Bouncy: Really good session today. Coach2 was inspired to suggest we practice the start of our step sequence across the rink, using the goal line as a placement, and it made all the difference! Plus I was actually able to do the steps with some flow (if no speed, as yet)! Bet I can't do them on Tuesday, though.

Flat: We had to wait outside for the coaches to arrive (they could have warned us they weren't coming in until 07:15!). And then it got insanely crowded, and there was a nasty smash which may have resulted in someone leaving the ice with a cracked rib. This meant the ice got used very quickly, and I am worried that my beautiful flowy mohawk/crossover/step to forward was a result of slowish ice.

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

Bouncy: Forward sit and camel spins are taking shape - yay!!

Flat: Nothing; the sun is shining - yes siree, today: life is good.

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Skate Free

Bouncy Managed a couple of half decent cross-toe spins today and the blues choctaw is coming along even if only on one side for now

flat Its half term hols so no skating for 9 days

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Level one Field Moves......PASSED 05.06.08
Level one Free dance.....PASSED 02.10.08

GOALS FOR 2009

• Level One Compulsary dances.......PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Elements.....................PASSED 10.07.09
• Level Two Free dance.................PASSED 19.02.09
• Level One Free...........................
• Level Two compulsory dances.......

Loving it, Loving it, Loving it!!!!!

Bouncy: I felt today was going to be a great skating day! I have concrete things I need to work on! I was ready!!!!!!!!!

Flat: I got to the rink and found out they no longer have that public session on Sundays.

*deflates*

Oh well...won't have practiced before my lesson tomorrow morning. But, I've been practicing twizzles in my living room, if that helps, and when my downstairs neighbor goes out I'll try to do a lutz.

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

Bouncy:
Good day! Spirals are always improving, as are crossovers (though I still need to bend more...). And something clicked today with the edges, dunno what, maybe it was my arms, but they suddenly seem so much easier. Started working in waltz-jump/spins again today...waltz jump was a little flat, but spins are definitely improving (so they were non-existant before but that's not the point )

Flat:
Took another nasy toepick fall on a spiral, resulting in a very swollen knee and two bruised elbows. But I'm proud of my battle scars

Bouncy: had a good skate at my competition today.

Flat: my music was started too early so I got a re-skate....I felt as though I could have skated better...but I did well. for my last (and only) competition of the season.

I have big plans for next season!!!

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

Bouncy
2nd day in a row the morning public session contained only figure skaters and the ice was nice! Yay.

I actually centred some basic upright spins, which have been missing in action for a few weeks. Did a decent change sit, and my camels are gradually coming back again.

Flat
Loops. After getting loops happening from any jump the day before, this session they just didn't want to get off the ice, which usually means I'm tired.

Backspins. Aargh! Coach says they are getting better, but the tracings don't lie.

Lutzes. I was actually landing some of these a few weeks ago. Then I got fixated on fixing a weird double change of edge in the entry. Should've left it alone, I was taking off from the right edge.

Bouncy
Public holiday, husband will be home with child and says it's okay for me to go to class session tonight. Skating 3 days in a row always feels like a treat. Of course, coach always works the group hard so I know I'm gonna hurt tomorrow, but I also know it's really good for me.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

[Flat]

We were bumped from our usual rink to the other rink today. That ice is hard and yucky, and it's really cold.

Lutzes were NOT happening. I was doing them wonderfully last week! What happened?!?

Axel was crappy today...couldn't get off the ice...

[Bouncy]

Moves continue to feel good but I don't want to get too confident until I talk to coach.

I bit the bullet and signed up for the ice show here on campus...what am I thinking?!? I will just do my test program for practice...although, I am debating trying to pull something together to the cover of "Do You Believe in Magic" by Aly and AJ....

Bouncy: Skated two 2 hour sessions this weekend. Feel like dying, but in a good way. Reconstructed axel getting more consistent. Rotational mojo still there.

Flat: Could barely move the second session. Started popping jumps about half way through. Spins were very inconsistent.

Bouncy My swing rolls are getting very swingy and even some growling edges.

Flat Still two footing the transistions.

Bouncy Actually getting around with some revolutions with my one foot edge entry scratch spin. Of course they are slow as molassis, and I still don't seem to be able to bring my free foot round in front, but I am getting my arm around.

Flat Didn't have a lot of energy in power class and didn't really feel like trying for the suicides at the end. But I did complete them even though I was a lap behind everyone else and they were on to stretching.

Oh and we got to do chasses around the circle instead of pumps and I enjoyed that and was able to keep up pretty well.

j

Neither/Both: Today was supposed to be my day to face my fear of falling. I got all padded up and headed out to throw my jumps around on open ice - the same jumps I can do fine and fearlessly along the boards.

Well I discovered it isn't fear of falling that has been inhibiting my jumps.

Long story short; normally when I am skating, my mind is 1 to 3 Seconds ahead of my body - when I set up a jump along the boards, my mind has landed it before my body has done the takeoff. When I move the jump out away from the boards, the visualization isn't there - it's like looking into a void

Now I just have to figure out why ........ It must have something to do with the boards providing a straight horizontal line in my peripheral vision - something that is missing at centre ice.

