Just your regular practise thread. "On beach" good, "in the snow" bad. I came with this since lots of my friends are going placing where they get to lie on the beach and I'm just stuck in the snow!

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2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

On the beach


Now I can strech my legs, relax and be lazy: I passed my Level 2 Field Moves and Elements today!!!

In the snow

I had two reskates, though. Can't have it perfect, can you?

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My other car is a Zamboni

I am not sure which is the good thing and which isn't 'cause I would rather be at the rink than on the beach anyway

In the snow: Although it was a day off for me, I was up before 4 a.m. and made the hour drive to skate. (Who's totally NUTS!!??) I skipped the Friday session because I was so stiff and time is counting down to Nationals so I didn't want to be short a session.

I was so stiff in warm-up that I didn't think it was going to be a very good day. Spins and turns were making me dizzy, my head stuffed up, and I was suddenly very warm - crap! Don't have time to be sick .... maybe it was just a hot flash - LOL!

On the beach: When coach arrived, we listened to an alternative piece of music for my Interpretive and decided to go with the alternative. We worked through the first third of the program - not too bad - then through the middle third and decided to move it to the end and come up with a new middle. No too shabby for a Monday

In the snow: I decided to go in to the office for a few hours (making up time for all my skating) but shouldn't have. I took a hard candy from the candy dish at the front desk and broke a tooth - oh wonderful! Now I have to fit in a dentist appointment before Nationals to - GRRR!

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

2 year skating anniversary!
Skating group lessons 6 months a year, basically. I'm angry at the people who told me I couldn't skate when I was 11, I'd be so much further if I had and the confidence skating gave me - I could really have used it back in highschool. But I didn't start then, there's no changing the past, and so I'll just have to kick butt at 20. Here's a video of today's skating:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSOpExD9Lac

BTW my newly acquired clockwise jumps are included.
Criticism is most welcome!!!

Wow, I am at your CW jumping progress! I cannot do that.

On the back power 3's, keep the free leg in front the entire time (the position on the entrance to each back outside 3-turn is just like a loop jump).

On the sitspin, see if you can do your entrance edge on a more deeply bent knee (think 90 degree knee bend). If you don't enter on a deeply bent knee, it's very hard to get into a low enough position once you enter the spin. Keep your back strong and arched and keep the free leg extended way back behind you, straight and pointed, then keep it extended (but low) as you swing it all the way to the front like a pendulum. Don't let it slow down, just turn the foot out once it reaches 2:00 and let it collide with the skating leg. Then lower your butt and push your chest and free leg forward, keeping your back tight and arched. The goal is to feel the calf of your skating leg against the inside of the thigh of your free leg. That means your skating leg thigh is parallel to the ice.

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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

Yeah you keep telling me that about the sitspin and I keep not being able to do it for some reason. Sorry about that.
Maybe I should just try harder. Thanks!!!

No, I should apologizing for repeating myself like a broken record, LOL! I should have remembered that I'd already mentioned that before. But I think the really tight, arched back on the entrance edge and during the spin really helps. I feel like the mid/lower back is where the power comes from on the sitspin.

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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

Well repetition is the key to learning, my great-gradma used to say.

In the Snow: My post, because I wrote a long one and it's not here so I must have just hit preview and not submit, lol.

Flips. Flips. Flips. Oy vey. Eh I could just repeat my post from Saturday. Suffice to say I am relearning them as if I'd never learned them before. Boy, can I do a great flip on the carpet. Sigh. However, at the end of my lesson I did one. I've been leaning over too far and as a result not transferring my weight. I'm leaning over because flips freak me out. Not good. Camel spin - nope.

On the beach: Sit spins! Today I did the best one I've ever done. I felt my lower leg against my thigh and it was fast - and I was actually able to get out of it and turn it into a scratch spin so I was thrilled. Footwork was ok today too.

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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)

I will be testing my silver moves on Thursday, coach is happy with them and hopefully all will go well.

