Perspective

Lesson today but it was with a substitute coach since Christopher is performing in a ballet this weekend. I worked with Michelle today and it was really nice. I would totally work with her again! We started with a brief discussion about how different adult competitions are from the standard affairs and, with that, she reminded me to have FUN!

Compulsoriez - I ran the entirety of my compulsory program and when I skated back to her she said that it looked nice! I think she was perhaps surprised even! Her main comment was to spend more time finishing off the individual elements (hold those landings!) so that the judges have time to look down at their sheets and score. She also reminded me to not rush the step forward into the spiral. I should step forward, balance briefly with a short two-foot glide, then extend. She said wherever I look with my head is where my spiral will go so be mindful where I'm looking. We ran it again one more time while she timed me. It ended up being 1:25. Perfect!

Free Skatez - I ran it as a whole first so she could see the whole thing and then I invited her to pick it apart from there. I landed all the jumps, the spins happened, and I ended on time with the music. No falls. However, it was very rushed. She even commented that it felt like I was chasing the music the whole time. She's not wrong. I'm totally chasing the music. She reminded me to RELAX! She said that I have the skating skills, the jumps are more than I need for a pre-bronze level program, and I'm making good use of the ice. So, there is no reason to rush! Just do what I'm trained to do! We spent some time working on the loop-loop combo and her comments echoed what Christopher has been saying all along. I'm trying too hard to make the second loop happen. I really just need to put in minimal effort to make the second loop go. The first one looks good because I'm relaxed but then I tense up for the second. Also....hold that landing! She reminded me that there are moments in the program that will allow me to breathe for a second and, if I take advantage of those moments, it will help me slow down, think, and catch my breath.

Overall, I really enjoyed working with her. She was critical but not mean, she was encouraging but didn't pander, and she was just pleasant overall. It was really nice to have a second set of eyes on this thing going into the final couple of weeks before the competition :)