This is for yesterday:
frustration: new boots are killing my feet! The right one hurts soooo bad! Even 3-turns are extremely painful! I can do things but it's an effort. I cannot spin either, something doesn't feel "right" event tho my blades are mounted right (I triple-checked). Very frustrating!

Swimmingly: my back is feeling so much better, I have been doing some trigger point therapy. Which means I can actually bend down for some sit spins (not that I can actually sit spin hahaha).

And because of the coaching/teacher shortage at the rink, I have been asked to sub occasionally for the LTS program. I will be covered by the rink insurance (I asked again) and this will help eventually when I want to begin training as a coach. It will be for the Tot classes (lots of fun!) and the occasional birthday party.

And the last note: I received my letter for a clinical seat in the nursing program! It starts in January 2010, which means full-time clinical/classes. I am not sure at this time how it will impact everything else I'm doing, but school/clinicals will have to be a major focus. I still plan on testing pre-bronze, if I can test when there is a weekend session or one during Spring Break, then that would be awesome!

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

Shouldn't you be at home resting and fighting off the Swine Flu. You don't want to infect any of your skating buddies do you. Get some probiotics, Vitamin C in you. And get cleared by your doc before going back to the rink.

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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

[Swimmingly]
So, I have been protesting my program this week since I didn't make it into the test session today which has been wonderful!! I have worked on axels, double sals, and double toes...

My double toes are getting bigger, and I am working on fixing the way I am picking....double sals are getting better too and closer to the way they were before I sprained my ankle...I'm not landing them yet, but I'm working on it!

Regular coach and I went shopping yesterday...it was great to see her since I hadn't seen her in a while. And temporary coach and I had a good lesson on the junior power pulls yesterday too! I have some new torturous drills to do (power pulls from a stand still and then slowly building up speed...and then doing the rockers like that too ) it's tough, but I want to pass these, so I will do whatever it takes!!

Temporary coach also taught me the sustained edge step and the spiral sequence from Senior Moves to give me something new to work on YAY!! I am finally feeling like it is going to be possible for me to pass Junior and then try to get Senior done before everything changes...there was a moment there where I didn't think it was going to be possible.

[Frustrating]
Those power pulls...

And axels...yesterday my leg was going way around instead of through...so I stopped doing them...I did a couple of good ones, but I don't know why that was happening...

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

This is for Friday....

Swimmingly Had lesson with my coach. We got through the first 40 seconds of my Bronze freeskate program. Lots of spots for dramatic moves. I'm enjoying working on it. The last 5 minutes of my lesson we worked on the 5 step mohawk pattern. We fixed the timing on the 3rd and 4th steps.

Frustration I felt I was making progress on my flip this week. I found myself reverting to the foot on the side problem. UGH! Sit spin is not very low. Camel were 2 revs today.

CONGRATULATIONS! and Good Luck when you test!

Do you mean "practicing"?

Frustration:
After such a good day Thurs, I was once again a total whimp on Fri for my spin/MIF lesson. I didn't feel too bad when I got on the ice to warm up first, but... my first spin failed because I looked down, and in correcting that on the second spin - I looked up - which I never do - and promply fell down! Whacked my R hip pretty good and stiffened me up for the rest of the session. I am a real mental case! Did two sets of absolutely beautiful FO threes on the line, with just a touch of the hand from my coach, and could hardly do even one three on my own. FI threes have all but deserted me. Now, on top of that, I woke up this AM with lower back pain, and it has gotten progressively worse throughout the day. I have a new prescription for mobic that I hadn't filled yet, because it's for my tennis elbow. Well, I ran to the drugstore and popped a pill with dinner. Heading off to be now to apply a heating pad. I have to work tomorrow and can't let this thing get any worse.

Swimmingly:
Forgot to mention that on Thurs, after my ice dance lesson, I hung out with a friend who is working on the backspin. In showing her the approach I like best, I actually did a full rev CW. I've been considering switching directions again since I'm equally lousy at both except for the backspin, which has seemed almost impossible CW.

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Nope Protesting...I couldn't deal with the up and down with finding out that I wasn't testing today as I thought I was, and I needed a break from run thru after run thru, so I didn't do my program at all last week I will pick up tomorrow with 2 run thrus a night just to keep up my endurance...plus, regular coach is coming back on October 8th, I at least want to show her an okay program...

