Little Nuisance: My coach is away and I won't have Mon morning lessons for the next 3 months! So, I skated at 8pm instead of 8am, and...

Bundle of Joy: I met old friends - a married couple, both skaters - whom I haven't met for possibly 5 years... AND they have a little baby!! She's 6 months old and really cute!! Something tells me I probably will see them at the rink again a few years down the road.

Ok, back to skating...

Nuisance: I worked on some MIF, and I seem to be able to do them well only in one direction! No wonder the judges think I can't skate!
Gotta fix that!

Joy: Axel is terribly consistent, it is scary. Its like what my DH said at Oberstdorf, "It seems like you cannot not land the Axel."

Nuisance: Tried the Axel-double loop, and wonder why I simply can't pull straight up for the loop!

Joy: Did a lovely flying camel (at least what I felt was lovely) on the first try.

Nuisance: The ice was so rough, it was tough getting that sit spin to "increase speed", especially after having waited for 8 revs!!

Joy: Change-edge spiral + catch foot after the change is coming along nicely

Nuisance: I lost so much speed it just seemed so contrived to count to 3sec, waiting there in the catch-foot position when I was barely moving!

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

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

All nuisance: Didn't skate yesterday - big toe still hurts, plus we didn't get to bed until 1:00 am on Sunday morning! So when the alarm went off, I said "No way" and rolled over and went back to sleep again!

Husband skated, though, but I gather he forgot he should have had 30 minutes, not 15, as I wasn't there... and we'll have to pay for it anyway, aren't men typical!!!!

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

Bundle of Joy: The first 15 minutes of this morning's freestyle, I was the only one on the ice. After a minimal warm-up, I skated my compulsory program, and my artistic and technical programs with their music. All worked wonderfully! Especially good since my rink's ISI competition starts this coming
Friday.

Nuisance: Left over right x-overs took a while to jell this morning, oh well.....

Bundle of Joy: OK not directly skating related but I did a hip opening yoga class yesterday (listening very carefully to my body ) and today my hip doesn't hurt getting out of a chair! For the past 3 months yoga = severe hip pain the next day. SO look out - back to kicking hard into a scratch spin!

Little nuiscance: I still don't like any of my 3turns on my left side - I skid the F outsides when going at any speed and have to double push the FI, we won't even talk about the whip the body - brace and - recover that is my LBI, Looks like my LBO is actually my preferred 3 on the L side!?

lyle

Woo hoo! Me, too! (see "Joy" section below)

Nuisance
Still struggling with the flying camel this week. Also haven't managed to nail a double salchow landing yet from the new entrance.

Joy
This morning I had a lesson with my "special treat coach" (who is so busy I rarely get a lesson with her, but when I do, it's amazing!). I got some valuable help on some key transitions in my program and am eager to practice them tomorrow. Also, my flexibility was surprisingly good this morning! Showing the coach my new change edge spiral with the catch foot after the change of edge, I apparently held my foot higher than head level on the catch foot for 3 seconds for the very first time! She didn't realize what a big deal it was to me, so of course I had to stop her from changing the topic long enough to do a quick little happy dance. The challenge will be getting the foot all the way up there quickly so that I don't have to hold the edge for 6 seconds and get carried too far down the ice. Details, details!
I also did the splits on the ballet barre after skating, and this time managed to do it not only with the left leg in front, but also with the right leg in front. The only time I'd ever done a full split with my right leg in front was 13 years ago, so that was very encouraging!

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Big Nuisance Got my boots back from the stretcher. I can't tell that anything was done to them. URGH- $10 later and absolutely no difference. Is it rude to call and say "umm... are you SURE you stretched them?

I'm not happy. She was really optomistic about this working, and not needing to punch the sides, and telling me they'd probably overstretch, but don't worry they recede a little. Well they didn't seem to stretch at all. I really hope if I drive back up there I don't have to pay again to have them punched!

__________________
-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

Big Nuisance:
I could have skated from 11 to 1 today, but nooooo, I had to take my time with shower, breakfast, etc. and go from 1 to 3. Arrived at ten minutes to 1 to find a small group of teenagers (all LTS helpers) standing around looking at the ice. As I approached, one said to another "I'm not telling her!" Management had decided to end the public session at 1 instead of 3! They did the same last week on Tues .

Bundle of Joy:
I asked who wanted to hop in my car and go to another rink with me for almost an hour of ice. I got 4 takers and we all had a fine time at other rink, even though we did have to pay for admission. Traffic cooperated beautifully, or we would not have had any time.

FO and FI threes still seem to be improving, without actually getting fully checked - how does that happen? It's starting to feel like Zeno's paradox. LBO three is still there!

I'm going early tomorrow, just in case.

