Signs of Spring or Winter Frosts: 25/02-04/03/07 [Archive]

Mrs Redboots

02-25-2007, 03:45 PM

Because the blossom is out here, and the first daffodils are out in the garden! And it's daylight when we leave for the rink just after 7:00 am and it doesn't get dark until nearly 6:00 pm!

Signs of spring: Husband's parallel spin seems to have returned from its winter vacation. And the end pattern of the Fiesta Tango is beginning to go better - to the point that I'm beginning to think about stepping forward on to an inside edge, rather than stepping forwards and hoping for the best! Willow Waltz coming-along-nicely, too, although there's massive room for improvement.

Winter Frosts: Husband's very out of practice with his jumps, but they are showing signs of returning. I am finding it hard to think of things to work on, and tend to go round doing the same exercises over and over and forget what I need to work on! Must make a checklist!

Rink very crowded, as usual on a Sunday, and difficult to do full patterns of dances. Ruined my inside-outside changes of edge by having to cut an edge short to avoid someone and of course then couldn't get back on pattern. Cannot do back changes-of-edge except as slaloms.

NoVa Sk8r

02-25-2007, 04:10 PM

Isk8NYC

02-25-2007, 05:23 PM

Winter Frosts:
Loop jump is still in hibernation. The only one I came close to landing on one foot cost me a fall. Why? A witness said I stepped on the velcro strap of my boot covers. I had undone it to show something and I didn't fasten it right. Funny thing is, someone else fell in the exact same spot a few seconds later, which led to an ice check until the witness confirmed that I'm an idiot and she just fell.

Signs of Spring:
Prel MITF - Threes on the line, well close to the line - much better. Thanks phoenix! :wink:
Spins were on today. Sit, Scratch, Layback, and Camels, Back Sit, Back Camel, Back Scratch too! (With proper back spin exits, too! 8O ) Managed a few sit-change-sits and tried a camel-change-camel. Not yet, but I am not complaining.
Jumps were okay, but few and far between thanks to the crowd.
Salchows were outstanding and clean. (Amazing for me!)

Cold Snap:
Excellent flips, 99% landed, but not quite. Split jumps were really high but (I'm sure) ugly. LOL
Great incomplete lutzes - actually felt the backspin position on those.

ETA: Almost forgot - RBO things that looked like running three turns. (Could they pass as a twizzle?)

jazzpants

02-25-2007, 07:34 PM

Ditto here on the lack of "Signs of Spring" here. :twisted: We're bracing for a LOOONG series of rain storms that promises to keep my neck of the woods went well into NEXT Saturday (says the weather forecast anyway. Figureskates, is this still true? I'm the San Francisco, CA area (middle of the California state.)

Since we're in Winter Frost mode... the ice at the weekend rink was CRAPPY! When I got there the ice was already demolished pretty much and the rink wasn't gonna resurface the ice again 'til after the public session was over. Didn't attempt the camel spin b/c I was afraid of getting myself caught in the ruts.

One of the coaches left a big enough figure 8 circle for me to play around with my 3-turns and edges. (The circles in the 8's are too perfect for it NOT come out of a scribe too. Too bad I'm CRAPPY at figures!!! :frus: )

Signs of Spring:
Got in a one foot spin, sit spin and a backspin, which of which really felt like it was on the BO edge and keep staying on that BO edge and spinning and spinning. :D Of course, I couldn't reproduce it again either... :roll:

O Heavenly Father (or in this case, secondary coach)! Forgive me, for I have sinned! :oops: I attempted 3 loops away from the wall at the weekend rink... ALL three cleanly landed!!! I know my assignment was NOT to do the loop at the weekend rink... only at the home rink. :twisted: But I found some straight line marks created by the Zamboni in the center of the rink and I just couldn't resist the temptation to not try the loop on those lines.

Did I forget to say that I landed all 3 of those loops clean??? And it was easy too??? :halo: :lol:

Terri C

02-25-2007, 07:41 PM

Signs of spring? Ha!

Yet another snow storm (http://imgfreehost.com/out.php?i5414_snow022507.JPG) has prevented LoopLoop and me from practicing (we are only really able to run our program on Sundays) ... and Easterns is frightfully approaching in 6 days. :giveup:

Luckily, the snow has stopped and the temp has gone above freezing.

We are getting a cold rain here south of you all.
That sucks though about not being able to practice when you have Easterns a few days away, but think of it as extra rest.

Jazzpants- I wonder what Coach's penance will be for practicing the loop at the "forbidden rink"
No skating for me today- there is no freestyle ice to speak of around here. I stayed home and cleaned house and cooked!

jazzpants

02-25-2007, 08:23 PM

Jazzpants- I wonder what Coach's penance will be for practicing the loop at the "forbidden rink" I'm sure she'll think of something since there's more work to do on my loop jump "muscle memory" to do :twisted: 8O , but it does reinforce the theory that my muscle memory has finally settled in on the loop and it's "remembering" to land clean now rather than two-footed... :D :bow:

Skate@Delaware

02-25-2007, 09:21 PM

Jazz, that is GREAT!!!!

Winter Frosts: hmmm-spins? For some reason, I'm stupid and forget everything coach says when I move away from her.....she says "hold the free leg behind you longer; bring it around when you raise up" so I do NOT do that, but whip it around and then I travel....I am mad at myself!!!

Signs of Spring: My 2nd spiral in the sequence was so good, she made a glowing comment-"That is the best I've ever seen it!" Wow!!!! Of course, she picked apart everything else, but that's ok (competition is this weekend, and still no times!!!).

The loop-what can I say? I do feel closer....every lesson is a drudge of drills!!! I feel like Eliza Dolittle and she is Professor Higgins!!! We are waiting for that moment when it really "CLICKS"!!! Until then, it's backspin, backspin, backspin, loop attempt, repeat.....

She gave me a new procedure to follow: backspin, backspin, backspin as warmups, then LFO 3-turn, 1 back crossover, loop, backspin

She is at her wit's end trying to get me to get my free leg up and in front!

So, after doing several of these, I clunked down on one and she really liked it, because the free leg was in front, although not raised very high. It was a small breakthrough!!!!

Then, to top it off, I said I am serious about doing ISI spotlight next year.....and if she had any suggestions, I am open!! She was really excited!!! So am I because she is really creative!

I think Skate Annapolis will be my last comp of the season...there is a Basic Skills comp at my rink but I don't want to do it...did it last year and felt odd. We just don't have very many adults, again I competed alone. I'd rather work behind the scenes, maybe doing hospitality or being a runner or something.

miraclegro

02-25-2007, 09:51 PM

Winter Frosts: My Teenager is making me lose focus. What a nutty week. My focus is TERRIBLE. I am working on two programs, and can only remember 1 or the other, but not both on the same day.

Signs of Spring: A friend's mom told me i looked like a "professional" out there! I know it's not true, but it sure made my day. I think she likes my Michael Bolton "At Last" ISI number i am working on for fun.

xofivebyfive

02-25-2007, 10:16 PM

Signs of spring: Went skating at Rockefeller Center today with a few friends for my birthday.(man that place is expensive!) But when I last practiced, my flip was very high and felt comfortable, and I figured out how to fix my salchow that was making me insane. Turns out after my 3 turn my free leg swings crazily out to the side, so I learned to keep it straight and checked for a couple of seconds after the turn.

Winter Frosts: Got my blades sharpened and my backspin ran away from me. I kept getting stuck!

doubletoe

02-25-2007, 10:24 PM

:cry: Way to go on the loops, Jazzy! :D

Signs of Spring:
- I think I made a tiny bit more progress on the double sal today. I landed one that was less than 1/4 cheated and where my pick didn't just stick in the ice on the landing and make me crumple.
- On Friday, my coach and I decided to simplify the body position on my second spiral and today I tried it in my program for the first time. It felt very solid.
- I also completed the opening camel combination spin in my program run-through today, which is always worth patting myself on the back for, since I tend to have particular trouble on the camel when it's the very first move in my program.

Winter Frosts
I'm still getting spooked by the axel. What the heck is wrong with me?! I only landed one today and it was over-rotated on the landing. I shied away from it in my program and didn't even take off. Um, I've only been landing this jump for almost 4 years so what gives? :frus:
My right hamstring, which I pulled at least 6 weeks ago, is giving me major grief. It hurts to stretch it out, but if I don't, I can't do the "showcase" spiral in my spiral sequence. And even after stretching, it's so hard to get the free leg much above the hip now. This is so depressing! :cry:

Thin-Ice

02-26-2007, 04:04 AM

Signs of Spring: We had a small local "artistic competition" this weekend at the rink where my primary coach is... so I entered my new Interp. program. Only one other adult in that category.. one of my best skating friends who I've skated with for 15+ years. This was SOOO low-key for both of us, since we just figured one of us would skate, then the other one would skate and we could see each other's programs (we don't normally see each other do complete program run-throughs since our practice times don't overlap by much), then go have pie afterwards.:yum:

We both had good warm-ups, she skated beautifully, I was really happy with how I skated, and our coaches were happy. She's a dancer, so her basic skating is so much better than mine. I told my coach ahead of time, my friend would win, and if I were lucky I would get 1 or 2 judges to split the panel. One judge did give me first... and shock of shocks.. it was a tough DANCE judge!!! My friend took the other four judges and we both stood on the top of the podium for our photo (wearing our medals, so there will be no question she won.) But it was a great day, no nerves, good programs, lots of support from the kids we train with.. and really good pie afterwards!:P

Winter Frost: I had to drive two hours home, get just 3 hours of sleep, then go to work.. so no skating for me today. But it was SOOOO worth it! I wish all competitions felt that relaxed.:D

Sessy

02-26-2007, 04:20 AM

Signs of spring: I actually know how to do everything for my new test consistently

WINTER FROST: the tests will take place 1 month after we NO LONGER HAVE ICE!!! That is, they'll take care to get ice on wednesdays afternoons in an other town (again, that's 1 time a week instead of 3 we do now) so we can practice some, but I'll probably have school at that time and I can't call in sick for it because I need to get my bachelor's degree before I start a master's and I won't get it if I miss my court practice (which is on wednesday afternoons).
And probably, the test will be on a time that I have court practice too - if I'm unlucky!!!

So, how do you think this test will go after not skating for a month? My point precisely. :cry:

The Netherlands suck. What MORON came up with the thought to close all rinks except 2 for 6 MONTHS?!
And I need this test to get a programme. They only give us a programme after you passed this test at our club.

And my salchow and waltz jump and spreid rittberger (loop), I can practice on guards off ice. But that's not gonna work for the toeloop I fear.

Isk8NYC

02-26-2007, 10:23 AM

Only one other adult in that category.. one of my best skating friends who I've skated with for 15+ years. This was SOOO low-key for both of us, since we just figured one of us would skate, then the other one would skate and we could see each other's programs (we don't normally see each other do complete program run-throughs since our practice times don't overlap by much), then go have pie afterwards.:yum: I love it - what a great plan!

Emberchyld

02-26-2007, 11:28 AM

My right hamstring, which I pulled at least 6 weeks ago, is giving me major grief. It hurts to stretch it out, but if I don't, I can't do the "showcase" spiral in my spiral sequence. And even after stretching, it's so hard to get the free leg much above the hip now. This is so depressing! :cry:

Ouch. Be really careful with that hamstring... I know that it's depressing, but you can't push it too much or you'll have grief for longer than 6 weeks.

I pulled a hamstring about 9 years ago, didn't baby it and rest it like I should, and it messed up my flexibility and strength until I was forced to rest it (3+ months in a cast for a different injury) last year.

A second hamstring pull this past Septemberish in the other leg only took about 4 months to really heal, and while it's still a little bit tighter, the flexibility is almost all the way back. But I really babied this one (and, though it killed me to do so, didn't push it at all in skating or dancing), and the stretches were very low grade-- only until I felt a pull, no pain.

Helps: heat packs before and during stretching, under the hamstring
and there are these adhesive heat pads (similar to those handwarmers that hunters use) that some places sell in their pharmacy department (not icy hot or anything with menthol medication-- these only have carbon and the activating agents that make them literally heat up). I would slap one of those onto my hamstring before skating to keep it warm and cut back on any further injury.

Feel better! Hamstring pulls are the worst!

doubletoe

02-26-2007, 03:39 PM

Sessy

02-26-2007, 03:47 PM

On the other hand, I also pulled mine and had it hurt seriously for a few weeks, but I continued to skate and do spirals and it just went away by itself.
However, at the time, I was only practicing the toe-loop and salchow sporadically and had no other jumps. And my legs/groins/etc are and always were as inflexible as it gets (REALLY inflexible. I've never seen anybody with less flexible legs than me!) so I just gave up on attempts to stretch those muscles. I'm just working on what I do have from nature, which is a flexible back - an advise from doubletoe which is really working out so thanks for that dear!!! :) But because of this, my spirals have a 90 degree angle between standing leg and free leg at most.

So you know maybe that qualifies as resting it, I don't know.

e-skater

02-26-2007, 04:11 PM

I attempted 3 loops away from the wall at the weekend rink... ALL three cleanly landed!!!

I'm still getting spooked by the axel. What the heck is wrong with me?! I only landed one today and it was over-rotated on the landing.

Jazz, YEAH on those loops! :) :bow: :bow: That muscle memory is sticking with you now, but I dread hearing what your sentence is gonna be when coach hears about it! :twisted: :roll:

Doubletoe, Good for you on double sal. :bow: And your camel combination. :) Sorry about that blasted hamstring. :cry: I've known one person who had a hamstring pull, and, sigh, it sounded like one of those injuries which is quite difficult to deal with and heal. But it is *really* important to heal it properly, from what I understand, or the "six to eight weeks" turns out to be six months!

