Lessons & Practices 9/19 - 9/26 | Golden Skate

Lessons & Practices 9/19 - 9/26

Cinderella on Ice

Bless you, Fairy Godmother, I'm Having a BALL!
On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I didn't see this thread anywhere - hope I didn't duplicate it!

WOO HOO! I'm "officially" back on the ice!

My coach said she couldn't stand it any more, after 11 weeks, she just "had" to see me. So she came to our adult public skate yesterday and we had a good lesson. It was very exciting! For the first 10 minutes we couldn't stop hugging each other. We really missed our time together.

My coach is so incredible and smart. Instead of doing anything like we normally do, she started with having me do some basics and she assessed my strength (read: weakness) and ability. Then we started right from the beginning, like I was a pre-alpha skater. She modified all of the exercises to be two-footed at first until I built up some strength and sureness in my right leg. We did the coolest things. Probably those of you who teach new skaters know all about these. But I don't remember having learned this way and I'm very pleased to learn things right from the beginning. Don't forget, where I took lessons it was all about "recreational" skating and I don't think we necessarily focused a lot on the basics. So this is great.

We did a crossover exercise (forward and back) that I don't think I could do even if I were 100% recovered. We did swizzle exercises (forward and back), inside edges, and even just walking sideways down the ice by stepping sideways on the flat and crossing behind. Some of the things I couldn't do right away, but then I could. And others I am still struggling with. She had to hold my hand on a couple of them so I wouldn't sink down (whooooooooossssssshhhhhhhhh) on my bad leg.

I'm very energized. And she designed everything for me to practice through the week and continue to improve. She said no jumps and spins for me for some time until I have gotten my strength (and my back) back.

We made some important discoveries. For 10 weeks I've been compensating for the nerve pain by shifting all of my weight over to the left side. I now have to work my way back to being able to shift my weight where I want it. My right hamstring is amazingly tight. She gave me some on-ice exercises to help gently stretch it out. My big toe still has weakness and doesn't hold me up properly. My ankle is a bit wobbly. And when my brain tells my foot to point the toe, it just doesn't work. It's like it isn't connected! I have to concentrate on pushing down on my arch instead, in order to get the same result. How bizarre is that!?

We agreed that I'm probably around 30-40% on the ice. I told her I felt like I was 92% off the ice. So it's coming along, but slowly.

I'm so glad we did this. My coach is amazing. I was worried that she would be pushing me too hard, but she was the one who would make me take a break and "shake it out." I had a marvelous lesson and worked up a literal sweat from all the effort. Overall, I skated for about an hour and 15 minutes, and I came home and iced my back immediately.

And here is my positive thought for the week: One of my biggest criticisms of my own skating is that I feel that I look unpolished. I was certain it's because I needed work on some of the basics. But who wants to do that when there are axels to land and 2toes and 2sals to attempt? So maybe this injury is a bit of a blessing in a (painful) disguise?! Because now I am "forced" to relearn the basics and I'm certain it is going to help me with everything overall. So for that I am grateful.

Sorry so long; thanks for listening!
 

Glacierskater

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Cinder,

Good to see you back here as well! I am SO HAPPY that you are able to empassion yourself once again! Don't overdo it, and make sure that you are taking care of you!

I have started working on some new entrances to jumps that are more difficult than the way that I learned them. The lutz is still a tentative jump for me, and I am not exploding with power yet, but I have started doing it with a series og 3 turns (forward and back) into it. I am working on a series of combonation jumps too. Oh, and I almost forgot...I am learning to jump the other way. The other way for me is the normal way for most (CCW). So far, I have the waltz, 1/2 loop, salchow, and I 2 footed a loop. I have only been working on it for 2 days, so I am hoping to excel quickly.

I am working on some new spins for me: camel/sit, sit/backsit, layback (new arm position is helping), change foot of back/forward/back.