Geez I am WEIRD!

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

Rusty - try jumping along a line. That's the only way my lutz and salchow ever worked.


Bouncy
- Empty session (me and 2 hockey guys), no doubt due to the extremely good weather, so I got to practice MIF. I tried to practice it smiling, too.
- I think one of the biellmann spins might've been lifted over my head, and it certainly was centered.

Flat
Knocked my left knee on the ice HARD for the second time in 2 weeks. And considering I have pretty weak knees, that's soooo gonna hurt tomorrow.
THE FLU! FOR THE FREAKING THIRD TIME! GIMME A BREAK!!!!!

Something inbetween: My camel spin.
I can do that exercise with the glove in the crease between hip and thigh without a problem, I dare you to pull it out, it's jammed up there. I can even *spin* that way. I'm square. I'm not dropping my left shoulder. I'm not rushing the edge. After making sure I had all of that, suddenly I could look up on the camel, instead of down, like the coach wanted me to (previously, if I looked up, I couldn't get into it at all). However, now not looking up causes me to nose-dive and bang my knee.
I think I'm gonna pad that one up too.

I also discovered that while all of my blades were still sharp, the forward part of the left inside edge wasn't. Which might explain some very specific problems with skidding/wiping out I've been having recently, so I turned them in to be sharpened again today. It makes sense that this part would blunt first, with all the spins I've been doing I guess.

That's exactly what I was going to say! Here's another approach to try. Reduce the size of the jump to a mere hop, and then try just slightly away from the boards. Keep it very small to build up your confidence away from the wall. For waltz jumps, use a marker to draw a take off curve from the wall to the blue line, and a straight line from the other side of the blue line. Now do a T push from the wall, following your curve, and jump across (only just across) the blue line.

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Thanks gang but I just suddenly realized WHY my orientation isn't there on open ice.

Ever since I stared skating again 2 years ago, I have tended to skate along the boards, out of the way of the higher level skaters (and previously the little Kamikaze kiddies) so the boards became my point of reference (for horizontal and vertical) and that became my comfort zone. I simply have not spent enough time "out in the open" to have developed a good sense of the vertical on open ice. That also explains why I had so much trouble doing simple 3-turns on my home rink last year - NO BOARDS = no familiar reference!

If that's the case, I simply need to spend more time mid-rink to improve my orientation. I guess that means I have to learn to be a bit more assertive about claiming my space on the ice instead of yielding to everyone all the time.

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

Absolutely - don't yield - my FL coach said the only way to get respect from the kids is to stand your ground (literally) (I used to yield every time, all the time)

Bouncy: A lot today! OK sorta. My coach raised the bar really high, which is good - I'm suddenly learning a camel-sit (um and a camel). I got 2 revs on a camel and was at least able to move my free leg into the right position for the sit, though I certainly wasn't sitting or even squatting...skating leg was a little bent, lol. Almost landed a lutz on one foot a couple of times. Did some double 3s and twizzles. Landed almost all loops. Did one pretty good sit spin. Feel pretty good about skating lately. When I realized I couldn't afford it and refused to give it up, I think my love of the sport began to outweigh my frustration over not getting some things, which in turn is making me progress.

Flat: Well, my mental flip problems are back, but I hope not for long. How dare they return. Two footed every one, sometimes landed on left foot. Despite enthusiam for lutz, did not do it. Both of these are in my program now and I'm competing in April, but I remain optimistic.

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

Rusty Blades: You are NOT weird!!! I had the same problem with the loop jump for the longest time. (Same with the flip too for that matter...)

What I would do... Do it near the wall... then GRADUALLY move further away from the wall but still face the same direction as you would when you're at the wall. Keep doing that and sooner than you know it, you're away from the wall!

BTW: I started the flip 3 weeks after getting the loop and I got the flip on that very first lesson too (yup! The same method too!!!) TWO for the price of one!!! KEWL, huh?

Of course, this didn't apply to the lutz, b/c I've never tried a lutz near the wall... so that took a while for me to get. Of course, the axel is coming up for me soon, but I'm afraid of trying it anywhere, even near the wall. Boc boc boc...

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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 was just realizing that myself! Although I don't skate with kiddies anymore - I skate an early morning competitive session - I still yield even when I shouldn't be yelling - like last Friday - I was in lesson, skating my program to the music, had just set up my long spiral when a (20-something) skater skated backward right into my path without looking. Instinctively I broke off and yielded - I shouldn't have! - I should have hollered at her. (Her coach is a very high level and very senior coach who also has the habit of skating into traffic without looking.)

I guess I am still very apologetic about my skating.

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

Bouncy: I start classes up again this week-Footwork & Freestyle 1 on Wednesdays; Footwork, Freestyle 1 & Power Skating (low) on Saturdays. Also able to squeeze in time on my lunch hours on Tuesdays & Fridays. I love working near the ice skating rink!

