Officially Bronzed

*Warning! Long post ahead!*

Test day! As you can guess from the title of this post, I passed. It wasn't the feel good kind of pass that I wanted but a pass is a pass. I'll take it. I'm just really glad it's over and I can focus on improving my skills without the pressure of a test looming over me.

Test Prepz - From past testing experience I know that I really cannot drink coffee before my test because caffeine and adrenaline is a disastrous combination. So, no coffee was had and I got to the rink with plenty of time before my practice session so I could do some walking and stretching and mental preparation. I also remembered something I read not too long ago that said eating a banana 30 minutes before a performance reduces anxiety so I brought two bananas with me; one to eat right before practice ice and one to eat when I'm done with practice so it would kick in in time for the test.

Practicez - My drop-in session on freestyle ice went well. I started with laps and edges and then ran through jumps and spins before putting the sash on and running the program. When I did run the program it went very well. All of my jumps were landed, my spins spun, and I ended on time with the music. This was just the confidence boost I needed! I decided not to push my luck so I just did laps for the remaining 10 minutes or so of my session. I was relaxed until...I fell! I fell on something so stupid! I was just stepping forward from some backward power stroking and my blade slipped out from underneath. It was a hard fall (as most unexpected falls are) and it rattled me. Any confidence I had was gone in an instant. Damn.

Testz - I'll give my rundown of the test followed by the judges comments in italics. Ugh, ok...so my worst fear happened. I botched the opening jump combo and that had a domino effect on the rest of the program. I pretty much bookended my program with suck. I fell on the opening combo and I fell on the final spin (which...what? Why? I never fall on that spin!). The one thing I was worried about with this program was the quality of my sit spin and, although it wasn't low enough (for reasons), it at least had the required revolutions. When I was finished I skated back to Christopher and basically shrugged and said "whoops." I just didn't have an excuse for any of that. It was bad. As expected, the judges asked me to reskate the toe loop-loop combo and an upright spin which I did just fine. So I passed, but it was gross and I'm not entirely pleased. There is video of this whole ordeal but I'm not going to post it to my YouTube channel because I'm not about to make that disaster publicly viewable. I tried to attach the videos here separately but blogger won't let me because the files are too large. It's for the best. It wasn't my best moment. *EDIT* Here's the link to the video if you want a good laugh. 

Judgez Commentz - 

• Karen - Total score = +1. Upright spin good control and centered. Great posture. Nice extension. Work on getting down into the sit position more. 
• Pamela - Total score = +1. Salchow didn't get off ice. Sit spin didn't get very low. Elements complete after reskate. 
• LeeAnn - Total score = 0. Nice upright spin. Weak jumps. 

Parting Thoughtz - Okay, so the whole banana trick is bogus. I wasn't relaxed at all! I could eat 12 bunches of bananas before I skate for a test and I'll still be anxious! I also tried meditating and visualizing my program before I got on the ice and that didn't really help either. So, relaxing doesn't help but neither does getting excited. I need to find some nice middle ground. When Christopher and I were sitting together on the bench waiting for the verdict from the judges, he pointed out that I definitely seem to do better at competitions. I know why! It's not that I'm any more or less relaxed. It's that the atmosphere is completely different! I'm excited to skate for my friends. I'm performing for the judges and the audience. I'm surrounded by a cheering crowd. I have a group of other skaters who are in the same boat. It's just...different. Test days are so quiet and serious and everyone is anxious. My skating is a direct reflection of the vibes around me. Sadly, there's just no way to get more exposure to testing other than to test which doesn't happen with the same frequency as competitions. So, my plan of action now is to start serious preparations for CSI next month and the other competitions I'm planning for this season. I plan on staying in Bronze for a while (maybe 2-3 years). I'm in no rush to test again. I'm glad I passed but I'm even more thankful that it's over! Onward!