Shimmery Skirts / Torn Tights Lessons & Practices 4/26-5/2

Oops, we're a little late in getting our weekly post started, so step up to the screen and tell us what you've been up to.

Did your lessons and practices really ROCK (shimmery skirts) or were there some down moments (torn tights)?

Either way, inquiring minds want to know!

Shimmery Skirts - Both of my practices on Monday and yesterday were focused again on the new stretchy/flowy moves that coash is recommending to help me internalize the need to extend the free leg, turn it out and point the toe. It is becoming much more comfortable, and I notice that my carriage is better in general. And even though they are evil, I'm making progress on the series of choctaws along the wall (no more hanging on) and starting to get that swiveling motion that I see in the top skaters. Just hope I'm doing them right, because coach was sick yesterday and couldn't make my lesson/check-up. I might watch the MIF video tonight to see if I can catch any pointers.

Torn Tights - <wails, moans and gnashes teeth> Where, oh where, has my walley gone? True, I've never had one as an adult, but I remember being able to do them in both directions as a kid. Well you would never know it now. I can't seem to do more than a half-walley without twisting myself into a pretzel, and I desperately need someone to set me on the right path. I remember them as smooth and brisk little hops in the middle of footwork, but apparently that was another body that was doing them over 30 years ago! Aaaaarrrrgggghhh!

I really don't have much to tell this week. My coach set up 2 immediate goals for me:

1. Back inside 3s, then add on to do BI double 3s. Both sides, of course

2. Back spin.

I guess I'll be spending the next several weeks working on these 2 items on my list.

I had my first lesson in almost 30 years today! And boy do I need help!:\
I never would have thought that I needed sooooo much help on my cross overs and my edges. I've got lots of work cut out for me.

Shimmery Skirts- started lessons today

Torn Tights- I really stink at the basics

Dlkksk8fan - congrats on your first lesson! As someone else who came back after 30+ years off the ice, I can attest to the fact that it just gets better and better, so don't worry too much about how "stinky" you seem right now. My first time back on the ice, I skated 'round and 'round, getting shakier and a little more wobbly with each lap, until finally I thought, oh my gosh, I just have to stop for awhile cuz it's making me nauseous and a little sickly-sweaty. Then I looked at the clock and realized I'd only been out there for seven minutes.

Sounds like you did a lot better on your first lesson, and we can't wait to hear about all the great progress you're going to make!!!

Speaking of Shimmery Skirts progress, today's practice was so energizing! For the first 1/2 hour there was only one other skater on the ice, and since she was working on moves, I did too, so that we were always 180 degrees opposite each other. I definitely feel like I'm getting more secure in my free leg extensions/toe pointing and that it's starting to undo some of my lazy habits during my "regular" skating when I'm jumping and spinning. My landings seem to be held better as well.

When she left, I ran through all my spins and was just shocked that everything was so "on" and centered. The best part was they just felt like second nature to do them. I hope this continues. The only "troublesome" one is that when the scratch spin is off, it is way off (as in a 5 foot corkscrew trail). It's fast, but not always centered.

All the jumps felt great too, right through the axels. So then I decided to run through my program (first time in 10 days), and I was shocked that I skated it clean and had no breath control issues at all. Well, except at the very end where I was so excited that I landed both axels and hit all the spins that it kind of took my breath away!

Don't you just LOVE a great practice??!!

I learned progressives & chasses today at my lesson. Progressives feel strange. Practiced my inside 3s after, the very first LFI3 was great...then the rest were all worse! Argh! RFI3 doing much better. First lesson at my summer indoor rink...I'm used to outside (which means very variable ice). This ice was so smooth & nice! But I miss being out.

Shimmery - Yesterday I started to feel like I was catching a cold, so in deference, I only skated an hour and 15 minutes today. But every minute was simply excellent. More good progress on the footwork. The Evil Choctaws now have been broken down into merely Heinous Choctaws, and thanks to a brief demo by someone else's coach, I was able to land walleys for the first time as an adult. Yes, I only landed 6 out of 48, but hey, that's 1 in 8. On Monday I'll try to up those odds. All other spins and jumps were on, so I left them after doing only 2 apiece. I left the practice with a big shimmery smile on my face.

Shimmer, sparkle: Ahh, back on the ice at my summer Saturday rink, and I had the ice to myself for half an hour!!! Then it was just me and another young skater who's also coached by my coach. It took a few minutes to get my "legs" back, but it was good. Worked through the pieces/parts of my footwork program and that's pretty solid. Used my little mp3 player and did it to the music three times and its pretty much together already. The changes to the artistic program are a bit scratchy, especially the little one foot spin at the beginning, but its coming along. All in all, a good day.


Tear it up: No freestyle at my regular rink tomorrow, and I think Sundays may be gone for the season. They melted down the second rink a bit earlier this year. Ah well, I have some extra ice time planned before my competition in two weeks, so that should make up for it.