I have a special comment about your axel below, when I post my skating day woes! LOL! :twisted: (Seriously though, I have a friend who has worked on an Axel for years, and she says it's 98% mental........I know YOU can do it, doubletoe)

SIGNS OF SPRING:

-On the bright side, I landed three decent feeling waltz / loops today and they felt "easy". Also two salchow / toe loop / loop combos. These are not as good, but at least I landed all three and was able to push out at the end.

-Backspins from a standstill were good today! My rocker is helping me here, and I'm loving it.

-Catch-foot camel attempts? My coach started me on it last week. I touched my blade today. I couldn't get organized enough to grab it, but I did touch it. :)

WINTER FROST:

-Flips at boards are great. Open ice, the first one is "good", and after that I revert to bad habits/technique. I had two today that were passable, the rest crap, and just plain awful.

-Now for my reference to doubletoe's Axel. All I can say is, maybe it flitted over MY way, because you would have thought I was going for an Axel when I tried a simple waltz jump late in the session.

I got launched beyond any place I've ever gone in a jump, and totally botched the landing somehow. 8O I really couldn't say, I don't think I pushed out, ....may have landed on the rocker and freaked out, instead of pushing out....but I fell BIG TIME. It's been a while since I fell like that. I think it's gonna be one of those 6" round bruises that lasts for a couple of weeks, with a bruised bone underneath? Anyway. My friend was quite concerned, as she said she "heard it from the other end of the rink", but I got up and finished the session.

Then, right toward the end, I fell doing a spin and got my L shoulder pushed up and my wrist kinda strained. :roll:

I think I'm becoming over-confident, and over-zealous, in my new boots and blades, while they may still need a tad more breaking in. Right now, I'm not sure I'll be having my lesson on Wednesday (due to the hip, the shoulder and wrist will be fine, I can tell now). I may have to take a few days off. I'll wait and see though.

Not a great day for falls, which can't be avoided, but I did enjoy the earlier parts of the session, and some of the elements I had success with!

Sessy

02-26-2007, 04:23 PM

techskater

02-26-2007, 05:21 PM

No. It means you aren't checking your upper body appropriately.

Terri C

02-26-2007, 06:59 PM

Signs of Spring:
For starters, I got off at my normal time from work today (3:30) and will be all week with the possibility of working late Friday (more $$ for AN '08). Yeah I skated after work!
Backscratch and sitspin were good and so were the jumps ( still no pain on the landing!). I've got my muscle memory back on all of them.

Winter Frosts:
My scratchspin was off today- don't know why.
I can do all of the elements for the Bronze freestyle test okay in isolation, but when the music comes on for the program, oh brother! The last two months of skating twice a week for a hour showed its ugly head with my lack of stamina today. My right ankle got a little cranky toward the end of the session and basically stopped all jumps the last 10 minutes or so.

doubletoe

02-26-2007, 07:16 PM

boy I fear this is gonna sound really dumb, but isn't over-rotated actually GOOD cuz it's closer to a double axel?
I know I sound dumb, but somebody explain to me why it just doesn't work the way I think it works. :o

Well, there are different reasons you can keep rotating when you land. One is if you aren't checking your rotation on the way into the jump (i.e., you are jumping around instead of up and then around) and another is if you aren't finishing the rotation quickly enough in the air so you are not checking out and stopping rotation before landing. Either way, what you end up with is an uncontrolled landing, which means a wild, curling landing edge or a step-out.

doubletoe

02-26-2007, 07:19 PM

Doubletoe, Good for you on double sal. :bow: And your camel combination. :) Sorry about that blasted hamstring. :cry: I've known one person who had a hamstring pull, and, sigh, it sounded like one of those injuries which is quite difficult to deal with and heal. But it is *really* important to heal it properly, from what I understand, or the "six to eight weeks" turns out to be six months!

I have a special comment about your axel below, when I post my skating day woes! LOL! :twisted: (Seriously though, I have a friend who has worked on an Axel for years, and she says it's 98% mental........I know YOU can do it, doubletoe)

-Now for my reference to doubletoe's Axel. All I can say is, maybe it flitted over MY way, because you would have thought I was going for an Axel when I tried a simple waltz jump late in the session.

I got launched beyond any place I've ever gone in a jump, and totally botched the landing somehow. 8O I really couldn't say, I don't think I pushed out, ....may have landed on the rocker and freaked out, instead of pushing out....but I fell BIG TIME. It's been a while since I fell like that. I think it's gonna be one of those 6" round bruises that lasts for a couple of weeks, with a bruised bone underneath? Anyway. My friend was quite concerned, as she said she "heard it from the other end of the rink", but I got up and finished the session.

Then, right toward the end, I fell doing a spin and got my L shoulder pushed up and my wrist kinda strained. :roll:

Thanks for the encouragement, Jazz. :) And I am so sorry to hear about your waxel waltz jump!! Ow!! Ice and arnica, ice and arnica. . . and pads. ;)

Skate@Delaware

02-26-2007, 07:22 PM

doubletoe

02-26-2007, 07:47 PM

You might want to go back to the physical therapist for a check-up and some extra therapy and/or training suggestions. Maybe you will benefit from some massage or myofascial release. It couldn't hurt and maybe they could fix you right up!!! I have a tight tendon in my leg and I'm getting ready to go back for some more myofascial massage....it really does help!

I have started yoga (after a 25 year hiatus-OMG 8O did I just write that?) and I am hoping to get some stretch for my ultra-tight hip flexors, lower back, and knees. Then I might be able to do the splits by the end of summer!

OMG, tell me about it. :frus: I am going into my PT place for a deep tissue massage once every week or two, and it does help somewhat. However, I can't get a hold of my physical therapist for advice because she is on maternity leave and doesn't check her phone messages. I would go to someone else, but she is also a skater so she totally understands what I am doing and need to be doing with my body. I once went to a different PT and she had me doing all the wrong things because she didn't realize how I was using my muscles in skating. Sigh. I will try again to contact her, though. Thanks for the reminder!

Skate@Delaware

02-26-2007, 08:06 PM

Yeah, I know how that goes. I just switched chiropractors because I felt I wasn't making any progress. My new one (which was actually my old one-long story) has me doing exercises!!! And he is ok with the skating stuff (falls, etc) where the other one didn't want me to skate (falling "ruined" his adjustments).

My regular massage therapist quit the business because he wasn't making enough money, so now I have to find another one so I haven't had deep tissue in about 2 months. I will go straight to myo after my competition (skate annapolis).

My next best thing is my new whirlpool tub!!!!!

Sessy

02-27-2007, 05:16 AM

Well, there are different reasons you can keep rotating when you land. One is if you aren't checking your rotation on the way into the jump (i.e., you are jumping around instead of up and then around) and another is if you aren't finishing the rotation quickly enough in the air so you are not checking out and stopping rotation before landing. Either way, what you end up with is an uncontrolled landing, which means a wild, curling landing edge or a step-out.

Ohhh that sort of explains why my anckle stopped hurting on my salchow landings once I started keeping the left arm to the front before takeoff instead of just like swinging it around like whatever from the 3turn still! :o
I used to almost go into a backspin after a salchow.
I get it. :)

Emberchyld

02-27-2007, 06:08 AM

Emberchyld, thank you. :) I am only stretching with warm muscles and I'm not really stretching to the point of "pain" (because that would mean I was tearing the muscle, right?). However, I am stretching it to the same point my physical therapist stretched my left hamstring when that one was tight, which is to the point where I feel a very uncomfortable pull and need to really make myself breathe through it because I want to hyperventilate! :roll: I am wondering if it would help to ice it after stretching? Or take ibuprofen?

Uncomfortable sounds about right... and stretching very slowly. The worst feeling that I had during recovery of this last torn hamstring was when I would carefully go into a stretch, maybe twitch slightly, and then that sound of the muscle tearing *shudder* would still happen. I kept my stretches limited to the sitting hamstring stretch, and as my r.o.m. increased, I moved up to propping it on a chair or a table. Hamstrings are tricky things!

Also, as recovery progressed (and is progressing), I'm focussing on stretching out my darned calf muscle-- its tightness is holding me back in fully stretching that hamstring.

I agree with Skate@Delaware about about deep tissue massages, too-- you'll have some scar tissue that massage will help break up. Also, massaging increases blood flow to the area, which increases rate of healing... (I have a German cream-- Hirudoid, produced by Sanyo Pharma-- that I pick up when I'm in Europe that is supposed to help healing by increasing blood flow to the region, but I'm guessing that arnica cream or even icy hot/ben gay could have similar result, esp when applied multiple-- ie, approx 3-- times per day. You'll smell like product, but by doing that, you're constantly telling the body-- "blood flow here, please!")

Be careful, and definitely look into the stick-on heat packs for when you do skate-- it very much helped me to at least avoid further aggravation of the muscle (but also don't let your body think that it's totally warmed up because of the pack... still try to limit your motions to max where you can get the leg during stretching)

:frus: sad how much we adult skaters know so much about injuries, isn't it?

Mrs Redboots

02-27-2007, 07:08 AM

Signs of Spring: We had a fabulous lesson today - our Fiesta Tango has suddenly improved beyond all recognition, and coach really worked with us on it. Mind you, he did say "About time too! How long have you been working on it? You must have done it a thousand times!" So rude.... but all too true!

In my solo lesson I worked on the Evil 3-turn exercise from the new Level 3 moves - it's basically the same as the 3s in the field exercise from the USFSA moves, but you only do 2 reps of each 3-turn, not 4. I cannot do BI3s at all, and my BO3s are vile, but I am to practice them as they will, allegedly, help my back edges.

Winter Frosts: Nothing really, skating-wise, but after skating I went upstairs to stretch out and, as occasionally happens, had to abort my workout because I started to feel very sick and dizzy when doing my back stretches. The trainer says she thinks it may be down to low blood sugar, and I certainly felt very tired afterwards, despite a cereal bar. Feeling a little better after an early lunch, but even still.....

Sessy

02-27-2007, 09:23 AM

Winter Frosts: Nothing really, skating-wise, but after skating I went upstairs to stretch out and, as occasionally happens, had to abort my workout because I started to feel very sick and dizzy when doing my back stretches. The trainer says she thinks it may be down to low blood sugar, and I certainly felt very tired afterwards, despite a cereal bar. Feeling a little better after an early lunch, but even still.....

Could also be low - or high! bloodpressure. You could actually get a little measuring device for bloodsugar from your doctor - they lend them out here, and the needles and test strips are 1-time use and paid for by the insurance company over here - it doesn't hurt at all, you just keep it ever so lightly to your finger and it pricks blood automatically, but it doesn't go deep enough to hit the pain nerves.

There's also bloodpressure measuring devices for home use in the market available. You should see a doctor about it.

And you could perhaps have an infection of the ears?

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 11:28 AM

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 11:38 AM

Signs of Spring:
My pennace for doing loops this weekend... FLIPS!!! 8O Actually she wasn't too upset b/c I landed them clean on Sunday (reaffirming that my muscle memory is pretty much set now to land the loop clean) and she thinks that my Monday night "bad loop night" was b/c I was still getting adjusted from the ice on my weekend rink to the ice at my home rink. I DID thankfully got back my loop at the beginning of the lesson today. Well enough that she started FLIPS!!!

And well, I'll cut to the chase... secondary coach was RIGHT when she said that I would be landing my flips quickly once I start landing my loops, b/c I landed a good handful of flips this morning CLEAN!!! OMG!!! 8O 8O 8O :bow: :bow: :bow: :mrgreen:

Yes, I had eyewitnesses!!! Another Gold level guy was cheering for me on getting the flip. I yelled "OMG!!! That's two jumps in a month!!!" Secondary coach jokes to the Gold Level guy "Look out! She's doing axels in a couple of months now!!!" :lol:

Winter Frost:
Couldn't land much of anything towards the end of the lesson b/c I was rushing my entrance... I managed to regroup for one last loop and got it done before the end of the lesson, so we ended the lesson on a good note!!! (I really, really had to slow my brain down and regroup and she reminded me about "having a job to do, so get the job done!")

LOTS MORE work to do... but overall a VERY good day for me!!! :mrgreen:

doubletoe

02-27-2007, 12:14 PM

YAY!!!! Go Jazzy! Go Jazzy!
:D :bow:

LilJen

02-27-2007, 12:15 PM

Signs of Spring (btw, Mrs R, I am very jealous that you already have daffodils starting to come up; was always my favorite bit of spring growing up in Seattle that the daffodils were usually blooming by my birthday in mid-March. Not so in the Midwest--still cold, icy, snowy!)

Got to practice on Sunday night--during synchro practice (there are three teams so those of us who were there while the other teams worked were practicing on the spare bits of ice). I sort of joined the synchro team, um, not really sure what I'm getting into here (!) but I agreed to skate in the show in June so I guess i"m in. Anyway, also met a lot of nice people--seems like a fun group.

Alsooooo appears that I have been roped into my first competitition. A basic skills comp in a few weeks. Nothing complicated or challenging--kind of figured why not? it's close, it's only $25, no prep involved really (no program exactly--just a list of skills to music). I'm excited but weirded out at the same time. We'll give it a go and see what happens.

Practice yesterday: Why is it that a toeloop seems a lot easier than a half-flip? Shouldn't that be the other way around (unless I'm reeeeeally cheating the toeloop)? Whatever. It was kind of fun to feel like I could do a toeloop--have not gone over these with coach at all, though, so I'm probably in for a shocker at next lesson!

Winter frosts: College hockey tournament takes over the rink Wed-Sat, so NO OTHER SKATING at all!!!! I thought they'd only cancelled public skates so I'd be able to get in a freestyle session, but the latter are also cancelled. Ah well.

doubletoe

02-27-2007, 12:18 PM

Sessy

02-27-2007, 01:08 PM

Practice yesterday: Why is it that a toeloop seems a lot easier than a half-flip? Shouldn't that be the other way around (unless I'm reeeeeally cheating the toeloop)? Whatever. It was kind of fun to feel like I could do a toeloop--have not gone over these with coach at all, though, so I'm probably in for a shocker at next lesson!

Half flip is like flip except forward landing right?

Are you keeping your picking leg on the flip down or are you swinging it up (not supposed to happen)? And are you picking with a straight leg or bending it and trying to jump from almost a sitting position? And also, are your arms checked on the flip - left arm stays front, right back for ccw - or are you trying to pre-rotate like on the toeloop? And uhm oh yeah, how is your left outside 3-turn compared to your right inside 3-turn (assuming you're ccw and doing flips from a 3-turn)?

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 01:29 PM

Team Arthritis

02-27-2007, 01:57 PM

Oh NOOOO SPring THAW - compressors went out and ice is melted = no skating today :cry:
Lyle

e-skater

02-27-2007, 02:06 PM

And well, I'll cut to the chase... secondary coach was RIGHT when she said that I would be landing my flips quickly once I start landing my loops, b/c I landed a good handful of flips this morning CLEAN!!! OMG!!! 8O 8O 8O :bow: :bow: :bow: :mrgreen:

JAZZ!!!!!! GOOD FOR YOU!!!! YIPPEE, THIS PROGRESS IS GREAT!

Very happy for you! And much deserved, too!

e-skater

02-27-2007, 02:08 PM

Signs of Spring
The flying camel is back! And even better, I know what I'm doing differently, which means it may be controllable/repeatable. This morning I completed a flying camel-back sit for the first time in quite awhile. :D

Winter Frosts
I didn't try any axels or skate my program this morning , so I didn't give the frost a chance, LOL!

Yeah, yeah, why ruin a GREAT day?! :lol: Flying camel? YAY! Not to mention, flying camel / back sit. Wow. Impressive (and I'm happy for ya!).:) :bow:

jskater49

02-27-2007, 03:29 PM

Winter Frost: Pretty much our weather here in San Francisco. We had pea sized hail coming back last night!!!

My loop jump disappear!!! :cry: Oh, dear!!! And after I got it Sunday at my weekend rink too!!! 8O And I have a LESSON tomorrow morning!!! EEEEK!!! 8O 8O 8O

Signs of Spring: Not much. Too crowded. Maybe one almost camel last night.

Maybe that's your punishment for rebellion and disobedience. :twisted:

[
Practice yesterday: Why is it that a toeloop seems a lot easier than a half-flip? Shouldn't that be the other way around (unless I'm reeeeeally cheating the toeloop)? Whatever. It was kind of fun to feel like I could do a toeloop--have not gone over these with coach at all, though, so I'm probably in for a shocker at next lesson! .

I don't know, why is a toe loop easier for you? It's not easier for me. Half-flip used to be my favorite jump but now I like the half lutz because I do it better because I don't have that freaking 3 turn to worry about. No no no - don't go telling me to do it with a mohawk- mohawks are worse.

Which is why, I hearby in front of God and witnesses, committ myself, after March and my competition marathon, to set to work on my bronze moves...because really, it was very frustrating for my coach to choreograph this program and have me say I can't do 3 turns or mohawks. I'm not getting anywhere in dance or freestyle until I get some mastery of them.

Signs of Spring um, let's think of something positive....there's left over time in my program (which means someday there is room for a salchow!) so today, after my waltz side toe hop - I tried holding the landing and bringing my leg up in an attitude position, looking up with my arms palms up (Not over my head because I think I'm already overdoing that in the program) and I thought looked kind of cool in the reflection.

Winterfrost. Doing a freestyle program is really a LOT harder than a compulsary. Yea I know what you're thinking..no duh.

J

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 04:22 PM

Maybe that's your punishment for rebellion and disobedience. :twisted: I think she's forgiven me though b/c I did land it clean there!!! And I did land the loop clean this morning (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?p=311097#post311097) as well some clean landing FLIPS to the mix too!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

I don't know, why is a toe loop easier for you? It's not easier for me. Half-flip used to be my favorite jump but now I like the half lutz because I do it better because I don't have that freaking 3 turn to worry about. No no no - don't go telling me to do it with a mohawk- mohawks are worse.I think neither half flips or half lutzes are easier for me than a toe loop but that's probably b/c I do more toe loops than half flips or lutzes!!! And the last time I did half lutzes, I ended up doing a whole rotation instead of a half. Primary coach says "I *SAID* I want a HALF LUTZ, and NOT a WHOLE lutz... but since you're doing the WHOLE ROTATION... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: " *GULP* :oops: 8O

Which is why, I hearby in front of God and witnesses, committ myself, after March and my competition marathon, to set to work on my bronze moves...because really, it was very frustrating for my coach to choreograph this program and have me say I can't do 3 turns or mohawks. I'm not getting anywhere in dance or freestyle until I get some mastery of them.Good plan!!! I can seriously say now that FO3 (and FI3 to a certain point) are much easier for me now and it's helping me on a SLEW of things in FS now!!! Of course, the bad part is that getting it to Bronze Moves passing standard is TOUGH (at least for me anyway!!!) 8O

Winterfrost. Doing a freestyle program is really a LOT harder than a compulsary. Yea I know what you're thinking..no duh.
Especially if your music is FAST and your COACH makes you choose fast music!!!! (Which is the case for me!!! *GULP* 8O )

Oh NOOOO SPring THAW - compressors went out and ice is melted = no skating today :cry: OH NOOOO!!! :cry: (Been there before... especiallly LAST SEPT/OCT... ask NoVa about it!!! :twisted: )

LilJen

02-27-2007, 04:23 PM

Half flip is like flip except forward landing right?

Are you keeping your picking leg on the flip down or are you swinging it up (not supposed to happen)? And are you picking with a straight leg or bending it and trying to jump from almost a sitting position? And also, are your arms checked on the flip - left arm stays front, right back for ccw - or are you trying to pre-rotate like on the toeloop? And uhm oh yeah, how is your left outside 3-turn compared to your right inside 3-turn (assuming you're ccw and doing flips from a 3-turn)?

Yes, half-flip is forward landing. I think that might be it--TOEPICKS!!! the idea of landing forward on my toepick freaks me out. Either that or it's a left vs right deal. I'm actually a clockwise jumper, but yeah, I have the check for the half-flip for sure. My inside 3-turns used to be horrible but we fixed them in a lesson a few weeks ago and now they're just as comfy as the outsides. I go back and forth on doing the half-flip from a 3-turn or a mohawk. I'll pay attention to the pick in--I think my leg is fairly straight.

What it might come down to is not being terribly secure on the back inside edge. We did a lot of work on back inside edges last lesson, and they need more work. I think I'm trying so hard to get the *edge* that I'm never really fully over that skate. This is also, likely, my problem with 1-footed spins (ie, not being able to do them!!).

xofivebyfive

02-27-2007, 04:30 PM

Winter Frosts: Just found out that I have a stress fracture in my right ankle/leg. Must have had it since December(and during my 1st competition in January!) My parents said that they would let me keep practicing until my competition on the 11th if I was careful, but I'm going to do the grown up thing and stop skating now, so it will heal faster. I don't know how I'm going to make it through 6 weeks without skating, as it's the only time I'm ever happy at all. (I've had a severe nonstop headache since December 2005 and I started skating to help me feel better.) Skating is the only time when I'm free from my pain, excluding my ankle as of the past couple of months. But I really don't want to end up with a broken ankle/leg so I'll make it through somehow.

jskater49

02-27-2007, 04:36 PM

I think she's forgiven me though b/c I did land it clean there!!! And I did land the loop clean this morning (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?p=311097#post311097) as well some clean landing FLIPS to the mix too!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

I think neither half flips or half lutzes are easier for me than a toe loop but that's probably b/c I do more toe loops than half flips or lutzes!!! And the last time I did half lutzes, I ended up doing a whole rotation instead of a half. Primary coach says "I *SAID* I want a HALF LUTZ, and NOT a WHOLE lutz... but since you're doing the WHOLE ROTATION... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: " *GULP* :oops: 8O

Oh geesh - rub it in already....:roll:

Of course, the bad part is that getting it to Bronze Moves passing standard is TOUGH (at least for me anyway!!!) 8O

Yea, I'm looking at shooting for testing next fall...but I have been working on these off and on for years...even tested them about 3 or 4 years ago and passed over on the peremeter crossovers and the back edges...close but no cigar on the 3 turns (I can do them if I put my mind to it) and the mohawks were never even close....but in our small club - on testing day when the judges came everybody tested, ready or not - it was a fund-raiser, it was good experience, and once in a blue moon a judge blinked and someone slipped through. :o

Especially if your music is FAST and your COACH makes you choose fast music!!!! (Which is the case for me!!! *GULP* 8O )

Yea well, my music is slow as molasses. Just the way I like it.;)

j

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 05:00 PM

Oh geesh - rub it in already....:roll: Well, the :oops: part is that I had been practicing whole lutz on my own for a couple of months before that and I was consistently a 1/4 rotation short then, so I really wasn't quite ready to show Jay the whole lutz, so I really was intending to do the half lutz at the lesson...but couldn't stop my rotation fast enough... :oops: (And in skating, it's not just about getting the rotation, but CONTROLLING IT!!!)

If you think that's bad, then I better not tell 'ya about the time I was in skating school when I was asked to do the toe loop... :lol:

Yea, I'm looking at shooting for testing next fall...but I have been working on these off and on for years...even tested them about 3 or 4 years ago and passed over on the peremeter crossovers and the back edges...close but no cigar on the 3 turns (I can do them if I put my mind to it) and the mohawks were never even close....but in our small club - on testing day when the judges came everybody tested, ready or not - it was a fund-raiser, it was good experience, and once in a blue moon a judge blinked and someone slipped through. :o The 3turns and the 5 steps are my WORSE moves... The key to remember about this test is that as long as you do the 3's well enough and the other moves are OVERS, you can more than make it for the overall score, which is what really counts in the end. ;)

Yea well, my music is slow as molasses. Just the way I like it.;) Yeah, me too... except Jay turned down ALL my slow music this year. After I've gone thru a half dozen tunes, I've picked out an obnoxious tune that I know he won't pick just to get on his nerves...before I picked one that I KNOW he would like me to skate to... (Who's skating to this program anyway? Me or HIM!?!?! 8O :lol: )

sk8pics

02-27-2007, 05:02 PM

doubletoe

02-27-2007, 05:13 PM

;) Yes, half-flip is forward landing. I think that might be it--TOEPICKS!!! the idea of landing forward on my toepick freaks me out.

As worthless as it seemed at first, I am now realizing what a valuable exercise the bunny hop was! It helps you learn to take off straight up off your toepick and also to land forward on a toepick and push out for a glide. :) I actually had to make myself do some this morning to fix a forward toe thing that I was feeling awkward about!

jskater49

02-27-2007, 05:17 PM

;)

As worthless as it seemed at first, I am now realizing what a valuable exercise the bunny hop was! It helps you learn to take off straight up off your toepick and also to land forward on a toepick and push out for a glide. :) I actually had to make myself do some this morning to fix a forward toe thing that I was feeling awkward about!

You know, I never learned a bunny hop and that is probably why it is just about impossible for me to get up on my toe pick to do a waltz jump. I try to do bunny hops now to make up for it and it still terrifies me to get up on my toepick. I'd rather do a half lutz or a half flip any day than a bunny hop!

j

doubletoe

02-27-2007, 05:22 PM

Winter Frosts: Just found out that I have a stress fracture in my right ankle/leg. Must have had it since December(and during my 1st competition in January!) My parents said that they would let me keep practicing until my competition on the 11th if I was careful, but I'm going to do the grown up thing and stop skating now, so it will heal faster. I don't know how I'm going to make it through 5 weeks without skating, as it's the only time I'm ever happy at all. (I've had a severe nonstop headache since December 2005 and I started skating to help me feel better.) Skating is the only time when I'm free from my pain, excluding my ankle as of the past couple of months. But I really don't want to end up with a broken ankle/leg so I'll make it through somehow.

You are SO smart to let it heal completely! And we will be here to share your virtual skating life until you can skate again! I know swimming is boring compared to skating, but if you have access to a pool, it might be a good impact-free exercise to at least keep you in shape for the next 5 weeks.

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 05:30 PM

;)

As worthless as it seemed at first, I am now realizing what a valuable exercise the bunny hop was! It helps you learn to take off straight up off your toepick and also to land forward on a toepick and push out for a glide. :) I actually had to make myself do some this morning to fix a forward toe thing that I was feeling awkward about!
Trust me, those BUNNIES can be quite deadly! Ask me about my power class bunny hop drills!!! :roll: 8O

KILL THE WABBIT! KILL THE WABBIT.... (Just kidding, Thin-Ice....)

xofivebyfive: Hope you heal fast... and there will be more competitions coming your way. You're doing the right thing by resting now! :)

xofivebyfive

02-27-2007, 05:32 PM

You are SO smart to let it heal completely! And we will be here to share your virtual skating life until you can skate again! I know swimming is boring compared to skating, but if you have access to a pool, it might be a good impact-free exercise to at least keep you in shape for the next 5 weeks.
I'll check it out. And yes, I will be living vicariously through everyone online. :cry:

coskater64

02-27-2007, 05:42 PM

Spring: So far so good, lots of jumping and clean programs just abound, of course I have only singles... camel-back camel is getting better, today ballerina pushed left leg up to about 110 degrees, higher than the right leg for the first time. Working on figures for MC did forward paragraph, back paragraph double 3's and rocker serpentines, Oi! Excellent for the hip strength and working strength and getting good strong pushes. Dances going well dance coach seems amused that they are better.

Winter: Having some very serious soreness but all muscular. Missing my flying camel, makes me sad, working on axel w/out harness for first time tomorrow. Ekkk!

Hope everyone does well at Pacs and Eastern sectionals.

Leslie 8O

das_mondlicht

02-27-2007, 05:53 PM

... I'm going to do the grown up thing and stop skating now, so it will heal faster. I don't know how I'm going to make it through 6 weeks without skating, as it's the only time I'm ever happy at all. ...

Get well fast! It is the smart thing to listen to the needs from your body. It is better to heal completely and skate freely than feel sorry later on. You can always do stretch or even think about choreography or footworks during the time you aren't on ice. Time flies!

Trust me, those BUNNIES can be quite deadly! Ask me about my power class bunny hop drills!!!
You gave me SPRING IS COMING as panacea. You gotta tell me about it!

doubletoe

02-27-2007, 05:56 PM

Uncomfortable sounds about right... and stretching very slowly. The worst feeling that I had during recovery of this last torn hamstring was when I would carefully go into a stretch, maybe twitch slightly, and then that sound of the muscle tearing *shudder* would still happen. I kept my stretches limited to the sitting hamstring stretch, and as my r.o.m. increased, I moved up to propping it on a chair or a table. Hamstrings are tricky things!

Also, as recovery progressed (and is progressing), I'm focussing on stretching out my darned calf muscle-- its tightness is holding me back in fully stretching that hamstring.

I agree with Skate@Delaware about about deep tissue massages, too-- you'll have some scar tissue that massage will help break up. Also, massaging increases blood flow to the area, which increases rate of healing... (I have a German cream-- Hirudoid, produced by Sanyo Pharma-- that I pick up when I'm in Europe that is supposed to help healing by increasing blood flow to the region, but I'm guessing that arnica cream or even icy hot/ben gay could have similar result, esp when applied multiple-- ie, approx 3-- times per day. You'll smell like product, but by doing that, you're constantly telling the body-- "blood flow here, please!")

Be careful, and definitely look into the stick-on heat packs for when you do skate-- it very much helped me to at least avoid further aggravation of the muscle (but also don't let your body think that it's totally warmed up because of the pack... still try to limit your motions to max where you can get the leg during stretching)

:frus: sad how much we adult skaters know so much about injuries, isn't it?

Yes, but thank you so much for reassuring me that I am probably not hurting my right hamstring further! And . . . OMG, "Rip"?! 8O 8O I shudder to even imagine that!!

I always start with a thorough calf stretch (since tight calves can limit the range of the hamstrings), then I do the seated hamstring stretch VERY gradually--for about 10 minutes on the right side alone! Only when I can finally get my chest flat to my right thigh and hold it for 30 seconds do I move on to a split/arabesque type stretch on the ballet barre. That's the part where I need to be extra careful because trying to do a split (on the floor) without keeping my hips squared is how I pulled it. In order to keep my hips squared and keep from pulling it again, I stand on my right leg and carefully bring my other leg up behind me on the barre. Keeping my hips squared and my back leg knee facing down, I lower my torso so that my chest is flat to my right thigh. I keep it there as I push back to about a 150-degree split, then very carefully bring my torso upright. If I don't do it this way, I risk opening out my left hip and . . . OW!!

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 08:06 PM

You gave me SPRING IS COMING as panacea. You gotta tell me about it!General story: Power class... the drill is bunny hops alternating feet on the jump down the length of the rink and as fast as you can muster, forward crossovers on the ends and repeat going back up the length!!! Majorly bruised BOTH KNEES. And back then they were the roller blading hard shell knee pads. Trust me! They DON'T WORK!!! They just get pushed off your knee. Your knees still get it!!! :x :evil:

The Skating Safe brand is probably the only knee pads I would advocate... that is if your coach allows you to wear knee pads in the first place! :evil: (No, I'm FORBIDDEN from wearing knee and butt pads now! I know quite a few coaches that would NOT allow their students to wear ANY protective padding either. It's consider to be 'coddling' in one specific coach's case... :roll: ) Anyway, with two pairs of tights against your bare skin knee, it really does stick to your knee... unless you're one of those that really work up a sweat, then it will slide off!!! :roll:

garusha

02-27-2007, 08:25 PM

The Skating Safe brand is probably the only knee pads I would advocate... that is if your coach allows you to wear knee pads in the first place! :evil: (No, I'm FORBIDDEN from wearing knee and butt pads now! I know quite a few coaches that would NOT allow their students to wear ANY protective padding either. It's consider to be 'coddling' in one specific coach's case... :roll: ) Anyway, with two pairs of tights against your bare skin knee, it really does stick to your knee... unless you're one of those that really work up a sweat, then it will slide off!!! :roll:[/QUOTE]

Are you talking about gel pads? Those really work; I wear them all the time with two pairs of tights, and no one even knows I have them on. I fell on my knee pretty hard once, when I tripped over the toepick. I can't say that I felt nothing; it did hurt, but I kept skating and didn't need any time off. Otherwise I'm sure I would have broken my kneecap or at leased bruised it badly.

jazzpants

02-27-2007, 08:34 PM

Are you talking about gel pads? Those really work; I wear them all the time with two pairs of tights, and no one even knows I have them on. I fell on my knee pretty hard once, when I tripped over the toepick. I can't say that I felt nothing; it did hurt, but I kept skating and didn't need any time off. Otherwise I'm sure I would have broken my kneecap or at leased bruised it badly.Yes and I had a similar situation to you too where I was thankful I had my gel knee pads on. :bow: (And yes, my secondary coach would *KNOW* when I have my knee pads on. TRUST me on this!!! :roll:)

das_mondlicht

02-27-2007, 08:35 PM

General story: Power class... the drill is bunny hops alternating feet on the jump down the length of the rink and as fast as you can muster, forward crossovers on the ends and repeat going back up the length!!! Majorly bruised BOTH KNEES. And back then they were the roller blading hard shell knee pads. Trust me! They DON'T WORK!!! They just get pushed off your knee. Your knees still get it!!! :x :evil:
...

Oh boy, that drill sounds like bloody bunnies all over the place. :twisted: ..I am too bony (unfortunately not bonny) to take any crash risk now. So, I slid my home-made skating safe devices under tights(for knees and tailbone) and sleeves (for elbows). They are microcell foam about 1/8" thick and work well for me. My coach hasn't noticed it yet! The trade-off is microcell is close-cell foam. It makes me uncomfortable after some workout.

Sessy

02-28-2007, 02:18 AM

About skating as pain relief, it's what I do as well. I had a few really scary diagnosis like 6 years ago and doctors figured I wouldn't make it. I did, but I was constantly tired and everything hurt. Dancing helped some, but figure skating really did the trick.

However, my headaches went away for an entirely different reason. I saw a really good Russian bone-and-nerves doctor (basically spine doctor) who twisted my neck some and then went like... Well your neck vertebrae seem to be twisted and they're cutting off blood supply to your brains, let's do an X-ray of your neck and spine and if the problem is what I think it is, a few sessions should fix it.
So, they made an X-ray and discovered that besides fom indeed problems with the neck vertebrae, I also have a sunk in back vertebrae which is the result of having broken it sometime as a child... Strange story. I didn't know it was possible to break a vertebrae and not know about it, but apparently I was luckyer than you need to be to win the lottery.

However, he did some serious twisting and pulling on my neck and at first, I thought he was gonna break my neck. Basically, he'd lay me down flat on the table with the back to the table, pull my head as if he were trying to pull it off my neck and then turn the head 90 degrees left and then the same thing for right. After a few sessions, I noticed I no longer was having headaches and also could actually sleep on normal pillows instead of no pillow or triple-folded pillow.

The result dissapeared after about a year, so I had it done again. And again a year later because of another neck injury. Since then, the effect stayed. Sometimes I pull and twist my own neck a little bit.

And mom was having headaches for years from an injury to the area just over her tailbone... Our nervous system is weird!!!

As for the spine thing, they did some extensive physiotherapy and deep and really really painful massage there and for the first time in my life, my chest didn't hurt when I was running (previously they'd diagnosed inflammation of tissue between the ribs or something, but that was apparently nonsense). Though they can't make the bone "scar" tissue go away and they can't free the nerves that are pushed on by it.

I've gotta say, jogging/running has about the same endorphin releasing, painkilling properties. But you gotta have strong knees and it's not gonna work with a fracture. Maybe you could go swimming?

But for the headaches maybe you should let your neck and spine be checked by a doctor?

jskater49

02-28-2007, 05:24 AM

(No, I'm FORBIDDEN from wearing knee and butt pads now! I know quite a few coaches that would NOT allow their students to wear ANY protective padding either. It's consider to be 'coddling' in one specific coach's case... :roll: ) Anyway, with two pairs of tights against your bare skin knee, it really does stick to your knee... unless you're one of those that really work up a sweat, then it will slide off!!! :roll:

My coach is always trying to convince me to wear pads because I'm such a chicken, she thinks they'd give me confidence. But see, the appeal of skating to me is not being a jumping jock, but a graceful ballerina. Even if it is a fantasy (cuz I'm not a jock or graceful) - the pads really intefere with the fantasy.

j

Emberchyld

02-28-2007, 06:05 AM

Doubletoe, those stretches sound great (and really, your ROM isn't too bad at all, considering a hamstring pull! My mostly healed right leg is still a bit too tight to get my head all the way to my leg without cheating, so it sounds like you're doing a great job with stretching it!)... and the rip sound... it can either be a rip or sound like a pop *shudder* I think TeamArthritis (correct me if I'm wrong on that, TA!) mentioned a similar sound quite a few threads ago...

And jskater, if it makes you feel any better about wearing pads, even graceful ballerinas sometimes wear kneepads when the choreography calls for major contact with the floor! If you haven't tried the skating safe pads, ask around and see if someone you know has them so that you can see what they look like on-- they're very inobtrusive and I usually don't even notice they're there... until i fall. And then I don't feel anything.

NE way....

Winter Frosts:
Couldn't figure out why, regardless of when I went to bed, I've overslept this week and missed the early freestyles every day. Then woke up this morning to a nasty little head cold. :cry: :?? Apparently, my body was trying to ward off the cold with sleep... and failed. So no skating today, and lots of fluids to see if I can flush this out of my system faster... I may still try to make it onto the ice tommorrow.

We began backwards 3-turns on Sunday. eew.... I never realized how truly sucky I can be about listening to my coach and using my arms properly until this past lesson!

Signs of Spring:
Finally, after MONTHS of trying and getting foiled again and again, I'm going to be able to go into NYC on Friday (thanks to a cadaver lab for work). So, after my lab is finished, I'm hoping to run some errands and then, if I can somehow inobtrusively sneak my skates in and out of the lab (or my car, if I drive in), I'm going to try and realize my dream of skating at Rockefeller Center-- cold or no cold!

Does anyone here know if NYU has a decent parking deck? Preferably self parking, because my poor car just got back from the body shop (because a guy in an SUV backed into me the other day because he "couldn't see me":roll:) and I'm a little bit touchy about my little car. If not, does the Hoboken PATH station have decent parking? I'll just have to find a way to hide those skates from my boss' eyes!

jskater49

02-28-2007, 08:37 AM

Signs of Spring

My daughter landed her double toe in her program during practice today! That is her only goal for her competion this weekend so that was very encouraging. Now only if her double lutz which has been on vacation for a long time would stick around...

and me-- I ran through my program with music and took my coaches advice...kind of like the keyword thing - but basically thought about ONE ELEMENT AT A TIME and woo hoo - I did EVERYTHING and kept moving with flow throughout. I took out the 3 turn toe taps cuz they are freaking me out and instead I do a couple of step behinds so I can have something that resembles footwork.

Usually my one foot spin is kind of a throw away, barely two revolutions but I took my time, bent my knees going into it, found my sweet spot and spun maybe 5 revolutions for sure 4.

And I actually LEFT the ice for both my waltz jumps, mind you the one after my back spiral had no flow and just about came to a screeching halt...but both feet did leave the ice, which I don't think I've managed that for both jumps with music yet. So it can be done. :bow:

Winter Frost Another girl was playing her cha cha music so I gave it a go, and even my crappy sort of side ways step behinds are gone. I'm signed up to compete that dance at adult midwesterns so probably should work on that move one of these days :(

j

Rusty Blades

02-28-2007, 09:34 AM

Signs Of Spring: (But not outside - more significant snow in the forecast :( )

Well today was "It Don't Get Any Worse" day - a mock run-through of a bad competition day!

I hadn't skated in a week, up at 3:45 a.m. (well actually 4:15 since I was trying to sleep through the alarm - must have had something to do with that glass of brandy last night!). At the rink by 6:20, short off-ice warm-up (20 minutes), boot up and listen to my program a few times while waiting for my coach. Hit the ice at 7:15, do a 5 minute warm up, and then come off the ice for about 10 minutes. Back on the ice, take my position, and do my program.

Well, it was a bit shaky here and there and a wee bit stilted in places (both from lack of a thorough on-ice warm-up) but I made it through with no really noticeable screw-ups. Not my best program but skated under the worst possible circumstances.

If that is as bad as it gets, I guess I am ready for Calgary in 3 week's time....

Mrs Redboots

02-28-2007, 09:35 AM

And I actually LEFT the ice for both my waltz jumps, mind you the one after my back spiral had no flow and just about came to a screeching halt...but both feet did leave the ice, which I don't think I've managed that for both jumps with music yet. So it can be done. :bow: It can indeed! Last year, for the first time, I actually LEFT THE ICE in COMPETITION in a 3-jump (waltz jump) - and have witnesses to prove it. I could and did to beautiful 3-jumps when not in competition, but they invariably abandoned me during one.

I was so pleased with myself, though, that I fell out of character (I was being Rizzo being Sandra Dee, from Grease) and had a serious struggle to get back in.

xofivebyfive - big hugs! So sorry to learn about your stress fracture, but it will heal.

Bill_S

02-28-2007, 09:45 AM

GRRRR! "Hot under the collar" winter frost:
The girl who opens the rink on Wednesday mornings is supposed to have the ice done at 6 am. However she's been about 15 minutes late since January.

I can live with that, and have mostly adjusted my schedule to arrive a little late myself.

However when I arrived this morning, she hadn't cut the ice, nor did it look like she intended to. She turned on the TV in the lobby, and went to her seat behind the counter.

I put my coat back on and left. I emailed my coach to tell her I had cancelled my morning lesson. She has more pull at the rink than I do, so I'll let her deal with the lazy morning person.

GRRRR!

Skittl1321

02-28-2007, 10:19 AM

Signs of Spring- Had an awesome lesson last night. I had been feeling really miserable, tooth problems from a dentist visit gone wrong, a runny nose, and some eye pain- but I trucked on and it was great. We worked mostly on jumps, and as ridiculous as it seemed my coach decided to put me in the harness for my singles. The little girls were all "are you learning an axel" and I had to laugh and do a waltz jump instead. BUT it was a really high waltz jump, and really gave me an opportunity to work on my loop. We also did salchows and toe loops, which along with the waltz jump translated well once off of the harness. The loop definetly still needs work. It was great fun. But I don't think I've ever fallen so much- even though the harness kept it from hurting, I hit the ice alot. But that means I was finally jumping, rather than barely leaving the ice!

This seems silly but I'm also excited I fell during a little improv while picking my interpretive/spotlight music (we decided on got to get a gimmick from gypsy). The reason I fell is because I was doing 3 turns into chorus line style kicks- and one kick went too high and knocked me over. Normally I'm too hesitant to let myself fall. So finally falling was great. I didn't expect it, and I fell safely and didn't hurt myself. A few more of those should get rid of the fear of falling. Oh- and I love skating to music. I feel like I need to perform, and then usually forget I can't skate well and try crazy things.

Winter Frost More like a blizzard. This isn't skating related- but that eye pain. Well after I got home from skating it morphed into incredible pain, a constant running, and extreme light sensitivity. I decided against going to the ER in the middle of the night, because what is the chance they have anyone who knows a lot about eyes, and called every eye clinic in town starting at 7:00 this morning. (well my husand did, by then I couldn't even open my eyes they hurt so badly) Got in for an 8:30 appointment- turns out I have a corneal ulcer. He dilated my eye, so now it can't contract the light sensitivity is gone. Now I just have to keep giving myself eye drops all day long. The pain isn't as bad, but it definetly still hurts. At least now I can see.

jskater49

02-28-2007, 10:41 AM

It can indeed! Last year, for the first time, I actually LEFT THE ICE in COMPETITION in a 3-jump (waltz jump) - and have witnesses to prove it. I could and did to beautiful 3-jumps when not in competition, but they invariably abandoned me during one.

Yay Redboots. Us Waltz wheenies have to stick together!:D Even in the best of circumstances I don't think I've ever actually done a waltz jump that can be called beautiful however

j

Laura H

02-28-2007, 10:46 AM

Ouch, Jessi - I've had corneal ulcers before - glad you are doing a little bit better now & hopefully it will heal fast now that you know what the problem is.

YAY! on the jumping progress (and falling too?). :lol:

Signs of Spring? (to be determined . . . )

I'm going for a lunchtime "skate" in just a little bit, so will update after that. Had my last group lesson with the kiddos on Sat., group coach confirmed that DS and I "have" our power 3's, so that was cool . . . and salchows are coming right along for me, DS gave me the 8O when I demonstrated for him, so I guess that means I've got it! :lol:

DS is still :frus: on his change foot spin but usually "second time's the charm" so hopefully he will get it right at least ONCE at the comp on Sat. And it's totally a mental thing - whatcha gonna do. :?? AND, after much deliberation/discussion and scouring shops around town for his comp outfit, we finally settled on camo pants (I altered them to cut down on the bagginess, and added elastic/velcro on the bottom of the cuffs) and a black t - looks very slick and he is very happy with it!).

And DS landed his loop on Tuesday! I haven't seen it firsthand, as I didn't take him to that practice, but have it from reputable secondhand sources. Now, he is setting his sights on a sit spin . . . 8O - I think that's his last obstacle in FS 4.

K . . wish me luck . . . gotta go hit the ice!! (hopefully not literally!!!).

Laura H

02-28-2007, 10:46 AM

Yay Redboots. Us Waltz wheenies have to stick together!:D Even in the best of circumstances I don't think I've ever actually done a waltz jump that can be called beautiful however

j

Waltz wheenies . . . hee hee . . . LOVE IT!!! :bow:

good luck at your comp, btw!! Make all of us skating moms look good!!! 8-)

Skittl1321

02-28-2007, 11:01 AM

Yay Redboots. Us Waltz wheenies have to stick together!:D Even in the best of circumstances I don't think I've ever actually done a waltz jump that can be called beautiful however

j

Count me in on the waltz weenie group! I even got harnessed to work on it!

Congrats Mrs. Redboots!

Scarlett

02-28-2007, 11:41 AM

Signs of Spring:

Showed my coach my newly discovered loop jumps today. My entrance is a little wonky but the jump itself is fully rotated and landed on one foot. So we started working on waltz-loops. I'm very excited.

Winter Frost:
I got video recorded doing my backspins today. I was so focused on the size of my behind and the pace in which I was going that I had to see it a couple of times to see the foot thing my coach was talking about. Now I see it, I just can't seem to fix it.
Moves were awful. Everything was off today. I even heard the click of death doing back crossovers and went down hard. Oh well, I guess it is part of the joy of skating.

Team Arthritis

02-28-2007, 11:42 AM

Anyone else have a problem with the landing foot skidding out as you push on it landing the 1/2 Flip? The only way I can prevent this is if I almost kick out the left foot to keep it in front of me.

Yeh EmberChilde that Pop/Rip, still makes me shudder to think about it. Strange, my first sensation after wards was immediate nausea. Only when I felt I could keep my food down did I realize that it hurt so bad I couldn't wlk. Then I touched my hamstrings and felt this big pit, yuch. SImilar thing on the groin but not so deep a pain.

Solidly refrozen ice (afer a thaw and refreeze) - wow very strange bird. Super slick and tough to hold an edge but spinning was great?!

Lyle

sk8_4fun

02-28-2007, 11:49 AM

can I join the waltz weenie club????? I videoed mine yesterday, and they were soooo small:cry: The motion was there but height and distance sadly lacking!!!!!!!

Petlover

02-28-2007, 11:53 AM

My coach is always trying to convince me to wear pads because I'm such a chicken, she thinks they'd give me confidence. But see, the appeal of skating to me is not being a jumping jock, but a graceful ballerina. Even if it is a fantasy (cuz I'm not a jock or graceful) - the pads really intefere with the fantasy.

j

Except when I compete, I ALWAYS wear the skating safe gel knee pads and the roller blade hard plastic wrist guards. My coach knows that it's not an option for me, I would have broken my arm several times if I didn't have the wrist guards. Actually, with the wrist guards, I learned not to try to put my hand down when I fall - this came in handy a few nights ago when my kitchen floor was wet and my foot slipped right from under me and I fell hard on my terrazzo (a form of concrete) floor. Had I not learned not to try to catch myself with my hand, I would have broken my arm. As it was, I was very lucky to escape with just a few bruises. Believe it or not, it hurts a lot less when I fall on the ice than when I fall on the kitchen floor!

Sessy

02-28-2007, 12:09 PM

I wear plastic wrist guards for my wrist. I couldn't even lift a coat with that arm for a few months after 2 falls on the wrist, I couldn't move the entire arm from the shoulder.
When falling, I sort of would stretch out the arm in front of me, and then have my hand at 90 degrees to the rest of my arm and instead of falling on my hands, well I would fall on my hands, but because the arm was totally stretched out, it impacted onto a "locked" wrist and elbow joint and onto the shoulder, there wasn't anywhere the impact force could go since all the joints were "locked", it just went like BANG-BANG-BANG like when a car smacks into a standing row of cars (I've seen that happen once, the force just passes through as a wave, barely loosing in strength).

Wrist pads taught me to fall differently, sort of on the flesh of the underarm with bent elbow and the like.

However, I tested without them and that was no problem and occasionally I'll spin and jump without them too - as long as I wear my gloves, psychologically it doesn't matter if I'm wearing wrist guards or not. I can't skate without gloves though, strangely enough. :o I miss the feeling of my fingers being "compressed". LOL!

I decided not to wear knee pads, I tried but they inhibit my movement too much. I've just got a lot of bruises on my knees and take glucosamine for them, it really helps somehow.

Occasionally I stuff sponges in my pants when I keep falling on the same spot in my jumps.

I'm totally recommending the wrist pad thing to everybody. Besides, skating isn't just grace, it's also power, strength, it's a sport - not just an art. For me, it's more of a sport than an art to be frank. And wrist pads fit into that just fine.

doubletoe

02-28-2007, 01:03 PM

:cry: Doubletoe, those stretches sound great (and really, your ROM isn't too bad at all, considering a hamstring pull! My mostly healed right leg is still a bit too tight to get my head all the way to my leg without cheating, so it sounds like you're doing a great job with stretching it!)... and the rip sound... it can either be a rip or sound like a pop *shudder*

Winter Frosts:
Couldn't figure out why, regardless of when I went to bed, I've overslept this week and missed the early freestyles every day. Then woke up this morning to a nasty little head cold. :cry: :?? Apparently, my body was trying to ward off the cold with sleep... and failed. So no skating today, and lots of fluids to see if I can flush this out of my system faster... I may still try to make it onto the ice tommorrow.

We began backwards 3-turns on Sunday. eew.... I never realized how truly sucky I can be about listening to my coach and using my arms properly until this past lesson!

Signs of Spring:
Finally, after MONTHS of trying and getting foiled again and again, I'm going to be able to go into NYC on Friday (thanks to a cadaver lab for work). !

Thanks again for the reassurance about the stretches. There is a huge difference in range of motion from when I first start my hamstring stretch until I FINALLY get my chest to my leg 10-15 minutes later, so maybe it's just a matter of torturing yourself a few minutes longer? ;) BTW, when I pulled my hamstring it was definitely the "pop" variety. The hamstring itself didn't actually hurt, but I could swear my femur had just left my hip socket (and it probably did)!

So sorry to hear you've come down with a cold. That's rotten. . . Which reminds me, what sort of fun stuff do you get to do in your cadaver lab? :lol: Are you a doctor?

Okay, so here's my recap for the day. . .

Signs of Spring
- Completed a flying camel-back sit on the first try for my coach
- Completed my opening combination spin on the first try for my coach
- Showed a 13-year old Pre-juv skater how to do a change of edge spiral yesterday and today she could do it beautifully! How rewarding for both of us!

Winter Frost
- Apparently, my axel takeoff is having to undergo emergency surgery. The timing couldn't be worse, since tomorrow is my last practice session before my competition on Saturday and I have to re-train myself to do my step-out differently from how I've been doing it for the past year.
-I was so stressed out over the axel this morning that I didn't even have a chance to skate my program. I was an emotional basket case. :cry:

Laura H

02-28-2007, 01:33 PM

Signs of Spring:

I love skating at lunch!! 2 freestyle kids, 2 smaller "wall huggers" and their moms, and one other adult skater. And a whole lotta open ice!!

Salchows are good as long as I remember to sink down into the knee before trying to jump . . . landings felt a little iffy (think maybe I was hitting the flat of the blade to much) so I worked on flowing out of the landing and they felt much better.

SPINS!! one footed are actually fun . . . and I eked out a few wobbly backspins as well . . . the other adult skater said my spins were "graceful." (my translation: slooooooow) :lol: Almost, almost there on bringing the free foot down and through to make it a true scratch spin. (my body is fighting me on that one . . . :frus: ).

After a little experimenting I quickly concluded that my RBO is NOT strong enough to start working on the loop . . . (mind is willing, body is weak) so I worked on backward edges and 3 turns instead. And some power 3's just for kicks - it was a good session overall!!

Winter Frost:

Backspin . . . loop . . . anything that requires crossing the legs . . . could someone convince my body that I won't DIE in the backspin position?? :giveup:

Blades are starting to show signs of needing to be sharpened - and I don't know of anyone local to do it - I didn't care so much about leaving my last pair of skates ($47.99 entry level Riedells) to be sharpened at the rink - but no way are the hockey guys getting their hands on the new MK Pros!!

Isk8NYC

02-28-2007, 01:47 PM

Hang in there, doubletoe. You'll be okay with the new axel entrance. I believe!

Laura H - You COULD ship the skates out for sharpening. It's expensive and leaves you without skates, but if you don't trust anyone nearby, it's an option. Another option: ROAD TRIP! LOL

Winter Frosts:
I come out of spins and jumps on a very deep back outside edge.
I wonder if I need the blade moved on my landing foot?
I haven't had any adjustments done since I picked up the skates in December. Hmmmm.
Maybe I'll just get them sharpened first and then decide.

Tried the RBO twizzles. This will take a while. LOL
Sit-change-sit was sloppy today.
Full rotation jumps are still not there. Brrrrr!

Signs of Spring:
Waltz and Salchow landings: Get off the deep outside edge.
Salchows, Toe loops: slight adjustment on the use of the free arm that I have to practice.
Half-Flip, Half-Lutz: Perfect, just have to point the free toe after landing.
Scratch Spin: Don't drop the back arm on the tuck under.

Sit and Camel spins were good.

Warming Trend:
Tango stops on both feet; still working on the one-foot version. (I'm sure a sharpening will send me back to START. :roll:)
Decent beginning layback position with good hip/leg extension.
Good camel-change-camels, about 2 out of 3 centered.

jazzpants

02-28-2007, 02:11 PM

Hang in there, doubletoe. You'll be okay with the new axel entrance. I believe!

Laura H - You COULD ship the skates out for sharpening. It's expensive and leaves you without skates, but if you don't trust anyone nearby, it's an option. Another option: ROAD TRIP! LOL I usually aim for the road trip option. The only two sharpeners I trust to do my skates in a timely fashion (i.e. at most the skates disappear from my sight for like 10 minutes while the guy is in the room sharpening it...) I have to make a special road trip for.