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

Went to see Mike Cunningham to get measured for custom boots to fit my orthotics and the wrap I will apparently need to keep around my healed broken ankle for the rest of my life. So he recommended Harlicks as my orthotics are really huge. I goggled a bit at the bill.

Let me correct that...I goggled A LOT at the bill.

Yes it's totally worth it.

I went for the tan suede boots. (I live on the edge. )

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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

swimmingly - I got a long list of excellent corrections in lesson this week, which I carefully wrote down. I worked the notes and made a lot of progress. I think my test will go very well.

frustrated - spins are a mixed bag. my backspin has gotten really good but forward has languished and sitspin is sitting it out. Jumps are just eh.

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It's all about the dress!

Okay, so I haven't posted to this thread lately, so you get two ice sessions in one.

First is last Wednesday at the "school" rink near work.

Frustration: I hate that they changed the time. It was inconvenient when it was from 3:00-4:00, but now that it's from 3:30 - 4:30 it's even worse...I get back to work just in time to pack up and leave. I might need to talk to my boss about it to make sure he's okay with it. He probably will be, but it's probably still good to give him a heads-up so he knows that once a week I'll be packing out late for lunch and getting back practically in time to go home. It also doesn't help that my motivation is down the drain right now.

Lots of kids there that day for some reason. Wasn't a huge problem, though.

Spins still sucked. More on spins later.

Swimmingly: this actually was a good session. Bunny hops improved a bit, later in the session I got some more speed into my 3-turns (which isn't saying much, but it's something), I figured out how to start a 2-foot spin from a pivot (CCW better than CW; I may end up being a CCW spinner after all), backward X-overs improving, etc.

Hockey stop improving too.


And then yesterday at class:
Frustration: Got some tips on front X-overs. This is not really a bad thing, and as A pointed out, "I'm only getting so nit-picky because you're already pretty good at them," but now as Yoda says, I'm going to have to unlearn what I have learned and get the muscle memory to do them slightly differently. And I've never been good at doing that sort of thing, motivation-wise...I've always been one of those lazy people where as long as something is decent, putting in a bunch of work to make it marginally better is not something I want to do. So I'm going to have to force myself.

Lost my CW pivot for starting 2-foots...CCW is still fine, but on CW I can sometimes do it IF I am not really thinking about it, just do it. Grr. I am so discouraged on spinning. I'd love to be able to but for as long as I have been working on it, I haven't been consistent. Occasionally I'll have a good one, but most of the time I'm losing my balance all over the place. I am not happy. Am I EVER going to be able to learn to spin? Are there people who...just can't spin? I had never thought my balance was so bad but now I find that apparently it is. And whether I do it wrong or right, I can't figure out what it is that makes me do it wrong or right (except, of course, when I end up on my toepicks, then it's obvious, but I don't notice when I'm leaning forward until I hit the toepick, so...)

3-turns were meh, though later after A left they were, of course, better. *eye roll*

Swimmingly: Managed to hold my inside edge better after FO 3-turns. Yay! But again, this only came at the end when A *wasn't* watching.

Learned how to do the bunny hop CORRECTLY since this was my first time doing it in a lesson rather than just messing with it on my own. I don't kick my leg OUT, I lift my knee UP. Duh. no wonder I was so freaked out about not landing on my toe pick before. The confusion stemmed from a YouTube video I found teaching the bunny hop...there's no instruction, just the skater doing them, and it looked like she was kicking her leg out, not lifting her knee up. So my bunny hops shall improve greatly!


Biggest frustration, and why I'm losing my motivation and even sometimes consider quitting: AM I EVER GOING TO NOT SUCK?????????

Swimming - nice practice this am.
Frustration - The ice was pretty empty, but the two people with the greatest egos collided. Thought the rink was going to implode. Both too arrogant to move. One of the first things I teach my kids is "When you're skating backwards, look behind you". Simple but obviously still to difficult for some.

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Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Aaaand just got back from the rink again.

Frustration: RO 3-turns sorta crap. Dunno why. Others not so bad.

Swimmingly: CW pivots to start my 2-foot spins getting better, I think, but ask me next time I'm on the ice! This one's gonna take some work. It's too bad too because it makes it harder to work on my CW spins. However, when I got it, I got it, and even managed a rev, rev-and-a-half on 1-foot spins (found if I do my pivot then rock off my toe pick, I can start a 1-foot spin, even without two-footing it first).

