I am preparing to enter some events (Class I Bronze Free, Bronze Interprative, Pre-Bronze or Bronze Figures and Improvisation) in next years Mountain Cup, along with a friend of mine from China.

I have a few queries....

The info I have has the Class I free music as being 1.40, but doesn't say whether or not words are allowed? Is that because it is assumed that they are not (most freesakting events don't allow words) or because they are (as in you can use any music you want within the time limit)? I notice the length of music is the same for the Interpretive...so I am assuming that no words are allowed in the free, otherwise technically you could use the same music.

I have lost the email address of the person who I was in contact with and don't know her sign in name, and don't want to put here real name here, just in case!! But it starts with B! If someone (I think it was Mrs. Redboots) can PM me her email again I would be eternally grateful.

Anyway, looks like there will be an Aussie and a Chinese lady at Mountain Cup next year....though we are both kinda of freaking out (and then we think, even if the competition stinks, hey it's in FRANCE!!! )

I just had a look at the entry forms from last year and you are right they don't say anything about lyrics. I don't think I can remember anyone using lyrics in the freeskate though. It may be best to ask 'B' whose email I have pm'd to you.

No need to freak out - the MC is an absolute blast. I went for the first time last year and had a great time (despite skating terribly in my freeskate). Even when the skating is done there is still the amazing alpine scenery and the even more amazing food

John

I've PMed you Barbara Standke's e-mail address, as requested (she is Chair of the Local Organising Committee). No, you can't have words in your free skating music, and yes, you may have them in your Interpretive.

Incidentally, we aren't normally allowed to enter more than 2 events plus figures (Barbara will fall on your neck if you do figures - she's always on at more people to enter the figures event!); I am not sure whether Improvisation is included in this - it depends on the number of entries, I think.
And no, the competition doesn't stink - or never has yet! It's usually one of the better ones. Will you be entering the Adult Worlds the following weekend, or aren't you old enough yet (you have to be 30, at least for this year). There will be a camp between the two competitions, and, if enough skaters want it, a coach to take skaters between Villard-de-Lans and Obersdorf.

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

Thanks for the email address and info.

Mrs Redboots, I am a youngen, only 25 (feeling like 30 though!) so I won't be competing in Adult Worlds - nor am I even close to that level. My Chinese friend is 28, I think. We might go to watch though...there seem to be a few competitions around that time.

My coach, sadly, would probably rather me do figures than improvisation, so I think that figures, Bronze Free and Bronze Interpretive will be the ones for me. Darn those figures. Important, yes, fun, no!

ETA: I didn't actually mean the competition would stink, more that unfortunately my friend and I lack the ability to laugh at ourselves and take our skating a bit TOO seriously. Our coaches are treating this like worlds, they don't understand how a competition can be relaxed and fun and still a serious competition. They will learn though, so hopefully, this will be one of many adult competitions.

Mountain Cup 2004 was the most fun competition I've been to since the first Adult Nationals - very relaxed, very friendly, very supportive - and nobody laughed (to my face, at least) at my very bad French. Even the figure events were fun - as bad as my figures are, they have to be fun or I wouldn't do them.

Last year the Improvisation events weren't included in the two-events plus figures restriction but I understood it was because they were new events and the LOC wanted to encourage people to enter them. I don't know what they decided to do for this year, based on that response. Improv is not my strong suit (although my coach would tell you that my freeskate is usually mostly made up; it's because I know the music inside out) so I'll stick with Freeskate, Interpretive and Silver Figures. Anyone who wants some amusement is welcome to come and watch me flail my way around loops.

I don't do the Improv because I'm badly spin-challenged, and the event requires spins rather than jumps. Not that I can jump either..... I did do one in this country where you had to do just two spins and a 3-jump or something like that, forget the exact details, but what worked beautifully in my head in the cloakroom, and pretty well in the warm-up, failed to work at all when in front of the judges! Sigh.....

BlueIIIMoon, stop putting yourself down - you skated very well indeed (and she won Gold to my Bronze in our mutual Interpretive event).

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

Interp is my strong suit. The figures now - well, lets just say that Back threes are not my friend. And the loops are fun to learn but I'm not deluding myself into thinking that I can actually DO them.

I have no illusions about the level of my free skating skills. What I can do, I do pretty well, but there's a lot I can't do and probably never will (Lutz, for one). And being flip and lutz challenged in Silver is not a good thing. Fortunately, I have no issues with coming in last. It takes a lot of the pressure off to know that all I have to do is have fun and leave the medal questing to others.

My coach saw the tape from May and was impressed with my FS, which was a boost for me since I made the program up on the fly. With a new Interp in the works this winter, I'll probably keep that music and see what I can do with actual practice.

I'm looking forward to France already.