Sparkly: A great skating-day all around - I usually haven't been skating on Tuesday but since our rink is now basically mostly hockey, the ice has been really really bad in the morning sessions after the hockey team practice. But on Tuesday morning they have "old man hockey" (sorry guys) and they don't cut the ice up so much and so I told my coach I would like a lesson today and she scheduled for for 9 o'clock! I have been taking lessons with this wonderful lady for YEARS and she has never actually given me a lesson time - she just fits me in when she can and so today we had an actual scheduled lesson!!

And the ice was fabulous ANd they left the bright lights on after hockey (which is very unusual, they usually turn them down to save $$). and I had a good lesson. The ice was so clean we worked on figures first - I am hoping to compete at Adult Sectionals (which is here in Portland in March) and there is a rumor that there will be figures competition so I am trying to work up a couple of figures for that - yea!

Then we worked on some dances - she wanted to go over the pattern for the ARgentine and the Westminster (based on what w saw pass at a dance session this past weekend - shheeesh - what were they thinking?) and then we worked on the solo part of the Paso a little bit - and the ice was good and I felt like I was flying!

Great, great skate today!

I had been feeling like I was really losing my skills fast - but then I see that yes, I have some stuff to work on as always but I can still skate - yea! yea! Yea!

A bit DULL: Starting to work on Silver Moves and they are slow, slow slow and my free-leg really really hangs on the spirals (which I dread) and I can't do an inside back 3 to save my life. Unfortunately I think my coach is really going to retire before I have to really start working on these so I will probably have to learn from someone else... change is hard, especially when you've been teaching as long as she has... Forward and back crosses are good because I've been doing them in dances like the Paso and ARgentine for years - oops, I forgot to do Power Pulls - oh, well, - next time...

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

Sparkly: I had a dance lesson with my back-up coach yesterday, and the ten fox is moving right along...

DULL: Unfortunately it was moving right along fast enough that catching my heel on the back progressive on the end pattern (for the man) pitched me to the ice with a whack to the head (iced, lump, no dizziness or nausea so expect to be ok) much faster than I could react. So much for the rest of the evening's activities (i.e. social dance group). I'll skate one more quiet session this week, since I already have a lesson set up to try moves with my injured primary coach coaching from off ice, but I don't think I'm unhappy to have picked up a business trip to Utah for next week, to make sure the head is healed.

Rob

SPARK!!!

My club gets to organise the national championships figure skating this year!!!

Focus on having your balance on your heel - off-ice it's too easy to get on the ball of the foot - and start on a very slight edge, it gives me more grip at any rate (I like an outside edge, but today I was able to do them on any edge and any direction for some reason, I think it's the new skates, my spins also just centered in them). It's more difficult to do on a flat somehow, when the iron doesn't rip into the ice as much. I start with a 1-foot glide, then go into bielman, I don't just go into bielman straight from crossovers/steps, I wait till the edge is solid and the balance point right (and the toes picked up so I don't catch them) before I start lifting my leg.

Also, when I do the bielman, after I come up out of my knee, my butt is actually behind my skating heel, putting my balance point between my heel and crease. Gives a much smoother edge, and less risk of catching toepicks (like I did in the april comp, after which I listened to my ballet teacher and brought the balance further back), though you have to be careful not to tumble over backwards. I like to put my knee on "lock" as it gives me stability but I know a girl who absolutely can't do it that way, so you might have to experiment what works best: stretching all the way through or not.
The way I do it, you get a sort of over-stretch of the standing leg that way, kind of like you let the skate glide before you and follow it, like this (except with the leg upwards instead of backwards)

instead of this:


I think she's doing a spin on the latter photo, because the only way you can do a spiral that way would be on a back edge and it would be scratchy and slow. Else you'd catch the toepicks cuz the balance point is under the ball of the foot instead of under the heal/crease.

And it helps to practice a gazillion normal spirals, trying to get your body horizontal to the ice and your leg up as high as you can, with a curve in your back and looking forward.

The sparks were flying today. I made significant progress with my double axel. I finally rotated it fully. No quarter turn cheat!!! It wasn't clean though. I two footed the landing, but that is a milestone for me because I know I can do it now. I'll hit my 2 year skating anniversary in Feb, and I think I could have a clean double axel by then. A double axel in two years . . . my coach is really proud. My bronze moves and freeskate test is coming up at the end of the month. I'm nervous but I'm excited. Looking forward to it. I'm also working on doing a few of my jumps "Tano" style!!!! Even my back camel spin is improving.


The only thing dull is my skates!!! I think I'm due for a sharpening. More to report as the week goes on.


BlackManSkating

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Proud to be one of the few black men out on the ice

Goals
Pass my Silver Moves Test
Finish Choreography for Silver Program
Land a Clean Double Toe and Double Lutz
Work on Double Axel and Rockers
Speed up back Camel

Sparkly

Spins were lovely and centered today as I really got the sweep of the arms spot on so no travelling. Salcows were good, other jumps much higher and combos all hit. footwork getting much faster and more confident yay! Started teaching myself a backspin tonght and got 7 rotations so I was chuffed with that.

Dull

Was attempting deep lunge fwd spinning while down to backward then a half turn on knees to stand - banged my knee and have a huuuuuuge bruise coming!

*** Sparkly***
We have a new locker room at the rink just for figure skaters!!
Had a decent runthrough today on lesson with Secondary Coach.

___Dull___

The sitspin did not show up for either program runthrough I did today.
Had to yell : "In program, please move," during my program runthrough.

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

That's DISGUSTING! It took me several years (okay, I was easily discouraged, so didn't practice that often) to get just 3 revolutions on my backspin!

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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

Yes, the second one definitely looks like a spin (you can tell by the body's position over the front of the blade and also by the bent skating knee).

Something to add to Sessi's excellent advice is that while you push your skating foot forward and away from your body, you also need to push your free foot away from your body in the opposite direction, i.e., back behind you. It looks like you need to just pull it straight up, but if you do that you will get pitched forward. Instead, push it up and to the back because that will pull your upper body back and keep you off the toepick.

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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

Lol don't be too disgusted, it's from a two footed curve in then just lifting up the other foot at the mo, so a long way from being a proper one!

You and me BOTH, doubletoe!!! But both of us finally got a decent one now, right? (Okay, maybe YOU have a decent one. Mine is NOT on the CORRECT edge!!! That's gonna be another few years there... )

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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!!!

Dull: Ever have one of those days, when you realize you should have listened to that little voice and stayed home??? Yeah..... I need to listen better. My lower back was KILLING me but like a dummy I went skating....our rink has a fog problem AND condensation bumps (not too bad really). I could barely bend over and get my tights or skates on. Was working on my waltz jump set-up and TOEPICK!!! SPLAT!!!! Did the Superman on the end of the rink, landing flat on my stomach, right hip, right thigh! Luckily, I had my head way back and did not eat the ice or plant my chin (no concussion!!!). Did get in to my chiro.

Sparkly: In spite of tanking early in the session, everything else was decent. Not too great, but for the pain I was in, I'll be happy with the session. I did learn, for the backspin 2-foot glide entry, if I enter bending my knees, and push my arms down (i.e. keep tension in them) and stay bent...it does help get everything else going! That was a nice little gem to know!

I left after an hour instead of staying for the whole session. It was a shame since there were only 5 of us on the ice, total!!!! Darn!

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

Sparkly:

Landed three "quarter under" double toes! Two were really nice, one was a struggle I got stuck on the landing but managed to bail out.

Discovered that my legs refused to kick faster, so my hands have to go slower to accomodate them (other wise I just throw myself on to the ice...) My friend says the better attempts look a little slo-mo lol

Managed one or two? (my memory is bad now) back-side-catchfoot layback... didnt manage to come up for the bielmanns at all though

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Tidesong

Well, these days, is there such a thing as a "CORRECT" edge for spins??

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Blog: http://chowskates.blogspot.com

Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/chowskates
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Sparkly:
I actually got about 15 minutes practice in today and did ONE properly checked LFO three. Had I been doing it in the Prelim alt three pattern, I would have made it back to the line with an exit edge equal to the entry edge. One is not much, but is more than the zero I've been getting.

Got to observe our skating director teaching a backspin for the second time, and am now convinced that hers is the best method I've ever seen. Both students got the spin right away. In each case, the student knew immediately if the edge flipped to FI and bailed on the spin. I played along and also got onto the BO edge, and held it for a single rev. Today's student (my older DD, who had never learned a backspin) got about 3 revs, with free leg crossed over. I think if I had the courage to cross my free leg, I could do better sooner - not likely to happen though .

Dull:
The metatarsal (I think that's what it is) right behind the R little toe is now swollen and red from the pressure of my boots. Hopefully Klingbeil will punch this out and it will be bearable again. It's like a bunion on the little toe side of the foot, and is worse than my ankle pain.

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Well, once I get into it I'm fine, but I can still totally spaz out on the entrance when I do it on its own, LOL!

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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

Sessy and doubletoe, thanks for your advice! I will try it today.

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And what is this magical method? It seems I've tried everything the local coaches know and still get maybe 1-3 revs on a GOOD day! Thanks!

You're right, I first lift from the hip with a bent free knee, behind me, arabesque style, then catch my blade and pull it up when my free foot is already at around hip height. If I just pulled it up from the bottom I think I would do exactly the tumbling forward you're describing, because to reach down you'd have to shorten your upper body (because you can't make your arms longer, and most people's arms only reach to just below their hips) and the only way to do that is either by bending backwards, or forwards, and if you reach down you automatically bend forwards, the only way to bend backwards is reaching back. Well you could reach down bending backwards, but then you have to push your hips forward not to lose b alance, that would be fine for a spin but I don't think you can do a spiral that way... Come to think about it, this describes exactly why a few girls at our rink can only do a bielman backwards, they reach down... Hmm....

Oh also, peanutskates, if you have quad rollers or can borrow for a while from someone, try them on those. You don't have to be moving on them, just the very fact that rollers have a shorter "blade" length than skates do (making you fall over backwards or forwards quicker) will teach you to stay more precisely balanced. Also it helps to build the necessary strength required to lift the free leg high enough, because quads are even heavier than skates, so it's peanuts after that.

Sparkly Our LTS session ended. I passed Freestyle 1. LOL. I passed that in like March- it's a mixed level freestyle, and we worked on skills up to Freestyle 4 (I'm going to be stuck in Freestyle 3 for about ever, since my backspin isn't crossed, and sometimes doesn't exist.) I guess the instructor wasn't given sheets to check off our appropriate levels. Though it doesn't matter since I won't be passing 3/4 for awhile. (I've been "passed" out of 3- but I don't think I deserved it.) I don't care what the sheets say as long as the class is challenging- which it was.

Due to regionals our LTS was all kinds of mixed up- lots of coaches were gone. So I got to substitute for the parent/tot class. It was the MOST nerve wracking experience- 3 kids, including one who was scared of ME (everyone else, she'd be fine, me she'd cry like crazy)- and the entire class is like the day the principal comes to watch what you do for your evaluation. Plus the teacher I was subbing for is probably the BEST tots teacher I've ever seen, so it was big shoes to fill. I just played games with them, and then since it was the last class did some more advanced things (they pretty much only march and wiggle)- like swizzles and little bitty hops, and standing still dips, to get them ready for snowplow 1. After the lesson one of the Mom's (who I have chatted to before b/c she skates on Saturdays) gave me a hug and told me I did great. LOL- that made me feel good.

My lesson was all jumps (last week it was all spins). My coach (substituting for the usual LTS instructor) told me my speed is really improving, which is exciting. When I skate into a salchow I kind of lose my landing, but the jump is higher. I need to find the balance there. I also did some "wrong-way" half flips and was told they looked as good as my "right way" half-flips. I'm not sure I believe that, as they don't feel nearly as steady, but since they are in synchro I need a good wrong way half flip.

Dull I have a horrible pain in my lower left leg. It hurts for about a day after skating, which means Friday, and Monday I'm pain free. The rest of the days ache, and when skating it can become unbearable if I put my weight on it. It's not a lateral motion though, but when I lean on my outside edge- then once I've aggrevated it, it just has general pain. I'm worried I have a hairline fracture from landing jumps, as it's my landing leg that hurts. Tonight I'm going to ask to lay off jumps and see if that helps- get started on bronze MITF maybe. Edge class does aggrevate it, so non-jumping might not be the answer. I guess I'll see. Maybe I just need a spin lesson, then I spend about 80% of the time (except entry edge) on the other foot. But OH it hurts!

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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)

"And what is this magical method? It seems I've tried everything the local coaches know and still get maybe 1-3 revs on a GOOD day! Thanks!"

Me too, I really need to know this. My backspin is cr*p and I've been working on it for over a year! I end up with a series of 3 turns instead of revolutions - although its really helping my twizzles, it isn't a backspin.

Sparkly - getting lower on my sit spin. Camel spin coming along - although I need to straighten my knee more. Also loved sharing the ice with very few people this morning, and all adults!

Dull - still getting my wind back from my cold last week. MIF were ok, but if I had to do them all in a row like on the test I'd probably faint. Gotta work on that stamina.

DULL: Woke up this morning feeling worse than yesterday. Emailed coach and told her to go back to bed.

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

Sparkly: Another couple hours practice this morning. I laced the problem-child right boot a little tighter today, and that helped. Still love the deep bend I can get with these new boots.

Fooling around with edges and turns, did some fairly fancy things, but I couldn't remember what I did to repeat them. Felt extra good though.

Dull: Spins went around OK, but most traveled. This happens more on harder ice like we had this morning.

I spin best on soft ice - don't know why.

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Bill Schneider

So it's a more difficult variation! Firmly!

We were working on ours today - neither of us has a recognisable one solo, but we have a great change-foot spin as a couple. Need to work on the transition, though, or it'll be called two spins not one! We can do it, we're just a little out of practice on it. But a lot better today than yesterday.

Dull: No skating now until Sunday, as there are tests on Friday. Ah well, I get to have a lie-in, so can't be all bad.

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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!

Busy day full of sparkles, but not dull and ready for bed...

Up at 4 am for 5:45 skate after a club board meeting that went till 9:30 pm last night...

Told coach how unhappy I was to see clunky crossovers in my video on Sunday so we worked on those...discovered the problem, if I don't bend my skating knee enough, I have to bend the crossing leg leading to an ugly bend cross over with a clunky plop down. Bend the skating knee...smoother crossover. Also I am doing the forward perimeter crossover pattern with a LOT of power so that I am almost into the walls on the end, forcing me to do the crossovers on a flat which is difficult to do smoothtly. So we just started further back to give me more room on the ends, and that helped a lot.

Worked a little on fixing the timing of the second progressive on the Rhythm Blues,....then got off and got dressed and ready to drive DD two hours away to Cedar Rapids for Regionals. She skated at 10:20 am and it worked out better for her to sleep in her own bed, skate on her own ice and then drive to the rink this morning. She skated about as well as she can -- she just gets nervous when the music is on and she's in competition. Finished last in her group, but with no double doubles, or a double axel, even a clean skate would have landed her last. She was very pleased that she fully rotated a clean take off on her double toe, even though she landed on her butt--that was progress for her. Clean, proper edge take off and fully rotated double lutz but landed on two feet, but you know, we take what we can get. Probably her last Regionals and she was happy.

I will say, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was charging $5 for ONE results sheet, I will not compete or pay for my dd to compete at an Eastern Iowa FSC competition again. Anyone from there wants to know what else pissed me off about how they ran this show is welcome to PM me and get an earful.

j