We met a new adult skater, T, at the rink today, and someone else we knew showed up too. Now we have enough for the new class one of the girls' coach is trying to put together for us. Yay for closer classes! We'll have an on-ice and and off-ice. Only problem is the time; I am going to talk to my boss and see if I can skip my lunch hour that day and take it at the end of the day instead and leave an hour early. I'm sure he'll say that's fine. T says she thinks I'm doing pretty well for only having started in May, but I'm not so sure. I still feel a bit stuck in crappiness.

For this week:

Swimmingly: Had a really good lesson on my jr moves Friday morning. We buckled down on the diagonal patterns and made a lot of progress on the power pull-quick rockers (fixing issues with hip placement, shoulder placement, etc). Also worked a bit on the choctaws. My outside rocker patterns are good, my coach actually had really nothing to say about them. Insides are getting better, just needed a few reminders on the forward insides, back insides are good. Didn't get to the power circles, but if I can't do forward and backward crossovers in both directions and hold a solid edge down ice by this point, then I have issues (probably why they are getting rid of these patterns on the test next year).

Worked on moves for a little over an hour yesterday. Diagonal patterns are coming along better. Did a few run-thrus of the power pull rocker pattern where I did 3 solid repeats on each side, not sure if I should aim for 3 or 4 when I test. 3 pretty much fills the rink on one side, I can fit 4 on the other. The turns aren't terribly quick but the rhythm of the whole pattern is steady and my speed is maintained throughout. Choctaws are somewhat better, still need to get used to the changes we made (thinking of doing a back pivot on the back edge and then stepping forward) and I'm doing one side down the ice and then the other, not really doing them on pattern yet. This is really the only thing on the test that I still struggle with. Rockers were good, I focused on the little things we corrected on the insides and now I feel they are solid. Looking at the test form, if I can get .1-.2 above passing average on the forward and backward stroking and outside rockers, and passing (or maybe even .1 above) on the inside rockers and power pulls, that leaves me a teeny bit of wiggle room if my choctaws still suck in a month. I know a lot of judges around here aren't as picky on the choctaws just because that particular pattern is hard unless you have a lot of hip turnout.

I can actually do a back sit now on its own or as the first spin in a combo--previously I could only get into a good back sit if I was already down in a forward sit, but all the squats we have to do at roller derby have helped. Not as low as I want it to ultimately get, but it's a recognizable sit nonetheless. Also did my (first ever) forward camel-back sit combos because of that. Flying camels were yucky at first, but I was aggressive on the last few I did and they were good (not cheated, good fly, at least 4 solid revs). Jumps (other than axel) were all good.

Frustration: Didn't get to running my program at all though. Oops...need to get on that, I've only done 1 run-thru since Peach. Axel is still not clean. I do one little thing wrong on each attempt (one time I don't get down enough on the entry edge. Next time I get down better but don't drive the knee through on take-off. Time after that I drive the knee through better but my head is in the wrong place). Ugh.

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

Frustration: kept calling the Skate Club of Wilmington....are they ever open? Obviously not cause the phone kept ringing and ringing and ringing.....I need to find out about getting these boots punched out ASAP I've gone past DESPERATE into ???

and I have no idea why I can't spin...my blades seem to be lined up the same BUT the left one makes a scrrrtching noise on 3-turns & spins and I can't hold my edges without feeling like I'm losing the edge. AAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!

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

Have your coach check your boots to see if either or both are warped. Sometimes it looks like the blades are put on in the right place but it's the sole of the boot that is way off. Shimes may be needed.

__________________
"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

Have you tried both numbers? I know when I have tried to call they are more likely to answer one number over the other. (But I can't remember which one Sorry)

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~Always Dream!~

Check my progress at www.freewebs.com/sk8tegirl06

Looking from underneath, it looks as though there is more boot than sole, since the whole boot line has been re-designed, I'm at a loss....
I have been. I'm thinking that they might be short-staffed....so I will keep trying...

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

Frustrating:

• Didn't get to have a lesson this past Saturday due to my coach being very ill. I guess this one isn't frustrating, but more bummed.
• Taking off too early on my toe loops. Working on it. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't.
• Still not a fan of my "Fan Kick" on ice. Its lower than I want it.