Preparing for Mids, I am doing jr/sr moves which I was not sure I could manage because of issues with my RBI 3 turns, double 3 and RI/ RO rockers, okay the enter sustained edge move but, it seems to be getting better, I can actually do the moves they aren't beautiful but they are a good attempt. My rockers are better and continue to improve. I am actually starting to get my quick rockers back from the jr but I am still spooked by the choctaws. Besides I still have to do the gold moves then prepare for all my events at AN, OD and MC.

Camel spins are still awful leg (upper) is at 90 and then we have a little knee bend problem. Sigh...

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Who me? Couldn't be....
http://www.youtube.com/bouldersk8r

On the beach:
Salchow that Secondary Coach fixed on Friday is still around. Also had some nice centered sitspins that felt low (my left knee and ankle are sore from bending!).
And add a clean freeskating program to boot!

In the snow:
Trying to practice a Compulsory moves program is hard, since there is no music and you still have to do the elements. No sooner I'd get started that I'd have to abort something or other because of getting cut off. Any ideas out there?

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Put on some music anyway and wear the vest (if your rink does that) - and use that same music every time you do your compulsory moves "program" as it were. Unless you practice it longer than a few minutes, maybe that would work?

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

Beach and sunshine: (Yeah, don't I wish! Go away snow!) I got back on the ice today for the first time in about a month due to a terrible case of bronchitis/flu.

I feared that I would have forgotten everything, but I SPANKED some scratch spins without traveling, got deep into my knees for stroking and other elements, and had a ball. It's good to be back! Woo Hoo!

More Beach and sunshine: The photos I took at last week's competition are selling briskly through Shutterfly. It should bring a small but welcome profit to our club.

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Bill Schneider

In the snow: Going on day 4 in new skates. Comfy, but I don't really know how to steer them. I do think they are going to be great though, as I really like the stability, and my edges are nice and solid. Did my first jump today. Spins still suck. Back crossovers - man I really have to bend my knees and lean back into it in order not to scratch my toes.

But all in all On the beach, 'cause I think these are going to be great in the long run!!

Wow! Your really good for only two years of skating!

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Jessica

http://ilove2skate.livejournal.com/

http://www.myspace.com/sk8fabulous

Better now than later! At least you have an opportunity NOW so make the most of it! My rink is only 6 miles from my mother's house and I could have ridden my bike there if it was there 20+ years ago. It wasnt so here I am at 46 years of age making the best of it! As you should too (and you are much younger ).

I had to say a teary-eyed good-bye to my Monday night girls. We do have a total restructure of classes, due to the new management. It was different and we were a little confused. All I did was assist and stood in for a few minutes.

I think it's a good thing, though. We have been stagnating with no new growth or new programs. This is a breath of fresh air and although some people were griping, if you don't have new programs you don't get new people and the rink will eventually die.

I'm just sad, as I'm not able to enjoy these last few weeks. I was asked to judge our basic skills comp. I thought that was very nice as I've been wanting to do that AND it isn't skating.

Anyone living in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware who is interested, please visit my club's website and download the application. This will be a rather LARGE competition and promises to be tons of fun!!!! I will brag on my rink-it's pretty nice, only 6 years old! And if you are over 21, you can go to the slots...cha-ching!!!
http://www.baycountryfsc.org/competi...o/compinfo.htm

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

Wow, the entry fees are really reasonable. And $5 for practice ice is a steal (though I'm guessing it would be crowded).

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Ask me about becoming a bone marrow donor.
http://www.marrow.org
http://www.nmdp.org

S@D---That looks like a lot of fun. I don't even have the beginnings of a program ready yet, but if I did I would so be there. Good luck. I hope you guys have a great turn out and can offer it next year.

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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

Monday Night

On the beach:
-my double flip
-all my dances

In the snow:
-couldn't do much since I was sick!

__________________
2014 and 2018 Olympics here I come!

Skating, skating all day long, skating, skating all night long! May seem tiring to some people but not me, it's my life!!

