Behind the Podium: (With no competition this year.) I got my ZIP back Needed something to keep me challenged while maintaining/improving my basic skating ...... found it ..... school figures Yes, I know I am strange! I loved 'em in the 1960's, I admit it.

Did some FO and FI 8's with coach this morning, tried some BO and BI 8's ...... now my forward edges in Freeskate are pretty darned good ..... put them on an 8 and they fall apart LOL! That ought to keep me out of mischief for awhile

Even had 3 coaches (on the 7 a.m. session) who thought doing an hour of figures (starting at 6 @$#% a.m.!) before the regular session would be a great idea. (Let's hope their enthusiasm dies off QUICKLY or the young skaters will lynch me!!!!)

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

Peanut Gallery:

No skating for me since last Thursday. I was sick all weekend/early this week. Then there was snow, ice, and more snow. Actually left my house for the rink yesterday, but no one was there. Looks like they have power though, which means it's warmer at the rink than in my house!

I could try skating on my driveway, trees, roof, yard... There's certainly enough ice!

Peanut Gallery:
Jumps are gone again!!! GRRRRR!!! I guess it's official that I just can't jump in the mornings to save my life...

Podium:
Skating buddy from LA came up north to visit. The hubby has a convention at Moscone Center and he tagged along. (And WOW!!! He's improved LOTS too!!! I saw him skate while getting my skates off!!! )

I tell 'ya -- there's something in that water in LA there!!! (No, it's NOT the sushi. I've been having sushi every other week. In fact, I just had some a few minutes ago. Jazzpants is now a happy gal again! )

__________________
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!!!

Peanut gallery

My camel spin has gone on a long extended holiday. I fear it will never return. I'm currently reverting to the awful head down, no hook, letting free hip come in and drop forwards. Yuck

Axels weren't rotating

Sometimes I break makes you forget.

Podium

Managed laps of alternating rocker choctaws without even really realising it. Flips and lutzes were nice.

Sometimes a break erases bad habits.

Podium: Did the Dutch Waltz to music for the first time since Mountin Cup last June. I was about half-a-beat behind the whole time but, hey, it's better than I thought it would be. I remembered the steps, which for me is a miracle.

I also went through the Canasta without music a few times because I kept forgetting the steps after the end cross-step.

I also did a couple laps of back crossovers which was an achievement, given the pressure they put on the right outside edge.

Peanuts: After 45 minutes, the ankle was too sore to do much else so I got off. Pain is not good. It's okay today so I'm optimistic that it's just temporary and will get better as the scar heals more. There was only minimal swelling last night too.

Mountain Cup is looking more like a definite than just a hope.

Peanut Gallery - I don't like my Moves class anymore now that it's been taken over by high level skaters....it's just too far above me now...I can't even sort of do choctaws and shaefer pushes...even though coach tries to give me alternatives...it's just not fun anymore. Too bad I've paid for it until April. Or not too bad because I will just have to suck it up and go and deal with it.

Podium - Daughter is back from college for a week and she came to skate with me. She said my 8 step looked good and she wouldn't say that just to be nice.

j

It's cross-roll swing, and then into the restart!

Yay! We would have missed you quite dreadfully if you'd not come!

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

Podium
My first morning of practice ice, with my new resolution to add 2 morning skates per week, to bump up to 4 days a week.

I worked mainly on Viennese Waltz, which really isn't bad until I put the music on. I've got the 2 forward edges on the first end pattern really cranking around. Of course that doesn't happen at speed, but one good thing I'm noticing is that the more I run through it, every few days I get a little further along before it falls apart. So there may be hope!

I also tried a new exercise to help w/ my Int. back power 3's--my issue w/ these is going into that first back 3 turn of the end pattern w/ so much power. So I'm doing this in a cirlce: 2 back crossovers, 1 back power 3 (back 3 turn, mohawk), then repeat. I think it's going to help.

What is a schefer push? That's a new one to me!


Podium:
Finally got to skate last night! The only thing that stands out is the 3-turn pattern from Gold Moves. I felt like I was getting really good edges on it.