__________________

Bundle of Joy: Got to skate for 1/2 hour today--longest since injury, and not a twinge of pain! Tomorrow I have my first lessn in 2 months--for 45 minutes. It's going to be sooooo bad, but I can't wait!

BIG Nuisance! One of the rinks where I teach--and the one I'd planned to do most of my skating at over the summer--pulled its 'free ice for teachers' perk, so now we have to pay for it--and it's very expensive ice. Now I have to completely change my plans of where to be what day, so I can skate elsewhere on less expensive ice. The only reason I started teaching there was for the ice--they don't pay much for teaching. This totally sucks! Why can't rinks understand that a teacher that is still training is going to be a better teacher?!!

Cool! My foot is just about higher than the head, but it really isn't as high on the forward one than on backward - I'm always so afraid of falling on my face!

Oh, and next week, I'll wait for you to start the thread, I promise

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

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

Nuisance:
Tried to jump, still can't although the ankle didn't hurt as much as it would've 8 weeks ago and also the pain feels more healthy. Like sore muscles, not like a sharp stabbing sensation. Nonetheless, no jumping for me.
Also, my 1-foot spin and scratch spin were miserable and I lost some edge control for not having skated since mid-april till now. But nothing dramatic.
Took some falls, one on my finger which has blood eruptions underneath the skin now which kind of makes it difficult to type haha (was on the ice with the dutch ladies' champion and her trainer and after the training they came to ask if I was okay cuz apparently those were very hard falls... mwah I've taken worse.)
Sit spin farther away now than it's ever been, camel pretty much gone too.

Bundle of joy:
MY BACKSPIN WENT FROM 2 REVS TO 6-9 REVS!!! It's still ugly, slow and uncentered but for now I'll take it.
I figured out where it was going wrong on the bielman. Doing bielman on both feet now, though the bad side needs to go higher for it to be a real bielman.
I didn't jump (except 1 waltz and 1 loop, which I landed - although scratchy) but I walked through my jumps with just the approaches and I think I'll still be able to do them when I can jump again.

So/so:
finally got the doctors to the point where they said, ok let's make an X-ray, on friday. and wrote a prescription for physiotherapy.

MAJOR NUISANCE!!

Spins and jumps were definitely NOT there last night! Couldn't spin or jump. I can't help but think this is one of those days I put my boots on wrong or something. I mean I was landing those flips and loops on Sunday like it was nothing!!!

Joy:
I landed ONE flip and called it (that jump anyway) a day!!! And primary coach, sensing that I probably don't feel much like skating tonight (b/c I was screwing up things left and right), put me on CD duty for a fellow skater's new interp program. Can't wait to see it done!

__________________
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!!!

Bundle of Joy: Landed a gorgeous loop, on the tow, with a great edge rideout. Coach also said I skated my Artistic program the best and strongest ever by far!

Nuisance: Steaming about a work situation, but that's what gave me all my energy!

Nuisance: My foot (sprained big toe which has caused my bunion to inflame again) hurt so badly I could only stay on the ice for about an hour.

Joy: Have got most of our Very Silly number for next week choreographed.

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

Bundle of Joy:
-Spins! I did a 4-rev camel Most camels felt steady. Also did good sit-change-sits, camel-sit-backsits, and camel-backspins.
-Jumps were all present and good. I think I'm close to landing a teeny, slow lutz on one foot.
-The parts of my program that I practiced were good.
-Spirals, surprisingly. I've never like spirals. I think I'm beginning to like them. I had fun doing the two outside spirals that are in my program. They make me feel graceful

Little Nuisance:
-Silver 3-turn pattern was giving me trouble, but I think I had it somewhat fixed near the end of the session. Still can't consistently fit 5 sets on each side.
-Back cross-rolls weren't so great, but this is the first time they've given me trouble in a week or two.

Awesome about your backspin! Looks like the closed hips help after all!

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

Ha ha! No, please, you start the thread first; you're in the earlier time zone and heck, I'll be out of town on vacation anyway!

The strangest thing about my catch foot spirals is that I am getting the foot higher than the head much more consistently on my forward spiral on my less flexible side than I am on my back spiral on my more flexible side! Not only is it odd that my forward catch foot spiral would be better, but on that side (standing on the right foot), I cannot get my free foot above the head when I do it on the floor in shoes! How can that be? LOL!
I think I get pitched forward on the LBI spiral because I'm going backwards and that puts me on the front of the blade when I pull my foot up (not to mention that back inside edge is a tricky one). On the right forward spiral, I'm on the back of the blade and also VERY conscious about not letting my weight get pitched forward, so I probably arch my back extra hard, LOL!