Swimmingly:

• My spiral sequence is coming along beautifully. Going from an inside edge spiral, doing a mowak, and then backwards spiral into a back catch inside edge. Working on Y Spiral. Hoping to incorporate it.
• Sit Spin = getting really low now!!! Finding the sweet spot on my blade MUCH easier than before
• Twizzles!!!! Yay!!! I can do 4-5 in a row. My program calls for 2 sets - 2 times around.
• Getting more relaxed in my mohawks. Always rushing them before. Trying to keep my upper body relaxed.
• Lesson today and 2 hr skating session! Woot!

On a side note, does anyone else love spiral sequences as much as me???? I feel so amazing doing them.

I want to know what this is!!!


On another note: I go up to Skate Club of Wilmington TOMORROW!!! Finally got up with them and got an appointment to get boots punched out and blade alignment checked. The woman I talked to sounded nice so, off I go! I'll let you guys know how it went. I'm really excited, cause I skate Wednesday evening.

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

Frustration:
I use my cell phone as my alarm clock. I was going to get up at 5am today and go to the rink close to work beforehand and skate from 6-7. But I'm a dummy and left my ringer on silent, so I never heard it go off and didn't get up until my usual 6:15.

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

I used to love spirals- they made me feel like a real skater, so graceful and pretty. But now my spirals are barely hip level, quite a few inches lower than 3 years ago when I was just starting skating. It's very disappointing. Where did my flexibility go?

Can't wait to see yours- you need to video! (Or I need to go back to MI!)

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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)

My flexibility is probably hanging around with yours-once we find them they need a thorough thrashing for being away! My spiral was great, now it's so-so....at least I'm still skating and hip level is legal. I'm ok with that.

But still, a girl misses what she once had

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

Swimmingly: Went to a nearly-empty public on Sunday. There were a half-dozen clueless-public-skate types, a couple of other adult figure skaters, and me. The clueless factor pretty much stayed on one end of the ice, so the rest of us had 2/3 of a full-size rink. Spins were decent enough. Jumps were really, really good. Even the troublesome loop cooperated. The flip is my friend anyway, I managed five good ones in a row. And even a couple of lutzes, first ones I have tried since my injury. Not quite ready to restart work on the axel but I don't think it'll be that long.

Frustration: Brought my skates to work and skated my first freestyle session since the injury. Going along ok until they lost electricity about halfway through the session. Was bummed because I only got through crossovers, edges, and spins. No jumps. They did at least give us make-up passes for the half-hour we all lost.

If you danced, a fan kick is similar to a windmill kick in karate. Just more graceful. I am working on inserting that into my program after I do an inside spread eagle, then I do a fan kick. (cross my feet before hand, almost like a loop jump position but the left foot comes off the ice completely) I lean on my right foot on an outside edge and kick my left leg in a circle (counter clock wise) and then step down with my left foot and then am on an outside edge into forward cross overs. Wow, that was a lot to explain. LOL! Off ice, I can get my fan kicks really high! but on ice, its so different, footing wise.So, working on it.

Swimmingly: had some amazingly high loop jumps, with speed!!! Sit spin is now consistently low and easier to do. I am so pleased with this.

Frustrating: no lesson again since my coach is out with bronchitis. I figured she wouldn't be in yesterday. My camel spins suck!!! I can't get into them the right way yet. I can MAYBE get two rotations, but not with any good body positioning. Argh!

My coach had a huge revelation about my poor body position on the camel, and why I fall off the edge so quickly. In a scratch spin, a sit spin, and even to some extent an attitude spin (since I pull forward before moving my leg back)- you use your free leg to pull your forward into the spin, to help gain momentum, by swinging it around. I was doing that too on my camel spin, swinging it forward, and then trying to rotate my hip get it back into place, which left me with my body position curved in the wrong direction (concave instead of convex...) and my leg outside the circle instead of on it.

It's now been a nightmare to figure out how to start spinning without swinging my leg, but at least I know what's going on.

Hope you are able to have a similar epiphany soon!

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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)

Yep! Spirals are the only type of element I seem to be able to learn fairly quickly and not keep losing all the time! Makes all the stretching worthwhile.

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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