to to work on picking up my foot, just to make sure I've got more weight on that edge.

Smooth - I'm just so excited during this month I get a HALF HOUR OF freestyle coaching every week. I can afford it because we are at different rink and the ice is cheaper.

So she starts out reviewing basic stroking which I'm not bad at - she said I've got good posture, good power, but I could get more power if I would extend to the fullest...I tend to just extend a bit and then switch, she wants to completely extend and get the most out of my pushing.

Forward crossovers "These are acceptable for a lower level skater but you are no longer a low level skater" Woah - some good news in that bad news I think. I tend to put my foot down way crossed over, she wants me to set it down just in front, and let the under push finish the crossover. Which means more knee bend and keeping my hips square -I tend to twist my hip. She had me do this against the board so I could make sure my hip stayed square.

And the back crossovers...wants me to practice picking up my foot for above reasons.

Scratchy We went over my spins program. She liked my transistions and just fancied them up a bit with some arm movements to give it attitude. But my spins were not there. Yesterday I could spin. Not today.

We reviewed the back outside pivot again. What's good is that I'm much more secure on the right back outside edge (thank you Moves - really practicing your moves does help!) I can get set up in the position, but putting my pick on the ice, I just don't like that feeling.

This is good and bad - the last year I've really just been reviewing and improving things I learned a long time ago, so I haven't had to deal with the discomfort of learning new things. The good is that I'm ready to move on to learn something new, the bad is I forgot how hard that is for me, how long it takes for me to get comfortable with something. It's kind of frustrating.

j

smooth - my program runthrough during my lesson was good - I never nail it when my coach is watching, but this was almost decent: jumps airborne, spin spun, footwork crisp. I even skated it to the music, what a concept!

scratchy - my totally lame salchow. We worked on it a whole bunch though, and I think I finally have the feel of how it's supposed to work. Don't ask me how I was doing it before, I think I said it was totally lame. Unfortunately the zamboni chased us off the ice before I could really let it fly. We'll see how it goes at the next practice.

smooth- worked through spins... layback got a break through... of all things!!! haha

axel and double salchow are still on the higher side of 50% landing rate... yay

scratchy- did a zhang dan fall on a double sal... bruise on inside of knees... haha lucky nothing worse than that, my two hands also helped to break the fall.

not much progress on double toe. worrying but... ok its only one session, maybe next week will be better.

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~
Tidesong

Scratchy: Skated yesterday, everything was SCRATCHY! Got my blades sharpened and they are TOO sharp! And I'm slipping on my left outside edge. Fell 4 times in 40 min. on stuff I normally could do blind-folded.So I got off the ice. My coach will bring my skates to the sharpening guy tonight. This usually does not happen, my skate guy is good but... somethings wrong. AND... I compete in about two weeks. Not good timing.

Smooth: I didn't break, strain, sprain or bruise anything. A miracle.

My coach likes me to practice them like that from time to time for similar reasons. Especially clockwise - I do find it difficult to get all my weight over my left hip. (Dammit, I carried a child on that hip for three years, of course it sticks out! Okay, that was well over 20 years ago, but we needn't go into that!).

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

Smooth: Finally! A 1 foot spin that was 100% correct in front of coach! Of course, it was the only one out of 4 that was perfect, but the others were much closer and coach was pleased.

Scratchy: It was the last time I will see Looplover before she moves to NC, I'm happy for her but sad for myself. I will really miss her, she is a lot of fun.

Scratchy:
Before I pulled a muscle in my back doing loop jump attempts, I came really close to a few landings. Switched entrances several times, without confusion.

Sand in my egg salad: (Both Scratchy and Smooth)
After the muscle pull, we kept working on jumps. Toe loops were okay, I need to stay on the edge more. Salchows were going well...until I did a really big one, twisted the pulled muscle, and doubled over in pain mid-air. My coach said it looked like a Flying Camel. Once I caught my breath, I called it a day and went home in search of a hot shower. (Man, did that Salchow feel huge - what a thrill!)

Smooth:
Forward crossover circles were better, back ones are getting there, but I am definitely not on a clean outside edge.

Did one pattern of the Prel Spirals - not too bad. I'm actually standing up in between spirals, then entering properly.

Back spins were excellent - did a bunch in the open "axel" position and pulled out of them.

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Scratchy:
Went to the rink that is quite near my house but I really don't like. I was reminded today why I don't like it. The front desk staff is thoroughly unhelpful and the skaters on the session were anti-friendly. Blah.

Smooth:
I was on today for some reason. Did multiple clean scratch spins, managed the best sit spin I have attempted in a while and did 3 clean loops. I was so busy dodging the other folks on the mostly empty session that I gave up and went home after 40 minutes.

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

Yikes! How is your back feeling now? Hope you've got some Advil on 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

I agree! If you can do a spin on one foot, followed immediately by a spin on the other foot in the opposite direction, that is a feature that will count toward raising your spin a level under the new judging system.

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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

Oooo. I love validation.

One note about this change-direction combo: you can get really dizzy spinning in the "opposite" direction and you could lose balance on the "correct" spin. (Guess how I know? My shoulder's still healing.)

I keep Advil in my skate bag, so I took some right away. I ended up going in to work very late so I could take a hot shower with the massage head. It's still tweaked.

So now I can't put my left arm behind me (shoulder injury) and I can't reach forward or across with my right arm (back injury) - I'm a mess. And I'm trying to figure out where I can get in a quick skate tonight. Have to work on the Show program. AOSS - I've got it bad. LOL

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Hi, Jazzy! I don't know if these will help you, but here are the little tips that helped me on my BI brackets. I will assume you're doing LBI bracket, OK?
- Pushoff: From RBI edge, do a tiny little swerve/change edge on the right foot to help you push off onto the LBI edge. Keep looking in the direction you're coming from (i.e., to the left) after you push off onto the LBI edge and keep the free leg in front. After a second or two, bring the free foot to the heel of the skating foot. Wait for the bottom of the lobe, and gradually turn your head to face the inside of the lobe you're on (straight, then slightly to the right). Once you hit the top of the lobe, bend the ankle and turn. When I think of turning just 1/4 turn, I stay on pattern better. Trying to turn 1/2 turn makes me over-turn a little.

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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

Does this work for vanilla one foot spins, or does it have to be something like a camel or a sit spin? Hmmmm? I'm tempted now to learn CCW one foot spin...just to freak out my coaches!!!

I'll try your bracket tip! (This bracket thingie that I'm trying to do is something that my NYC coach taught to me and he thinks it should be EASY for me to get. Ummm... well... I'm still determined to get it by the time I see him come Christmas.)

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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!!!

Aw thanks Petlover! You did great today and I'll miss you too! My movers are two hours late so maybe I'm not going.

Scratchy: movers are 2 hours late, but that's off topic. For some reason my fear of flips was back this morning and I didn't do one. Will miss Petlover my skating buddy!!!

Smooth: Petlover witnessed my one perfectly centered sit spin of a bunch of attempts, I think I am getting used to my new blades that have a decent rocker. I have been focusing on my upper back and chin and that seems to do the trick. Did some bad ones after that but that one was good. I think my coach missed it though!

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Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Smooth: I finally did a catch foot layback with enough revs to actually count, and I didn't even fall over from dizziness afterward! This spin might just be a reality for next year. Now, I've got to get a sideways variation in there too, and I'll have a level 2 layback. Maybe a level 3 if I can pick up speed on the catch foot part...

Scratchy: I'm trying to skate faster into my jumps, and it's really messing with my mind. I can't seem to keep the technique correct when I'm moving faster. Sigh. This is going to take lots of work.