One of the sharpeners happened to live within a couple of miles of a major shopping outlet mall. :mrgreen: Can you say....

TA-da-da-DA... da-DAAAAAH!!!! CHAAAAAARGE IT!!! :twisted:

http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/haushalt/u020.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/haushalt/g100.gif

GO DOUBLETOE!!! You can get that axel back! I know you can!!! You have the determination in you to go out and get your axel back in a pinch. You CAN DO IT!!!

doubletoe

02-28-2007, 04:40 PM

Hang in there, doubletoe. You'll be okay with the new axel entrance. I believe!

Thank you, that makes me feel better!:)

I come out of spins and jumps on a very deep back outside edge.
I wonder if I need the blade moved on my landing foot?
I haven't had any adjustments done since I picked up the skates in December. Hmmmm.

How odd! So how long have you been noticing the deep outside landing/exit edge? I would guess it's the mounting if:
- it's been going on ever since you got the new blades mounted, but not before that
- your edges also feel too deep on RFO 3-turns, and RFO and RBO outside edges with no turn

Otherwise, before re-mounting you might want to first ask your coach to check to make sure you aren't dropping your right shoulder or hip, lifting or opening out your left shoulder or hip, or turning your head to the left as you land or come out of your spins (spoken by someone who has done all of those things, LOL!).

Sessy

02-28-2007, 05:33 PM

Keeping the leg behind you instead of slightly to the side will get too deep of an edge too.

Emberchyld

02-28-2007, 08:15 PM

BTW, when I pulled my hamstring it was definitely the "pop" variety. The hamstring itself didn't actually hurt, but I could swear my femur had just left my hip socket (and it probably did)!

So sorry to hear you've come down with a cold. That's rotten. . . Which reminds me, what sort of fun stuff do you get to do in your cadaver lab? :lol: Are you a doctor?

That pop's the sound... the first time I pulled my hamstring, I tore it in 3 places and hear 3 pops. Then, I was, like... wait, there's no joint in that spot!8O 8O

I'm an engineer-- I design the instruments and implants used in spinal surgery... so I get to randomly hang out around dead bodies and surgeons and make sure that when we stick these things into living people, they do what they're supposed to do. Makes for a great conversation starter... or stopper... (especially when I get on a plane after a long long day in a lab and my seatmate starts sniffing the air around him/her and then realizes that the stink is me...):twisted:

Isk8NYC

02-28-2007, 08:32 PM

How odd! So how long have you been noticing the deep outside landing/exit edge? I would guess it's the mounting if:
- it's been going on ever since you got the new blades mounted, but not before that
- your edges also feel too deep on RFO 3-turns, and RFO and RBO outside edges with no turn

Otherwise, before re-mounting you might want to first ask your coach to check to make sure you aren't dropping your right shoulder or hip, lifting or opening out your left shoulder or hip, or turning your head to the left as you land or come out of your spins (spoken by someone who has done all of those things, LOL!).
I can't say if it's new and unusual because I only started jumping again in earnest after I got the new boots in December. My coach pointed it out to me this morning (first freestyle lesson in weeks) and I really struggled unsuccessfully to fix it by lifting my hip or checking my arms/shoulders. It might explain the struggle with 3s on the line, too. Hmmmm.

In fairness, my arms/shoulders check weren't great on those landings either, so it could be a technique problem. I'm going to get the blades sharpened (it's time) and practice more before I decide to have Klingbeil adjust the blade.

Keeping the leg behind you instead of slightly to the side will get too deep of an edge too.
Good point; I catch my students doing this all the time. It's hard to watch yourself without video, right? ;)

Sessy

03-01-2007, 02:16 AM

My last video is in fact from december 1st. I got my flip, loop, lutz, sit spin and scratch spin without it.

HOWEVER, if you know where they are, there are "sweet spots" on the ice rink where you can see yourself in the boarding almost during your entire jump, spin, etc. Just in general the reflection from the boarding is very helpful to find out whether what you're doing corresponds with what you feel you're doing.
And during public sessions, to make sure there's nobody gets behind you on the last part of the crossovers approach to, oh say the camel spin or a on a backward spiral. :twisted:

Mostly they're in the corners and on the short sides of the rink where the rink just starts bending a little towards a corner, but there's actually one by the hockey/judge booth as well. On our rink at least. Different rinks have different spots - it also depends on what colour the material behind the plastic glass is, it's best if it's dark.

Rusty Blades

03-01-2007, 03:53 AM

Signs Of Spring: The preliminary schedule is up for our Adult Nationals and my event is the afternoon of the first day - WOOHOO! - couldn't have picked a better time (for me)! I don't have to sit around and stew for three days, getting more and more nervous - get it out of the way early and then let my hair down :mrgreen: It also means I have practice ice every day leading up to competition and can set my own pace going in. After surviving "kill the skater day" yesterday I know I can skate a better program than yesterday. The next big question is how many will be in my age group? Three would be perfect! ;)

Mrs Redboots

03-01-2007, 08:43 AM

We began backwards 3-turns on Sunday. eew.... I never realized how truly sucky I can be about listening to my coach and using my arms properly until this past lessonThey are scary, scary, scary - it's the rotation that gets me..... plus I can't keep my weight over my blade, but let it rock over, which is not a good idea!

Winter frosts: The husband, whose BO3s are relatively fine (he was using his shoulder to finish the glide back to the line, though), actually managed a couple of BI 3s, last night and I could see what he was doing differently to what I do, but I can't change it yet, alas! My body just doesn't want to do that. Of course, I was all, "I HATE you!!", but privately :bow: :bow:

That was one strange session - it's not one we normally skate on, and apart from the coaches, we only knew two of the skaters (a third one came on later, but I'd only met her on test day!). It just felt like we were strangers in a strange land, and, of course, not knowing where people's programmes were going (if, indeed they had them) made us very tentative, and we bailed out of a couple of dances because we were in people's line of fire.

Summer breezes: But we played with our spins, which were working fine and you wouldn't have thought we'd not done them for months! We also did a couple of lifts off-ice, but decided it would be showing off to do them on-ice, so didn't. We also played with pivot-spirals, just for fun (about the only pairs move I'm prepared to do!), which didn't really work - we need to remember how to do them, I think.

Fiesta Tango still working well, and the new start is going to be great. But doing the change-of-edge as staccato as our coach wants is a bit scary and makes me skid! Canasta okay - and it wasn't me who promptly started to do a change-of-edge in the second swing roll. Willow coming-along-nicely, to the point that I'm actually able to think about extension (which confused Husband no end!). Swing Dance not so good because we keep arguing about the swing roll at the very end of the dance, which husband will flatten off and not finish because he says we'd be going back on ourselves if he does.... grrrr....

jskater49

03-01-2007, 08:55 AM

Winter Frost

Yea. There's a blizzard warning for all of Iowa. I'm probably not going to make it to the competition Sat.

J

Isk8NYC

03-01-2007, 09:36 AM

Got in a few minutes last night at the seasonal rink. Two more weeks until that one closes.

Winter Frosts:
Blew 3/4 of the camel spins I attempted. I think keeping the trailing arm up is my undoing on these.
Have to play with them more.
Tried a few flips, but I kept breaking at the waist.

Signs of Spring:
Great sit-change-sit spins; need more rotations on the back spin side.
Half-flip and half-lutz were good and I remembered to point the toe and countdown the landing. :halo:

Blizzard Warning: (Sorry, jskater)
Tried the twizzle last night; I think I need to watch the video. Just can't figure out where to stay on the blade.

*Sending "good weather" vibes for jskater49*

jazzpants

03-01-2007, 04:56 PM

Got in a few minutes last night at the seasonal rink. Two more weeks until that one closes.Is this the Kate Wollman rink? I can't keep track of all the outdoor rinks you guys got. We only have two in the Bay Area and both are gone after New Years Day! :P

*Sending "good weather" vibes for jskater49*Ditto!

Winter Frost: http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/verschiedene/r020.gif
Looks like I'm having camel spins issues too. I'm spinning but still can't get into the position well enough. Weird...must be tired since it was the very last thing I did on the ice during my lesson.

Signs of Spring: (Lots of Flowers!!!) http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/flowers/012.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/flowers/021.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/flowers/001.gif

Added a little bit more stuff to my FS program today. Jay wanted me to do this footwork thing and go all the way towards the middle of the rink. Problem with that is that I ended up pushing all the way towards the other end of the rink. Primary coach calls me back and says "I was expected towards the other blue line, but I guess I underestimated how much power you have in your strokes now. Oops! :oops: " <sheepish grin> :lol:
Backspin: I have NO CLUE how I managed to do this but I managed to do two really good back scratch spins...and it STAYED on the BO edge!!! 8O Primary coach made me do another one after the first one and he was 8O .
I am progressing on the back sit, though it's not quite yet a recognizable back sit... but it's getting there and it is spinning. 8O
And yes the loop is still there. In fact, now he wants me to do a loop-toe loop "since my free leg is already straight behind me and all..." :lol: (Yes, he's pushin' it!!!)
And guess what? Just when primary coach was already impressed. I went out there and (wimpy ones as they are) I still managed to land a couple of flips CLEAN too!!! His exact quote was "Where did THAT come from????" :D

doubletoe

03-01-2007, 05:05 PM

I can't say if it's new and unusual because I only started jumping again in earnest after I got the new boots in December. My coach pointed it out to me this morning (first freestyle lesson in weeks) and I really struggled unsuccessfully to fix it by lifting my hip or checking my arms/shoulders. It might explain the struggle with 3s on the line, too. Hmmmm.

In fairness, my arms/shoulders check weren't great on those landings either, so it could be a technique problem. I'm going to get the blades sharpened (it's time) and practice more before I decide to have Klingbeil adjust the blade.

Before you have Klingbeil adjusts the blade, see if your coach can watch from behind as you glide forward on a straight line on your left foot, then your right foot (then repeat right and left inside edge glide and outside edge glide). That should help you describe the problem to Klingbeil.

BTW, I am very impressed that you are doing sit/change sits! Way to go!!

doubletoe

03-01-2007, 05:12 PM

jazzpants

03-01-2007, 05:16 PM

I just checked the Adult Nationals website and USFSA.org and did not see any updates or tentative event times on the schedule. Did you find a schedule somewhere that has actual event times?Rusty Blade's talking about CANADIAN Adult Nationals... :lol: (Yeah, I know. I can't keep track of whether anyone is British, Canadian, US, Australian, Netherlands... you get the point...)

doubletoe

03-01-2007, 05:23 PM

Signs of Spring: (Lots of Flowers!!!) [IMG]
Backspin: I have NO CLUE how I managed to do this but I managed to do two really good back scratch spins...and it STAYED on the BO edge!!! 8O Primary coach made me do another one after the first one and he was 8O .
I am progressing on the back sit, though it's not quite yet a recognizable back sit... but it's getting there and it is spinning. 8O
And yes the loop is still there. In fact, now he wants me to do a loop-toe loop "since my free leg is already straight behind me and all..." :lol: (Yes, he's pushin' it!!!)
And guess what? Just when primary coach was already impressed. I went out there and (wimpy ones as they are) I still managed to land a couple of flips CLEAN too!!! His exact quote was "Where did THAT come from????" :D[/LIST]

Wow, great stuff, Jazzpants!!

Signs of Spring
My program run-through this morning was pretty good (with the exception of the axel). I completed my opening spin and flying camel again, which made me pretty happy (it's especially nice to have the flying camel back!).

Winter Frosts
I stayed for a second session this morning and spent the entire 45 minutes trying to re-train myself on the axel takeoff. In the last 5 minutes of the session I tried 3 axels and did not land a single one of them. I guess I gave up my axel for Lent. . . and I'm not even Catholic! :giveup:
My horoscope for today was: "Stress can make you stronger -- after all, high pressure is what creates diamonds!"

Rusty Blades

03-01-2007, 05:25 PM

I just checked the Adult Nationals website and USFSA.org and did not see any updates or tentative event times on the schedule. Did you find a schedule somewhere that has actual event times?

Sorry to mislead you. I thought the "Manitoba" in my location would give it away.

doubletoe

03-01-2007, 05:29 PM

Sorry to mislead you. I thought the "Manitoba" in my location would give it away.

DOH! :frus: Forgot you were Canadian! LOL!

Terri C

03-01-2007, 06:44 PM

Signs of Spring:
Silver moves- namely the forward crosstrokes are going well- I can hear the rip of the edge!
Spins are going good, but I think my camel attempts are lost somewhere.
Jumps were fine, but ankle got cranky after too many loops.

Winter Frosts:
Next week, until I get my new co-worker trained (she starts on the 19th) I'll be back to 4 day a week 10 hour workweek from hell.
No ice at my home rink the next two weekends because of a hockey tournament. Will be going to another rink in the area to skate!

Rusty Blades

03-01-2007, 07:03 PM

DOH! :frus: Forgot you were Canadian! LOL!

That's ok. Here in Manitoba we are more closely related to North Dakota than Ottawa ;)

Skate@Delaware

03-01-2007, 07:33 PM

Winter Frosts: did NOT get to skate wednesday night, as I was down hard with the virus that has been making it's rounds; which means my pre-competition program run-throughs did not happen :cry: .

And, I have YET to hear what day/time I skate this weekend....for Skate Annapolis...and I am starting to freak out 8O

BatikatII

03-02-2007, 06:46 AM

Thursday was my first skate in a week but it was mostly good.

Spring: landed loop and flip OK but still need to work on better runout on landings. May have made a breakthrough on the back spin - suddenly getting the position right so I can get round a couple of times. Will see if this is a fluke if I can still do it tomorrow. Had fun practising double 3's. I can now do BO to FI and repeat for 4 or 5 complete turns (on my good side anyway!) I've always wanted to be able to do this!

