Zippy/Zappy Lessons & Practices 4/7 - 4/13

Zippy/Zappy Lessons & Practices 4/7 - 4/13

Gotta skate, gotta skate, gotta skate.

Another week has arrived, so tell us all about your great times (zippy) and not-so-great times (zappy).

And good luck to everyone who is at Adult Nationals!

Re: Zippy/Zappy Lessons & Practices 4/7 - 4/13

Zappy: I've been traveling, not sleeping much, working hard, and off the ice for a week, so I wasn't exactly feeling "peppy" as I got up extra early this morning for my lesson. When I arrived, my coach was stressed because she's heading to Nationals today and she was distracted, so we didn't have the lesson. Plus, they hadn't resurfaced the ice this morning after hockey and it was rutty and semi-dangerous.

Zippy: I perked up after a few minutes of practice and worked on my moves in the areas where the ice was good, and I felt like I really hadn't lost much ground (if any) at all. My fractured wrist is feeling better (even on the spins, which ache a little), and I get it x-rayed and re-casted on Thursday, so I might learn how much longer I'll be wearing the cast. I was the only one on the ice for the last hour, which always makes me feel like a diva!

zippy/zappy lesson

Zippy: Went into the lesson wanting to work on my backspin, loop and camel, but only worked on the backspin which is coming along, (like a turtle walking through molasses) but my camel is getting much better.Didn't work on the loop at all.

Zappy: Didn't work on the loop at all, I think my coach gets frustrated with teaching me that one, I just can't seem to get my toe pick off the ice at the last second, it just kinda scrapes sideways. So we started to work on the sit spin, tried to get into the shoot the duck position to warm it up and got two major cramps in my shoulder blade area and front thigh muscle! Then could only do footwork for the rest of the session.

Wow, are we having fun yet?? Then to top that off , almost had a run in with the zamboni--don't those things have brakes? I guess not.<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\">

Re: zippy/zappy lesson

SkatingFantasy-
Sit spins can be a real "pain" in the thigh muscle. A long time ago I actually injured my thigh muscle practicing sit spins. Try and strengthen those quad muscle so doing the sit spin won't cause major cramps.

Re: zippy/zappy lesson

Zippy: Back edges are in great shape now and even though they last through more music in my program, I have no problem doing hard stroking into my spiral, etc., so no changes have to be made. It just ends up being less stroking into the spiral, which still ends in the same spot on the ice thanks to better and more powerful stroking. Whew!! Waltz jump is nice and "jumpy" now. Felt good (though a bit exhausting) to skate the whole program a few times today. Back crossovers also are fuller and better with less lean forward.

Zappy, with zippy moments: We finally deconstructed my two foot spin this week to find out why my success is only about 50% with it. It seems I don't get enough of a "swizzle"/intial curve around into it. Now that I'm doing that its a bit slower with less revs for now, but my ice pattern and form are better. Yeesh. I'm the wierdest spinner--I never, ever travel, perfectly centered, yet the move is very hard for me. If I don't drop a shoulder, I don't get around enough at first or my feet separate near the end, or I don't bring my toes in enough or something!!!! I'm going to practice this till I turn BLUE!!!! I want this skill much much better in 5 and half weeks when I compete again.

I'm also surprised how competitive I've become. I really, really, REALLY want to kick ice and beat my buddy in May!!! :rollin: (If you recall, I didn't skate so well last time and lost to her both in elements and freestyle). Its been a little hard resolving in my own mind that its OK to be like this--as my coach put it firmly one day: "Beth, its perfectly OK to want to beat XXXX!!!!!" after one of my little "I just want to skate my best and then its up to the judges" speeches...yeah, right, I wanna WIN!!!!! :evil: I guess I just don't want to set myself up for disappointment if I skate well and still don't come out on top. Mostly, I want to skate the WINNINGEST program I can so that no matter where I place, I at least know I couldn't have given any more.

Happy skating, everyone!!!!