Peanut Gallery:
Where to start?
-My house is freezing.
-There is a hole in my back wall.
-There are tree limbs everywhere.
-Skating was really not good last night. I felt slow and had to fight through everything. I think it was a combination of getting over being sick and spending the previous night trying to sleep on the couch in a 30-40 degree house.
-Flip was weird, I kept doing something with my right shoulder that kept me from doing a decent lutz, axel wasn't even close to rotated.
-Moves were sloooooooow.
-Coach cancelled my lesson today. She can't even get out of her house because of all the fallen trees.

Podium Again:
-Hoping for better skating on Saturday since we're now staying with my mom in her nice, warm house.

Okay, when you are doing back cross strokes, you're stroking on your outside edge to get speed, right? That's "stroke" is a Schaffer push!!!

And jskater: That's one of my many exercises -- Better, still suck at it though!!! LOL!!!

HOLY CRAP!!! And you went SKATING!?!?! How do you CONCENTRATE on skating when all that is going on???

Peanut Gallery:
Okay Jazzpants was MAD!!!! MAD AT HERSELF at the middle of the session for NOT landing her loop during her runthru in her FS program AGAIN... never mind her flip or her lutz -- this was probably probably the lamest run thru I've had since....

Podium:
So what did she make herself do? Do a BUNCH of CLEAN LOOPS!!! Except for a couple of them they were just fine. I also managed to land one flip cleanly at the very end of my FS session just before I left too!!!

I WILL REDEEM MYSELF!!! I WILL!!!

Peanut Gallery:
So today I have a SPIN lesson with secondary coach. Fine there, except I realized that I couldn't feel my RIGHT SIDE except for this one area near the butt. Sciatica STRIKES AGAIN!!! I tried fighting thru it in the lesson but I just CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!?!?!? OH, CRAP!!!

Podium:
Thank you to secondary coach for saving my life during our lesson!!!



A skater was coming up quick within my blind spot (Yes, I WAS LOOKING BACKWARDS on my back crossovers, but short of being Linda Blair, I only have so much range turning my torso or head!!! ) Secondary yelled LOUDLY to "WATCH OUT!!!" and I spotted her at that moment and quickly put the brakes on, nearly avoiding a collision!!! Said skater probably wasn't even looking either, as she just skated away as if nothing happened!!! "La-de-la-de-la..." SHEESH!!!

__________________
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!!!

Podium

Kids are back in school, kids are back in school *sing tunelessly to self to tune of "Boys are Back in Town", then repeat*. First practice with DH since early December. During the long summer holidays we each managed to go maybe once a fortnight separately, but the rink was very crowded with holidaymakers, and it's not the same as practising together. It was terrific to be back!

During that long summer break, I was lying awake one night trying to work out how I can get my Fiesta solo pattern to look like it does in the book. (What else do you do when you can't get to the real ice?? ) I tried my solution yesterday before DH arrived, and it took a while playing around with positioning the start, but it finally worked. Very pleased with that. Now to (a) bring it up to speed, and (b) learn to partner the thing respectably - partnering that dance is much harder than solo, I think!

DH and I did a respectable Swing, especially given it was our first practice for many weeks.

Pretty happy with the current state of the Fiesta and Swing, as these are our next test dances (hopefully April but not sure yet).

Peanut Gallery

Nothing in particular! *Kids are back in school, kids are back in school*

You also use them for Choctaws. I have issues with putting my foot down behind.

j

Yikes! Are you seeing a doctor or physical therapist for it??

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

I certainly hope you're going to take a day--or several--off to rest. Skating through pain can be very dangerous, even more so with a condition in which you can't necessarily feel the pain (or anything).

Here's to hoping you heal up quickly!

Podium
-I actually had a really good moves lesson! I was kind of nervous because I had been slightly neglecting my moves this week, but I really learned a lot. I know everyone says Intermediate is supposed to be a horrible test, but I'm really not hating it all that much. Yet...?
-My coach gave me a great compliment. She said watching me skate isn't so stressful or scary anymore, and it's even somewhat pleasant! She says she can't see the tension in me from across the rink anymore . This is HUGE progress for me. No but really, it is.
-Double flips are slowly coming back to me. The trick seems to be taking off my gloves so I'm too chicken to reach for the ice and ruin an otherwise good jump.

