Had a great session on the rink ice, then came home and took a hard fall on the driveway ice....

Driveway Ice - back to Power class after a two week hiatus....oooh...tough to get back in the swing of things..must confess I sort of goofed off when the coach wasn't looking...I know that only hurts me....

Also coach took the time to send me a two page outline of what all should be doing during practicing...even to the detail of how many times I should practice each thing and I left at home...but I remembered enough of it to give me some structure and keep me going when I might have stopped early "Oh I guess I need to do some backward edges with my free foot forward"....

Rink Ice - I was really able to do 3 turns at speed to the point of doing continuous mazurkas...mazurka, 3 turn, maurka...and so on, without skidding to slow down - I even did a bunch of half flips in a row that way.

Joelle

Rink Ice Skated at club ice for the first time ever. This is a big accomplishment for me as I'm terrified of the "better" skaters. But I had show rehearsal and had to drive to the club rink, and I'm not paying for ice without using the whole session so I did some skating too. And while it wasn't a good practice (couldn't do a lot, for fear of being in the way/being run over- plus a group number was practicing) I did find out that a portion of my problem with power pulls is the ice at my regular rink. I did them WAY better at this rink with it's hard, clean ice.

Driveway ice My driveway? Gosh I could just take my skates out there...
After a 3 week (2 week?) break I seemed to have forgotten how to skate. Skated one time over vacation (see below) but was wearing jeans, so I only did a few scratch spins- 2 centered really nicely, but of course those weren't taped, and some 3-turns in the field.

Knees are killing me. Started taking the glucosamine with chondrotin the dr recommeded last year, but was too expensive, because with this club show coming up I'm going to be living at the rink.



Also- I wanted to share. Over the holidays, I took my 2-year old nephew (3 in march) ice skating. I told his mom that if he liked it we'd probably get 30 minutes, and if he didn't we get 2 and a huge fit, just to prepare her. We went to the Dr. Pepper Star Center in Euless, TX (nice rink) and at the beginning of the public session there was only one person on the ice (wish I was dressed to practice! But in jeans I couldn't do much on my own) and he had a BLAST. When we first got there he couldn't even walk on the mats, which was not a good sign, but he loved being on the ice. His father and I mostly just took turns holding him in front of us and gliding him around, and he was very good about keeping his feet flat (some kids just don't get that and dig the heels in) so he could go for the ride. I slalommed with him a few times and each time got told "That's too fast Aunt Jessi". After about 30 minutes he got off the ice and went to his Grandmother, where he then decided he liked to skate better out on the mats (he could balance well enough to walk now) . He did eventually come back on the ice and I got him to "stand like a statue" all by himself. I was so proud of him. We tried marching while holding on to him, but he liked to pick both feet up at the same time, so we didn't really get that down. But just the fact that he went from not walking by himself on the mats to balancing in place on the ice- yay! The best part, afterwards he'd tell people he went ice skating and "it was very fun, but the ice is very slippery". I love when little kids come up with things like that without being fed words. My back KILLED me the next day, I could barely move from holding him up, but it was 100% worth it. (My sister asked me if I do that with toddlers I teach and I said NO WAY- but he wasn't there for lessons, just to have fun with his aunt)

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

Great title!
Driveway Ice: We're expecting ice/snow/slush tomorrow.
Rink ice: worked on the pairs program choreography. I really like the process and what our coach is doing with the piece. It's something totally new for my partner and he's doing great (and has a good sense of humor!).

__________________
Recycle Love - Adopt a homeless pet

Yep, i had to post on this one. Our rink thinks they are saving money by just putting water down and not cutting. Great to try to practice MIF and my competition program.

I'll just keep working past those obstackes!

Rink Ice:
Primary coach has FINALLY changed that God awful footwork that I've been complaining about to something that's a bit more manageable!!! THANK GOODNESS!!!

Driveway Ice:
I feel like my choreography for my technical is a bit ummm... over the top!!! Not good either.

Still can't do the lutz the way primary coach wants it... so I'll probably have secondary coach help me fix it... Of course, I tried fixing the entry by doing the existing exercises I have. Obviously it hasn't worked yet..

__________________
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!!!

Rink Ice: Almost finished chorography for my program! I get to do a charlotte back spiral into a lutz/loop now. The footwork is coming together and it more edgy. I just need to work on more power overall, especially in the spiral sequence which is dying halfway through although the pattern of it is now correct. I think it will be really good for ANs and whatever happens at Easterns, happens. I'm not stressing about it.

Driveway ice: Nothing much, just really need to work on overall power and flow.