Goals: Triple Loop, Novice Competitive, Sr.Silver Dances, Gold Artistic, and top 3 at Sectionals

On the beach: Really good lesson and practice on Saturday AM. Learned my first freeskate program for our rink's competition in April. It's ISI freestyle 2 and I'm doing all of the elements, but repeating spirals and the footwork sequence and the spin. We walked through with music and, if I'm pushing and keep moving, it should fill the 1.5 minutes.

I'm also glad that my coach didn't have me repeat my jumps as, well, I don't particularly care to jump, LOL! Part of the reason I'm interested in doing a program is to help me get over the fear of doing things at a speed faster than molasses, so it's good for me to have the jumps in there to work on that.

Coach and I determined that the trouble spots would be the step behing in the footwork and the 1/2 lutz (as I don't practice those too often). We revisited the footwork sequence and she was pleasantly suprised that my change of edge was very fluid and I was barely scraping into the mohawk. The step behand wasn't quite emerging, but all steps before and after were "perfect." Then we addressed the 1/2 lutz and, from CW crossovers and one left cross as a prep, I wasn't flutzing and was jumping, yippee! Now I just need to work on doing it with more speed and when pushing on the crossovers. Coach actually said my backwards stroking and crossovers were "pretty" so she wanted to include those in the jump prep. This, of course, made me laugh....

We had a new instructor teach the group lesson as our regular was out of town. She's pretty fun and so, naturally, I'm trying to recruit her for our synchro team (as I do any adult who can do back crossovers, LOL!). We started with spins -- I was concentrating on the choctaw and stepping properly and,when she came around, she told me that I didn't need to approach the spin with as much speed or power as I was using. And here I thought I'd been backing of... She was encouraging me to glide through the wind-up with my foot tucked and still on the ice for stability. I felt like I was gonna take a header, but tried. Perhaps that will ease my issue with hesitating to step forward on the choctaw...


In the snow: All of Iowa. I'm so sick of this winter... It's actually making me short-tempered and grumpy...

Nice to have you back Bill! {{{HUG}}}

Up to my neck! Yesterday, after skating, the rest of the day went to he!! in a hand basket. Instead of getting lots of rest and going to bed early it ended up being hectic day and late to bed. (Don't even MENTION "Microsoft" or UPS to me!)

At 6:45 this morning, as I am sitting on the bench ready to put on my skates, I was thinking "What in the he!! do I think I am doing?" I am almost 60 (well 58.5) and I am up in the wee hours, drive an hour to the rink in the cold and dark to lace up a pair of skates and pretend I am a teenager? To skate to 1960's Rock & Roll music and fancy myself "a skater". Gawd! I have reverted to my teens! Only now I am a lot farther from the ice and a lot more breakable! Just what am I trying to accomplish? DUMB!

Since I was only half alive this morning there was no point doing program run-throughs so I worked on my jumps and spins for a bit and then started playing with footwork - I need a footwork sequence for both programs and want something faster and smoother than what I had.

Basking: I did come up with a sequence that seems to work pretty good. The challenge will be to see if I can do the same thing again on Thursday.

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

I cannot wait to see it!! Hopefully I'll start on mine tonight- still don't know if it's going to be ISI 2 or 3.

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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)

Rustyblades I think you're too hard on yourself. You can't order your heart not to love.

But= I'd infinitely prefer a snow holiday to a beach one! Beaches are dull - nowhere to skate, and if you go for a walk you have to come back the same way.

After a week away, I thought I'd forgotten how to skate this morning! All was well, except that I can't do some of the steps in our new free dance, but I said that about some of the steps that I now do far better than I ever thought I would a few weeks ago, so I'm not too bothered! Sadly, I still can't do a rocker solo (and really not very well partnered, either), so practicing my rocker, back-3, cross-roll 3 isn't very practical, but I can practice the back-3/cross-roll 3 bit, which is where my knees go straight and my bum sticks out.....

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

Ain't AOSS great....?

Here's to doing the same throughout your 60s, 70s, and 80s! (it would be nice to sleep in though and get to the rink around 11 a.m.)

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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)