Peanut Gallery
-Forgot my Bunga Pads, so now my ankles are all nice and bloody.
-I also forgot that I hurt my hip. I went to go stretch at the boards and tried to just swing my leg up there. Oops and ouch.
-Double flips are still somewhat missing.

__________________
Youtube Videos

Except for personal training tomorrow with my trainer... probably not doing much the next two days. No skating 'til Monday at least!!! We'll see how I am Sunday night... (I can walk normally, no worries about that.)

I'm trying to get in to a chiro appt. I think I'm long overdue for a back cracking... (Massage therapist too, for that matter.)

__________________
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!!!

belated thursday practice notes...

Peanut Gallery - rink full of half-height skaters going splut all over the place. Funny and cute, but tough to get in a practice

Podium - landed another flip (out of several tries) one sitspin that felt like a spin, though not nearly low enough.

__________________
It's all about the dress!

This is for yesterday:
Podium: ran through my routine a few times, it went very well, even with my additional piece for the ending I was not rushed and had plenty of time for everything! I'll be ok doing the waltz-ballet jump if I'm warmed up enough.

Did a few nicely centered spins as well.

Peanut Gallery: loop jump is gone (for now). I'm not too concerned, as my program is my main concern...I'll get back to it later.

On another note: had a re-visit with my ortho doc RE: my 1-year follow up to last year's surgery....and he recommended 1 month of physical therapy. I found a place with a pool (heated!!!) and am scheduled for the eval next Tuesday. I'm hoping this helps with the limited mobility. My lumbar region looks like crap on the x-ray but therapy should help.

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

That end pattern is a bear, with or without a partner - without, I don't get enough oomph or ice coverage, and with, I find I am pulled off-balance and can't get a decent inside edge on the STF to save my life.

Given that I've been told I'll never be good enough to test those dances, do you mind if I hate you? Actually, I don't plan to test ever again after humiliating myself so badly last time!


And in back progressive runs. And in the end pattern of the above-mentioned Fiasco Tangle! I can't do them well, either.

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

Sister I feel your pain---cause I've got piriformis syndrome. I don't see how you did the lesson. You know best how to take care of yourself, keep us posted.

Peanut Gallery My bad hip was acting up, I'd get on my left outside edge in the 8 and do the shift of weight to the heel on the backside of the 8 and the leg would just buckle on me. I was able to hold myself out of the 'buckling' position, but it wasn't good technique. Fortunately, my coach was pleased w/ my right half of the 8.
Coach has worked me into a much better posture. I'm still leaning forward. It's tiring to hold the correct position and I just gradually slip into the lean.
Coach says when I fix the bad lean, most of my issues will clear up.

Podium Well my forward mohawks both ways are consistent. They're not particularly pretty, but they're about to become an uncommented accomplishment like forward stroking. I'm able to do a waltz 8 with only some trouble in the backward glide--it's a small waltz 8, but it's valid--the backward mohawk thingy is consistent both ways to, as are the 3 turns.

My figures are much improved. I can really nail the edge on the first half of the circle, it's just when I bring the leg forward my posture comes forward too and I go on the flat. Still, it was improvement.

__________________
Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

LOL! I love it! Is that as bad as the "You're-a-peeon waltz"?

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

Peanut Gallery:
Well, this is part of my skating training, even though it's off ice, but I don't see an off-ice thread anymore so...

I had a training session with my personal trainer this afternoon and well, my lower back was really BAD today. We basically made this into a stretching session and my range of stretching on the torso is SEVERELY impacted by this!!! In addition, we got out the foam rollers and she has specific instructions now for me to roll on the foam rollers PRIOR to my skating sessions!!! (Oh, dear! I have to set my clock for another 20 minutes earlier now...)

I have a chiro appt. on Monday afternoon so we'll see how it goes then. I also suspect that this is "Auntie Flo" related too.

I am also reading the low impact skating thread. I am strongly considering taking up ice dance after AN now... Not that it's a bad thing since I know how much of a challenge ice dancing is, but just I realize that my body can't take the pounding that it used to. Also, if that's the case, I may have to give up my primary coach too, since ice dance is NOT his specialty.