Friday - spring: Managed 2 rotations on the backspin so maybe gettign thsi at last. Coach asked to see Loop and did a good one on the second try so we left it at that. He knows that if I do a good one then asking for another inevitably ends badly! Also did nice flip at first attempt which is very unusual for me and even landed it when practising my programme (not with music mind) after the lesson.

No bad stuff to report for a change:D

kateskate

03-02-2007, 07:07 AM

Winter Frosts
I stayed for a second session this morning and spent the entire 45 minutes trying to re-train myself on the axel takeoff. In the last 5 minutes of the session I tried 3 axels and did not land a single one of them. I guess I gave up my axel for Lent. . . and I'm not even Catholic! :giveup:
My horoscope for today was: "Stress can make you stronger -- after all, high pressure is what creates diamonds!"

Oh dear - that did make me laugh. I think I gave mine up for Lent last year and it still hasn't fully returned.

Good luck for the weekend!

Sessy

03-02-2007, 07:31 AM

What is lent?

techskater

03-02-2007, 08:50 AM

jskater49

03-02-2007, 09:10 AM

What is lent?

It's a church season in preparation for Easter. In some tradtions, one "gives up" something (like chocolate)...as a discipline.

j

Rusty Blades

03-02-2007, 09:24 AM

.... high pressure is what creates diamonds!

Yea, and also makes useless rocks :?? (Reminiscent of my practice this morning!)

Winter Frost: We did the same pattern as Wednesday - as much off-ice as I want, 6 minutes on-ice warm-up, but this time straight into my program. I tried limiting my off-ice to stretching thoroughly and going through my program with my iPod and the three brain cells that were awake (it was 6:30 a.m. after all!) For on-ice, I concentrated on forward cross-overs, getting deep in the knees, backwards edges, and turns - all the things that were poorest on Wednesday.

Signs of Spring First program run-through went pretty well - way better than Wednesday, though I had to cut the turn sequence a little shorter (I was getting dizzy!). Coach seemed happy, said I was getting good animation and was in sync with the music though my one foot stops were a bit wobbly (dull blades, hard ice).

WINTER FROST! Second run-through about 10 minutes later was an absolute disaster! My knees were about to fold at the half way point! If I had carried on, my butt would have been on the ice :cry: NOT GOOD!

I don't know if this relates to my current B12 deficiency or if I am finally starting to see the limitations of the knees I injured 36 years ago. I will have to figure out what I can do to have my flexibility for the program and still have "enough knees" to get one good run-through every time on a 6-minute warm-up.

flo

03-02-2007, 09:28 AM

Spring - Took the day off yesterday and ordered new boots. I dragged down both pairs that don't fit and also skated (in an empty public session) prior to fitting to be able to show where the current boots are causing problems. After measurements/try-ons/discussions, I ordered a Jackson Dance boot, in a smaller size customized for me. It's not as stiff as my current ones, but stiffer than a synchro boot and enough for the doubles I do. It has the scallops which I usually order, and it's cut down in the back with an insert allowing more toe point and less resistance so my heel won't come up.

He also put in some inserts and new foot beds into my current skates to take up the extra room, and hopefully get me through nats.

Anyone free skate in dance boots?

Mrs Redboots

03-02-2007, 10:00 AM

Anyone free skate in dance boots?No, but husband free skates in dance blades.....

http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/verschiedene/r020.gif

He could not, however, do so this morning - both his jumps and his spins were "off". I shall tease him that he's given them up for Lent - but this might be disastrous as he's supposed to compete his programme in a couple of weeks, and, as far as I know, he hasn't run it through once to the music yet. Sigh... oh well, if he won't be told, he won't be told!

http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/flowers/012.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/flowers/021.gif http://www.cosgan.de/images/more/flowers/001.gif
Most of our dances are coming now. I am really pleased that in the Willow Waltz I am now sufficiently confident to focus on extension and free leg position! This is new, and only started happening this week, so I'm pleased. Fiesta maintains improvements from last lesson, but a bit scratchy on the end pattern. Swing Dance still not what it could be, I think. Not quite sure why not, you'd think that of the three dances it would be our best, but it isn't. Didn't practice the Canasta, though.

Solo, I looked at the new Level 3 skating moves, and they really aren't quite such bears as I imagined. I can definitely do two of them. The spirals will be a problem as I'm not flexible enough to get my free leg high enough, but that can be worked on. The deal-breaker, though, is the 3-turns; however, they are done from a standstill, and I am beginning to be able to get at least the BO3s. I think I shall try them 2-footed, to get the feeling, and then try lifting one foot.

Interesting to note that the focus for all the moves is edge quality - perhaps they reckon level 3 skaters should be working on their forward edge quality! I know I should, so.....

But oh, the bliss of not having to do back crossovers round the ends!

Isk8NYC

03-02-2007, 10:08 AM

BTW, I am very impressed that you are doing sit/change sits! Way to go!!Don't be too impressed. I used to do flying-sit-jump-sit and Illusion spins. Don't EVER stop skating, people. You only have a few years' grace period before you start losing skills. (In my case, I NEVER had footwork or dance skills. Just freestyle and power.)

Winter Frosts:
Feel generally tired and a bit dizzy. I moved my Sunday students to Friday this week, so I have a day off! (To escort my twins in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Some day off. LOL)

Signs of Spring:
Started making up footwork for my Show groups. Lots of fun. Now, I just need the music... :roll:
My own mohawk sequences are getting stronger.
Can actually do choctaws on the "weak" side again.
Toe loop was a bit stronger last night; got the arm motion in control, at least.

Rob Dean

03-02-2007, 11:37 AM

Signs of Spring: After a rough week I finally was back on the ice this morning. Due to feeling a little hesitant about skating while my mouth heals from a tooth I had pulled on Wednesday, it seemd like a good day to ask my coach to bring out a scribe and do some figures (no rapid head movements expected :) ), so that's what we did. After enough of that to have something to practice, we went back to the Fiesta Tango, which didn't seem too impossible this morning. Of course, after a week off, anything short of a serious fall was going to look good...

Frost: No practice for seven days, and next week is looking rough too.

Rob

doubletoe

03-02-2007, 12:44 PM

WINTER FROST! Second run-through about 10 minutes later was an absolute disaster! My knees were about to fold at the half way point! If I had carried on, my butt would have been on the ice :cry: NOT GOOD!

I don't know if this relates to my current B12 deficiency or if I am finally starting to see the limitations of the knees I injured 36 years ago. I will have to figure out what I can do to have my flexibility for the program and still have "enough knees" to get one good run-through every time on a 6-minute warm-up.

It's okay, Dianne, one bad run-through does not a bad skater make! The important thing is that your better run-through was the first one, because in competition, you only get a first one. :)

doubletoe

03-02-2007, 12:47 PM

Backspin . . . loop . . . anything that requires crossing the legs . . . could someone convince my body that I won't DIE in the backspin position?? :giveup:

Here's something that might help: Try doing a loop jump takeoff with absolutely no rotation. In other words, practice just getting into the correct takeoff position and springing up like you're doing a loop jump, keeping the free foot in front of the right shin in the air, then landing in the same spot on the same foot and checking the free foot out. That should help give you confidence in your ability to balance in that position. :)

doubletoe

03-02-2007, 12:59 PM

That pop's the sound... the first time I pulled my hamstring, I tore it in 3 places and hear 3 pops. Then, I was, like... wait, there's no joint in that spot!8O 8O

I'm an engineer-- I design the instruments and implants used in spinal surgery... so I get to randomly hang out around dead bodies and surgeons and make sure that when we stick these things into living people, they do what they're supposed to do. Makes for a great conversation starter... or stopper... (especially when I get on a plane after a long long day in a lab and my seatmate starts sniffing the air around him/her and then realizes that the stink is me...):twisted:

But when you stick them into living people, aren't they supposed to scream? ;)

Sessy

03-02-2007, 02:19 PM

It's a church season in preparation for Easter. In some tradtions, one "gives up" something (like chocolate)...as a discipline.

j

Oh, I gave up meat. I'm not catholic either though, but our easter corresponds with the catholic one this year. I do the same thing before christmas too for a few weeks. :)

As for the axel, definately putting that one in the freezer (mind you, NOT giving up!) till next season in favour of a nice looking programme:
a. my sprained anckle will only get worse from the axel - it hurts sharply in the anckle to try to land it.
b. after a bladder infection, angina and the flu I'm not feeling fit enough to really jump a lot
c. with court practice, I can only make a few ice hours every week, at least a programme I could practice off-ice for a large part

Frost: Pulled the inside of my... groin? in ballet class today (we practiced 5th position and my hips are NOT flexible - they never were)... Auwwie. Let's hope it heals fast! Flutzed or two-footed about half of my lutzes today. As long as I see myself in the reflection in the plexiglass boarding, I can do it, without a reflection I seem to think my arms to be somewhere completely different from where they really are.

Spring: Finally got about 80% of the power back in the sprained landing leg anckle, it still lacks some precision but I'll take it!
Oh yeah!!!! I've got the green light to participate in a contest! My first one!!!
I've got 6 weeks to make my programme myself. They say it'll be judged on artistry, not technical merit, but I wanna see if I can perform under pressure so at the very least I'm putting the flip-loop in, might even try the lutz.

For the rest, I'm just putting in everything that I can do more or less consistently - minding of course that you're only allowed 1 jump and 1 combination jump. Probably I'm going to mess the entire thing up, get really nervous, start thinking about all the mistakes I made and then make even more mistakes... but hey, I'm entitled, it's my first skating competition! Besides I did dancing competitions and there I always got an extra edge from the nerves, so maybe I'll do fine.

Oh yeah did I mention this is to take place on FRIDAY the 13th of april? :twisted:

Clare

03-02-2007, 02:32 PM

Winter Frosts: Back Crossovers seem to have reverted to the way they were when I first started them...they range from non-existent to awful!

Signs of Spring: Actual signs of spring this week- it's light when I get to the rink at 6.45 am now :)

The spring in my skating comes from just having 5 good skates this week, which is huge compared to last week!! I am finally seeing some (minor) improvments in my FI3s in that a LFI3 now actually exists even though it's more of a skid than a turn :??

To my own amazement, I'm actually enjoying moving FO3s (admittedly, to most people, it probably looks as though I'm not moving but to me it feels fast!) more than going at them from a standstill.

I've enjoyed working on edges so much this week too- outsides are still much stronger but the insides are not horrible anymore :)

Clare

Sessy

03-02-2007, 02:54 PM

Hang in there, they actually get easyer once you're comfortable on your edges.

Clare

03-02-2007, 03:08 PM

Hang in there, they actually get easyer once you're comfortable on your edges.

Thanks! I'm hanging on to that hope :)

Clare

BatikatII

03-02-2007, 04:54 PM

Solo, I looked at the new Level 3 skating moves, and they really aren't quite such bears as I imagined. I can definitely do two of them. The spirals will be a problem as I'm not flexible enough to get my free leg high enough, but that can be worked on. The deal-breaker, though, is the 3-turns; however, they are done from a standstill, and I am beginning to be able to get at least the BO3s. I think I shall try them 2-footed, to get the feeling, and then try lifting one foot.

Interesting to note that the focus for all the moves is edge quality - perhaps they reckon level 3 skaters should be working on their forward edge quality! I know I should, so.....

But oh, the bliss of not having to do back crossovers round the ends!

Hmmmmmm.... it may start from a standstill but from the video it looks like 3 repetitions of each with flow between so the second and third ones will have some speed! Exercise 1 and 3 are eminently doable, no. 2 would take a bit of work (even though I now have level 4!) but number 4 (those spirals) is horrible. Might have been Ok without back problems but not so easy now!

Some of the new level 4 exercises look easier to me than the old level 4 . the alternating forward outside 3's now have a crossover between each rather than being simply alternating. But why is this one level 4 while the back insides and outsides are now on level 3? - this looks much easier than that one is. The mohawk one I've never tried so can't tell but doesn't look too bad. The back 3/forward mohawk is the same as the old number 4 was, but the last exercise at that level just looks weird - back crossovers at speed around the ends with a double 3 turn (8O ) in the middle and then sticking your leg out behind to the middle of rink and then other leg to other end and then go round again (huh! - why!!!!!). It goes in a figure 8 pattern but who devised this one and what they were on at the time is anybody's guess - I'm just thankful I dont' have to do it!!!!!:lol:

Emberchyld

03-02-2007, 10:24 PM

But when you stick them into living people, aren't they supposed to scream? ;)

:lol: :lol: That's one reason why I don't mind dead bodies. They don't complain:halo: . Much. :twisted:

I must say, I've been tempted to slip some instruments into my purse when I'm going into the sketchy part of a city alone. You can do some major damage with those things!

Springy: no complaints from the body :P. And got my MRI results back from my hip-- no damage, so a cortisone shot to deal with some fluid and I'll be a happy little skater again

Frosty: Unfortunately, the radiologist who read my MRI saw some unusual results on one of my other internal organs that managed to get captured in the images, and ortho told me that the MRIs are being sent to my general practitioner so that he could get me on a new round of tests for newly identified problem. Threw me off all day, and when I wasn't dealing with a dead body or grumpy surgeon, I was thinking about that, until...