SIT SPIN

Thanks dlsk8fan, I've been skating for 4 years now and that was the first time I ever got any kind of muscle cramps on the ice. I've never had much of a warm up regimen besides doing some simple arm swings and leg exercises that take less than 5 min. (I'm ashamed to say )so I think it's time I got serious about spending more time on off ice training.

Re: Program work

Zippy: Well, gearing up for my event at Adult Nationals on Saturday. Ran 2 clean programs, Monday and Tuesday, as well as a mostly clean program on Friday. After all of my injury problems, and the fact that I've really only been back at it for 2 1/2 weeks, I'm quite pleased with the progress of my program. My coach saw me skating it w/out music on Tuesday, and he said I look very strong.

Zappy: Everything turned totally around on Wednesday - I was tired, my injured leg hurt, and my program was REALLY bad. Blew the axel, blew the lutz-loop, wobbled on the sit spin (which I never do) etc etc etc. Even wobbled on the spiral . Chalked it up to being tired from working at AN and decided to take today off to rest. I figure that I already have the program that I'm going to Natioanls with, so to speak, and one extra day of pushing myself and making myself even more tired certainly won't help anything.

The adult skaters that I have met so far this week have been really terrific people. AN has been a great experience so far - I encourage any of the adult skaters to try it someday. It's a lot of fun!


Yazmeen - I know what you mean about wanting to win. I know that I have no chance of winning (or even medalling) at AN because I have no doubles in my program. But I'd still like to :lol: !

Re: Program work

Zippy -- Well, today was the first day with my new coach. She's wonderful. She helped me a little with technical basics and told me I'm a "powerful skater" with "good extension". She decided to help my waltz jump tech... it was bizarre -- I did some stroking, then front crossovers, mohawk, turn, waltz. It took me awhile but it was fun because I'm getting more "stretch". She taught me the salchow. It was only a half revolution so I dunno if it's really a sal because I've read it takes off of a LBO edge and I did threes, turn, forward edge jump... So I guess it's like some weird waltz?

Zappy -- THE ARMS! my arms like to flail around when I'm jumping lately. So my coach and I were laughing about the "d@mn arms". Not really zappy -- just annoying.

Re: Program work

Lanechka,

The salchow takes off on a left back INSIDE edge (if you skate in a counter-clockwise direction). It is a one-revolution jump. You take off from the LBI and land on the RBO.

Sounds like she is just getting you used to the position and to swinging your right (free) leg through.

Congrats on the two very good comments on your power and extension. Those are the building blocks of most skating moves!

Re: Program work

<strong>Skater1964</strong>- you were smart not to let the "bad" practice rattle you. You've got what it takes and we'll be rooting for you tomorrow. Good luck and, most of all, have a blast!

P.S. If you get a chance, please let me know how the competition looks in Level 3 gold!

Re: Program work

Go, sk8er1964, knock em' dead at Nationals!! (Darn, we need that cheerleader smilie!!!)

Re: Program work

Okay, thanks, Cinderella. I was like, "But wait a minute.." because I KNOW it's from a back edge. She was like, "No, that's a salchow." I'm gonna ask her about it on Monday when I see her.

And hurray for sk8er1964!!

- Lanie

Zippy De Doo Dah

Zippy: Yahoo, I am high on endorphins, as I just got done with an awesome 2-hour practice. For some reason, I was just "on" and had lots of energy today. I ran through all my single jumps and everything felt high and strong. Then I worked on combos, and was proud of a loop loop loop (hey, it's my own "triple loop"). Also made a HUGE breakthrough on my reverse scratch spin. Funny, a beginning skater had asked me why I lift my free leg so high when I enter the spin and THAT was the thing that was throwing me off balance!

One more cool thing -- I actually did a hydroblade! It was a simple one on the back right outside edge, but I got all the way down to the ice, leaned in to the center of the circle, held it a loooooong time, and then got back up. Now I think I could use work on a more graceful finish, but still I did it. I also noticed that afterward my back right inner one (with the foot/leg crossed under) was much lower. But lots of work to go on that one.