Podium:
Well, I'm happy to say that my personal trainer and I have worked out a schedule that apparently will be MUCH better than what I've had before and that I won't lose her to college. I knew when I told my secondary coach about the possibility of losing this personal trainer that she was like . (She likes the fact that she has "easy access" to this trainer. And so far, this is the ONLY personal trainer I had that she liked.)

(May I coin this phrase from now on? I LOVE IT!!! LMAO!!!)

__________________
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!!!

This is for Friday

Podium:
Out of the 3 hour session, I skated 2 and half hours solid at our new arena; Windsor Family Credit Union Centre (WFCU Centre) has City Skate from 12 noon to 3 PM every Friday barring a hockey tournement getting in the way for $7. What a deal! It's nice to skate somewhere once a week that isn't North Pole cold like the other arenas on the East end of town.

Loop was landed on one foot at least once during my lesson but did a small backward loop before I could do the run out. Must learn to remember to lift the free leg and then bring it back.

Flip is improving.

Had at least one decent Lutz attempt at speed and I'm not leaning as far forward as I was before on take off.

Was well enough to get my variations except enough rotations on the reverse direction variation to count as an extra level.

Spiral is getting higher and gaining more speed during spiral sequence.

After having starting doing the reverse direction spin, doing 3 turns, Mohawks and loops in the CW are getting easier to do and feel better. I'm not freaking out about going CWs that much.

Freeskate program run through; I made it all the way through and I could breathe. I'm feeling better lung wise as the sickness I had is over.

Peanuts:
Stayed on the ice an hour longer than I should have and made my injury to my butt muscle worse. Chiropractor says that my injury is a slow healing one. Just how slow, I'm not sure.

The longer I stayed on the ice, the worse my balance got when doing the reverse direction spin. The muscle was weakening on me and I could feel myself shake while trying to use it. But somehow it didn't affect my jumps. I was able to do my right out side spiral by itself but when doing my change edge from inside to outside, as soon as I would hit the change of edge, I'd hit a wall of pain. Finally, I just marked where the spiral sequence was suppose to go in the program. I also couldn't get down in my sit spin nor could I even do one the last half hour because of the pain, so I just marked that with a simple upright and then moved on in the program.

Last Week Friday Jan. 23 (I forgot about this):

Podium:
Started to play with flying spins when my friend from another local skating club came over to skate with me. I never got down into a real sit spin position after landing, so I would definitely call the ones that I didn't botch upright flying spins which were landed on the same foot as I took off and rotated about 4 revs max. Not bad for a first attempt.

__________________
"It's not age that determines but the heart." "Skating is not just a sport for the young but it's a passion for the soul of the young at heart." Brigitte Laskowski

I am a nomadic adult skater who is a member of Windsor FSC (Skate Windsor) WOS SC again since Sept. 1st, 2008.

http://eastcastlemusic.tripod.com

Singerskates Sports Music Editing

Gosh I haven't been on here in a while...

Podium:
Think I've finally cracked that !!?@**'?// one foot spin over the last few weeks. . It only took me...oh, the entirety of two years

Dances are coming along, did both the Foxtrot and the Blues with music yesterday...my head can hear the beat but my feet have a hard time keeping up.

Peanut Gallery:
I've been thinking of taking a few months off. Maybe it's the getting up so early on a Saturday, maybe it's the cold weather...maybe I've just burnt myself out a bit, but I'm just not enjoying it as much anymore. So I'm cutting my lessons down to one a fortnight. I did think about giving up completely for a while but the very thought had me on the verge of tears, so I guess there must still be some passion left. Perhaps it just needs some time to rekindle.

Podium: We have music!!!! Finally stopped faffing around with Lloyd Webber, which just got drearier and drearier and no good to skate to, and reverted to an idea we had a few years ago and are using a Kirsty McColl song.

Began to choreograph it, not seriously as yet but skating round listening to it and beginning to think of steps that would "go".

Peanut gallery: Husband's flips.... not working. So he has been told to practice picking in and then doing a back twizzle on that foot, focussing on crossing his feet. Which he can't do - and why am I practising it too? I have no idea of jumping a flip!

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