__________________
"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"

Driveway Ice: I have a cold that is kicking my butt and started out just the left side of my head, now is the whole head. Still, I forced myself to practice this morning. I can't do a camel for the life of me so I'm trying to figure out what to substitute in the program. I hate to be this pessimistic but I don't see it happening by easterns. I nearly had it and then it went on vacation. Grr.

Rink Ice: Despite nasty cold, my sit/back scratch were pretty good today, better than in a long time! Maybe I can come up with something like change of edge spin (which I've done by accident a couple of times) or sit/back scratch/front scratch instead of the camel. OOH I want that camel though.

I think my flip really is coming back. I did a few today but didn't push it. None were great, but they were flips.

Like the new footwork.

I think I did a loop (figure not jump) this morning but didn't have a coach to show - I'm trying to learn those - I'll show my coach on thurs.

__________________
Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

That's cool! I saw the video....they look very complicated and interesting!

Rink Ice: got to the rink for public; just me and 5 others....YAY!!! Got on the ice 20 minutes early, did EVERYTHING (ok, almost everything except for back-3's). Things were really great! Kicked thru on my waltz; toe-loops were popping; and salchow had a nice long 2nd edge. Spirals were better even tho they hurt (my bottom was sore from dance class last night).

Driveway Ice: Spins traveled, backspin sucked, Ina Bauer was a disaster....I am dysfunctional!!!! AARRGGHH!!!! I did some lunges just to prove that I could get down that low in the knee....and I could but I could only do them good on the left, not on the right. Now I'm mad. Cause that's the side I'm supposed to do. Grr!

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

rink ice: 2sals were good, so were axels. 2flips weren't bad either
driveway ice: 2loops! they were so weird today! and for some reason all practice i was just REALLY tired. i had just adjusted to skating mornings over winter break and now that school is back im having trouble adjusting :/

oh, i got my dvd from christmas show if anyone wants to see

group number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFdcv3vtG4
solo number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmejpZQ9cHI

not my best performances, but it was so much fun to be a part of the show

__________________

I don't usually post, but what the heck.

Rink ice: Skated way early this morning and got some good tips for smoother transitions between program elements. My new FS dress arrived last week and now needs to be bejeweled.
Driveway ice: When I actually skated the program to music I almost keeled over. I appear to have a bit of a cold as well as some other chronic medical stuff that is flaring up that is totally sapping my stamina. Gotta work on that since PACS is only 6 weeks away!!

Rink Ice
I landed 3 clean axels fully rotated to backwards at the weekend!

And I had a witness in a coach. The is a major breakthough. I struggled with this jump for nearly 3 years - half of that time spent with completely incorrect technique and pretty much another year of correct (or at least vastly improved) take off technique but consistent underrotation.

And I managed one and a half turns to forwards on one foot on double sal and double cherry attempts. Progress considering I had double cherry fear for about a year and completely lost all timing on double salchows recently.

Driveway Ice
Camel spins have left me.
Could not replicate the clean axels the next day but the underrotation was still well under a quarter short.

Ha, driveway (and road) ice is keeping dd out of school today (cancelled!) and me away from the rink. Arrgghhh!! And I really need the practice--synchro on Sunday was pretty rough after 2 weeks off!! Comp coming up in about 5 weeks!

__________________
"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

driveway ice - lesson this morning was rained out

__________________
It's all about the dress!

Driveway Ice Stopping is hard! Working on a one foot hockey stop, and a tango stop that ends one footed because we have to kick at the end. These are both in the show, which means I have to do them after skating really fast, not just skating at a snails pace (where I'm successful at both!)

Rink Ice It was good to be back to LTS! I really missed lessons.

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

Congratulations!!!

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

Awwww, sorry about that!!!



Rink Ice: Well, at least I have a lesson this time around!!!

Driveway Ice:
Oh, dear!!! My CW forward crossovers are not that great going fast when doing laps around the rink. The punishment is 6 weeks of working on those CW forward crossovers 'til it's as natural as the CCW ones!!!

And FO mohawks on the CCW direction.... ummmm... not good!!!

EVILLE choreographer/moves coach tomorrow.... oh dear...

__________________
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!!!

Driveway Ice: just too sick with a cold to skate today. Probably too sick with a cold to skate tomorrow, but my lesson is tomorrow. Keep thinking of an old school coach in FL who told us stories of basically showing up to practice half alive. Feel wimpy, will drink extra OJ and go tomorrow...

__________________
Revised Official 2010 Goals checklist
Skate __
New boots __
(lowering the bar for 2010 as I haven't skated in a year)

Lesson today

Driveway ice....I'm still not shifting my weight all the way on my back crossovers. Coach went through a whole spiel about feeling my hips and my pelvis and I just didn't get it. I don't feel my hip bones inside my body. Finally she said "Lift" and I did better.

