The thread in honour of my new boots and blades!

Discomfort: I think I'll change my screen name to "Mrs RedFEET"! Actually, although the boots are uncomfortable, they are no worse than that, and that will soon pass. But my socks (thin nylon Pop-sox) had no heels in them when I took my boots off! Lucky they're quasi-disposable....

As for the blades - wow. Scary..... If you don't get on an edge, they skid! I am going to love them, but I don't yet!

Delight: Husband took all of 30 minutes to adjust to his new blades, but then, he didn't have new boots as well. His edges are infinitely better (wouldn't be difficult!), as are his turns, even his outside Mohawks are looking better. We did a lot of work in waltz hold in our lesson, and it was great - my back edges were fantastic, too! I am too scared to do very much on my own as yet (it's coming!), but we managed to walk through all our dances except the Riverside Rhumba (ran out of time, and my feet ran out of comfort!). Give us another week of hard work, and we'll be back to speed and up to it again....

We did try the spin that starts our free dance - eeek!!!!! Seriously fast...... I didn't dare try a solo spin, but I noticed himself doing one before we got off!

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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!

What kind of boots/blades did you end up with?

Discomfort: Well, one lesson got cancelled this week due to a test session going on, so I was disappointed. And I'm starting to wind down to the next test session myself & I'm seriously wondering whether this dance has improved at all since the last one!

Delight: Coach started helping me w/ choreography for new program & although it's so hard I can barely walk through it, it looks really good when he does it! My favorite part was when he was just letting the music play & skating around playing around w/ steps, & went into a FO twizzle series/change feet FI twizzles/change feet FO twizzles--which took him a full 1/2 way down the ice & never lost any speed! That'll never be me, but it was very cool to watch.

Also, since test is looming I've seriously buckled down & am tackling my dance with much more gusto than of late, & am working on it harder & for longer parts of my practice--let's hope it pays off!

Gam 700s and John Watts Dance blades.

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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!

Delight: I landed a loop...

Discomfort: In my group lesson, we had to stand still, facing one way, and just jump one full revolution. Very weird, I could feel death creeping up on me. We didn't have an entry or anything, it was just a jump, landing in the same stop, facing the same way...Weird!

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http://www.yourphotoalbums.co.uk

Delight - Empty ice after my edge class. The synchro team that usually follows the edge class was on braek or away. Could have stayed another two hours. One was sufficient, started to get tired and do stupid things.
Mrs. Redboots, I started a dance class - truly a test of coordination and memory! kudos to you and all you dancers!

Discomfort - Back edges.

Delight: A consistent camel spin

Discomfort: Any back spin

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"We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art." Henry James

Discomfort: Not much. Coach now has me do the same "dreaded 8's" exercise as his kid students... today was forwards only, CCW and CW. Basically it's a series of progressives, starting out with 2 repeats where each edge is held for 8 counts, then 4 repeats, holding each edge for 4 counts, then 8 repeats holding each edge for 2 counts, then 16 repeats holding each edge for 1 count. It was interesting to notice how different issues arose at each of the different tempos. The 8-counts showed me how I need to work harder on effective power generation from a single stroke. The 4's and 2's were sort of okay, but that's where I tend to break a bit at the waist and not maintain the twist enough also. Then on the single-count runs, I definitely wasn't quick enough (I knew going in about that one and the infamous chicken took over my brain also, somewhat.)

Delight: Probably the best Tango work I've done in a long time. Not sure if going back to the building blocks is starting to pay off or what. I am still "falling" onto my back foot in the forwards cross-behind just after the lady's step forward and before the forwards cross-back chasse & LFO 4-beat edge. But overall, the dance is much improved over the past couple weeks.

Wednesday is Starlight Waltz day...

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

Discomfort:

• Forward Power 3's!!! (What else?) LFO3 - Still working on power and RFO3 on getting the edge correct but still have a RFO3 that's in control and a back crossovers that's actually a real back crossover while trying to step onto the next RFO edge nicely for the next RFO3.
• Loop and flip jumps - Not there!
• FI mohawks on the second half of the 5 step mohawk pattern. I'm hopping the mohawk there. Not good...

Delight:

• First and most important... kids are out playing somewhere else!!! YAAAAAY!!!
• Scratch and sit spins - check!
• Camel made an appearance or two! YAAAAY!!!
• Rest of moves are okay...

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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!!!

Delight - the LFO (more correctly read LF flat!) closed mohawk appeared and stuck (so far). Wheee!

Discomfort - the RFI open mohawk disappeared when the LF closed one appeared. Are they allergic to each other or something?? Any suggestions?

Also, the opposite number of the mohawks I had/have aren't progressing, despite my efforts to keep both sides to the same standard - again, any suggestions?

Discomfort: First five minutes were desperately skiddy - to the point where Husband and I actually wondered if the left blade needed adjusting. By the time I'd skated a bit, though, I was finding the edge most of the time, and not skidding quite so badly. Would have asked my coach, but he wasn't in.

After Husband left, I did try to run through my Interpretive/Artistic. Oh dear... AWFUL! Slow, wobbly, the 3-turns didn't happen, the spiral didn't happen, the spins didn't happen.... if things don't improve VERY FAST I shall have to withdraw from that class at the MC, and not skate it in this country, either (which I'm already half-thinking I won't do, anyway).

Delight: Once I was warmed up, the boots were no longer uncomfortable. I wouldn't exactly call them comfortable, not yet, but they weren't uncomfortable, either.

Walked through all our dances with Husband - still a bit tentative (he is, too), but not too bad. The new blades are transforming our Willow - the step to forward while he does his Mohawk isn't half so scary! And our Swing Dance is almost okay now, too. Fiesta still dire, but it improves, and there wasn't all that much wrong with our Canasta, anyway.

