Just so Dianne doesn't have to start the thread. And it's so cold here - I'm taking my winter coat to Estonia.

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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!

Ok, it is cool, rainy, and windy here ergo this week's title.

I got my Proflex boots Saturday and had a chance to try them out today.

Sunshine: Absolutely AMAZING! Wonderful knee bend with lots of lateral support. Like 10 minutes to get used to them and marvelous improvements in most of my basic elements, especially back edges!

Rain: I am going to have to really work on building up my knee muscles! I didn't realize how much I was "leaning on the tongue" in my other boots to help support the knee bend!

I LOVE my new boots!

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

Ach, I knew that would happen - I just started a thread (with almost exactly the same title, for similar reasons) just so you wouldn't have to, too late, too late! I'll get Isk8NYC to delete it!

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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!

ROFLMAO!

Thanks Boots, now we have two - LOL!

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

Ummmmm.... too late! (But almost the same title too!!! LOL!!! )

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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've asked for this one to be deleted, so let's all post in Dianne's when we have skated. For me, that's not until tomorrow.

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

Sunshine:
Landed some awesome double loops on the floor yesterday! My coach had taught me a very specific setup for the double loop on the ice and made me promise to practice them on the floor, simulating the same setup as he showed me on the ice. For some reason it set me up just perfectly and I had perfect air position, never went off axis and landed on one foot with control. They were just 1/4 under-rotated, but that doesn't worry me because the gliding takeoff edge on the ice would probably give me another 1/4 turn.

Rain:
So why am I still having trouble landing my axel? Arrghh!!

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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

Threads Merged (More interesting that way - LOL!)

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Oh thank you ever so much Isk8NYC - now I am REALLY confused - LOL!

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

Showers: Looks like my coach is leaving. I'll miss her because she's from the older figures school of training, and it shows. There isn't another coach around here that compares overall.

One big bummer is that full-time coaches are not permitted here. It's a university rink, and all coaches must be currently enrolled college students, and they work part-time. We have some talented skaters, but no one compares to my former coach for "the whole package" of style, skill, and the ability to communicate.

Oh, and I almost forgot... the other coaches don't want to arise early to give 6 am lessons before work.

Sigh...

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Bill Schneider

Sunshine:
Ankle is holding up on all my jumps! Had some killer air time on a loop today.

Showers:
It's Test Week for me and yes, I'm having the out of body experience we all get when dealing with nerves, along with having cows and kittens on the forward scratch and sitspins. Was reintroduced to the evilness of step 4 on the eight step mohawk sequence when not done properly- my butt and back of my neck are a tad sore!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

AWESOME!!! Care to share what the setup is?

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Blog: http://chowskates.blogspot.com

Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/chowskates
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Sunshine:
- Ran through my program twice in lesson without anyone getting into my way!! - Setting off for Tallinn tonight... So excited!!! (yes, still excited even though this is my 4th time going there!)

Rain is forcast in Tallinn... and the temperatures are so low! BRR!!!

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~~~~~
Blog: http://chowskates.blogspot.com

Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/chowskates
~~~~~

Practiced a lot of nothing tonight because all of my students were there on time! Unbelievable!

Sunshine:
One foot spins in both directions. I amaze myself.
Pre-Prel MITF (teaching) were very nice - edges and crossovers and strokes, oh my!

Came up with a new drill for practicing back edges - swizzle across a hockey line then GLIDE around and back. Performed to hummable circus music - I had the first student pretending to be a trapeze artist. Whatever works, right?
(Now, if only I could get her to stop switching from outside edges to inside edges mid-way across the rink. Sigh.)

Showers:
Five more days until the Show is over and I can actually skate for myself.

I *HATE* the stupid side-toe-hops at 90 mph in alternating directions that someone snuck into the choreography at the last minute. I was practicing them tonight and I'm afraid I'm hopeless. My feet don't move that fast or change edges/directions in the blink of an eye. I think I'll just "swish and two-foot turn:, hoping no one will notice I'm faking. One of the other coaches said we should each have our own mini-solo - that can be mine!!! ROTFLOL

A Little Sprinkle Never Hurt Anyone:
I've been trying to coax one of my students into joining the group lesson program. Her brother already skates in it, but she only takes privates and doesn't really practice! When I start working on something hard with her that she doesn't want to learn, she literally skates away and does something else. Grrrrr. (The key is to threaten to tell her mother. LOL) I figure a few friends might encourage her to work harder and give her someone to have fun with that isn't old enough to be her mother! *snicker*

Tonight, I taught her the entire program for one of my show groups. She could everything but the lunge. One of the kids from that group came over and practiced with my student. Now, the skater's thinking about groups. That would be good for her, at least temporarily.

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showers: really hurt the bone at the top of my bum, first by crashing it into the wall, then falling on top of it
no jumping cuz my skates are rubbish and I'm not confident enough in them

sunshine: officially (as in, got the booklet signed) passed all of bronze and most of silver (3/4) plus some dance steps.
learnt outside mohawks
got a fairly good forward spin!!! now to get at least 4 revs. to pass gold...

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Sunshine

I actually felt some improvement in my right mohawks. My problem is that I don't like to do things I'm not good at and so I never get any better at them and just making myself do those mohawks even though they were terrible is what I needed to do. In fact, I felt like I was doing so well on the mohawk I was actually able to spend some time on improving the rest of the 5 step--like keeping my feet together because when I was concentrating solely on the mohawk I've been wide stepping like crazy.

Showers

Its' been weeks since I've done by program to music so I ran through it once and oh my I stumbled my way through just about every element -- after I had done them so nicely solo and even in the non-music run through - but the good news is that I did everything and ended on time. Last time I ran through it I was late

My daughter drives me crazy. She's getting into her before competition stress and starts this "I can't do anything" whining. And nothing I say helps. If I say something encouraging, I'm stupid and don't understand. So usually I just shrug and say "Your'e right, you are terrible at this. Do it anyway." That doesn't go over so well either

Someone in my church died while I was at the rink, so I went right over to their house when I came back, and boy was I glad I was wearing pants, not a dress. I'd have felt pretty silly.

j

Snicker! I was at the rink at my normal time (early!) waiting around in the lobby (unusual!) since my coach and I were going to start with some off-ice work. When the other coaches and skaters came in, everybody panicked - "What's wrong???" - if I was standing around the lobby there must be something wrong in the arena! Change your habits every once in awhile - it throws everybody else into a panic!

Sunshine: Started with my coach off-ice working on jumps, takeoff, rotation, and landing. Ok, 2-footed jumps are not bad - good height and EASY 1/2 rotation (1 rev. shouldn't be too hard to get) - one-footed jumps not so much height - barely getting 1/2 rotation. (Where's where I could stand to loose a bunch of weight!!!)

Coach is going to pass me some info on jump training but is concerned I will push myself too hard too fast - I promised I will take it easy, just gi'me gi'me gi'me!!! I WANT TO JUMP (When I started 15 months ago, I thought I would never jump - now I am chomping at the bit!)

Moved to on-ice (in my new Proflex) and ran through a bunch of moves so my coach could see how the Proflex effects my skating

Sunshine: Coach's comments "... nicer knee bend, nicer line with the free foot, looking good."

Finished out my session doing a bit of everything with LOTS more knee. THIS is the way I should have been skating from the start! I didn't like the new style of boots because I didn't have the freedom of movement I had in my 1966 boots but, with the Proflex, I have that movement back. Too bad they are so expensive and a bit clunky looking .....

Rain: Without having the tongue of the boot to "lean against" in the knee bends, I am finding a whole new group of muscles that need to be strengthened!

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

Sunshine: My loop was darn near perfect this morning!

Showers: Really nothing, everything felt pretty good for once.

Spring:

• In my loop jump! It's not too bad!!!
• Back sit: Okay... it's the best I could do currently... which isn't saying much but it's getting there.
