Sunny/Rainy Lessons & Practices, 4/12-4/18

Is the sun shining and are the birds singing, or are flood warnings being issued for your skating this week? DO TELL!!!

Rain, rain, go away: Ooch, SORE lower chest and stomach muscles this week, because of...

Sunshine day: Learning to do better LUNGES!!! My synchro coach decided to help me get lower with my lunges on Friday. You should have seen this: She's holding up one arm, my buddy Kim has the other, and we all lunge together. I looked like a frail little old lady being helped down the sidewalk!!!! The kicker is, IT WORKED!!! While its still shaky on my left side (right leg back, which I've never done before taking synchro), I showed my freestyle coach my new and improved "Ashleigh lunge" on the right leg (named in honor of the synchro coach) today, and she couldn't believe it. For the first time, I was getting all the way down. Looks like my footwork program may have a lunge.

Otherwise, we worked on moves for my new footwork program ("Sway" by Michael Buble). We did inside edge swing rolls, inside slides into mohawk, and short outside swings onto toepicks. I came up with a back spiral into waltz jump for one break in the music, and coach liked it so well, we changed the ballet jump out of back spiral in my artistic program to a waltz--its stronger and looks better. She's going to choregraph the rest this week. I just love getting new programs!!!

There is sunshine! Still focusing on the pre-bronze moves, with good results. Better, smoother back edges. Alternating FI 3's are no longer "deer caught in the headlights"! Working on consistency, but I CAN DO THIS! And my jumps are starting to be real- sometimes I do a great salchow!

There is rain... still struggling with is the transition from the back inside to the forward outside edge in the alternating FO 3's... control, control. And where have my spins gone? I go in fine, then catch my blade mid-spin so can't hold my rotations (could be getting used to the softer ice now that the rink's not so freezing?)

Sunny-got to wear my new skating dress and didn't feel like an old lady in it. Good height on my waltz and salchow jumps.

Rainy-my camel spin or lack of it

Very sunny practice:
I got NEW PANTS!!! I wound up getting a pair of lined Adidas nylon track pants at TJ Maxx!! I was even able to wear knee pads underneath them without them being noticeable.

Feeling emboldened by the knee pads, I was spinning like wonder woman and did lunges.
I'm almost there on the mohawk and my 3 turns are sharp (outside and inside both feet). I was even going into my little one foot spin with a 3 turn just to add a little pizazz. There's an older woman in my class who is really good and she did a watz jump. I wanted to try one after seeing her do it but I told myself to hold it. I worked on my BO edge instead but I have a feeling I'm going to try a waltz jump before the end of this lesson series.

Sunny, sunny day, both outside and in the rink!!!

Coach gave me my choreography for my new footwork program today AND--I was able to do it AND keep up with the music on the first, full runthrough!!! WHOO HOO!!!! I've never done that before. It looks a little clumsy, of course, and we have to add in more arm movements, but I can do it. Its an elegant, old style program with lots of edges and swing rolls and pinwheels and perimeter leans. (The music is a slower cha-cha rhythm, so it lent to long, lean edge moves instead of tippy tap footwork). The coolest move is a waltz jump right out of back spiral. She just loves it and I do, too. Its a really different approach and its nice not to feel rushed. The moves are not easy and they involve very precise edging, so the difficultly is still there. Very, very cool!

soogar: Glad you found comfy pants. And yes, I think you'll be waltz jumping in no time flat.

Good Synchro practice today. We had almost the whole group there and blocked out nearly the full choreography. The whole program is starting to take shape, so we're on our way!!!!