I started this lesson thread given that my home rink is still shut down for repairs!

Shut Down:
My home rink... have to continue going to my alternate weekend rink to skate. Will probably go tomorrow since I already skated Sat and Sun. and need a rest!

Open for Business:
Probably Thursday for my weekend rink.

(ETA: Nope!!! It's closed all week...pretty much all the way to Saturday at least. My coaches are gonna try and arrange times for lessons at an alternate rink. I hope I get in a timeslot with BOTH my coaches. WAAAAAH!!! I really need a lesson!!! )

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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!!!

Oh, bummer, Jazz. Come down and skate here!

Open for Business

Yesterday I skated for 3 hours and had such a productive practice! I also had the best program run-through yet with my new program, and the highlight was finally landing the double sal clean in the program! Woo hoo! I also completed my opening combo spin and my flying camel-back sit very nicely. That was a big relief since I had totally embarrassed myself on the flying camel-back sit in my competition last weekend, ending up with my butt on the ice!
Even though the double toe is still weirding me out, I did land a few and I figured out a few things that I think will make it more consistent. I also figured out how to get a more solid sitspin entry right out of a jump landing, which is great since that's exactly what I have to do at the very end of my 2:40 program and I had had trouble on it in my competition last week.
MIF practice went fine. I'm not quite there yet on all the Intermediate MIF but I am edging closer.

Shut Down:
I still have this annoying tightness in my left glute/piroformis that takes forever to loosen up whenever I skate. I stretch it out religiously (owwww!) but it just snaps back to being tight before too long. I finally went to physical therapy for it this morning. We'll see if this new stretch the PT gave me is any more effective than the ones I've been doing. Fingers crossed. . .

Don't tempt me!!! I would have love to get lessons with your coach too!!!

OWWWW!!! What a pain in the butt!!! (Sorry! I know! I know! *groan*) Let me know if those works. I might need something better myself. (I have similar issues too...)

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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!!!

Oops, I misspelled "piriformis" didn't I? :p
Anyway, here's the glute stretch she's having me do (for me, the problem is in my left glute, so I put the left heel on the chair):

- Stand in front of a padded chair or something else lower than hip height.
- Put the heel of your foot on the chair and straighten your leg.
- Stick your butt out and hold for 20 seconds.
- Relax a little, but keep the leg locked straight, then press your heel down into the chair for 15 seconds.
- Repeat the whole thing 3 times.

I'm only gonna do Open for Business, and for one thing only. As a member of the "I'm never going to do a scratch spin" club, I did do one Saturday with my free foot crossed over, and two revolutions. Today, I did one that was four revolutions but the free leg was horrible. Both were lunch plate sized and perfectly centered. Of course, since I wasn't in lesson, and my coach wasn't there, she saw neither. I did get witnesses to look at the tracings to back me up.

I guess I could use Shut Down for the other kajillion spins I tried to do.

Open for Business:
It's official- I now have another spin to work on practice - sit change sit or some may know it as sit backsit. The transition is going to be a pain!
Five step mohawk sequence was wide open, complete with clearance sale!!

Shut down:
Again, again AGAIN I was on a outside edge on the forward power perim stroking!!
Secondary coach had me hold my right arm back on the undercut before stepping over and it worked. Now I need to remember that!

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Adult Nationals, 2009 "The Time of My Life"

Open for business
Compulsories feetwise felt better (arm movements still need a lot of work). And did one decent programme run through of free dance. Spins felt a bit better too.

Shut down
There was a nice level of tension at the rink today. New teacher started and one of the old teachers doesn't deal well with change. He was not best pleased. Didn't say anything but if looks could kill. So everyone was a bit on edge. And there were a lot of people on the ice not looking where they were going. And my usually calm and laid back dance teacher got slightly cross in my second programme run through as about 5 people got in my way at various points and I stopped or skated round them (quite unusual for me) and when I'd finished he told me that he was going to give me 2 words of the best advice 'Excuse me'. He rightly said my music was on and I was in a lesson and there is no harm in alerting someone that you are coming their way so they can move. Instead I adjusted round them and consequently didn't get a clean run through. I just don't want to appear bossy and too big for my boots.

Also let myself get worked up about a non ice skating issue and it affected my skating. I was distracted and erractic. Not good. Dance teacher had to calm me down as I was in danger of launching into a camel spin frenzy. I hate it when off ice stuff affects skating. I don't usually let it happen

Open For Business:

First day of skating today! It felt so good to be back on the ice and talk will all my friends.


Shut Down:

Im pretty sure i need a hip replacement from falling a million times on my hip from doing the dreaded axel!

Only open for business today: All of the kids have gone off to school and we're back to our lovely "adult-only" skating mornings. Yea, yea, yea.

I'm able to do complete, big run-throughs of Moves, dances, parts of dances, work on figures, whatever. Very little negotiating with this group. We all know each other really well and where we fit in to the skating spectrum.

Also primary coach was back in town and was able to give me some time. She always has the answer for any problem: the problem usually starts in the steps BEFORE the move -- ie., if you don't finish one lobe correctly, the next part won't happen right. I LOVE her!!

Where is that happy dance smilie when you need it. Oh, here it is! (hey, how do I attach this directly? I know there is a way...)

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

You mean this?

In the edit box, click on the button that looks like a mountain and sun, there will be another popup window. Copy-paste the link to it and click OK. Voila!!!

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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!!!

Thanks -- I like a lot of these, so maybe I will also add:

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

Shut Down! Problems at the rink delayed the start of the figure skating session and left the ice in terrible condition. A hockey game just before us broke one of the sheets of glass and they didn't bother to telll anyone there was glass all over the ice. The Zamboni driver ran over the glass and it plugged up the Zamboni. By the time he got it working again, he was "surfacing" the ice at 30 miles an hour! There were spots that didn't get any water and he didn't shave the ice AT ALL. I think the hockey game was conducted in Sherman tanks because there were ruts you could loose a small dog in!

Open For Business (A half an hour late!) In the first hour, I worked on everything again and particularly 3-Turns, back Mohawks, and stringing turns together. Ok, 3 half-turns in quick succession make me a little dizzy, FIVE make me substantially dizzy! I worked a lot on CCW back Mohawks (since they are the ones that don’t work) and a LOT of 3-Turns, all variations, trying to keep my free foot off the ice. I spent more time on whichever direction seems the most difficult.

I spent the last half hour with my coach and WE ran through everything I have learned yet again and moved into forward Mohawks. Ok, I am starting to catch on to those!

A descent session. Progress continues slowly but in the right direction.

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

Open for Business:
had a couple of good skates. Went to an evening session last night cos I can't go to my usual Wednesday night session this week. It is a session for adults and teenagers, and had a completely different feel to the other sessions.

Did a couple of good flips early in the session, one had real height and observers said it looked correct and good. Woo-hoo! Was happy with the progress of my loops too.
Camel spins are making steady progress, as are back sits.

Shut Down:
my upright, scratch, change-foot and backspins were all over the place last night, couldn't centre at all. Despite working on backspins from 4 different entries (standing push start, back pivot, inside edge, change from forward spin), they remain a string of little 3 turns instead of circles.

Towards the end of the session the coach had our group working on flips. I shouldn've known better - at the end of a session I haven't got the energy or focus left and I try not to do jumps then - but I had a go. Not sure whether the botched jump broke the lace or the lace caused the botched jump, but it snapped at the top of the boot. I've never seen that happen to anyone before, I was stunned. Needless to say, that was the end of my session.

Mad panic to get new laces, the rink didn't have the 3.10metre laces my Grafs take. Fortunately an online accessory store had them in stock, so I should get them tomorrow.

Only other real downer apart from a new collection of grazes, cuts and bruises, is that I don't get to skate again now until Saturday.

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Karen

I skate - therefore I am

Shut Down

For sure!!! I have sold my ice skates on e-bay and it may be a few weeks before I can upgrade to the Risport RF3 with Coronation Ace blades. So I will not skate now I reckon for about a month at least.
After having my face plant its taking a while to heal up, Im still restricted to liquids through a straw Why does it take such a long time to heal up when your an adult.

Andrea xx

<<<Andrea>>> Get well soon!

Open for business: Good lesson this morning. Coach likes our drag - husband's drag, I'm just posing (can't do drags!), although we had to change the hold so that we could do the next bit. Think it will work - we were able to run through it once to the music and the coach said it looked better. And he gave the Husband a correction in our spin, and not me.....