Then we went through my moves program to the pachelbel canon and I didn't have time to warm up my inside 3 turns and so I pretty much muffed them. Coach tells me to do the inside 3 turns on the line and I do them. Why couldn't I do them in the program she asked me. "Because they weren't warmed up." You just did them fine just now she points out. And I get a talking to that warming up business is all in my head and I have to get it out of my head and at least once a week I am to run through the moves program without warming anything up.

more driveway ice - ugh power pulls! I get the knee action with two feet, but once I pick up my feet, I just can't get the knees to work.

j

Love the title!

Rink Ice: I'm doing well on my calorie-watching so far, and am now down to my pre-holiday weight! Also, had my first lesson in a month, and it went well (whew!!). We worked on Blues, and started working on getting my pattern bigger, faster, deeper. I'm very comfortable w/ that for the first 3rd, then it kind of falls apart on the end pattern/choctaw sections. But I think it will get there. I got a comment in Russian that basically means "very, very good!" I almost never get that word, so that made me very happy.

Figure Skating Rink Ice:
Got to skate on figure skating ice for a change which I haven't done since a week before Christmas Eve.
I got on the ice pretty close to the beginning of the session and stayed on for almost the whole 2 hour session.
Had the first lesson with my coach.
Was in a no fooling around happy to skate mood today; all smiles.

Jumps that were good.
Waltz (note: only a warm up jump and not in my freeskate)
Toe Loop
Salchow
Split

Spins
Forward basic sit spin, broken sit
Forward basic upright spin, corkscrew
Forward basic upright spin, layback
Forward basic upright spin, catch foot from behind

Public Skating Ice:
Loop - got it all the way around and initially land on 1 foot only to touch down for a milli second. this makes me so mad because I'm so close to clean. More practice and need to go to the gym to strengthen my core and hips.

Flip same problem as Loop.

Lutz - still trying to get the timing down on when to bend and reach to pick in and pop and turn the jump. I also have been breaking out with my arms too quickly.

Driveway Ice:

Adding catch foot from broken sit variation in Forward Basic Sit Spin,Broken Sit, I keep missing my skating blade. Thinking I should try doing the Forward Basic Sit Spin,Twist upper body to the left,Pancake,Broken but I'm still working getting the Pancake spin to happen.

Adding Corkscrew to end of Forward Basic,Layback,catch foot from behind not happening. I keep dropping my right side after the catch foot and so I don't get to bring my free foot in front at the knee so I can start the corkscrew. So frustrating. Trying to have at least 3 revs in each variation in the upright.

Just curious, what level my forward upright spin would that be in CPC (a.k.a. IJS and COP) if I got the 4 variations?

__________________
"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

The choctaw on the Blues can be tricky, but try working on front-to-back Rond de Jambes (from ballet), which mimicks the movement of the free leg in this dance. You'll have an awesome choctaw in no time!

Yes, I actually have an exercise on the ice that uses rond de jambes, both front to back, and back to front. I like it a lot, but my students don't! I've had enough dance training to isolate the movement easily, but none of my students are take ballet, although I bring it up to the parents on a regular basis!

not even leaving the driveway today-migraine so balance is waaaay off!

had a one-year visit with ortho surgeon yesterday (re: my back hernia operation)....he said "be patient with the pain/stiffness...." but ordered x-rays anyway. Said "better posture" and "keep working out"

yeah, whatever

this is the same doc that would not sign a release for a personal trainer/private physical therapist to help me overcome balance issues and muscular weakness and said not to dance or skate anymore

again, whatever

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

another post: just found out that my next comp is on 8 Feb in Bowie Maryland......good thing I'm only doing artistic!!! Talk about time crunching!

How much do I have to cram into 1:40? Always seems like TOO MUCH!

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

Don't forget, you only get credit for two difficult variations of position, so on your sitspin just do whichever two of your three variations (twist, pancake, broken leg) you do best. To get beyond a level 2, you'll need to do either a change of edge or a reverse entry (i.e., do it as a reverse sitspin from its own entrance edge).
Your upright-layback-catch foot-corkscrew would actually be considered a level 1 combination spin, or a level 1 layback spin if you limit your revolutions in upright position to two. You need two features to get a level 2, and the catch foot will only count if you do a haircutter (i.e., pull the the free foot up to the back of your head). Then you would also need to come up with one more feature, since a regular layback, upright and corkscrew (scratch spin) aren't considered difficult variations.

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