I am also recovering from a face plant (literally with no hands) from spinning, and a badly pulled hamstring. Other than that, life on the ice is just ducky!

Hope that everyone is having a great skate week!
 

Mrs Redboots

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 20, 2004
So glad you are back and having fun and lessons again.

We - husband and self - are horrendously busy working for the British Adult Championships (our equivalent of your Adult Nationals) which take place next Sunday. We have entered for the Veteran Elementary Couples class, and have to skate a Rhythm Blues and Canasta Tango for our compulsory dances, and then a 1.5 minute Free Dance, which must include a 3-revolution spin and a diagonal step sequence, and may include up to 2 lifts. We now know that we are up against two other couples, and the nicest thing is we are competitive against both of them! So although I will be neither surprised nor disappointed if we come 3rd out of 3, it's possible we won't - both our friends, against whom we compete the whole time (we have not beaten them yet, but it gets closer and closer, and even in a big class they usually finish just one place ahead of us), and us have beaten the 3rd couple in compulsory dances in our time, but that couple will win the free dance. We don't know who will finish ahead of our friends and us - their free dance is technically more difficult, but I think we do skate ours just that much better.... should be very interesting indeed! Better than those classes you go in and you know that some of the other couples are an order of magnitude better than you are!

So our lessons are focussing on these dances, as our are practices. We have also entered the Scottish championships, a fortnight later, and there the compulsory dances and Free dance are two different classes. And there are no regulations saying you can't enter more than one class, so the wife of the other couple ("My Other Woman" as she is known) will skate with my husband in the intermediate class.

So last night there was a Recreational match, and Other Woman came to skate the Fiesta Tango with Husband, but, sadly, they were drawn against a rather cute couple of kids, who skated faster, but actually technically worse, than they did, and they lost. It is very much luck of the draw, you can get drawn against a really good couple, or against a beginner skater who can barely stumble their way through a Prelim Foxtrot with a good partner! Husband and I got lucky in our Dutch Waltz and won our match, which is only the 2nd time that's happened for us (and our first for this club, although we once won a Golden Skaters' Waltz for Other Woman's club), so that was gratifying!
 

dlkksk8fan

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Cinder-glad to hear you are back on the ice. Are you doing off ice training too? I know off ice training helps with my strength. I'm dealing with severe osteoperosis in my lower back. No pain though. I've been doing back exercises to strengthen my lower back. I think skating helps too because I have to constantly keep my stomach muscles in and my back straight. My doctor thought I was crazy to keep skating, but I would be crazy not too.

My new jumps I am working on are a flip and a lutz jump. I pretty much have the flip jump and can only get 1/2 revolution on the lutz. I've been scared to try the lutz in practice, but my coach had me work on it last week during my lesson and I kind of like doing it now. I like the speed I get while skating backwards into it.

Happy Skating to All!
 

Glacierskater

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Mrs. Redboots...it sounds like you are having a great time! Good luck with your upcoming competitions. I would so love to skate across the pond...not really SKATE across the pond... I could fly over...skating would be too long. :)

I would love to skate in another country. And I have dreams of Scottland where the accents are divine and so are the men (at least that is how the dream goes).

Let us know how you do and keep us updated. I have to ask....are your skating boots red?

dlkksk8fan
Good luck with your two new jumps. The lutz took a bit for me to get and I am tentative with it, but the more I practice the better it gets. Good luck with them this week!
 

Mrs Redboots

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 20, 2004
Glacierskater said:
Mrs. Redboots...it sounds like you are having a great time! Good luck with your upcoming competitions. I would so love to skate across the pond...not really SKATE across the pond... I could fly over...skating would be too long. :)
Well, there are at least four international adult competitions held in Europe, so why not save the pennies and come over? They are the Dune of Flanders Cup, held in northern France in December; and then there are 3 competitions on successive weekends, the Vana Tallinn trophy held in Estonia, the Mountain Cup in the French Alps and, we are all hoping, a new International ISU Adult Worlds, to be held in Oberstdorf, Germany, the following weekend. The Mountain Cup is the first weekend in June this year, so you can date the others round them!

Let us know how you do and keep us updated. I have to ask....are your skating boots red?
No, they are the traditional white. But when I first started skating regularly, I bought a pair of red boot covers, because I decided that until people at the rink knew my name, I'd rather they thought of me as "The woman with the red boot covers" rather than as "That fat woman who can't skate". And I now have a rainbow selection of boot covers, which I invariably wear in practice, and one of the coaches always calls me "Mrs Boots". So when I wanted a user name for the forums.....
 

sk8er1964

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Good luck at Nationals, Mrs. Redboots.

Cinderella - glad you're back on the ice. What happened? (edited to add - I saw your response on another thread).

As for me, my double loop is thisclose. I've re-started the double sal, but just a couple each session. My mind got too weirded out on that jump. Working on the double flip too, but it's farther away than the loop or sal. Toes -- blech. Don't do em - my right as an adult :laugh: . Tried a double lutz - that was too funny (and too awful) to contemplate trying again any time soon.

Here's the weird/exciting thing for me, though - started working on pairs last week! Never did any pairs, except for similar pairs as a kid. A friend was talking about looking for a pair for an upcoming comp, and I volunteered. It's fun (hopefully there won't be more than 4 pairs at this comp, so I can earn my first pairs medal :D - even if it is for last place :p ).

Mrs Redboots - you know my new pairs partner, BTW - he's a regular at the Mountain Cup. I don't want to say his name here, but I'll bet you can figure it out.
 

Glacierskater

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
That's funny...

I decided that until people at the rink knew my name, I'd rather they thought of me as "The woman with the red boot covers" rather than as "That fat woman who can't skate".

I think that I would like to do the Mountain Cup. I would like to see the Alps.
 

Mrs Redboots

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 20, 2004
Glacierskater said:
I think that I would like to do the Mountain Cup. I would like to see the Alps.
If you pm me, I can give you details of who to contact to go on the mailing list.
 

icer

Rinkside
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Hi Cinderella, glad you're back!

Hi everyone!

My skating went backwards a bit with the limited summer ice time and awful ice. I am skating a bit more recently and struggling to get some things back that I KNOW I can do. Off-ice work did help my spiral, but everything else needs work. I'll be doing lots of traveling this fall (mostly work, but some for myself) so expect to be mostly in a holding pattern for the next few months. But I'll be checking in to see how all of YOU are doing.

Happy skating!
 

dlkksk8fan

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Lesson day today and it was all about jump combos-toeloop/toeloop,salchow/loop, toeloop/loop. The best part is that I finally did it!!! My coach is forcing me to do the loop jump consistantly and this is helping. I also did a pretty good flip jump-no toe touch :D
 

Glacierskater

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
dlkksk8fan said:
Lesson day today and it was all about jump combos-toeloop/toeloop,salchow/loop, toeloop/loop. The best part is that I finally did it!!! My coach is forcing me to do the loop jump consistantly and this is helping. I also did a pretty good flip jump-no toe touch :D

What do you mean by no toe touch? What other jump combos are you working on? Sounds like you are making progress.
 

Summerkid

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
I had my first lesson in a month with my coach. It actually went really well. So well that my coach decided that I'd be ready to test in less than a month. That was a bit of a surprise. It will be my first USFSA test in 11 years. I'm going for Intermediate Moves--sticking with the standard track for now, even at 29. Gotta love the power circles and brackets in the field. I'm finally keeping my head up during the brackets. It just feels so much like patch that I want to look down. Arg.
 

dlkksk8fan

Medalist
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
"What do you mean by no toe touch?"
I have a habit of putting down my free toe(foot) when I land instead of landing solid on one foot. However this past week I am breaking this habit and landing my jumps cleanly on one foot.
 
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