Zappy: Nothing, just my bad mood about my cast has now been zapped (I'll spare you the details, but just know that I'm on my third one in two days).

Zippy De Doo Dah, Part 2

Zippy, but now I'm Zapped: Saturday was Day 1 of my ice skating clinic with famed coach Kathy Casey. We started the day with an hour of off-ice jumping (sheesh, talk about working up a SWEAT!), followed by one hour of incredibly strenuous Pilates. Then we spent two hours on the ice—the first hour working on our jumps and the second hour working on spins. Then we had lunch and then had an hour off-ice in a jumping technique seminar. Then we were on ice for an hour for jumps again, to practice what had been preached. Then we had an hour with a nutritionist, and then I scraped myself up off the floor and poured myself into my car to collapse and drive home. I am soooo tired!

Especially Zippy: I learned that my jumping technique is VERY GOOD! Toe picks are placed right, feet are coming together where necessary. The one place I might need work is in the air my feet should be closer together, but the height is good and the "prints" I'm leaving on the ice are just like she drew them--and no Flutzes!

Today is Day 2, which I'll report on later.

Zippy De Doo Dah, Part 3

Today was Part 2 of my skating seminar, and it was just as rigorous as yesterday. Today we started again with one hour of off-ice jumping. Amazing how much better we were today than yesterday! Imagine if I had time to practice this more often!

Then we moved on to an hour of on-ice jumping (including exercises to prepare for several doubles), an hour of stretching, and an hour of on-ice stroking, crossovers, and presentation. We stopped for lunch, then had an hour seminar on tests and competitions featuring a judge, then an hour of on-ice spinning and flying spins. Then we had an hour seminar on motivation and attitude.

Zippy: A highlight for me was that even though I was the oldest in the group, I had more stamina and a more positive attitude than anyone except for one 13 year old girl--we were the only two they had to drag off the ice at the end. Everyone else complained about being tired and sore, but I could have kept going. Another highlight is that Kathy Casey said I have the makings of an awesome flying back sit spin. I've got the height and the kick and just need to get control over the actual spin. She said of the three, that's the easist one to fix.

Now I'm going to treat myself to a nice long (hot) shower and then lay around reading magazines for the night.

Nothing Zappy about today!

Re: Zippy De Doo Dah, Part 3

Zippy: Adult Nationals was great!!! I skated clean!!!!! I am just thrilled with my performance! My goal was to get to AN, and we accomplished that. For the competition, I felt that it would be nice if I finished in the top 10. I finished 9th out of 14, and I did get one 4th place ordinal. That was the icing on the cake!

Cinderella - I didn't see the Gold 3's - they were just before my event and I was busy warming up. However, the 2's have doubles, some through a loop, and in the 4's one lady had a axel (good, but not fully rotated - saw her in practice) and I hear that the other didn't. So I would imagine the 3's are somewhere in between. Sorry I don't have more info on that.

BTW, the masters events were awesome - the mens winner had two triple sals, one in combo with a double toe. The ladies winner had a double axel. There sure were a lot of terrific skaters! Wow.

Re: Zippy De Doo Dah, Part 3

Congrats ska8er1964. Whoo hoo for you--what a great Nationals!!! And congrats on that 4th place ordinal!!!

Zippy Sunday: We finally ZAPPED the two foot spin problem!!! Coach took long look at me and my feet, and discovered I wasn't bringing my right foot around enough with the initial push swizzle. Once, I did, Presto, it started to work better, and was consistent for a change. Now I have just under five weeks to get it sharp for competition.

This is such a relief. That spin always seemed to be going wonky and we kept trying different things, and she noticed that my right foot seemed to lag (I spin CCW) behind instead of getting around fully to my left foot and then the whole spin would go wimpy. A breakthrough, FINALLY!!!! I was a happy, happy camper for the rest of the day.

Cinderella: Wow, what a seminar! Can you even move this morning???? :lol: