Well I'm done with the Cyclone Championships.

I chaired it and I was in 3 events. I kept saying I wasn't going to do it again and then they kept catching me saying "When I do this next year, I'm going to do such and such differently"

I signed up for bre-bronze spins because there was another adult who signed up for them. I met her here but I don't see her post publically so I won't identify her - but she had an ill child and couldn't make it for spins, though she did come for artistic.

Being the comp chair I knew right away what side I was on (although so did everyone else because I emailed that info as soon as I got it) so I practiced on the zamboni end...during the warm up I skated out to the zamboni end and the announcer tells me to go back to the lobby end "Really?" I ask him. Really. Okay, last minute change I guess, I go back to the lobby end, start practicing "No - go to the zamboni end"...I go to the zamboni end, practice one spin and my warm up is done.

I did a two foot spin which was very good. Then a one foot scratch with the edge entry...and while I pulled off a decent one in the warm up - it was just about the worse one I ever did for the program. Then I had a fairly decent back inside pivot. I got gold - but I'm going to write a separate post about why that gold is meaningless.

Freestyle - I was a little nervous and it was okay, not my best. Why I was nervous on my own rink, with NO competition...I don't know. But it was the best I've done it in competition, just not the best I've ever skated it. Another meaningless gold.

Then my "Master of the House" artistic and I had competition in this one. Two other adults. I won but I'm pretty sure - that the other skater that is on this forum got one 1st place from the judge.

I was so exhausted I was asleep for the night by 7 pm last night.

J

The other skater on this forum who was there is weighing in now, and believe me, JSkater more than deserved that first place finish in artistic! She was just fantastic, skated a wonderful, clever, pitch-perfect performance to the music and was just so much fun to watch! The other skater in our trio of competitors also had a lovely performance to a Josh Groban song, and she had a sparkly blue banner that she unfurled throughout the skate - I swear, that banner really looked like Josh Groban's voice sounds. She, too, skated really well - I was so privileged to skate in such good company.

Oh, and the spins that JSkater did in her freestyle performance (which I also got to watch) were good, too - in all probability she'd have won pre-bronze spins even if I had been able to skate that event - she has more revolutions in her two-foot spin than I do, that's for certain. She is simply a good skater and very joyful on the ice, so she's a pleasure to watch. I had planned to compete in the spins event, but my daughter has had strep throat and earlier in the week I was set to cancel entirely - I was pushing strawberry ice cream into my daughter to keep her hydrated, since her poor throat was so sore she could barely swallow anything but ice cream. So we stayed home Friday night, got some extra sleep instead of traveling to Ames and staying in a motel, and by yesterday she felt good enough to eat her plate of nachos and mine too. We DID have her pediatrician's clearance to go on this trip, by the way.

All in all it was a terrific competition and those who attended were rewarded with a fun event, really nice supportive skaters all around and a good, well-maintained ice surface to skate on. JSkater did an amazing job with this competition, and I really hope that the Ames club does host this competition again!

Mimi

Skaterbird is very nice. She had a very lovely artistic program. And she spins both directions.

j