I just feel like I haven't been making any progress lately. Like, I know I'm making progress over the long term since I'm a long way from where I was a year ago, but sometimes the gains are so small that it just feels like watching hair grow. Frustrating.
Off Ice Trainingz - So, I started the 30 day squats challenge and I'm currently on day 16 (a rest day, thankfully). I'm doing about 150 squats/day right now and, by the end of the 30 days, I'll be at 250. I already feel stronger in my legs but man, it's not the most enjoyable thing to do. Oh, and I had to stop stretching because I feel like I have a strained hamstring on my right side so hopefully by letting it rest, it will start to feel better. I'm still doing some light stretching before I get on the ice so I don't injure myself but it's not as intense as I was doing for the past month. I've added some other off ice exercises that involve balance and strengthening my core but I'm so early into this whole endeavor that it's difficult to imagine results. When I got to the rink today I did my typical off ice warm up but I was determined to run two laps instead of one and I'm really proud to say that I did! I mean, I feel like dying but I did it. A year ago I couldn't run at all because of my injury and now I'm able to jog for two laps! That's something, I guess :)
Warm Upz and Edgez - Once I got on the ice, I began with my on-ice laps. It's a lot more interesting now that I've added variety and I have a routine. I did all of my forward and backward edges on a line before beginning two sets of the Circle 8 (which felt lovely today).
Spinz - I should have warmed these up a bit because the first one out the gate felt like it traveled clear across the ice. Yikes. So I returned to an older exercise that Christopher gave me where I do spins from a standstill all the way down the blue line. These got better the farther down the line I got. When I remember to keep my left arm out in front and hold that entry edge, I can eek out a decent spin. I worked on camels a bit and I started to get frustrated because this is where I really feel like progress isn't being made. I've been working on these for a bit and I'm still only getting 1 revolution on average. Every now and then I get a 2nd one but it's usually pretty slow and it's always forced. Annoyed, I moved on to backspins and these were also a disaster. I can do about 5-6 revs in the flamingo position but I know that's not proper so I've been trying really hard to get that leg crossed in front. Again, 1 rev is about all I can muster. Sigh.
Jumpz - After warming up all of my single jumps, I spent some time trying to work on technique. I just can't for the life of me get my salchow to stop being so spinny. I envy those skaters who have nice long drawn out salchows. So pretty. Yet, I just can't make it happen. Flips were gross looking today and I had a couple of falls on my loop jumps which typically doesn't happen. Everything was sloppy.
Footworkz - This is starting to look better. I've got a bit more flow now and it's working really nicely as a lead in to the loop jump. I hope Christopher agrees because when I put this where he initially intended, things start to fall apart.
I think part of my problem is that I have had one lesson in the last month and a half and I'm feeling a little lost. I need feedback, good and bad. Without it, I feel like I'm running a treadmill. I'm trying really hard but I'm getting nowhere.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Footloose and Fancy Kinda
Really difficult to get up this morning because my cat was making it hard for me to physically get out of bed. She had me trapped with cuddles and kisses but I made a break for it once she moved a bit to clean herself. I don't think she understands where I go when I leave for the rink. I usually come back smelling like cold and disappointment most of the time so she probably thought she was helping me by keeping me in bed longer. Thanks, Mouse, but the ice beckons.
Warm-upz - I ordered a pair of actual running shoes since I'm jogging laps before I hit the ice. They are purple and cute and I hope they make the misery of running a bit more palatable. After my off-ice warm up, I got on the ice to do my laps. These are getting easier as well. One thing I have noticed lately (and it could very well be that I had a good sharpening for the first time ever) but I am a whole lot less toe scratchy when I'm skating backwards. I'm much quieter now and I'm loving it!
Edgez and Movez - My edges were really nice today. They flowed well and felt secure. I ran two patterns of the Circle 8 back to back and that felt passable. I'm finally feeling better about the initial push on each circle. Cool. I ran through the rest of Bronze moves and those are okay. I'm just really bored with them now but I'm also not really looking forward to starting Silver moves. I don't think there's one move I can do yet from that level. I'm pretty terrified of starting those later this year. I'm going to feel like a beginner all over again. Sigh.
Jumpz - I ran through all of my jumps making sure to remember the "iPad" trick that Coach Cheryl showed me during the clinic. My jumps felt so much more secure so I got brave and took a video. Watching the video, my jumps don't look any different but my landings look amazing! Nice extension and solid edge. Maybe that's the difference. Anyway. Progress was made.
Spinz - I started with the exercise that Christopher has me do on the blue line and for the first time EVER I made to the other side of the line. I actually held that edge long enough that I was able to start the spin on the other side! WOOO! I dabbled in some camels. Only one felt like I stayed in position for a couple of rotations. The others were trash.
Footworkz - Christopher gave me some new footwork to add to my program. Nothing major but it involves toe steps which I've always wanted to do. His idea is to put this additional footwork right after my waltz-falling leaf-half flip but honestly, I'm running out of time here and then my actual footwork sequence is super rushed as a result. I was playing around with things today and realized how much dead time I have leading up to the loop jump so, for funsies, I put the footwork there instead and it worked! It not only fills up the dead time/space where I was just doing backwards crossovers but it also forces me to slow my loop down a bit. My loop jumps were lovely! I'm going to practice it both ways but the next time I see him I'll ask him what he thinks. It just makes more sense there. Oh, and the toe steps are totally fun!
Warm-upz - I ordered a pair of actual running shoes since I'm jogging laps before I hit the ice. They are purple and cute and I hope they make the misery of running a bit more palatable. After my off-ice warm up, I got on the ice to do my laps. These are getting easier as well. One thing I have noticed lately (and it could very well be that I had a good sharpening for the first time ever) but I am a whole lot less toe scratchy when I'm skating backwards. I'm much quieter now and I'm loving it!