Spring, Spring!: Finally skated at Rockefeller Center. In my business suit (seriously, OINY-- only in NY). There were two lovely skaters on the ice who were fun to watch, the ice wasn't crowded at all, and the weather was amazing. There were moments when I just glided and looked at the city around me and forgot everything else-- no frosts or icicles in sight! This is the 1 year anniversary of my starting LTS (and 1 yr, 0.5 months of me finally getting enough courage to strap on a pair of skates!), and it was a nice little anniversary present. Did a few sad little waltz jumps, some really off spins, and a few spirals, and didn't care about technique much today-- just had fun!

jazzpants

03-03-2007, 12:42 AM

Spring, Spring!: Finally skated at Rockefeller Center. In my business suit (seriously, OINY-- only in NY). There were two lovely skaters on the ice who were fun to watch, the ice wasn't crowded at all, and the weather was amazing. There were moments when I just glided and looked at the city around me and forgot everything else-- no frosts or icicles in sight! This is the 1 year anniversary of my starting LTS (and 1 yr, 0.5 months of me finally getting enough courage to strap on a pair of skates!), and it was a nice little anniversary present. Did a few sad little waltz jumps, some really off spins, and a few spirals, and didn't care about technique much today-- just had fun!So jealous!!! I've never been at NYC and Rockefeller when the ice is empty. :roll: It's usually too crowded and the ice too hard. But hubby INSISTS that the only time he can take off on vacation is pretty much Christmas. :roll: *sigh*

Is this an omen? I'm having a McD's snack wrap with my diet Coke. (Yeah, I know. I'm cheating on my diet.... but I'm HUNGRY!!! :twisted: ) Anyway, I have a figure skater on my cup with the words "Perfect routine, I nailed it... I'm lovin' it!" KEWL!!! 8-) (And no, I have no idea who the female skater is on the cup...)

Scarlett

03-03-2007, 06:28 AM

Signs of Spring:
Got put in the harness and landed a couple of clean flips. When I went to do them out of the harness they were stronger but still not clean but I'm getting closer.
Waltz-salchow is looking better. I wouldn't say good but I will say better.
It was a beautiful 64 degrees in Washington yesterday. This is after the bitter cold and ice/snow storm all last week and the beginning of this week.
I am actually doing the mohawk on the willow waltz instead of chickening out on it.

Winter Frosts:
Toe loops continue to be toe-waltz(es). I do hate that jump. It is so easy to learn incorrectly and so hard to fix it. To add insult to injury, that is one of the compulsory moves in my first competition (as a solo skater) next month. Aaarrgghhh :twisted:
I can't remember the dance steps to save my life. Maybe because I never practice them and only work on dances doing my half hour group lesson :idea:

Isk8NYC

03-03-2007, 01:01 PM

Signs of Spring:
Strong edges, crossover and turns this morning. Several parents watching remarked about how nice my skating looked and how much better their DD's are skating. (Several of them just joined my group lessons, so that was very flattering!)

My main change is that I now DEMAND pointed toes from the skaters, and I'm making a conscious effort to do it myself at all times. LOL Guess it really does make a difference.

Lunges :cry: :cry: were fine on both feet, but I FORGOT TO WEAR BOOTCOVERS. My poor new Klingbeil's!!!

Amazing what happens when you try to demonstrate for students.
I can do waltz jumps and one-foot spins in both directions now!

Winter Frost:
Nothing to report.

Bill_S

03-03-2007, 04:53 PM

Our rink held its annual competition today and I did the usual photo duties.

At the request of my coach (can you say "beg"?), I entered the adult team compulsory competition because there were few entries. I had to perform a scratch spin and a waltz jump, the others on my team did the 1/2 flip, loop, and sit spin.

Despite that fact that I shivered (brrrr!) all morning in the hockey box taking pictures, I pulled myself together for the team challenge. There was lots of loud support from the stands when we took the ice. (Home team advantage!!)

I did a nice scratch spin - centered and held for many revolutions. The waltz jump was high, but I didn't have the speed I usually try for. It didn't cover as much ice as I'd hoped for.

Still it was fun, and our team won silver.

Now to edit all those photos from today....

Rusty Blades

03-03-2007, 04:56 PM

The important thing is that your better run-through was the first one, because in competition, you only get a first one.

That's what I told my coach - only the first one matters. She still didn't cut me any slack :roll:

Signs of Spring: Well whatever was wrong with my knees yesterday WASN’T today - everything was fine! I even seem to be getting some of my stamina back and shortened recovery times. Maybe the B12 is working! 8-)

Winter Frosts:
Dianne’s Discovery in Figure Skating Physiology #217
If skating your turn sequence make you dizzy, skating your turn sequence 30 times in 1:30 doesn’t cure the dizziness - IT GIVES YOU A SPLITTING HEADACHE! (Don’t bother asking how I found out....)

Signs of Spring: Other than making myself dizzy too often, I worked on backward stroking, back edges, slow-motion DEEP forward cross-overs all of which went well - damn I have nice forward edges (and I’m modest to!) :halo:

After skating, I got my skates (and my backup pair) sharpened for competition, my right boot bumped half way to Kingdom Come (to accommodate my growing bunion)

BIG relief about the knees! :)

Terri C

03-03-2007, 06:29 PM

Signs of Spring:
The weather where I live- we were pushing 70 degrees today!
Forward crosstrokes and backward power pulls on lesson- I'm finally figuring out how to get power on those- uh yeah, kneebend! Eight step mohawk was good too.
Jumps were good- Coach insists I need PT all the time- little does she know I'm only going once a week if that sometimes!

Winter Frosts:
I felt a little off today and had no stamina. Reason- that thing us ladies are talking about in a currently active thread here showed up on lesson today.
My Bronze test program is a mess, period.
Will only skate once next week and at another rink. The next two weekends, I'll be doing what skating I can because of hockey tournaments at my rink.

Isk8NYC

03-03-2007, 07:50 PM

Winter Frost:
Need to point free foot toe on jumps. Grrr. Thought I was already.
Did a bit of choreography for Show groups. Two down, four to go. Whew!

Pro Shop guy was out sick, so I missed my chance to get a sharpening, but I think the blade on my right boot does need an adjustment. It would explain the clunky RFI mohawks (but EXCELLENT RFO ones) and the wimpy RFI and RBO threes on that foot. Have to make a date next week and get the sharpening out of the way at least.

Signs of Spring:
Spins - dead on great. One sit spin I actually "spun out" with my ski pants touching the ice.

PPM - Just ducky, although Waltz-8 was sloppy.

I can do four lobes of back outside and inside edges at this rink, but I need six on Wed AM's at the other rink. Either I'm not a morning person (definitely true) or the rinks are different sizes.

One group is skating to Chinese music. The SD handed me a CD today. Not one word of english on the case or CD. I just picked two songs I liked and let the group decide. "Track 12" was the big winner. Won't that look cute in the program? Now I need to watch Chinese dancing to put together some movements. YouTube, here I come! (I think this is going to be my favorite routine this year. It's challenging and fun for both the coach and the skaters!)

Anyone interested in a March 30th SF meetup, check out this thread:
http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?p=311824#post311824 (http://www.skatingforums.com/showthread.php?p=311824#post311824)
No skating required. BYOP (Buy Your Own Popcorn)!

jazzpants

03-03-2007, 09:41 PM

Winter Frost:

LOTS of kids!!!! I opted for skating at my home rink. It was weird. I lucked on the BEST 2 hour free street parking near my home rink... then I put on the skates and saw an old skating buddy I haven't seen in ages!!! 8O
Not that much energy after about an hour! Did footwork stuff instead!Signs of Spring:

Landed both loops and flips... and right in front of the skating buddy too!!! :D
Did some camel spin. It was slow spinning and the position could be better, but it's a legit 3-rev camel spin! :D
Ummm... I guess this will eventually come up but... despite the fact that my secondary coach will eventually work on loop-loop, I felt good about my loop today to try it for grins. I landed it clean!!! :mrgreen: My skating buddy saw it too, b/c I saw him doing :bow: afterwards!!!
I was also putzing with the lutz jump. I was setting up the entrance on the blue line instead of a diagonal and landed 2 out of 3 CLEAN!!! (The 3rd one was a two foot landing...and all from a combination of not enough flow and almost getting run over by a BIG hockey guy! 8O )OMG!!! How am I gonna explain this to my coaches!?!?!?! 8O 8O 8O

Skate@Delaware

03-03-2007, 10:37 PM

Signs of Spring: Finished my competitive season today at Skate Annapolis, which was actually held at the rink in Easton Maryland (Annapolis rink is still under construction). It was nice-although I did not feel I skated as well as I did last month at Bowie, I am pleased. My coach was very pleased with my spiral sequence and my overall skating was fairly clean so that is nice. I did remember my end pose and to curtsey to the audience and judges.

AND I ACTUALLY SKATED AGAINST SOMEONE!!!! Figures it was the last comp of the season. Very nice woman from Richmond. I hope to compete with her next season. Beats skating against the book!!! She was very a nice skater and had a solid program and nice music.

Winter Frosts: I can pick apart where I tanked...my scratch spin was wobbly because I rushed the entrance, I messed up on my mohawk step in the spiral sequence, I forgot (how many times did she tell me???) to hold the landing on my 1/2 lutz, and the ending pose was a smidge behind in the music (it's right after my finale 2-foot spin...super dizzy there!).

I did get mad from hearing comments from other skaters (from my rink :x ) about their placement or how they should have placed...one from someone who is an instructor at my rink. Sheesh! Be a good sport and take your placement without dissin' your competitors! Poor sportsmanship ticks me off!

PS-Now that I am done competing, I can kill myself working on jumps until the rink closes!!!! Don't have to worry about putting myself out of commission if I hurt something! :lol: Just kidding, but I can step it up a notch now!

Mrs Redboots

03-04-2007, 12:46 PM

Hmmmmmm.... it may start from a standstill but from the video it looks like 3 repetitions of each with flow between so the second and third ones will have some speed!Yes, but once I'm moving, I'm fine; I just can't do 3-turns fast from, say, crossovers!

Some of the new level 4 exercises look easier to me than the old level 4 . the alternating forward outside 3's now have a crossover between each rather than being simply alternating. But why is this one level 4 while the back insides and outsides are now on level 3? - this looks much easier than that one is. These were on the old level 4 Dance Moves - the one Husband failed on, so don't tell him it's too easy! As was the Mohawk exercise on the new Level 4, which Husband could do, but looked dreadful doing. He won't have a problem with the back-3s-to-Mohawks, as he can already do those (I think they're relatively easy if you have good flow out of the back 3s), but the deal-breaker on level 4 is the extended back edges, with a back double-3 at the end of the rink, just for fun. I don't see him getting those good for ages, probably as long as it will take me to get the 3-turn exercise on level 3!

Sessy

03-04-2007, 01:45 PM

FROST: I'm checking the flip too much, according to the trainer. Which is probably why it's suddenly a half underrotated again. ARGHHH I wanna do the flip-loop in the competition I can't lose it now!!! Ugh. And I fell on a backward 3-turn and landed on my finger (that's right ladies, 1 finger!) Don't think it's broken but I won't be writing for a few days. :frus:

Spring: Did the first run-through of my programme today, that is, about 1:10 out of about 2 minutes (I think my music will be 1:52 though). Doesn't feel nearly as awkward as I thought it would feel. Figured out how to do the crossovers approach more effectively, taking more of the force from the crossovers into the rotation. Helps my camel spin immensely.

BatikatII

03-04-2007, 01:51 PM

with a back double-3 at the end of the rink, just for fun.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

That's what I thought when I saw the video and this looked like someone had just casually thrown in a back double 3 at great speed for a laugh! The girl on the video does it all really fast and strong and then the voiceover says
"This is well above passing standard" - well what's the point of showing me that? :roll: I need to know what is the minimum passing standard - not how amazingly well some high level skater can do it!!!!!!

I thank my lucky stars that I passed this level and won't have to do these new ones!!!

e-skater

03-04-2007, 04:31 PM

despite the fact that my secondary coach will eventually work on loop-loop, I felt good about my loop today to try it for grins. I landed it clean!!!

I was also putzing with the lutz jump. I was setting up the entrance on the blue line instead of a diagonal and landed 2 out of 3 CLEAN!!!

JAZZ!!!!!! GOOD JOB on those jumps! So proud of you. :bow: :bow: Spring is bursting into bloom for you...all that hard work on the loop is translating (as you knew it would...) into many other fun things! Happy for ya (but please send my MIA flip to me :frus: :cry: .....maybe some of your vibes will rub off! :) LOL!)

Skate@Delaware

03-04-2007, 06:00 PM

Signs of Spring: Ok, skating after a competition is....RELAXING!!! Plus, no lesson!!! Here's what I did that was good:
-scratch spins were fine, not always centered but I held the leg longer and did manage one centered one that went on and on and on!!!
-back spins are good, managed a 3 rev one and worked on the backspin-hops
-loops-ok, not great, and I switched to doing the landing 2-footed.....for now but it beats hitting myself over the head for doing a 1/2 loop!!!

Rink was busy this morning, but as everyone (mostly) left for Skate Annapolis, by the end of the session, we were down to 6!!!

Winter Frosts: could not get the iPod connection working on the music box...so I put on the Shrek music, my music for next year, everyone else's music.....

-toe loops are sloppy! I need to work on them some more!
-forgot my toe-warmers so I had to get off the ice 30 minutes early...no big deal as I was getting tired anyway

I am wondering what my coach has in store for me next week!!! I'm tempted to ask her wednesday for ideas using champion cords with the loop...I think I need more proprioceptive feedback on my free leg-I still have no idea most of the time WHERE that sucker is!!! This is an ongoing issue with me and my body parts....

but I like champion cords!!! I'm weird

kateskate

03-05-2007, 06:16 AM

:lol: :lol: :lol:

That's what I thought when I saw the video and this looked like someone had just casually thrown in a back double 3 at great speed for a laugh! The girl on the video does it all really fast and strong and then the voiceover says
"This is well above passing standard" - well what's the point of showing me that? :roll: I need to know what is the minimum passing standard - not how amazingly well some high level skater can do it!!!!!!

I thank my lucky stars that I passed this level and won't have to do these new ones!!!

Totally agree. The exercise is backward stroking and they just sneak that BI double 3. For fun!

The other thing that annoyed me about the DVD was when they say 'This is not skated to passing standard'. So that helps me how. I'm sure I know how to skate an exercise badly! I want to see the passing standard not the failing standard or someone who is way above standard!