• Footwork for my program! It's getting there... nice lobes, good speed... the RFO3 entrance is kinda scary b/c it's FAST going into it. Am trying to figure out a way to not glide 2-foot going into it. But I think primary coach should be happy.

Winter:

• My flip jump!!! I guess it's still off for a looooong weekend. It could be b/c my right quad is STILL sore from Friday night. My trainer should be proud that I can beat myself up like that!!!
• Sit spins, camels, RBO3's: Same reason.

Geez, you think that maybe I should have rested and not skate until the right quad stops hurting maybe??? Darn, AOSS!!! (Okay, I also had to give primary coach his birthday gift! He was officially a GROUP IV skater as of last Sunday!!! )

__________________
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!!!

Sure! It's very simple, but strangely effective when done properly:

- Start from a standstill on a hockey circle, do one R/L (CCW) crossover on the circle, with your left arm in front and right arm at 4:00
- Push off onto a LFO 3-turn (with that same right toe push you use on the 3-turn entry for a flip jump), keeping the left arm in front. Hold the LFO edge for a count of 3 before turning.
- On the 3-turn exit, hold the LBI edge for a count of 3 and let it start taking you inside the circle.
- Step down onto a RBO edge and hold it for a count of 3, letting it take you further inside the circle on a tighter curve.
- Loop jump. The jump should end up being right in the center of the hockey circle.

Of course it's not easy to simulate this accurately on the floor, but somehow, just walking through the progression of "edges" set me up great, even on the floor.

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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

OWWWW! Been there, done that, far too often, and it hurts for at least three weeks afterwards. Sympathy!

And congratulations on getting signed off on your Bronze Passport.

I'm sure they'd have understood. We once stayed rather later than we meant to on a day when Sunday patch was extended due to no classes and ended up in church in our skating kit - I wasn't preaching that day, just as well!

Meanwhile, for today:

Sunshine: Skating with BlueIIIMoon, who is staying with another friend for a couple of days before Tallinn. Acted as Native Tour Guide afterwards, we had a lovely day!

Rain: (Which it did!) Was badly out of routine as Husband is away on site visit. So forgot my banana and muesli bar, and as I didn't have any money on me had to bum a quid off my coach to go up to the coffee bar & buy a banana! In my skating kit, so being looked at by all the commuters.

Then I get back to the rink and realise that I'd totally forgotten to put my contact lenses in and was still wearing my glasses! I did take them off for my lesson, but then wore them while bumming around the rink afterwards chatting!

Honestly, could you be more forgetful?!

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

Hmm doubletoe thats interesting, sounds like a diminishing circle exercise... and VERY similar to some of the triple loops take off I've seen now that I visualize it o.O

Spring sunshine:
got the 5 axels and 5 double sals at start of practise (regardless of how perfect they are yeah...if I ever get 5 perfect soaring ones you know I'll mention it )
no idea what:
double toe is still progressing I think There's a bit more appearance of the land and fall types... I don't know why my jumps like to go through these stages but here it is again with the double toe. coach is now starting to get me to snap... but I said that I never consiously snap for my axel and double salchow so I really don't know HOW to snap and so we worked on some walk through exercises which doesnt really seem to be translating to the air but we'll see today... I can't actively concentrate on everything I have to do at the same time... so I've been trying to run through in my head so some of it comes out in auto later.

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Tidesong

Opposite arm position to the natural way you to ccw crossovers, right? Kind of like for the spin right? Speaking of the spin I wonder if this'd work for the spin as well, for centering it, especially the backspin... After all you end up in the middle of the circle right? That's centered... Went and did this on the floor a moment ago and you're right I was way where I was supposed to be, especially that right shoulder that tends to come forward on my loops.

Sunshine: Ran through everything for Tallinn, some of it not great (Fiesta, in particular), but some of it not at all bad. Also ran through our free dance, which we don't need in Tallinn, but had to show it off to BlueIIIMoon, didn't we?!

Rain: I have to pack! Yuck. Okay, so that's not skating, except that I have to pack my skates. And my dresses. And all the other things one needs for competition. And for six days away.

Sunshine: I think we have WiFi set up on the laptop now, so I may be able to post news from Tallinn and possibly the Mountain Cup (not sure if there is WiFi at Le Diamant, does anybody know?).

I have also bought a 512 k memory card for my camera - I now have more high-quality photos available on it than I had poor-quality (well, actually reasonable quality, but not so great for printing) before. Who knew memory cards had got so cheap? I wish I had known before the wedding.... Very frustrating!

Well, hope to be posting from Estonia - we're off before sparrow-fart tomorrow.

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

RAIN: I DON'T SKATE TODAY!

(Me? Over-dramatic? Naw.....)

After skating Monday morning and Tuesday morning it simply doesn't feel right not skating this morning.

How long does it take to recover from A.O.S.S. ?

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