Edgez and Movez - My edges were really nice today. They flowed well and felt secure. I ran two patterns of the Circle 8 back to back and that felt passable. I'm finally feeling better about the initial push on each circle. Cool. I ran through the rest of Bronze moves and those are okay. I'm just really bored with them now but I'm also not really looking forward to starting Silver moves. I don't think there's one move I can do yet from that level. I'm pretty terrified of starting those later this year. I'm going to feel like a beginner all over again. Sigh.
Jumpz - I ran through all of my jumps making sure to remember the "iPad" trick that Coach Cheryl showed me during the clinic. My jumps felt so much more secure so I got brave and took a video. Watching the video, my jumps don't look any different but my landings look amazing! Nice extension and solid edge. Maybe that's the difference. Anyway. Progress was made.
Spinz - I started with the exercise that Christopher has me do on the blue line and for the first time EVER I made to the other side of the line. I actually held that edge long enough that I was able to start the spin on the other side! WOOO! I dabbled in some camels. Only one felt like I stayed in position for a couple of rotations. The others were trash.
Footworkz - Christopher gave me some new footwork to add to my program. Nothing major but it involves toe steps which I've always wanted to do. His idea is to put this additional footwork right after my waltz-falling leaf-half flip but honestly, I'm running out of time here and then my actual footwork sequence is super rushed as a result. I was playing around with things today and realized how much dead time I have leading up to the loop jump so, for funsies, I put the footwork there instead and it worked! It not only fills up the dead time/space where I was just doing backwards crossovers but it also forces me to slow my loop down a bit. My loop jumps were lovely! I'm going to practice it both ways but the next time I see him I'll ask him what he thinks. It just makes more sense there. Oh, and the toe steps are totally fun!
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Path to the Podium 2019
*Warning: Long Post Ahead*
About a month ago, I registered for an all day clinic down at a rink in Littleton. The "Path to the Podium" clinic includes on-ice and off-ice sessions and the opportunity to get to work with some pretty cool guest coaches. It was tough and I feel a bit beat up and sore but I learned a lot and, if they do it again next year, I'm signing up right away. It was only $80 so it was a great value compared to other clinics or camps I have seen.
Off-Ice Warm-up and Jumps: Although there were separate tracks for the adults and the kids, there were moments where they combined all of us and this was one of them. We started with some warm-ups where they had us do running, skipping, and turns in a line. Nothing earth shattering here just some good old-fashioned movements to get the blood pumping. We then moved on to off-ice jumps which was pretty helpful. Coach Cheryl taught us proper set up techniques ("tick-tock-snap") and how to properly check our take off and landing positions ("hold that iPad!"). I don't really do off-ice jumps as a warm up but now I'm going to integrate it into my routine.
On-Ice Jumps: We had a few minutes to get skates on and meet Coach Cheryl on the ice to take what we learned off ice and apply it on ice. We started with simple 1/4, 1/2, and full rotations from a stand still and then started with actual jumps - waltz, salchow, toe loop, loop, and flip (we also did the lutz but, since I can't do a lutz yet, I just did a half lutz). She emphasized the iPad technique and my jumps overall just felt more stable. This is something I really need to remember to do from now on since I have a tendency to over-rotate my jumps.
Off-Ice Yoga: This was with Coach Ashley and was adults only. After the excitement and mayhem of the jumps session, it was nice to come down a little and relax. I'm especially thankful that the kids were not in this class with us. There were six adults ranging in age from mid 20s to mid 60s so we were at various levels of "bendy." Having the kids with us would have just made us feel incapable and inadequate.
Off-Ice Creative Movement: Again with Coach Ashley but this time the kids joined us. First she had us create a doodle on a piece of paper. I doodled, wrote my name on it, and was promised I would see this later in the day with an explanation of what to do with it. Once our doodles were collected, we started in with some direct and indirect movements with various themes (heavy, light, slow, moving through peanut butter, floaty, etc). She had us partner up and feed off of our partner's energy to create partnered movements where we fill the other's negative space. That was interesting since I don't usually do anything with a partner and I have a thing about people "invading my bubble." But, I was partnered with my friend Sarah so it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. That definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but that's why I signed up for this, right?
On-Ice Spins: Skates on and back on the ice with Coach Cheryl for some adults only spinning! We started with some simple two-foot spins and then transitioned into one-foot spins with an emphasis on holding that entry edge for as long as possible. I was pleasantly surprised that this was the same exercise that Christopher gives me on a regular basis. Stand on a line and push off onto your entry edge but don't hook the spin until you've reached that other side of the line and you are facing the direction you started from. I had some really good spins! Then we transitioned in to the wind-up approach and worked on that for a bit until it was time to work on the dreaded backspin. This was kind of a disaster but not really surprising since my backspins are so awful. But she gave us some tips to make the leg cross easier (think windshield wipers). Something to work on for sure.
Sports Psychology: Skates off and meet Ian in the party room to fill out a questionnaire about how I feel about myself when I'm practicing/competing. I didn't really learn anything new about myself here. I already know I have a tendency to beat myself up over not being able to do certain elements, I perform well under pressure, I care a lot about what my coach thinks of me, and am overly disappointed when I feel like I have let him down. One thing that was mentioned here that I thought was helpful is that, as athletes, we tend to focus on what not to do (don't fall, don't trip over your toe pick, don't get on the wrong edge, etc.). However, our brains don't know how to process the word "don't" and instead our brains just focus on the other words (fall, wrong edge, trip) so we end up doing the very thing we are trying to avoid. So, Ian advised us to think of what we want to do instead (check, strong landing, centered spin, flowing edges, etc). That will send positive messages to our brains that will translate into the outcomes we desire. So, this is something that I'll implement and hopefully it will make a difference in my fear levels on some things. It can't hurt, right?