Flat: My husband doesn't like me spending so much time at the rink. He thinks I'm being obsessive. Personally, I think he just wants me at home to do the chores & take care of the kids

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deannathegeek
"It's like trying to do a toe loop in hockey skates-you have to have the right tools for the job."

Bouncy: Not me. I'm so fatigued from dealing with my bottle-striking baby (she eats all night so she doesn't have to take a bottle at daycare) that I'm so NOT skating well.

Flat: Also not me. Too much hips and belly on me still. Grrr!

Didn't get to the rink in time to practice for myself on Saturday. Taught group lessons (Snowplow) and took a low freestyle class myself. Worked very hard at rising in the knee on almost-a-scratch spin. Did some waltz jumps at the board, got yelled at (well, challenged) for doing them at the boards. Although I got off the boards when we worked on 1/2 flips and salchows. i just detest the waltz jump. Truly. I hate it. Much better with toe assist jumps, I so prefer the 1/2 flip and 1/2 lutz... I can land a flip off-ice and expect to land that before I land a toe or salchow. But I'll at least try the toe and salchow off the wall. But not that stinkin' waltz jump.

I know what you mean, I totally would have done that too. In fact I still yield all the time, I'm sure way too much, partially because I'd rather not crash into anyone!

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

bouncy it's half term, I watched youtube skating videos anda bit of ice princess, and so I arrived at the rink absolutely HIGH with energy, totally ready to SKATE!! and everything was brilliant.
Jumps
toeloop is really good, the takeoff was correct.
loop - I finally understood the whole bend an jump principle and they were so high!
I landed the FLIP!
Jump combos
today I did loop/loop, toeloop/loop, salchow/loop, toeloop/loop/loop and toeloop/loop/toeloop

Spins
I did a really fast sitspin at the beginning of the session, and good ones after that.
Backspins were wonderful!
My camel spin is also coming along nicely.

Twizzles are greaaat!!!

Program is also very nice, it's finished now, and I'm just perfecting it.

I also practiced level 1 Field moves today, and they were quite good (edges+spirals)

there was nothing flat (except a few flip landings, lol!) and I'm hyped about skating on wednesday now!!

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Only skating a hour per practice this week to rest my achy pinky toe and not deal with this week's going to be mobbed freestyles.

Bouncy:
Toe didn't hurt at all today. Replaced my skate laces last night, my skates feel good. Had a okay run through of my artistic program.

Flat:
Got cut off by a tot doing back edges during my last part of my program.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

yeah, mine too. Personally I think mine is just jealous. Tonight we are discussing our financial situation, and how I spend too much on skating. Guilty as charged.

But more Bouncy:
Skated last night, good class, always a tough workout which takes me out of my comfort zone. And I finally had to admit that.. Flat: the real reason I don't skate fast is that my technique, especially on turns, is not good enough for me to do much at speed. I can skate fast, sure, just can't do anything from speed.

Flat:
Felt awful this morning. Too much red wine last night after class while arguing finances with husband. Stressful morning, daughter's first day back at school for the new year. Bouncy: so of course I went skating. After a while I started feeling a lot better, even most of my spins were centring ( ). Didn't jump much, but what I did was okay. Seems I have finally slayed my flip demons.

Extra Bouncy: I managed to do something I could never do before, and that's always a good feeling! From a back crossover swing into a back outside 3 turn followed by a forward inside 3 and another back outside 3, while keeping the free leg out, and using deep knee bend & leaning into the back edge to initiate the turn. I am not sure if they would be called twizzles exactly, but coach wanted me to do them to help my loop take off. Not only did I do them on my take off leg, I was able to do them on my left leg. Any clockwise turn on my left leg is a real achievement for me! So I feel very bouncy about that.

Flat: back to the real world. After getting to skate 4 days in a row, tomorrow I go back to work and see what sort of mess there is for me to clean up. Oh, and that little chat with my husband about finances tonight

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Rusty - I totally second, or is it third or fourth by now, the suggestion of doing your jumps along one of the lines - you'll find you can orient yourself with the line, just as you could with the wall.

As for me:

Bouncy: The steps were still there! Yay! I was really surprised. Of course, when we did the thing to the music, the Mohawk was cheated, but I still got some flow, and the coaches (both of them!) were complimentary!

We also worked on a rocker, and on the lift.

Flat: Which has made me ache like anything, and I'm also really tired! Was having trouble with my posture in my solo lesson - find it really hard to skate backwards, especially on an inside edge, and keep my shoulder-blades together. Coach1 said "Relax your shoulders!" but what he actually meant was "pull your shoulder-blades together". I can feel when I do it, but can't sustain it. Yet.

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

There was no one on the ice Monday morning so I had an hour long figure lesson. Even though I have a scribe my forward figures are huge!! My backward outside figures are very good for size and the center, well it is very neat and needs work on the stepping down of the blade placement. I did work on my outside loops the left outside is good the right outside is getting better. Figures are very taxing and difficult but I do find I get lost doing them, I was very surprised when I looked up and it was an hour later.

Did silver and gold moves, finally got RBO bracket to work, its a good bracket but still not as comfortable as the LBO bracket.

Rockers done at speed are nice but still not as deep as before.

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