We also walked through the end of our Free Dance, which we are still choreographing. Maybe tomorrow we will run through the whole thing, with place-holders where we want the lifts to be. We'll see how tentative we are, still!

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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!

Annabel, you CANNOT withdraw from MC Interp. No, No, NO!!!!

If nothing else you and I can compete for who gets the most laughs - Sunday morning I managed to hit myself on the head with my baseball. It would be really neat if I could say that it's part of the choreography but I can only do it by accident. And I tripped myself with the bat twice.

Laurel and Hardy On Ice!!!

Trouble is, I'm so pathetic at the moment it isn't even funny..... I'm not planning to withdraw unless I really have to (dammit, I can't afford to waste €60!), but unless I get used to these blades PDQ, I will have to!

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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!

Pdq?......

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No discomfort here, just delight today...I passed my gold skills! It was my first try testing them, and I've been working on them for about 6 months. This means that in two years, I have gone from having never taken a test in my life, to being a double gold medalist! (dance and skills - finished gold dances last June) I'm quite pleased with myself right now!

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

Nice one Luna! Well done!!!

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Pretty darned quick!

John

Oh right, thanks John!

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DISCOMFORT:
I'm not quick to memorize, so I have to practice things over and over before I get it down. Unfortunately, I'm in a group show routine where the choreographers keep changing the program. Every time we do a run-through, which is giving me flashbacks to bad shows of the past. I had planned to do a sit spin as my "step out", but the latest arrangement doesn't leave me enough time. The choreographers (who are also skating) really don't care whether I do something well or not, so it's up to me to make it work. Other than one step that I feel off-balance on, I'm keeping up.

DELIGHT:
I'm skating for myself more than I have since last summer. It's wonderful, and I'm going to try once more to get through some footwork classes and tests. My last blade adjustment was perfect. I have to go to Klingbeil's and get my right boot checked, but everything else seems to be okay. Even my crackly knees!

WAY TO GO LUNA!

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Delight:
My lesson today was awesome! I managed (actually forced myself) to do the entire power threes pattern around the rink. Coaches and I are aiming for a test the week of July 4th! Jumps were good today too!

Discomfort:
Even though moves were good today, I had to do some side stepping around some of the kids. There is one little girl who gets in my way every week when I'm out there and today, she almost got a blade in the face when I was doing back crossover to back extension!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Discomfort:my program's still alittle shaky and my footwork needs to spread out more

Delight:landed TWO Axels by MYSELF yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!
camels are looking good

~cutie

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Skating is suppose to be fun , no PRESSURE at all

~*Courage*~*Confidence*~*Consistance*~

Lunaskater - congratulations! That's fabulous news.

Discomfort: My boots! Largely because I think I did them up too tight first time of trying, but my feet did hurt.... still, they don't rub, which is the main thing. My left blade still skidded dreadfully - my coach made a tiny adjustment which has helped, but he says that my old blade was probably out of alignment, and that once I can bend more, things should improve. I think he's right, actually, as things do seem to improve during a session.

Delight: Had my lesson today, and we agreed not to work on my Interp as yet - coach says next week is time enough! So we worked on basic skating - edges, cross-rolls, changes-of-edge, turns.... Also a new exercise which is very easy, but really good - you skate across the rink, a couple of pushes, then stand up on both feet, making sure you are balanced and controlled, and then, simply by bending the knees, no other movement allowed, you curve round to face the opposite direction, come upright again, push a couple of times to get across the rink, repeat in the other direction. Properly done, you should feel it in your lower abs, I gather! Yes, I think that by the end I was doing it properly.....

Anyway, that was fun, and it's a good "graceful" exercise; I gather that eventually you do it with spirals and all sorts....

Oh, and we are probably going to test our free dance (finally!) on 5 May.... need to discuss this with Husband first, but don't see why not....

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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!

Yes, I was definitely doing it properly - my lower abs are just so-o-o sore! Sheesh.....

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

Congratulations Luna - fabulous news! Should I ask what's next on the testing agenda??

Thanks Melzorina and aussieskater! I probably won't be testing anything for a while. I'm going to learn some freeskate this summer, but I don't know if I'll actually test any of it. I'd just like to learn all my singles and basic spins. I would like to get around to testing a few diamond dances one of these days!

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~No thinking, breathing, or hesitation!~

CONGRATULATIONS!

Discomfort:
Since the public schools here have the week off, today's public session on which I have my lesson was a real zoo. I decided right away not to do any moves that require the long axis, so we focussed on three turns for most of the lesson, doing the power threes on one of the lines. I still cannot do the RBI Choctaw without a little touchdown of the L foot first.

Delight:
I managed one LBI Choctaw correctly, which proves to me that I can do them when I get everything right! I also managed to do a LFI three other than the first one in the alt FI three pattern. In fact, I saw two ankle biters heading my way, but everything felt right and I wasn't going to give ground to them. After, my coach said she saw them and thought I would stop. Those moments are too few and far between for me to back off!

Discomfort & Delight:
After missing the notification of the group coach participation in the skating school show, and thinking I had been deliberately left out because I'm not good enough, I got that notion corrected and stayed to watch a rehearsal. If they can still get me a costume in time, I will do it. My coach gave me a doubtful look when I told her today - she obviously knows I don't jump and my spins have gone to H*ll. Then she rallied and tipped me off to some of the things I need to start working on, such as entering a spin from wind up, even if I do just two foot the spin itself. I finally was able to watch a DVD of last year's show, and know that I won't be the "worst" all around skater out there. Also, there will be about fifteen skaters in that number, and everyone will not be looking at me. The costume will not be flattering to my figure, but I won't be alone there either.

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