Off-Ice Stretching: This was nice to do in the middle of the day because, by this point, I was feeling pretty tired and tense. It was a nice release. Again, this was with Coach Cheryl and was adults only. We took turns doing a spiral stretch where Cheryl held our free leg and we pushed it down as hard as we could for 10 seconds and then she pushed the free leg up really high. It's amazing! When I was a kid, I remember doing something similar with my brother where we would stand in a door way and press really hard against the frame with our arms for like 20 seconds or so. Then, when we stepped out of the door way, our arms seemed to float. It's the same principle! Pressing your free leg against some sort of resistance creates tension that, once released, allows you to extend even higher like your leg is weightless. Magic!
On-Ice Movement: Skates on again! We met Coach Ashley on the ice and she had our doodles waiting for us. We were told to skate our doodle. It was at this point that I fully regretted my decision to create an overly complex doodle but I did what I was told. Next, she had us skate our doodles in various ways (heavy, light, slow, powerful). This really forced me to think of using my arms and emoting in creative ways instead of just skating a pattern. Next, we tossed our doodles aside and she she had us skate while using our entire body to create various shapes and negative space. Finally, she had us put everything we learned together to write our names in cursive on the ice being sure to not just trace our names on the ice with our blades but to use our whole body to fill everything out. I never felt so beautiful on the ice. Amazing! This was probably the session that I enjoyed the most. I never thought I could move like that!
Off-Ice Show Skating Discussion: Skates off and meet Coach Ashley in one of the party rooms to talk about careers as a show skater. Even though this was a combined session with kids and adults, it was mostly for the kids because, let's face it, I'm never going to skate for Disney on Ice! But it was interesting nonetheless. We talked about what life is like as a show skater, the audition process, and the various shows to participate in like Disney, other theme parks, and cruise ships.
On-Ice Power: Okay...this killed me a bit but I did my best to keep up with the kiddos. This was your typical power class where you go up and down the ice nonstop doing various and increasingly complex movements while high intensity music is blasting over the speakers. I held my own and tried my best to hang in there even though, one by one, the adults started to disappear from the ice. When it was over and I was exiting the ice, I got a couple of compliments from some of the skate moms who said they were impressed that I held in there til the end. Hey, I paid for this torture! I'm not about to quit now!
Final Thoughts: I learned a lot and I really feel like this is a great value. My only real complaint about this clinic was the on again/off again of the skates. I spent a lot of time taking my skates off just to put them back on and then take them back off again. It would have been nice to have all of the off-ice sessions during the first half and then the on-ice sessions during the second half. I would have also appreciated a true adults only track. Although I hung in there, the on-ice power class would have been better if I didn't have to struggle so hard to keep up with the kids. I think it was pretty telling that so many adults dropped out and left early. The off-ice/on-ice jumps with the kids was also pretty crowded since there were so many of us and I felt like adults need more attention from the coach since it doesn't come so easily to us as it does to someone who is 8 years old. These things aside, it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it.
About a month ago, I registered for an all day clinic down at a rink in Littleton. The "Path to the Podium" clinic includes on-ice and off-ice sessions and the opportunity to get to work with some pretty cool guest coaches. It was tough and I feel a bit beat up and sore but I learned a lot and, if they do it again next year, I'm signing up right away. It was only $80 so it was a great value compared to other clinics or camps I have seen.
Off-Ice Warm-up and Jumps: Although there were separate tracks for the adults and the kids, there were moments where they combined all of us and this was one of them. We started with some warm-ups where they had us do running, skipping, and turns in a line. Nothing earth shattering here just some good old-fashioned movements to get the blood pumping. We then moved on to off-ice jumps which was pretty helpful. Coach Cheryl taught us proper set up techniques ("tick-tock-snap") and how to properly check our take off and landing positions ("hold that iPad!"). I don't really do off-ice jumps as a warm up but now I'm going to integrate it into my routine.
On-Ice Jumps: We had a few minutes to get skates on and meet Coach Cheryl on the ice to take what we learned off ice and apply it on ice. We started with simple 1/4, 1/2, and full rotations from a stand still and then started with actual jumps - waltz, salchow, toe loop, loop, and flip (we also did the lutz but, since I can't do a lutz yet, I just did a half lutz). She emphasized the iPad technique and my jumps overall just felt more stable. This is something I really need to remember to do from now on since I have a tendency to over-rotate my jumps.
Off-Ice Yoga: This was with Coach Ashley and was adults only. After the excitement and mayhem of the jumps session, it was nice to come down a little and relax. I'm especially thankful that the kids were not in this class with us. There were six adults ranging in age from mid 20s to mid 60s so we were at various levels of "bendy." Having the kids with us would have just made us feel incapable and inadequate.
Off-Ice Creative Movement: Again with Coach Ashley but this time the kids joined us. First she had us create a doodle on a piece of paper. I doodled, wrote my name on it, and was promised I would see this later in the day with an explanation of what to do with it. Once our doodles were collected, we started in with some direct and indirect movements with various themes (heavy, light, slow, moving through peanut butter, floaty, etc). She had us partner up and feed off of our partner's energy to create partnered movements where we fill the other's negative space. That was interesting since I don't usually do anything with a partner and I have a thing about people "invading my bubble." But, I was partnered with my friend Sarah so it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. That definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but that's why I signed up for this, right?
On-Ice Spins: Skates on and back on the ice with Coach Cheryl for some adults only spinning! We started with some simple two-foot spins and then transitioned into one-foot spins with an emphasis on holding that entry edge for as long as possible. I was pleasantly surprised that this was the same exercise that Christopher gives me on a regular basis. Stand on a line and push off onto your entry edge but don't hook the spin until you've reached that other side of the line and you are facing the direction you started from. I had some really good spins! Then we transitioned in to the wind-up approach and worked on that for a bit until it was time to work on the dreaded backspin. This was kind of a disaster but not really surprising since my backspins are so awful. But she gave us some tips to make the leg cross easier (think windshield wipers). Something to work on for sure.
Sports Psychology: Skates off and meet Ian in the party room to fill out a questionnaire about how I feel about myself when I'm practicing/competing. I didn't really learn anything new about myself here. I already know I have a tendency to beat myself up over not being able to do certain elements, I perform well under pressure, I care a lot about what my coach thinks of me, and am overly disappointed when I feel like I have let him down. One thing that was mentioned here that I thought was helpful is that, as athletes, we tend to focus on what not to do (don't fall, don't trip over your toe pick, don't get on the wrong edge, etc.). However, our brains don't know how to process the word "don't" and instead our brains just focus on the other words (fall, wrong edge, trip) so we end up doing the very thing we are trying to avoid. So, Ian advised us to think of what we want to do instead (check, strong landing, centered spin, flowing edges, etc). That will send positive messages to our brains that will translate into the outcomes we desire. So, this is something that I'll implement and hopefully it will make a difference in my fear levels on some things. It can't hurt, right?
Off-Ice Stretching: This was nice to do in the middle of the day because, by this point, I was feeling pretty tired and tense. It was a nice release. Again, this was with Coach Cheryl and was adults only. We took turns doing a spiral stretch where Cheryl held our free leg and we pushed it down as hard as we could for 10 seconds and then she pushed the free leg up really high. It's amazing! When I was a kid, I remember doing something similar with my brother where we would stand in a door way and press really hard against the frame with our arms for like 20 seconds or so. Then, when we stepped out of the door way, our arms seemed to float. It's the same principle! Pressing your free leg against some sort of resistance creates tension that, once released, allows you to extend even higher like your leg is weightless. Magic!
On-Ice Movement: Skates on again! We met Coach Ashley on the ice and she had our doodles waiting for us. We were told to skate our doodle. It was at this point that I fully regretted my decision to create an overly complex doodle but I did what I was told. Next, she had us skate our doodles in various ways (heavy, light, slow, powerful). This really forced me to think of using my arms and emoting in creative ways instead of just skating a pattern. Next, we tossed our doodles aside and she she had us skate while using our entire body to create various shapes and negative space. Finally, she had us put everything we learned together to write our names in cursive on the ice being sure to not just trace our names on the ice with our blades but to use our whole body to fill everything out. I never felt so beautiful on the ice. Amazing! This was probably the session that I enjoyed the most. I never thought I could move like that!
Off-Ice Show Skating Discussion: Skates off and meet Coach Ashley in one of the party rooms to talk about careers as a show skater. Even though this was a combined session with kids and adults, it was mostly for the kids because, let's face it, I'm never going to skate for Disney on Ice! But it was interesting nonetheless. We talked about what life is like as a show skater, the audition process, and the various shows to participate in like Disney, other theme parks, and cruise ships.
On-Ice Power: Okay...this killed me a bit but I did my best to keep up with the kiddos. This was your typical power class where you go up and down the ice nonstop doing various and increasingly complex movements while high intensity music is blasting over the speakers. I held my own and tried my best to hang in there even though, one by one, the adults started to disappear from the ice. When it was over and I was exiting the ice, I got a couple of compliments from some of the skate moms who said they were impressed that I held in there til the end. Hey, I paid for this torture! I'm not about to quit now!
Final Thoughts: I learned a lot and I really feel like this is a great value. My only real complaint about this clinic was the on again/off again of the skates. I spent a lot of time taking my skates off just to put them back on and then take them back off again. It would have been nice to have all of the off-ice sessions during the first half and then the on-ice sessions during the second half. I would have also appreciated a true adults only track. Although I hung in there, the on-ice power class would have been better if I didn't have to struggle so hard to keep up with the kids. I think it was pretty telling that so many adults dropped out and left early. The off-ice/on-ice jumps with the kids was also pretty crowded since there were so many of us and I felt like adults need more attention from the coach since it doesn't come so easily to us as it does to someone who is 8 years old. These things aside, it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it.
Finally, a lesson!
Man, I haven't had a lesson in about a month! It's a busy time for everyone with competitions, ice shows, and whatnot so it's been nearly impossible to have a lesson lately. I've been working on lots of things this past month so as not to seem like I've been slacking so I was ready for today.
We talked a bit about how to structure my current program to fit the test requirements and he determined that we don't really need to change much. I already have two different spins, a choreographic step sequence, three single jumps (loop, sal, and toe loop), and a jump combo. However, we did change my loop-loop combo to a single loop and we added some new footwork. One thing that is really throwing me off is, since I'm officially skating for Bronze, I went back to using the longer cut of my program (the one that is 1:42 instead of the one that is cut to 1:40). You wouldn't think that two seconds makes a big difference but it does! I have so much time now! In fact, I feel like I have too much time and I'm trying to kill time until I get to my next element, especially now that there is only the one loop. I have to rethink this whole thing.
We worked a bit on the camel spin as well. It's about where we left it a month ago so I didn't really make too much progress on this. I'll keep plugging away at it but this may take some time.
Anyway, I have a lot to work on!
We talked a bit about how to structure my current program to fit the test requirements and he determined that we don't really need to change much. I already have two different spins, a choreographic step sequence, three single jumps (loop, sal, and toe loop), and a jump combo. However, we did change my loop-loop combo to a single loop and we added some new footwork. One thing that is really throwing me off is, since I'm officially skating for Bronze, I went back to using the longer cut of my program (the one that is 1:42 instead of the one that is cut to 1:40). You wouldn't think that two seconds makes a big difference but it does! I have so much time now! In fact, I feel like I have too much time and I'm trying to kill time until I get to my next element, especially now that there is only the one loop. I have to rethink this whole thing.
We worked a bit on the camel spin as well. It's about where we left it a month ago so I didn't really make too much progress on this. I'll keep plugging away at it but this may take some time.
Anyway, I have a lot to work on!
Friday, April 19, 2019
Flippin' Awesome!
I skated early this morning and it was a lovely practice. I spent more time on jumps than anything else but everything got worked on at some point. The awesome part of my practice is just how I feel about the flip jump overall. It's finally getting consistently worked on along with all of my other jumps and there is no more fear. It is fully rotated (maybe a bit over rotated) and I'm landing it on one foot. I feel like the flip fear that I've been struggling with for nearly two years is finally over :)
I think I know what fixed me. Since it was a fear issue that was holding me back and not the jump itself I found that, when I was attempting them during practice, I wasn't committing to the pick in. I was hesitating and allowing myself too much time to think about how scary it was right before the jump. Once I paired it with a half flip, things all of a sudden started to fall into place for me. So, I would do a half flip and then right away do the mohawk entry into the full flip. Because there was no time to think in between jumps, the full flip happened! So it really was a mental game after all and I beat it!
For the past week or so, I have been pairing the flip with the half flip and getting more comfortable with things in general. This morning I took the training wheels off, so to speak, and just worked on the flip by itself. Glorious.
For the first time, I feel like I can put this in a program and actually make it happen. Progress feels good!
I think I know what fixed me. Since it was a fear issue that was holding me back and not the jump itself I found that, when I was attempting them during practice, I wasn't committing to the pick in. I was hesitating and allowing myself too much time to think about how scary it was right before the jump. Once I paired it with a half flip, things all of a sudden started to fall into place for me. So, I would do a half flip and then right away do the mohawk entry into the full flip. Because there was no time to think in between jumps, the full flip happened! So it really was a mental game after all and I beat it!
For the past week or so, I have been pairing the flip with the half flip and getting more comfortable with things in general. This morning I took the training wheels off, so to speak, and just worked on the flip by itself. Glorious.
For the first time, I feel like I can put this in a program and actually make it happen. Progress feels good!
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Grinding
I've been doing more off-ice training to supplement my on-ice adventures and I'm starting to really feel the difference! I'm able to stay upright more often on botched landings and I'm just feeling stronger and more confident overall. Yay for progress! I skated on Saturday but there wasn't anything to report so I didn't write an entry for that day. However, today was nice and I feel like I made progress on a couple of things.
Warm-upz - I ran a lap, I walked a lap, and then I did some stretching before getting on the ice. I would like to get this to the point where I can increase the amount of laps I run. I'll get there but my lungs are not the best. My stamina says "keep running" but my lungs are like "I will literally KILL you." On ice, I did about 10 laps of various things so, after 15 minutes of on-ice warming up, I was ready to start working on Bronze MIF.
Movez - Circle 8 felt pretty great. I feel like I'm finally getting more of a stronger push for each circle although the push onto my RFI still feels "toe pushy." I did three full patterns of this before moving on to power 3 turns. These also felt better but I still feel like I'm running out of rink at the end of my first side. I can make it but I'm getting awfully close to the wall. BX-BO edges are much improved. With Christopher's fixes in place I think I got the hang of this again. Five step mohawks felt speedy today which was nice and my power perimeter stroking is still good so nothing to report there.
Jumpz - I ran through everything but spent a lot of time on the flip jump. Now that I'm not scared of this jump anymore, I'm pretty obsessed with trying to improve my technique. They are still pretty small but I'm able to do them which is a huge achievement for me this past year!
Other Thingz - Backward 3 turns are still a disaster but I'm trying. Backspins are coming along. Now that I'm more comfortable getting the rotations around the 5-6 rev mark, I'm slowly trying to cross my leg over. This is tough. Finally, at the end of my practice, I did a couple of laps of consecutive outside spirals. Ugly, but they got done. I'll start doing the inside spirals once my outsides start to look prettier. I'm pooped!
Warm-upz - I ran a lap, I walked a lap, and then I did some stretching before getting on the ice. I would like to get this to the point where I can increase the amount of laps I run. I'll get there but my lungs are not the best. My stamina says "keep running" but my lungs are like "I will literally KILL you." On ice, I did about 10 laps of various things so, after 15 minutes of on-ice warming up, I was ready to start working on Bronze MIF.
Movez - Circle 8 felt pretty great. I feel like I'm finally getting more of a stronger push for each circle although the push onto my RFI still feels "toe pushy." I did three full patterns of this before moving on to power 3 turns. These also felt better but I still feel like I'm running out of rink at the end of my first side. I can make it but I'm getting awfully close to the wall. BX-BO edges are much improved. With Christopher's fixes in place I think I got the hang of this again. Five step mohawks felt speedy today which was nice and my power perimeter stroking is still good so nothing to report there.
Jumpz - I ran through everything but spent a lot of time on the flip jump. Now that I'm not scared of this jump anymore, I'm pretty obsessed with trying to improve my technique. They are still pretty small but I'm able to do them which is a huge achievement for me this past year!
Other Thingz - Backward 3 turns are still a disaster but I'm trying. Backspins are coming along. Now that I'm more comfortable getting the rotations around the 5-6 rev mark, I'm slowly trying to cross my leg over. This is tough. Finally, at the end of my practice, I did a couple of laps of consecutive outside spirals. Ugly, but they got done. I'll start doing the inside spirals once my outsides start to look prettier. I'm pooped!
Friday, April 12, 2019
Feelin' Good
Tuesday was a disaster but today felt so much better! I guess it's expected that I'll have a really bad skate day every now and then. I'm glad I got it out of my system now rather than right before a major competition or test.
Warm upz - I polled the greater hive mind to see how some of my other adult figure skaters conduct their warm ups because I've grown particularly bored with my usual routine. So today, I did about 10 laps instead of my usual 3 or 4 and each lap consisted of something different: stroking, power stroking, power 3 turns, BX-BO edges, forward slaloms, cross strokes, edges, twizzles, consecutive waltz jumps, and some backward slaloms. Whew! Tired! I moved on to the Circle 8 and did two patterns of that before moving on to Moves in the Field.
Movez - Since I did the circle 8 as part of my warm up I only did the other four moves. Everything is starting to feel a bit better. My BX-BO edges down the center of the rink also felt pretty good now that I'm paying more attention to the timing and making the BX more equal to the BO. All in all, things are looking acceptable.
Jumpz - I tried to spend equal time with all of my jumps while really focusing on technique. I tend to skip the jumps that need the most work but if I divide my time equally I feel like it allows me to pay more attention to each one. I think I made some progress on my salchow by riding that LBI edge longer before I swing my free leg forward. I also did a bunch of flip jumps. These are still tiny and pretty flaily but at least the fear is gone and I'm landing them on one foot. These can only get better from here (I mean, because they certainly can't get worse, right?!)
Spinz - I focused most of my time on the backspin and the camel. I took video of myself doing the backspin to see how many revs I was getting and I'm consistently getting about 5-6 but they are still all in the flamingo position. As soon as I try to cross my leg over, the spin just dies and I barely get 1 revolution. This is such a struggle because I know I can do a backspin, it's just not pretty. It's speedy but it's not proper. Ugh. I moved on to camel spins and I had one really good one (and "good" for me means about 2 solid revs). It's getting there. This is one of those skills that the more experienced skaters make look so easy (kinda like the circle 8) but it's totally not easy. Not even a little.
At this point, my 1 hour session was up so I didn't get to work on backward 3 turns or run bits of my program. I need more ice time!
Warm upz - I polled the greater hive mind to see how some of my other adult figure skaters conduct their warm ups because I've grown particularly bored with my usual routine. So today, I did about 10 laps instead of my usual 3 or 4 and each lap consisted of something different: stroking, power stroking, power 3 turns, BX-BO edges, forward slaloms, cross strokes, edges, twizzles, consecutive waltz jumps, and some backward slaloms. Whew! Tired! I moved on to the Circle 8 and did two patterns of that before moving on to Moves in the Field.
Movez - Since I did the circle 8 as part of my warm up I only did the other four moves. Everything is starting to feel a bit better. My BX-BO edges down the center of the rink also felt pretty good now that I'm paying more attention to the timing and making the BX more equal to the BO. All in all, things are looking acceptable.
Jumpz - I tried to spend equal time with all of my jumps while really focusing on technique. I tend to skip the jumps that need the most work but if I divide my time equally I feel like it allows me to pay more attention to each one. I think I made some progress on my salchow by riding that LBI edge longer before I swing my free leg forward. I also did a bunch of flip jumps. These are still tiny and pretty flaily but at least the fear is gone and I'm landing them on one foot. These can only get better from here (I mean, because they certainly can't get worse, right?!)
Spinz - I focused most of my time on the backspin and the camel. I took video of myself doing the backspin to see how many revs I was getting and I'm consistently getting about 5-6 but they are still all in the flamingo position. As soon as I try to cross my leg over, the spin just dies and I barely get 1 revolution. This is such a struggle because I know I can do a backspin, it's just not pretty. It's speedy but it's not proper. Ugh. I moved on to camel spins and I had one really good one (and "good" for me means about 2 solid revs). It's getting there. This is one of those skills that the more experienced skaters make look so easy (kinda like the circle 8) but it's totally not easy. Not even a little.
At this point, my 1 hour session was up so I didn't get to work on backward 3 turns or run bits of my program. I need more ice time!
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Everything hurts and I'm dying
It never fails. Whenever I have a great practice and I'm starting to feel like a bad-ass for conquering fears and stuff, my next practice is pure garbage. Today, I felt like a slug. No speed, no ups, and no progress. Super cool, right?
Off ice warm upz - I've slowly been incorporating more off ice stretching and exercises to my daily routine to build up strength, stamina, and balance. Last week when I got to the rink, I did a couple of walking laps around the elevated perimeter of the rink. Today, in addition to stretching, I ran a lap and then walked a lap. The half foam roller has really improved my balance and I'm feeling more confident on my spirals because of it (if I can spiral while balancing on that thing, I can balance on knife shoes!). So, yeah, I'm trying to not be so sedentary off ice. Maybe I'll buy a jump rope too!
Movez - Here's where the garbage started to pile up. Perimeter Stroking was fine as was my Circle 8 but my Power 3 turns were pretty bad. I'm doing the move but I'm struggling with figuring out how many to do down the length of the rink. If I do three, I still have a lot of rink left at the end but if I do four, I'm running out of room and can't finish the move without almost running into the boards. Lame. The BX-BO Edges were also crap today. Weeks ago when I felt that these were super simple, it was because I was doing them wrong. I was spending too much time on BO edge and not enough time on the BX. Half the lobe should be the BX and then I'm supposed to start the BO edge at the top of that lobe to complete the second half. I just need to find my groove with this and I'm sure it will be fine. Finally, mohawks. These were just okay.
Jumpz and Spinz - This part of my practice started off promising but turned to garbage once I started working on loops and flips. Also, I couldn't center a single spin today. Not a single one.
Programz - I did a run through of my program, slowly, to keep it under my feet. Things felt pretty good so I decided to run it at full speed without the music. I landed my salchow and as I was doing the one foot glide to center to get into position for the sit spin, I tripped on my toe pick! I stayed upright at first but then I tripped on my other toepick (I guess I was destined to go down). I ended up landing on my chest and got the wind knocked out of me and then I sliiiiiiiiid across the ice like some kind of broken penguin. While sliding breathlessly, I somehow managed to turn over onto my back and that's when I hit my elbow pretty hard. I was covered in snow and shame and now I feel like I got hit by a bus. Cool.
via GIPHY
Off ice warm upz - I've slowly been incorporating more off ice stretching and exercises to my daily routine to build up strength, stamina, and balance. Last week when I got to the rink, I did a couple of walking laps around the elevated perimeter of the rink. Today, in addition to stretching, I ran a lap and then walked a lap. The half foam roller has really improved my balance and I'm feeling more confident on my spirals because of it (if I can spiral while balancing on that thing, I can balance on knife shoes!). So, yeah, I'm trying to not be so sedentary off ice. Maybe I'll buy a jump rope too!
Movez - Here's where the garbage started to pile up. Perimeter Stroking was fine as was my Circle 8 but my Power 3 turns were pretty bad. I'm doing the move but I'm struggling with figuring out how many to do down the length of the rink. If I do three, I still have a lot of rink left at the end but if I do four, I'm running out of room and can't finish the move without almost running into the boards. Lame. The BX-BO Edges were also crap today. Weeks ago when I felt that these were super simple, it was because I was doing them wrong. I was spending too much time on BO edge and not enough time on the BX. Half the lobe should be the BX and then I'm supposed to start the BO edge at the top of that lobe to complete the second half. I just need to find my groove with this and I'm sure it will be fine. Finally, mohawks. These were just okay.
Jumpz and Spinz - This part of my practice started off promising but turned to garbage once I started working on loops and flips. Also, I couldn't center a single spin today. Not a single one.
Programz - I did a run through of my program, slowly, to keep it under my feet. Things felt pretty good so I decided to run it at full speed without the music. I landed my salchow and as I was doing the one foot glide to center to get into position for the sit spin, I tripped on my toe pick! I stayed upright at first but then I tripped on my other toepick (I guess I was destined to go down). I ended up landing on my chest and got the wind knocked out of me and then I sliiiiiiiiid across the ice like some kind of broken penguin. While sliding breathlessly, I somehow managed to turn over onto my back and that's when I hit my elbow pretty hard. I was covered in snow and shame and now I feel like I got hit by a bus. Cool.
via GIPHY
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Much Strong, Such Wow
No lesson this morning since Christopher is busy coaching some of his other students at the Ft. Collins Classic. I hope they all kick ass. My back-up coach Michele is also out of town this weekend so I was on my own today. That's fine, I have plenty to work on.
Edgez and Movez - After my warm-up laps, I started in with some forward and backward edges followed by a couple of patterns of the Circle 8. All is well here. I moved on to the Power 3 turns and these are feeling pretty good now that I feel like I have a little bit more power. The step forward from the crossovers even felt pretty nice! BX-BO Edges were better today than they were on Tuesday. I forgot a lot of things on Tuesday and, overall, I kind of felt like I was in a fog. But today I felt strong, capable, and I was able to recall a lot of the things we talked about in our last lesson a couple of weeks ago. Super! I did the Power Perimeter Stroking as part of my warm up earlier so, after I was done with the BX-BO edges, I just moved on to the mohawks. I did these on the circle so I could focus on that PUSH on the third step. These felt nice.
Spinz - Okay, I'm loving this sharpening! I haven't had consistently centered spins like this since, well, since never. The only thing different lately is the sharpening so I'm totally giving credit to the blades. I did lots of camels and sits and dabbled in a few back spins. I even threw in a bunch of scratch spins in the mix for variety. Nice!
Jumpz - All of my usual jumps got jumped but I spent the majority of my time on two things: landing the waltz jump with the free leg in front (to better prepare me for a waltz-loop) and the flip jump. I really tried to put more power in my waltz jumps and extend more while in the air. I felt pretty powerful on these. But, I spent more time on the flip jump than anything else because they felt good. Guys, I think I've turned the corner on my flip jump fear!!! I did so many today that I lost count. No fear, no hesitation! Because of today, I'm feeling much better about the prospect of including this jump in my Bronze Free Skate Test. Since we never really set anything in stone in regards to where we plan on placing the flip jump, I put it where I felt the least resistance (after the stag and in place of the waltz-falling leaf-half flip). It feels pretty natural there and I like the way the stag jump prepares me mentally for the flip. I will run it by Christopher when I see him for our next lesson.
All in all, a really good day. I stopped and got "celebration doughnuts" on the way home because dammit I deserve it :)
Edgez and Movez - After my warm-up laps, I started in with some forward and backward edges followed by a couple of patterns of the Circle 8. All is well here. I moved on to the Power 3 turns and these are feeling pretty good now that I feel like I have a little bit more power. The step forward from the crossovers even felt pretty nice! BX-BO Edges were better today than they were on Tuesday. I forgot a lot of things on Tuesday and, overall, I kind of felt like I was in a fog. But today I felt strong, capable, and I was able to recall a lot of the things we talked about in our last lesson a couple of weeks ago. Super! I did the Power Perimeter Stroking as part of my warm up earlier so, after I was done with the BX-BO edges, I just moved on to the mohawks. I did these on the circle so I could focus on that PUSH on the third step. These felt nice.
Spinz - Okay, I'm loving this sharpening! I haven't had consistently centered spins like this since, well, since never. The only thing different lately is the sharpening so I'm totally giving credit to the blades. I did lots of camels and sits and dabbled in a few back spins. I even threw in a bunch of scratch spins in the mix for variety. Nice!
Jumpz - All of my usual jumps got jumped but I spent the majority of my time on two things: landing the waltz jump with the free leg in front (to better prepare me for a waltz-loop) and the flip jump. I really tried to put more power in my waltz jumps and extend more while in the air. I felt pretty powerful on these. But, I spent more time on the flip jump than anything else because they felt good. Guys, I think I've turned the corner on my flip jump fear!!! I did so many today that I lost count. No fear, no hesitation! Because of today, I'm feeling much better about the prospect of including this jump in my Bronze Free Skate Test. Since we never really set anything in stone in regards to where we plan on placing the flip jump, I put it where I felt the least resistance (after the stag and in place of the waltz-falling leaf-half flip). It feels pretty natural there and I like the way the stag jump prepares me mentally for the flip. I will run it by Christopher when I see him for our next lesson.
All in all, a really good day. I stopped and got "celebration doughnuts" on the way home because dammit I deserve it :)
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
In which I have forgotten all the things
So, I haven't skated in about a week and a half (since my last lesson, actually) and I'm rusty to say the least. Everything we made progress on in our last lesson was completely forgotten, never to be retrieved again. It's just....gone. Last week was spring break so the rink changed to a week of drop-in sessions (none of which I could could actually go to because the earliest one started at 8:00am and I have to be at work at 9:00am). No lesson, no practice, and sadly, no progress. Sigh. I did, however, manage to get my blades sharpened by someone who actually knows what they are doing. Usually, I just take them to my rink's pro shop to get sharpened because it's convenient. They don't usually do the best job so I never expect much but the last sharpening they did for me was so bad that I couldn't hold an RFO edge for a good 2-3 weeks until the blades wore down a bit. So, because I work every damn day of the week, I sent my husband down to Littleton to get my blades sharpened by someone who came highly recommended by my coach. He did an amazing job (my husband and the sharpener). I can really feel the difference. I am pleased.
Movez - Before I went into bronze moves, I spent some time on forwards and backwards edges just so I could get a good feel for the sharpening. Once I felt comfortable on these, I moved on to the Circle 8. I feel like my initial push at the start of every circle was weak and I was having a hard time maintaining enough momentum to get around all the way. Something to work on. I did some five step mohawks but, since these felt pretty stable, I just did one pattern. Power Perimeter Stroking was the same way. I spent the bulk of my time working on the Power 3 Turns and, once I remembered to add speed and count out the steps, they improved. The BX-BO edges are now a complete mess, though. These used to feel pretty awesome but now I feel like I'm starting from scratch. We made some changes to this during our last lesson (all of which I either forgot or I remember but they no longer make sense) and now I feel like I can't even do this move anymore. So frustrating.
Jumpz and Spinz - I ran through all of my program jumps making sure to not rush things. My loop jump was gross today. Just really sloppy. But everything else felt okay. I even did some really tiny flip jumps (also gross). However, the time off helped my spins! These felt fairly centered and I feel like I even made some slight (keyword slight) progress on my camel once I remembered to arch my back.
Scary Thingz - I've decided that I'm going to dedicate the last 10-15 minutes of my practice to "things that scare me." I tend to avoid the scary stuff in lieu of other things that I feel are more important (even though they are not) but, if I set a chunk of time aside to force myself to work on this stuff, I think I'll start seeing results. So, I started with backward 3 turns. The RBO 3 turn is now consistent and not scary at all. The other ones, not so much. But hey, I at least tried them. I did some backspins and some more flip jumps.
Overall, I thought that taking a week off would either turn me into a disaster on ice or give my brain a chance to reset itself and come back all fresh and courageous. I guess it chose the former rather than the latter.
Movez - Before I went into bronze moves, I spent some time on forwards and backwards edges just so I could get a good feel for the sharpening. Once I felt comfortable on these, I moved on to the Circle 8. I feel like my initial push at the start of every circle was weak and I was having a hard time maintaining enough momentum to get around all the way. Something to work on. I did some five step mohawks but, since these felt pretty stable, I just did one pattern. Power Perimeter Stroking was the same way. I spent the bulk of my time working on the Power 3 Turns and, once I remembered to add speed and count out the steps, they improved. The BX-BO edges are now a complete mess, though. These used to feel pretty awesome but now I feel like I'm starting from scratch. We made some changes to this during our last lesson (all of which I either forgot or I remember but they no longer make sense) and now I feel like I can't even do this move anymore. So frustrating.
Jumpz and Spinz - I ran through all of my program jumps making sure to not rush things. My loop jump was gross today. Just really sloppy. But everything else felt okay. I even did some really tiny flip jumps (also gross). However, the time off helped my spins! These felt fairly centered and I feel like I even made some slight (keyword slight) progress on my camel once I remembered to arch my back.
Scary Thingz - I've decided that I'm going to dedicate the last 10-15 minutes of my practice to "things that scare me." I tend to avoid the scary stuff in lieu of other things that I feel are more important (even though they are not) but, if I set a chunk of time aside to force myself to work on this stuff, I think I'll start seeing results. So, I started with backward 3 turns. The RBO 3 turn is now consistent and not scary at all. The other ones, not so much. But hey, I at least tried them. I did some backspins and some more flip jumps.
Overall, I thought that taking a week off would either turn me into a disaster on ice or give my brain a chance to reset itself and come back all fresh and courageous. I guess it chose the former rather than the latter.
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