Shut down: Couldn't do the lift, though, as the Husband reckons he pulled a muscle in his back on Sunday, canoeing. He keeps on pulling muscles - I think he has to remember that he is going to be 56 in December and can't do the things he used to......

Didn't do much solo practice, mostly chatting!

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

open for business

This morning I had my first 'Dance' lesson and I am learning the canasta tango. I'm so enjoying putting steps together and everything, I think I'm going to enjoy it. Also got my new skates. They are awsome- I actually have right outside edge that I could never get with my old skates- which incidentally, now feel like old slippers!

shut down The new boots hurt like hell but I know I have to persevere

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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!!!!!

Have you tried doing the drag with hubby in kilian hold? maybe it would give you the feel for it.


Tee hee!!

Canoeing??? I wouldnt even consider it, no wonder his back hurts.

Think of the poor deprived people in Peterborough.

Samba

My legs just don't do that - I know what to do, I just can't do it. He can only do it on one side, incidentally.

Well, he thinks it was from helping someone shift a large rubber motor-boat about.... all I know is that it's the third muscle he's complained of in as many skating sessions. Coach has a Back of his own so is sympathetic about backs in a way he isn't about sore legs, which he is inclined to think shows you've been working.

And Yerba Buena (spelling?!). On the principle of poor starving children in Africa, you mean?

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

Shut down

• There is still a hole in my right ankle and it really hurts
• I've 'forgotten' how to centre spins

Open for business

• Foot pain seems to be lessening
• Jumps are coming back..well, sort of. Coach actually praised my dreaded Salchow

Despite the fact I've been skating quite poorly for the last couple of sessions, I feel positive(ish) again about skating.

I Think I'm finally learning to stop beating myself up for being rubbish/not making enough progress/no good compared to so-and-so...etc... and just get on with skating....

S xxx

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness"

Open for business. . .

-skated for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. My, was I rusty! Fortunately, both times I fell were right on my soft rear end, so no more bruises for the knees and elbows.
-got some good drilling in on the salchow, which was introduced last time I skated. I'm still not ready to get up into the air, but I'm getting used to the feel of the takeoff and the rotation.
-As with previous midday public session, very very few people on the ice so I could do all kinds of stuff (crossovers in both directions across the two circles, FW crossover/mohawk/BW crossovers pattern and such). Love it when school is in session!

Shut down:

-Ice was rotten yesterday, which did not help aforementioned feeling of rustiness.
-I'm awfully tired. Whether it's just from the body getting used to the new routines of getting dd to school & daycare, etc or a particularly wearing project at work over the last couple of weeks, who knows? I have a feeling my progress overall is just going to be slow, because it's very rare that I can skate more than once a week, for 1.5 hours at most. So, see you at Adult Nats in, say, 2009. . .

Open for Business:

• EMPTY public session at my alt. weekend rink again. Well, okay, I had a hockey guy in the rink with me... and I left when the pre-schoolers started coming in...
• Getting some progress with this backspin exercise that my secondary coach showed me. I'm at least getting on the BO edge in the "stork" position. Now I have to STAY there!!!
• Flips are making some progress. I did land a couple today!!!

Shut Down:

• Loops and most of my flips.
• I did my Bronze Moves for warmup!!! Since the rink was pretty empty and there's no music playing on the loudspeakers, I can hear EVERY SINGLE ONE of those GOD AWFUL toe scratches!!!

__________________
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!!!

Awe Jazz, are you telling me they don't just "go away" all by themselves!!?? I am disillusioned!

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

Open for business:
Some spins I guess... it was a rather blah day for skating

Shut Down:
The ice was thin, wet I couldnt feel my edges. I got my usual jumps in but nothing very great about the practise. Was trying to concentrate on footwork into jumps... I realize that with footwork, I have problems maintaining speed into the jump, and also keeping the height of the jump similar to without footwork entry.

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~
Tidesong

(Yeah, sad isn't it???)

I'll better keep practicing those Bronze Moves as warmup. Maybe someday I can do forward power 3's as beautifully as Phil does them in that "Adult MIF Tips and Common Errors." video... NOT!!!

To Phil:

__________________
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'm glad for the vids!!! We have a pair of adult ice dancers that make even the basics like gliding look so beautiful and easy.....when people make it look effortless it is a sight to see and it just makes me work that much harder (and realize how much work I have to do!)

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