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

BIG Nuisance! Week #1 of two weeks off and going into withdrawal - coach's orders, NO SKATING I would go out and rent an hour's ice but she threatened to confiscate my skates if I do

(Just doesn't feel right, not contributing to the practice thread!)

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

YAAAAY, you!!!!

"Special treat" coach??? What's considered a "special treat coach"??? Given that I know who your regular coach is... it's hard to say who's even more special treat than THAT!

__________________
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!!!

Ok, some drum roll please........................

Bundle of Joy: For Dallas, Jazz et al that is! I SKATED TODAY! The blue booties were on my feet! (Who won the bets?)
So who volunteers to help me out of bed tomorrow? No seriously, it was fun! One of the Moms put together a class for the rest of us Moms, rink gave us half ice to share with the edge class, I think there was 7 of us. The coach said we all passed Pre-Alpha 1 - woo hoo! I think he was being generous with a few of us........................ About half can skate pretty darn good, took lessons as kids, skated recently etc. One had never really skated, and a few were like me. I had "pond" skated every winter as a kid on bad skates, having grown up on a lake, and think I skated a couple of times in my 20s at the mall, but its been at least 20 years. The great thing is - to the relief of the coach responsible for us getting through it alive - no one fell! I was prepared though, had dd's butt pads, knee pads, whatever I could find in her bag........ One of the moms made iron-ons for us to put on t-shirts that says "Moms Gone Mad!".

Little Nuisance - me tomorrow I am sure!

Spamama

Wow, I would be furious too! Not only do many teachers still need to train, but we also bring students - that is, paying customers - onto that expensive freestyle ice. One rink where I worked let coaches skate for free on freestyles only if they also had a student on the ice. My current rink, thank goodness, allows free everything, including more than just ice (they have a gym, etc.)


Joy & Nuisance:
Today I finally figured out what is making my LFO three turns so very difficult!
It's my BOOTS! As soon as I start to rotate into the turn, my foot slips to the inside in the boot. This is why I can manage LFO threes on a small arc and pre-rotated, but not on a larger arc. Too much time for that foot to slip. I have a similar problem with RFI threes, the ankle just caves. Happily, my new boots are ready! Unhappily, Don Klingbeil is out of town till next week, and my blades haven't arrived yet.

Joy:
RFO three is starting to happen without any of the upper body movement that has been plaguing me. I really think I'm going to nail that check very, very soon. Managed a few one foot spins from T push today, so tightening my core is getting to be more automatic again.

__________________

But why? I hope you're not injured. If not, why is your coach so dead set against your skating?

Bundle of Joy:

After skating it so horribly last week that I thought about pulling out of the upcoming comp. I actually skated my free dance pretty well today. In fact coach was delighted with the progress I'd made while she was away and said she'd be very happy if I could skate it just like that for the comp. Well here's hoping I can do it again!

Didn't dare skate it again - so made up a start for the compulsories instead. Now why are the starts the coaches come up with always so much harder than the actual dances!

Free skating:1st runthrough of programme was pretty good - loop and flip landed.

Nuisance: it just got worse though - I think I only ever can skate my programmes well once a session!

Not sure if this is a problem or not but both coaches commented on how my boots didnt look like they were giving me any support because I have Gam 95's but don't do the laces up to the top. With over boot tights it's less noticeable but I wore footed tights today. The boots have thick padded tongues so it sticks out a fair bit.

I feel like I have plenty of support and can jump perfectly happily in them as they are. I tried to do up the boot all the way to the top at the end of my lessons and went on the ice and was unable to do anything. It felt like my leg was in a cast and I couldln't even do a simple 3 turn - horrible and I got straight back off.

I'm beginning to wonder though if it might be better to wear over boot tights for the competition as maybe the judges will be put off if they think the boots look odd. Anyone else have this problem?

True, Gary is awesome and I adore him. My "special treat" coach is Charlene Wong, and it's a special treat because she's so busy that I don't get time with her very often. I enjoy my lessons with her because Gary skates like a guy but Charlene can can teach me to move like a girl, ROFL! I generally go to her when I need a little help with choreography & expression. She's brilliant at choreography and body movement as well as technical troubleshooting!

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

WOW!!! That IS a special treat alright!!!

And as for moving like a guy, well, the problem is that my "guy coach" moves even MORE feminine than me and I do have a female secondary coach too! Can't use that excuse!!! My special treat coach is in NYC! Just love it there, love his low-key but just as tough coaching style... and well, he is a hottie...LOL!!!

__________________
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!!!

It's also a special treat because she is just about the nicest person you could ever hope to meet. Talk about having it all (looks, brains and personality)!
Yeah, I know what you mean. . . My old coach used to be really good at teaching me to skate pretty because he skated prettier than most of the girls himself, LOL! New York? Hottie? Could it be JZ?

__________________
"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics